Introducing Wonder Anew

Ministry
Written By Rev. Emmy Kegler

Where Faith & Curiosity Meet

For years, Church Anew has been a home for ministry leaders to engage in thoughtful conversations about the future of the church. Our work has been fruitful and transformative – but also limited. Faith has never only been the domain of those with pulpits or professorships. 

And Church Anew has always been for all people with all kinds of faith. 

As we grow into what’s next, we want to connect with those who are curious about faith, who are deeply spiritual, but have less need for practical insights and tools for preachers and leaders. We want to connect with folks who are longing for honest conversations about God that come from faith that is lived out in homes, neighborhoods, schools, and in creation; all the places where God shows up and meets us where we already are. 

We’re excited to launch Wonder Anew — a new recurring section of the Church Anew blog, intended for spiritually curious readers who want to explore the Christian faith with honesty, depth, and imagination.

Many of us today approach faith with both longing and skepticism. Some of us grew up in church and are reexamining inherited beliefs; others are discovering spiritual practices for the first time. Many of us are deeply invested in questions of justice, community, meaning-making, and how ancient Scripture speaks into our own lives (or even if it does).

We expect Wonder Anew readers will bring a wide range of biblical and theological familiarity. Some may have graduate degrees in theology; others may simply be asking their first serious spiritual questions in years. Our hope is for Wonder Anew to intellectually engage without becoming inaccessible and spiritually grounded without becoming exclusionary.

Wonder Anew will feature voices from across the Christian spectrum — writers shaped by different traditions, experiences, and theological perspectives who share a commitment to thoughtful, accessible, and restorative writing. Some essays may offer a fresh biblical insight. Others may reflect on spiritual practices, cultural conversations, current events, or moments of personal transformation.

In addition, we’re launching our first Substack, where we’ll feature Wonder Anew posts (along with sharing them on our longstanding Church Anew blog). Joining the platform allows our contributors (many of whom have their own Substacks) to “re-stack” our posts on their own channels, as well as allowing us to connect with new readers and even potential new contributors.

We hope you’ll join us here, on Substack, and in our Friday e-newsletter. Let’s wonder anew together.

Rev. Emmy Kegler

Emmy Kegler is a queer Christian mom, author, pastor, and speaker called to ministry at the margins of the church.

Emmy has a Master’s in Divinity from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minn., and is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. She was raised in the Episcopal Church and spent some time in evangelical and non-denominational traditions before finding her home in the ELCA. For six years she served as the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Northeast Minneapolis, a small servant-hearted neighborhood congregation focused on feeding the hungry and community outreach, where she co-founded the Queer Grace Community, a group of LGBTQIA+ Christians in the Twin Cities meeting for worship, Bible study, and fellowship.

Emmy’s first book, One Coin Found: How God’s Love Stretches to the Margins, tells her story as a queer Christian called to ordained ministry and how it formed her relationship with Scripture. Her second book, All Who Are Weary: Easing the Burden on the Walk with Mental Illness, offers a pastoral and Scriptural accompaniment to those facing symptoms and diagnoses of mental illness along with the families, friends, communities, pastors, and therapists who care for them.

When her son was born, Emmy transitioned out of called ministry. She now serves as the Editor of the Church Anew blog, where she helps curate an amazing collection of new and long-time authors that share a fresh, bold, and faithful witness for the church.

As a preacher and writer, she is passionate about curating worship and theological practices that dismantle barriers to those historically marginalized by Christian practice. She believes in and works for a church rooted in accessibility, intentionality, integrity, and transformation, knowing that God is already out ahead of us creating expansive space for those most hungry for the good and liberating news of Jesus.

Emmy lives in Minneapolis and has a life full of preschooler-chasing alongside her wife Michelle.

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Lectionary Musings from the Church Anew Blog: May 14, 17, and 24