My previous Louisville Institute pastoral study project focused on Biblical Storytelling and Adaptive Action. This current project builds on the skills I developed in that context.

For several decades Mennonite Church USA congregations have been encouraged to use--not exclusively, but very regularly--the Revised Common Lectionary. I am interested in a Mennonite experiment using the Narrative Lectionary (rather than RCL) as the basis for preaching and teaching because of the promise of telling the whole Biblical story each year. The conditions for such an experiment in our congregation are ripe because: 1) Community Mennonite will begin using this lectionary in Sep 2020; 2) there are 6 local congregations (3 Mennonite, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Lutheran, 1 Brethren) using the Narrative Lectionary whose lead pastors meet weekly to discuss these texts and how we will use them in our congregations; and 3) the recent pandemic has been an unplanned experiment for our congregation in virtual and asynchronous preaching and teaching, revealing some opportunities we will carry into the future, as we enter a more hybrid church culture with both in-person, traditional teaching and preaching environments as well as virtual and asynchronous formation experiences.

I am interested in preparing content, linked to the Narrative Lectionary, for different age groups and different engagement platforms including short asynchronous children's lessons, adult zoom-based Bible studies, short video clips for mid-week adult reflection on the scriptures and "between Sundays" material for an electronic newsletter that connects the stories in the Narrative Lectionary through an Anabaptist-Mennonite interpretive lens.

Finally, I intend to interview several Mennonite colleagues also experimenting with the Narrative Lectionary for an article and presentations to pastoral colleagues in Allegheny Mennonite Conference and Mennonite Church USA.