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can be fended off only by the staff and the rod? You can’ t make space in your own soul to host others when you are running from one crisis to the next, carrying the weight of the church on your back alone. But pastoring with the holy imagination of a midwife— in community, decentering ourselves, paying attention to our own bodies before the body of the church, trusting that God is the one who brings new life— we can slow down to do the work of self-awareness. We can prepare a cottage in our own heart where we meet with God and welcome others to do the same. emotions, experiences, expectations, hurts, trauma, and desires, so that when the guests arrive there will be more than enough room.
Self-awareness is not a luxury only for those who do not carry the heavy burden of pastoral ministry. Self-awareness is an act of hospitality that makes room deep in one’ s soul to truly welcome others into the kingdom of God and invite their full participation in spiritual growth. The pastor who midwifes God’ s new creation has done the work of preparation in their own life, tending to their
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Shawna Songer Gaines( D. Min. Lipscomb University) is lead pastor at Trevecca Community Church in Nashville, TN. She has 15 years of experience in congregational ministry and is a welcomed speaker for worship gatherings and church leadership conferences. She is the author of the Bible study series, Breathe: Sacred Space for Women, and co-author of A Seat at the Table: A Generation Reimagining Its Place in the Church and Kings and Presidents: Politics in the Kingdom of God. Shawna and her husband, Tim, and their two children reside in Nashville, TN, with their dog, Phoenix, and axolotl, Anemone. 21