ABOUT

Thriving in Ministry exists to build healthy engagement points for invested mentoring, ongoing peer relationships, and 1:1 strategic support that develops an individualized thriving plan for ministers.

We were founded at, and now partner with Northwest University, which keeps us grounded in both research and praxis, as we take intentional steps to create proven resources for individual pastors in their journey. By also being part of the Red Balloon Network, we seek to benefit the Church as a whole through our work.

Our program is backed by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc., which allows us to provide free resources and cohort journeys for our participating ministers.

Two women working together at a desk with computers, one typing on a laptop and the other looking at the screen.

WHO WE ARE

Thriving in Ministry is for YOU.

Are you new in your vocational ministry journey? Have you launched a church in the last 5 years? Do you pastor an existing congregation or lead a network?

Through various resources and programs, our goal is to support all ministers and networks, while giving specific emphasis to underrepresented demographics and church planters: voices of color, female voices, and the voices of rural pastors.

A young man with dark hair smiling and standing outdoors during sunset, with dry plants in the foreground and a blurred wooded background.

WHO WE SERVE

Meet the Team

  • A woman with long, wavy blonde hair, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a purple top, smiling at the camera against a plain background.

    Rev. Kathy Cannon

    CEO & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • A woman with dark hair smiling, wearing a blue top, in front of a colorful painted wall with teal, purple, and white sections.

    Rev. Korista Lewis

    ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

  • Oscar Perez

    Rev. Oscar Perez

    MENTORING & SYSTEMS
    SPECIALIST

  • Smiling woman with brown hair, glasses, and a colorful shirt outdoors in a wooded area.

    Rev. Rebecca Marines

    COHORT MENTOR

  • A man with a beard and mustache wearing a gray checked blazer, white collared shirt, and a blue pocket square, smiling against a plain gray background.

    Dr. Darnell Williams

    COHORT MENTOR

  • HEATHER WEBER

    Rev. Heather Weber

    COHORT MENTOR

  • Portrait of a man with glasses, gray hair, and a beard, wearing a gray blazer and plaid shirt, standing outdoors with green foliage in the background.

    Dr. Earl Creps

    SENIOR MENTOR

  • A smiling man with short dark hair, a goatee, and a mustache, wearing a light gray jacket over a blue dress shirt, standing outdoors with a green blurred background.

    Dr. Robert Campbell

    PSYCH CONSULTANT

  • A young man in a gray suit with a red and blue striped bow tie, wearing glasses, outdoors with trees in the background.

    Dr. Joshua Ziefle

    DIRECTOR of Center for Thriving Church
    Planters at Northwest University