Category: This is Central

10 Ways Central Prepared Me to Lead

A Reflection from WLI MDiv student Angela Zimmerman

10-Online classes have taught me knowledge can be very successfully transmitted without physical proximity.

9-Zoom – Two years of using Zoom in class has made me the Zoom Queen of my church. I can host meetings and help others as they struggle to figure out how to join a meeting.

8-Thinking – Central’s insistence on collaborative learning has forced me to use my sometimes dormant critical and creative thinking skills.

7-Resources – When called on to preach unexpectedly and repeatedly, I knew that the commentaries and other scholarly resources needed are available to me from Central’s Library at the click of a few buttons and that human help is available at the other end of the phone line.

6-Human Resources – The faculty at Central are very accessible and willing to help current and former students with needs.When I put out the call for help with a Zoom issue, I quickly got multiple, helpful answers.

5-Video – I may have resisted at the time, but I am now thankful for the assignment to record and share a YouTube video at the beginning of my Media in Ministry Class.

4-Mentor – My mentor offers advice when needed but is also valuable as a listening partner as I consider possibilities and make decisions.

3-Cheerleaders – When the going gets tough, and it does, multiple Central friends are there to cheer me on and remind me that I am ready to lead in moments such as these.

2-Creativity – New ways of doing things, so needed in this time of pandemic and quarantine, are not new at Central.

1-Camera time – Many of my ministry colleagues struggle with preaching to the camera or teaching without live feedback. Zoom classes and presentations have prepared me well for online video communication!

Thank you, Central, for all the ways that you have prepared me for this time and are preparing me for the future.   With your help, I am #readytolead!