WHAT IS THE CALLED COLLECTIVE?

There are thousands of teens that sense a calling into full time ministry each year. Whether you were at their youth camp's alter call and felt the Lord drawing you to something bigger than yourself or following in your family heritage in ministry, each and every teen who is called has a story and the need to develop in that call. It is challenging enough to be called but in addition to the magnitude of something like that, it can be hard to know where to begin and also if you will be able to have help along the way. The Called Collective exists to help you lean all-in to that calling.

The Called Collective is a free online resourcing community for high schoolers to discover, explore, and develop their call to ministry. We seek to equip the next generation of ministry leaders to live out that calling that God has placed on their lives. We have created a space where teens who are called to ministry can engage with one another and form a solid community. This network allows you to dive deep into resources that have been specially designed to further your ministry knowledge and develop ministry skills. 

A SOCIAL NETWORK FOR THE CALLED.

Living out your calling may be something that you feel is only something YOU are experiencing in your particular church or region. This can make trying to grow in that calling lonely and hard. The Called Collective has designed a solution for that very issue.

We have created a social network that allows you to connect with one another from across the world! There are several rich features that allow you to start and maintain a community of like-minded friends that are engaging with a calling similar to yours. We create spaces where you can share ministry ideas, learn ministry skills, and share life with those walking this similar path. Here are a few ways we try to make this experience worthwhile for your growth in the calling God has placed on your life.

THE TOOLS TO EQUIP YOU

When you are going on a hike or exploring someplace in nature, you usually start on specially designed trails that help you navigate difficult terrain easier until you are ready to go off and blaze your own trail. To help develop your skills in ministry, the Called Collective have designed something similar.

Tracks are specially designed workshops that teach you valuable ministry skills or help you be more deeply formed in Christ. We have created these Tracks to help guide you in the development of your calling so that you can eventually be able to grow and flourish using the tools we give to you in these Tracks. Each Track is packed with detailed explanations, biblical backing, and practical ways to implement each skill. Here is a selection of some of our Tracks:

I am Called: Now What?

The New York City Subway System is made up of a vast yet extremely organized collection of stops that take you anywhere you want to go in the city. We have created a Track that spells out exactly what your next steps should be once you receive your call to ministry. We go in depth with defining what is a calling to ministry as well as where to turn to for resources.

Pray Together

This track is plain and simple: it is a space to pray with one another. We designed this Track to be solely focused on sharing with one another the praises and prayer requests we are wrestling with daily. The space is set up to be used as a template for how the Church should always be bringing our concerns before the Lord. In this Track, you can dive in deep with those just like you and pray together.

Abide, a Spiritual Disciplines Track

Jesus invites to come and Abide with Him. The word Abide used in John 15:4 means to continue to be present or to remain in Christ. The Abide Spiritual Disciplines Track offers you rich and deep insight into ancient ways that Christians have grown closer to God. You will learn about and be taught how to practice each discipline such as prayer, silence, fasting, and rest  to name a few.

The Called Collective produces 5 weekly podcasts that all seek to equip listeners for the work of ministry. Each podcast serves a unique aspect of what it means to be called into ministry. Some of these podcasts are in the Top 5-10% of Podcasts in the world, such as Fresh Text and Good Days with Eddy and Charlie. This podcast collection is available on most podcasting platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Good Days with Eddy and Charlie - Being a Pastor can be tough. From the moment you were called into ministry, you may have thought, "how do I do this?". The Good Days Podcast seeks to answer some of that question. With a combined 70 years of ministry experience, Eddy Shigley and Charlie Alcock have a ton of insight into how to do youth ministry. Expect principles for ministry that apply to young and old pastors, stories that will make you laugh and shout AMEN, and two beloved leaders sharing how God is still working to transform people. If you have a call to ministry and want to develop and grow, Good Days is for you!

Fresh Text - Preaching every week presents several challenges, not least of which is figuring out what to preach that weeks sermon on. Fresh Text is a weekly podcast in which Pastor-scholars discuss a scripture passage and swap sermon starter ideas. This weekly podcast is especially (though not exclusively) useful for preachers who follow Revised Common Lectionary. There is a wide variety of sermons that spawn from this podcast and if you are a preacher, pastor, or just a Christian who loves Jesus, this podcast will help you grow in Christ and become more deeply formed.

Coffee and Calling - Every pastor, preacher, missionary, and ministry leader is called by God to dedicate a lifetime to the equipping of the people of God for the work of ministry. Each of them have a story of how they were called to ministry. The Coffee and Calling Podcast seeks to capture those stories in a way to inspire and encourage you to lean into your call to ministry. Each week, a new story gets shared over coffee with your hosts Levi Tidwell and Paula Rye. Hear how God is calling all generations to be set apart for the work of equipping the Church to spread His Kingdom on earth.

Modern Parables - Preaching sermons can be dull if it is not infused with illustrations. The Modern Parables Podcast seeks to bridge random cultural topics with spiritual insights. Through humor, deep discussions, and the depth of God's Word, this podcast will give listeners sermon illustrations created on the spot from random topics. Each week, Pastors Isaac Steiner, Levi Tidwell, and Caleb Stout bring on a guest pastor and dive right in to a section of God's Word then to the random topic generator. Enhance your sermons, improve your preaching, or just enjoy a good laugh with the Modern Parables podcast.

Deep Grace - An Iceberg is a vast geological icon that can have 90% of its mass below the surface of the water. When it comes to walking the Christian Life, many people only ever see the 10% that sticks out of the water. The Deep Grace Podcast dives deep into topics of theology, biblical studies, and other area of our faith that would help listeners understand how to seek the depth and beauty of a life with God at the center.

The Defining Yes. - Being called to ministry brings its own set of challenges and burdens. Unfortunately, those challenges and burdens are compounded when you are a women called into ministry. This podcast explores the stories of different women pastors who have served in a variety of roles in the Church. If you are a women who believes they are called to ministry, we hope you listen to this podcast and are encouraged and inspired to pursue wholeheartedly your calling into ministry and it would be your defining YES.

A SOCIAL NETWORK FOR THE CALLED.

With the Called Collective, you can connect with other teens who are called into ministry. This app is made for you to be able to grow in your call with others. There are thousands of teens that sense a calling into full time ministry each year. Each and every teen has a story of this calling and the need to develop in that call. THAT is why we are here! You are able to comment, share, like, and post as just a few ways for you to partner with each other in your pursuit of Christ and His calling in your life.

The Called Collective is a ministry sponsored by The School of Theology & Ministry (STM) at Indiana Wesleyan University. The School of Theology & Ministry has been equipping pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders at the undergraduate level for over 100 years. We are relentless in our mission to advance the Kingdom by equipping women and men for a lifetime of transformation service.

In addition to the School of Theology and Ministry's support, The Called Collective is paid for and sponsored by the Kern Ministry Program.

Deeply Formed

The Kern Ministry Program equips future pastors through deep spiritual formation, leadership development, ministry skills, and robust community-building opportunities.

• Group mentoring in the form of weekly cohorts, students of similar graduation year, meeting weekly for spiritual formation and leadership development.
• One-on-one coaching by a faculty member, upperclassman Kern student, or a local pastor for intentional guidance in your personal formation. 
• Retreats for deeper formation and community development as a Kern cohort.

Better Trained

 The Kern Ministry Program develops better-trained students who are more hireable upon graduation in three ways: 

• Two degrees in five years. An undergraduate ministry degree* can be completed in three years and a Master of Practical Theology—an advanced Master's of Divinity equivalent—in two years,* giving you an advanced ministerial education in significantly less time.
• Practical ministry experience. The fifth year of the program (the second year of the Master’s degree) transitions to an online education experience that pairs with a 12-month residency program at an approved "teaching church." Students gain ministry experience through local church practicums, on-campus ministry opportunities, and a semester-long church Internship.
• Professional networking. The bonds students make throughout the five-year program will become key pastoral connections and a strong professional network to support ministry upon graduation.

Less Debt

It is more affordable to receive the 2 degrees in 5 years through the Kern Ministry Program than it is to complete 1 undergraduate degree in 4 years. This is accomplished through:

• Savings from finishing an undergraduate degree in 3 years.
• An annual undergraduate scholarship of up to $1,000 per year, in addition to other undergraduate scholarships (see below for award amount per GPA).
• A $191/credit-hour scholarship during the Master's degree, amounting to just over $12,000.