After five years of pastoring, I’ve reached a paradox. Texting is good: it helped me shepherd at least two people well. Texting is bad: it hurt my ability to minister to the congregation I served. The Good: Consistent Connection On the one hand, I texted to connect with two men struggling to follow Christ. Phone…
The Rev. Ethan Harrison is the associate priest at Immanuel Anglican Church in Destin, Florida. He graduated from Trinity School for Ministry with his Master of Divinity and Master of Sacred Theology in Systematic Theology. He is passionate about theology, the Doctrine of God, catechesis, evangelistic discipleship, and seeing all of life in light of Christ and his gospel. He spends his free time reading and spending time with his wife, Lindsay, and daughters, Maren, Lisette, and Joelle, cooking, playing games, and going on adventures together.
AWANA Burnout? How the Daily Office Helped Me Love Scripture Memorization Again
What do Pioneers, Native Americans, a strange stick figure called Sparkie, Little bear Cubs, and Scripture memorization have in common? AWANA!—at least if you grew up in some churches in the early to late 90s. AWANA indelibly shaped my experience of church and early Christian formation. Every Wednesday night, I would get walloped by dodgeballs,…
How Anglicanism Saved Me from “Following My Heart”
Hello, my name is Ethan, and I am a recovering expressive individualist. You are familiar with “expressive individualism,” even if the term isn’t familiar. I’ll define and describe it below, but phrases like “be authentic” or “follow your heart” capture the idea to a tee. I became an Anglican to “be authentic” and “follow my…
We Need a Path To Develop Mature Christians. Could Catechesis Be the Answer?
Alpha is great, but we need more! You’ve probably heard of the Alpha Course. Alpha is a place for seeking, curious, or burned-out people to ask questions and explore the basics of the Christian faith without judgment or expectation to believe. Some people use it to introduce people to the Christian faith, others as a…
Reimagining Conversion
Question: How do you become a Christian? (Common) Answer: “Say ‘yes’ to Jesus.” Is this good enough? I would suggest it isn’t. Is this any different than saying “yes” to a new pair of shoes or the latest Instagram trend? This is not a robust understanding of conversion found in Scripture. True conversion is more…
Is Christian Maturity Attainable? It Depends on How You Define It
Growing up in the Church, Scripture passages that tell me to be perfect, mature, or grow up in Christ gave me both a pit in my stomach and a desire for maturity. I wanted to be mature, but it always felt like an impossible feat. Have you felt that? It kind of feels like the…
