Author: Dwight J. Friesen

Conversations After Church

“Conversations after Church” is the latest film directed by Winnipeg’s Bevan Klassen. The film explores faith and spiritual journeys of six people who at one time described themselves as Evangelical Christians and/or Mennonites. Each person’s story testifies to their experience

Dwight J. Friesen November 3, 2015May 31, 2022

Reimagining Theological Education National Summit

 Convergence and ATS have collaborated to bring together some of the more innovative theological educators, seminaries administrators, and directors of leadership training programs for a national summit for Reimagining Theological Education. October 9 & 11, 2015. The Seattle School was

Dwight J. Friesen October 2, 2015September 29, 2022

Morning the Death of Phyllis Tickle

So sad to learn of the death of Phyllis Tickle earlier this week, on September 22, 2015, Dr. Tickle was 81. Dr. Tickle was a teacher, professor, academic dean, and editor, and a tsar in the Christian publishing world. She

Dwight J. Friesen September 25, 2015February 12, 2024

“Disturb Us O Lord”

Disturb us, O Lord when we are too well-pleased with ourselves when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little, because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, O Lord when with the abundance of things

Dwight J. Friesen September 9, 2015November 3, 2022

“Invisible”

Invisible by U2 It’s like the room just cleared of smoke I didn’t even want the heart you broke It’s yours to keep You just might need one I finally found my real name I won’t be me when you

Dwight J. Friesen June 21, 2015September 8, 2022

Got to Team-Teach with my Brother!

I just got back from team teaching an immersive learning course at McMaster Divinity College. The course was “Leadership in the New Parish” and I got to team teach it with my brother, Dallas Friesen. So grateful for the team

Dwight J. Friesen June 8, 2015November 3, 2022

Andrés Duany, “New Urbanism 101”

Came across this the other day and I watched it a few times. This is a vision of development that I need to learn more about and feels really hope filled. Check out the site for the Congress for New

Dwight J. Friesen May 29, 2015May 6, 2022

Randy Woodley’s 10 Missiological Imperatives

I read and reread everything that Dr. Randy S. Woodley (Keetoowah Cherokee) writes and try to sit at his feet every chance I get. I sense he may be a prophet of our time and place. Maybe especially to Whiteness

Dwight J. Friesen May 15, 2015November 3, 2022

Change the Meaning & Lifting the Curse

I stumbled across the above video; its a live performance of “Alive” by Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder’s introduction where he shares some of the backstory is beautiful. He shares how that experience felt like a curse at the time of

Dwight J. Friesen February 18, 2015November 3, 2022

10 Practices for Deepening your Personal Presence in your Parish

Between the “Leadership in the New Parish” think tanks and the hundreds of parish walkabout Tim Soerens, Paul Sparks, and I have lucky enough to have engage over the last few years, we’ve identified 2 vital questions, and 10 practices

Dwight J. Friesen February 12, 2015December 11, 2020

Lake Hills Soup & Liturgy

As Lynette, Pascal, and I have been thinking about the rhythms of our lives, we want to experiment with bringing our everyday lives in our neighborhood with our spirituality.  While we don’t exactly know what that all means, we’d like

Dwight J. Friesen February 2, 2015November 3, 2022

Dwight’s Top Ten Books of 2014

Here’s my top ten list of books from 2014. Every December I pull together a list of the recently published books that have worked their way into my imagination in some important way. Surely more books deserve to be included.

Dwight J. Friesen December 30, 2014October 28, 2022

Jorge Tovar Jr. on Parish

Dwight J. Friesen December 23, 2014January 18, 2021

Inhabit Conference 2014

This year’s Inhabit Conference will be our fourth one, the first three all “Sold Out!”  Hundreds of parish leaders gathered to celebrate the move toward a more embodied, participatory, and sustainable way of being the church. Our theme this year

Dwight J. Friesen December 20, 2014November 3, 2022

Christianity Today Awards The New Parish

Every December Christianity Today publishes its books of the year. This year in “The Church/Pastoral Leadership” CT awarded The New Parish: How Neighborhood Churches are Transforming Mission, Discipleship and Community its Award of Merit! Writing of our book for CT

Dwight J. Friesen December 15, 2014November 3, 2022

 “Starting Over – Fighting Back”

 Starting Over – Fighting Back by Sheila Cassidy And so we must begin to live again, We of the damaged bodies And assaulted mind. Starting from scratch with the rubble of our lives And picking up the dust Of dreams

Dwight J. Friesen November 20, 2014October 20, 2022

Speaking @ “Ministry in a Changing World”

Next week I’m heading to the Twin Cities to keynote at the PCUSA “Ministry in a Changing World” leadership conference. Saturday, November 1, 2014. Special thanks to Newell Krogmann, and David Parker for making this event happen. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen October 24, 2014November 3, 2022

Perfume Genius via KEXP

KEXP introduced me to a new artist: Perfume Genius (new artist to me, think I heard this is the third release). I heard the single, “Queen” off the new Too Bright release. So good! Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen September 25, 2014May 6, 2022

Remembering Dr. Wolfhart Pannenberg

The evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is so strong that nobody would question it except for two things: First, it is a very unusual event. And second, if you believe it happened, you have to change the way you live. Wolfhart

Dwight J. Friesen September 8, 2014January 23, 2024

Interviewed by Tom Sine

Dwight J. Friesen September 3, 2014November 9, 2021

Interview with Pete Rollins

Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen June 4, 2014May 8, 2022

Tasha Hicks on Parish

Rev. Tasha Hicks, pastor in Seattle’s White Center neighborhood shares about loving her place and discovering faithful presence. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen April 30, 2014May 12, 2022

Sean Hall on Parish

Dwight J. Friesen April 17, 2014May 12, 2022

The New Parish

I am thrilled to announce the release of the new book, co-authored by myself, and Paul Sparks, and Tim Soerens. It’s called,The New Parish: How Neighborhood Churches are Transforming Mission, Discipleship and Community. This project emerged out of loneliness, developed

Dwight J. Friesen March 13, 2014June 10, 2022

“We Lived Happily During the War”

We Lived Happily During the War by Ilya Kaminsky And when they bombed other people’s houses, we protested but not enough, we opposed them but not enough. I was in my bed, around my bed America was falling: invisible house

Dwight J. Friesen January 11, 2014August 31, 2022

Dwight’s Top Ten Books of 2013

Here’s my list of book picks for 2013, (once again have included a few books published the year before which I didn’t get to until 2013). So many more could have been included and I probably left out some that

Dwight J. Friesen December 19, 2013October 28, 2022

MESA gathering

Recently I had the opportunity to be a part of an international gathering of Emergent minded followers of Christ from Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Mexico, Australia, New

Dwight J. Friesen October 31, 2013September 26, 2022

Urbanization & the Future of Cities

Check out this helpful, TED Educational Talk exploring “Urbanization and the future of cities” by Vance Kite. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen September 25, 2013May 10, 2022

“On the Nature of Daylight”

I was recently introduced to the work of the British composer and pianist, Max Richter. Richter works within postminimalism and in the meeting of contemporary classical and alternative popular musical styles.  Simply beautiful. Check out his website. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen September 13, 2013September 11, 2022

New Parish Leadership

Parish Collective together with The Seattle School have launched a place based leadership certificate. Participants of the Leadership in the New Parish Certificate at The Seattle School share their experience and what they’re discovering. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen June 4, 2013January 13, 2021