You're not weird - you're early
You’re doing ministry that doesn’t fit the boxes.
Maybe you’re a chaplain, a church consultant, a podcast host, a church planter. Maybe you’re ou’re pastoring a traditional congregation - but finding ‘Cage Free’ ways to share ministry together. Maybe you’re doing all of this at once!
You ARE a pioneer!
You see the changes in the church and you’re already responding!
The cost of being early: you’re working without a map. And often without a net. It’s lonely.
Substack Seminary is where we provide the tools - and the colleagues - to help build both the map and the net.
Who we are
(Substack Seminary leadership)
Fr. Cathie Caimano
is a Free Range Priest who stepped off the institutional church ‘corporate ladder’ with a calling to reimagination and without much of a plan! Today she’s a respected thought leader and consultant on Future of Church issues (including technology) and still serves with a traditional Episcopal congregation (though in a ‘Cage Free’ way).
Loren Richmond Jr.
is a hospital chaplain, organizational consultant, podcast host, blogger, and multi-faceted minister. He is a voracious reader with a keen eye for what is working in innovative ministry - and what the church needs to let go of to move into the future (his podcast is called ‘Future Christian’). Loren is the one who coined the phrase: ‘you’re not weird, you’re early’, describing his own experience of building ministry from scratch.
Pastor Sierra Ward
not only started a new church plant - she started a denomination! She has the vision and the passion for ‘wrestling with God’, which is why her congregation is called ‘St. Jacob’s’. She sees the holy in hard things, and the joy of asking ‘where is God calling us outside the box of institutional church ministry?’
What we do at Substack Seminary
Substack Seminary runs in Quarters — four per year (each quarter lasts for an intensive seven weeks), each built around a single theme.
New enrollees are admitted at the start of each Quarter, and each participant cycles through all four Quarters no matter where they begin.
There are about three weeks between each Quarter - participants still have access to the community space and there will still be livestreams, but everyone gets some breathing room.
During a Quarter, the weekly rhythm looks like this:
Monday: You’ll receive an email with the week’s topic and questions to consider about your own ministry. You’ll also get a weekly form to share your thoughts and questions with us — you’ll get a copy too — and to keep track of your interactions.
Wednesday: A blog post on the week’s topic goes out to all subscribers - free, paid, and enrolled.
Thursday, 3:30pm Eastern: We host a livestream on the topic with our Guest Practitioner and one other member of the leadership team. (Livestreams are available to paid subscribers and enrollees.)
Once a month, we run a deeper-dive livestream featuring a participant’s ministry - either inviting them on live or using their work as a case study.All week: Enrolled participants have access to the community space hosted by Free Range Priest - for conversation, resources, and connecting with other members.
Ministry partners: We’ll introduce you to one or a few other participants to be your support group during the Quarter.
We encourage you to meet at least twice - to share your homework, and to talk honestly about how things are going in your ministry, and receive helpful advice and critiques that might need to be addressed..
Your participation
We’re building a space for collaboration and support, so we’re asking you to participate actively:
Like/comment on blog posts and livestreams.
Engage in the group chat on Church Center.
Share posts from Substack Seminary, and tag us from your own Substack.
Fill out the weekly topic form - this tracks your answers week by week and sends you a running copy so you’re building your own ministry roadmap as you go. It also tracks your participation.
Meet with your partner/small group.
Sign - and abide by - the Substack Seminary Covenant.
You earn points for participation. Complete a Quarter and you earn a token. Four tokens - one per Quarter - means you’ve completed a full year of Substack Seminary. There will be prizes!
Community events:
Once a month, we run a slightly longer livestream spotlighting one member’s ministry, either inviting them on live or doing a case study of their work. This is where the community gets to see each other’s callings in action.
Once a year, we celebrate together. One big Google Meet — the whole Seminary, all Quarters, all cohorts!
Your introduction
Every Participant creates and shares a 5–10 minute video introducing themselves and their ministry.
We’ll give you tech support if you need it, but we also want to be honest: we see this as a skills check.
Innovative ministers in the 21st century need to be comfortable with technology. If you’re not yet, we’ll help you get there.
Writing for Substack Seminary
Members who are ready can pitch a blog post with a Substack Seminary byline: highlighting their ministry, their learnings, or their take on the Future of Church. This is where collaboration and networking meet development and training.
Is Substack Seminary for you?
It IS for you if:
You’re building a ministry that’s about breaking out of the institutional church ‘box.’
You see the changes in the church and you’re already responding. Or you want to.
You can commit to about 5 hours a week during Quarters - and give as much support as you receive.
It’s NOT for you if:
You’re not ready to challenge the traditional church model - or not ready to be challenged yourself.
You don’t have space to give as much support as you receive.
You’re not thinking about how what you’re doing right now is pioneering the Future of Church.
We’re bringing church to people.
Welcome to Substack Seminary. Let’s build the future of church - together.
