The Rev. Ken Howard

About Ken Howard

Jul 09 2020

Campus Ministry’s Unwitting Complicity in Systemic Racism

Community college campus ministry is likely the Church’s biggest blind spot, greatest overlooked missional opportunity, and even worse, a prime example of inadvertent systemic racism and classism. Which means it’s time we started asking ourselves, “Who are we missing?”

Over my 25+ years of ordained ministry, I have observed that as a general rule congregations and judicatories seem to put much more resources into campus ministry at 4-year colleges and universities than they do into 2-year community colleges. Not that campus ministries at 4-year institutions get all that much attention compared to typical congregation-based ministries, mind you. Most clergy seem to view campus ministry as a “junior varsity sport” when it comes to vocations, and those who start there quickly come to see congregation-based ministry as a better career move. The problem is that these types of missed opportunities can help spread institutional racism.

It is challenging to quantify this persistent observation, mostly because of the dearth of research on campus ministry in general, let alone at community colleges. There appears to be only one faith-based study that compares the numbers of campus ministers at 4-year and 2-year institutions: A National Study on Catholic Campus Ministry 2017, commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (UCCB) Secretariat of Catholic Education. (I do acknowledge the difficulty in making valid extrapolations from one study from one denomination, but it’s all we’ve got at present).

The Difference in Pastoral Presence between 4-Year vs. 2-Year Institutions is Huge

If the Catholic Campus Ministry study is at all representative of the larger Church, the gap between pastoral presence on 4-year institutions and community colleges is stunning: 1 in 4 four-year institutions have a pastoral presence vs. 1 in 60 community colleges. Which means community college students are nearly 150 times less likely to experience campus ministry.

Who Are We Missing?

The Pew Research study, A Rising Share of Undergraduates are From Poor Families, Especially at Less Selective Colleges, clearly demonstrates how our de facto decision to prioritize campus ministry at 4-year institutions over community colleges systematically excludes racial and economic minorities. In other words, how we have unintentionally (or at least not consciously intentionally) extended systemic racism and classism into campus ministry.

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Jul 02 2020

Upcoming FaithX Webinars (and a discounted offer for attendees)

As we all navigate our way through the perfect storm of the COVID crisis, the systemic racism crisis, and the economic crisis, FaithX has been working on low-cost ways to help faith leaders and their congregations respond nimbly in the present, while preparing effectively for the future. One of the ways we are doing this is through our new monthly webinar series.

These 60-90 minute webinars are designed to provide you the necessary knowledge and practical resources to ground your discernment and ministry planning in data. The following is a list of our upcoming webinars, along with a special discount offer for attendees on FaithX services.

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Jun 25 2020

Using MapDash to Identify and Prioritize Vulnerable Neighborhoods and Populations

by The Rev. Ken Howard
Vulnerable Neighborhoods

This post is part of a blog series on
“Keeping Congregations Connected in the Face of COVID-19”
Click here for the previous post

Okay. You’re a pastor of a congregation in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, economic meltdown, and now a societal upheaval in the aftermath of the murder of yet another unarmed black man by police, all the while trying keep your congregation connected virtually, and planning for the reopening of your building and the recovery of your neighborhood.

Not much on your plate, right? WRONG!!!

Seriously, it’s nearly impossible for you to give equal time and attention to every person in your congregation, let alone attend to the needs of the vulnerable neighborhoods you service.

So how do you prioritize your time and attention? One way is to identify and prioritize the most vulnerable people in your congregation and the most vulnerable neighborhoods around your congregation. And you can do that relatively quickly through data-grounded discernment using MapDash for COVID-19 or MapDash for Faith Communities.

Here’s how we did it with the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

[Read more…]

Jun 19 2020

“How do you need help?” Locating and Reaching Populations most Vulnerable to COVID-19

By Steve Matthews
Vulnerable Populations

This post is part of a blog series on
“Keeping Congregations Connected in the Face of COVID-19”
Click here for the previous post

More and more people are talking about “Caution Fatigue” or “COVID Fatigue.” If it has a name it must be real, right? If you are like me, you don’t need a name to know that it takes a lot of energy and conscientiousness to be safe and cautious these days. As we see people abandoning recommended safe practices for the sake of relationships, connection, and “normalcy,” we are reminded that many in our communities are tired and weary and often frustrated. But we have to be vigilant and continue thinking of our most vulnerable populations.

“Caution Fatigue” shows up in church too. Many are anxious to get back into their church buildings. Some are tired of Zoom gatherings. Pastors and priests are weary too. And then there is the question of outreach. How do we continue to fulfill this part of our mission when our traditional methods may have been abandoned for safety’s sake? Perhaps we don’t feel like we have the energy for outreach with all of the other demands on us these days. OR perhaps we are being invited into new ways of considering outreach to our neighbors and those most vulnerable to COVID-19.

Is it possible that a fresh approach might actually give us some of our energy back? Could outreach be a source of connection that rejuvenates us? Here are some suggestions:

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Jun 09 2020

Online Bible Study and Formation in the time of COVID-19

by Steve Matthews
Online Bible Study

This post on forming an online Bible study is part of a blog series on
“Keeping Congregations Connected in the Face of COVID-19”
Click here for the previous post

“Our intention creates our reality”
Wayne Dyer

I grew up in an area that prided itself on self-sufficiency and hard work. The phrase “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” still resonates in my mind as a corrective for not meeting my goals. Today, I think differently. Intentions matter. Intentions can be like cairns that point me in the right direction and help navigate me toward my goals and where I feel the Spirit may be leading me.

Last week Ken Howard wrote in his blog about online Bible Studies and formation in a COVID-19 world. As you think about your church landscape in this reality and in the reality(s) to come, what are your intentions for spiritual formation and Bible Study? What do you want the harvest of these online gatherings to be? Who do you want to be there? As most churches continue to rely heavily on online watering holes, FaithX provides resources that can help you with your intentions to invite your neighbors into these online gatherings. It seems like a great time to hold an intention for invitation to online community. Many of your neighbors may not want to walk into church, but meeting online is often less threatening (and less committal), so why not use this resource to learn about your neighbors and invite them into your programming?

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