Blog

by Set McManus

I thought that I knew Jesus—until I met him. I met him in the refugee, the poet, the social worker, the survivor, and the activist. None of them looked like me. But they sure looked like Jesus. Taking up space in the spotlight is easy. Learning to see and transform your own ignorance is much harder. But it’s worth doing.

by Ashley Valenzuela

I am learning to trust more deeply that my spirit can sense a gentle nudge of wisdom that leads me in the right direction. I pay closer attention now to what my intuition is saying because I truly believe that the Spirit lives within me and that the same Spirit that called me will lead me.

Azucena “Ceni” De La Torre

Death has this convincing manner of making space. It bends time, disregards the best of plans, and halts the world in one breath—or lack of it. Tradition calls us to contemplate our dying and therein reconcile with our living in ways that make us ready for resurrection.

By Delaney Anderson

In the airport again and realizing, as I watch very rushed people, that I do not want to live stressed but free! We can’t control the circumstances of life, work, school, or family but we can choose to live into God’s unchanging character, nearness, and joy!

By Justin Warner

I am younger than most of my parishioner’s children and many of their grandchildren. The younger leaders within my church are closer to my parents’ age. However, I have found my voice and ability to lead this church into the future that God prepared for them through contemplative leadership and humbly acknowledging my needs.

By Brooke Foster

When I contemplate Lent, I hear a call not only to repentance, but to reparation and restoration. We cannot stop at acknowledging our complicity in injustice; we must seek God’s help in restarting and ask God to renew right and clean spirits within us.

By Azucena “Ceni” De La Torre

It is not wasted on me that this dust is what He calls to preach, to serve, to tell the truth, to love and to die in order to live, forever. The irony is poetic. Funny, even. On this Valentine’s Day let us remember that we need love and we need Lent. And we need them together.

By Lynne Onishi

While I haven’t always understood my own potential, others have lifted me up and believed in me. What once made me feel insecure and doubtful has now become my motivation to empower new leaders to lead in their own ways.

the Rev. Beth Putney

Matt’s ministry is not about him but about God and God’s people. That—his commitment to the ministry—he takes very seriously. I have to imagine that this posture— this John-the-Baptist’s-finger way of being —is what helped him recognize a leader for the church in an awkward teenager and name that call as sacred.

Shari Oosting

Unfortunately, faithful discernment doesn’t necessarily lead to circumstances we would choose. And it’s not as simple as discovering the correct destination and then finding a way to get there.

Eve Crespo

It was necessary that I started to see my volunteers as people—not as machines to run the service that Eve’s mind had planned. I realized that for them to succeed, I needed to fully empower them to use their gifts and skills freely.

Brooke Foster

Belonging requires you to be who you are. This means we must first be comfortable with our whole selves, with all our quirks and differences. It can be challenging to break free from the urge to conform to group norms, especially if you’ve spent your life trying to fit in.

Kenda Creasy Dean

Comedian John Mulaney theorizes that Jesus’s greatest miracle was that he had 12 best friends in his 30s. Sometimes it does feel like making friends as an adult requires divine intervention. One day we’re flooded with friends in high school or college, and the next day we’re marooned on a sad desert island of loneliness now that we’re bona fide grown-ups. Where did everybody go?

The Rev. Dr. LeQuita Porter

Tell the truth…are you risk averse? Have you ever opted for taking the safest route over taking a known risk? Have you ever settled for what seemed to be a sure thing over and above a distant, not-so-certain but interesting opportunity? Have you ever chosen the path of least resistance and settled for what you deemed as good enough, rather than going after what God has already determined to be great?

Elizabeth “Liz” Moore

“God,” Lauren prayed, “help us to know when it is time leave this work for the next thing. And when it is time, would you call us into something, anything, rather than just having us drift away from this work.”

Eddie Olewinski

The commitment to values such as Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, rooted in faith and humanitarian principles, serves as a guiding light during these testing times and inspires leaders to extend a hand of welcome and care. In these moments, true leadership shines, reminds us of our duty to protect, support, and empathize with those seeking safety and exemplifies love for thy global neighbor.

Brooke Foster

The future of the church is ecumenical. Over the past few years, I’ve fully embraced this sentiment. I believe, with every fiber of my being, that each tradition has something beautiful to contribute to our way forward as the body of Christ.

Nicole Williams

Intergenerational leadership begins with a profound reliance on the Holy Spirit. It is through the Holy Spirit that hearts are transformed and lives are touched. Praying for God’s wisdom and discernment is paramount in understanding how to navigate the delicate balance between tradition and modernity.

Mireya Guzman

Jesus teaches us to lead by example, to have courage, to be humble, to be loving, and to let go of judgment (of ourselves and others). Faithful leadership is about being an example of Jesus through interactions with others more than anything.

Amar D. Peterman

Christian leadership in interfaith spaces involves releasing ourselves into the wonderful truth that Jesus is Lord and recognizing that we can learn from everyone—even those who are not believers—about Jesus by the way that Jesus shapes everything into his own glory.

Brooke Foster

We believe that God is at work in the world in and through young people, and the Polaris blog is dedicated to sharing their stories and equipping them in their faith-led leadership.

Azucena “Ceni” De La Torre

There is joy in the active anticipation that is private planning but there is fear in facing a public launch. Our greatest goal is to cultivate a network across the United States that highlights and amplifies the leadership of young adults who are Christian.

NEWS RELEASE Princeton Theological Seminary is thrilled to announce the 2023 launch of a Young Adult Leadership Network. The Network seeks to cultivate community among …