priest
poet
potter
pilgrim
rev
rich nelson
priest
poet
potter
pilgrim
Welcome,
To all those who sense a divine power we often call God,
To all those who want to believe but are not sure,
To all those who are a part of a faith community but wish for something more,
To all those who have been hurt by the church or people who claim the title Christian,
To all those who seek a spiritual companion to help guide their life's journey,
To all those who serve as pastors but are in need of a pastor themselves.
My name is Rich Nelson and I'm a priest, a poet, a potter, and a pilgrim.
As an Episcopal priest, I offer faith formation resources such as my online spiritual formation project, following The Way. This is a lifelong project to help people find spiritual depth by exploring the four primary spheres of life through the four components of Jesus' Great Commandment: to love God and neighbors with all our Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength. Head on over to the following The Way website to learn more and join the journey. Below, you will also find a link to my children's faith and nature program based on the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare called Francis and Friends and other curricula I've written independently and for groups such as The Work of the People.
As a poet, I write poetry (mostly for my own enjoyment) and help others name the poetic in their own life through my work as a spiritual director, guiding people in a monthly one-on-one reflection about where God's Spirit is moving in their lives.
As a potter, I explore both physical and spiritual artistry through the creation of pottery and also through exploring with others the importance of creativity to our spirituality, claiming our identity as creatures created by our Creator to be creative.
As a pilgrim, I both journey on my own and lead groups on Christian pilgrimages to places such as Iona in Scotland (where I am an associate member), crafting meaningful experiences through a process of preparation, participation, and post-pilgrimage reflection.
I'd love to help resource you, your group, or your church. Read on for more information. If you'd like to talk with me about leading a retreat or pilgrimage, being your spiritual director, or with general questions about any of these resources, you can reach me directly here. You can also sign up for my newsletter to stay up to date on new resources and retreats as they happen.
Christ's peace,
Rich
Finding Our Rhythm is a podcast hosted by Rich Nelson and Lisa Work that introduces spiritual practices, both traditional and nontraditional, to resource you for the journey
on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon
A search for purpose and meaning in the events and choices of our lives. A costly journey with an unknown destination. A Middle Eastern homeless man from twenty centuries ago and why he still stirs the souls and imagination of so many. This seven-session series, created by Rich Nelson for The Work of the People, focuses on Jesus' invitation to follow him and includes films by Nadia Bolz-Weber, Greg Boyle, Brené Brown, Emmanuel Katongole, Rachel Held Evans, Richard Rohr, and Rowan Williams, and visual liturgies from Kelly Stewart Hall, Thomas Merton, Travis Reed, and Ann Voscamp.
In Seeking Aliveness, a four-session video series featuring Brian McLaren and written by Rich Nelson for The Work of the People, we journey with renowned author and emergent Christian leader Brian McLaren as we seek out this new path for our faith. Drawing on the themes from his book We Make the Road by Walking: a yearlong quest for spiritual formation, reorientation and activation, it offers up much food for thought for small groups both inside and outside the walls of the church, encouraging us to walk boldly into new forms and possibilities that are before us.
In the midst of radical shifts in our society and within Christianity itself, it is clearly time to revisit the question “What is the role of the Church?”
This six-session series features films of NT Wright, Hannah Terry, Brian Zahnd, Walter Brueggemann, Richard Rohr, Rachel Held Evans, and Malcolm Guite, each reflecting on the role and relevance of the Church in today's world and sparks discussion for those both inside and outside the bounds of traditional religion on the importance of community to our spiritual lives.
“I am the vine and you are the branches,” said Jesus. This four-session series teaches both the science and the art of tending grapevines and how the Bible uses vineyard stories to teach us about living a life that grows from Christ. Ideal for use by small groups in churches or meeting at a winery, wine bar, or at home. Best paired with a glass of cabernet, malbec, chardonnay or your other favorite wine and great conversation.
ABOUT ME
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Episcopal priest of 20 years serving several Episcopal and ELCA Lutheran congregations
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Episcopal school and college chaplain
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Co-founder of a community-based, ecumenical non-profit
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Co-founder of an ecumenical spirituality center
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Master of Divinity from Seminary of the Southwest
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Master of Arts in Christian Formation (cum laude) from Virginia Theological Seminary
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BA in Poetry from the University of Missouri
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Graduate of Formation in Direction (FinD)
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Graduate of Trinity Wall Street Clergy Leadership Project
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Member of Spiritual Directors International and honored by them as "a part of the future of spiritual direction"
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Associate Member of the Iona Community (Scotland)
I seek to serve the world with the heart of a priest.
I seek to love the world with the soul of a poet.
I seek to envision the world with the mind of a potter.
I seek to inhabit the world with the strength of a pilgrim.
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