Q1 Schedule
Join a year-long collaborative workshop where you develop your ministry for the future of church.
And know that you are not alone.
Whether you’re serving a congregation, building an entrepreneurial ministry, or both.
Here’s how it works:
You’ll get an email each week of the quarter that outlines the topic and starts the discussion.
And pdf journal pages to help you start creating the roadmap of your own ministry.
Once a week the quarter, there will be a 20-30 minute livestream with some combination of
Fr. Cathie Caimano
,
and our guest practitioner (Q1 it’s ). You’ll get an email invitation to the livestream which is your link to the recording if you can’t make it.Once a week during quarters there will be a chat space for all Substack Seminary paid members. We’ll engage the topic of the week and where we are with it.
Twice a month during quarters there will be a Google Meet with your current cohort (everyone working on this quarter’s theme). This is time to share your stories, where you are—and how you are (these sessions will be the first and last week’s of each quarter, and will be scheduled once the cohort is set).
A place to listen for God together, and to discover collaboration God might be calling you toward. A place to build the future of church - together.
We’ll work through four quarters:
Q1= January 12 - February 23, 2026.
Q2 = April 13 - May 25, 2026.
Q3 = August 3rd - September 14, 2026.
Q4 = October 5 - November 16, 2026.
Q1: GET UNSTUCK
The big picture of institutional collapse and where your ministry fits in—and how God is inviting you to thrive. Think organizationally.
1. How the church is stuck.
(January 12-17)
Welcome and overview of the next 12 months. Where are you now?
The collapse of the institutional church and how to crawl out from the rubble with our faith intact.
Institutions don’t change. People do. And the institution resists…
First Google Meet is this week - for introductions and starting points.
2. The world has moved on from institutional church. How do we move with it?
(January 19-24)
What is God inviting you into? Not what’s possible, not what you think you have to do, but what’s yours to do.
How is the stress you are feeling an invitation to re-imagination?
How your ministry operates within the institutional church system, alongside it, and/or outside it.
3. We can start something new - but we need to stay connected.
(January 26-31)
Belonging in community is essential for the church, the future of church, and ministry in general.
‘Am I allowed to do this?’ Permission and forgiveness while discerning in the midst of institutional collapse.
The importance of failure and doing it wrong as discernment.
Grounding our ministry: sin, forgiveness, humility, accountability, and authority.
4. Today’s church system: agile, networked, individualized, technology-based
(February 2-7)
The connection between the first and the 21st centuries (and how we finally let go of the 20th century).
The one thing everyone is looking for is what we have to share (hint: belonging).
The ‘bulletin effect’: How small changes in how we think about ministry can bring more Good News to everyone.
5. Name, claim, and connect your ministry.
(Feb 9-14)
Who are you are responsible for? Who are you responsible to?
Six word mission statements.
You say ‘Saul’, I say ‘Paul’. The importance of what we call our ministry - and why your ministry should have a name (and a domain name).
6. Workshop Week: Discernment in Real Time
(Feb 16-21)
Describe your ministry in terms of the institutional church (even if you don’t serve there).
Describe your ministry without using terms of the institutional church (even if you do serve there).
Second Google Meet is this week - to share our ministry names, mission statements, and descriptions of our ministry.
Feb. 23 – Q1 Wrap-up email and assignment:
For your roadmap:
Your ministry NAME and MISSION.
Q2 begins April 13
