Unlock your preaching potential with
The Collectives
An online preaching community that empowers you to grow both spiritually and professionally.
Are you feeling the weight of your preaching duties?
Ever wonder why the process of sermon preparation feels more like an academic exercise than a spiritual adventure?
Do you question whether your message truly resonates with your congregation?
Ever watch skilled preachers and long for the confidence to claim your own voice?
Has the tyranny of the urgent derailed your intentions to finish earlier in the week….again?
Does it feel like the grind is endless since you rarely get to spend weekends with loved ones, have time to yourself, or just breathe?
Could you sustain this pace of ministry long-term? Or are you on the brink of burnout?
Do you sacrifice Your personal time to Finish Your sermons?
Discover a Path to Revitalize your sermons & Spirit
What would it mean to reclaim joy in your vocation? To see preaching not as a scramble for words but as an unfolding gift?
Imagine approaching each sermon as both an act of prayer and discovery—a chance to connect deeply with scripture early in the week while forming genuine connections with other preachers.
What would change if your sermons were done sooner and faster? If you could enjoy a true sabbath with time for yourself and loved ones?
Julane N.
“My preaching is better, done sooner, and my soul is nurtured in this community of preachers.”
Keith Y.
“The Collective+ has enabled a transformation of my...preaching and ministry in ways I had hoped a sabbatical or D.Min. would”
In The COllectives, We Journey together to Thrive—In And out of the pulpit.
As a member, you’ll unlock access to tools and strategies to craft sermons that resonate deeply with your congregation—while balancing personal time and spiritual growth.
You can share experiences, receive feedback, and continuously grow in your preaching alongside a vibrant community of growth-minded preachers.
In this sacred, supportive space, preaching becomes less about stress and more about sharing genuine enthusiasm for the insights you’ve discovered in scripture and your own life.
The result?
Sermons that connect deeply. Renewed passion for preaching. Ministry you can sustain for a lifetime because you can rest.
Imagine standing at the pulpit, feeling a profound sense of connection and purpose as your words weave a compelling message of Good News.
Compelling Sermons. Authentic connections. Balanced calendar.
Build a Thriving Preaching LIfe
What’s Possible For You in
The Collectives?
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Reclaim Your Life
Discover practices to protect sermon prep time and personal time amidst the demands of ministry—so you have time for the people and activities that bring you life.
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Deepen Your Connection
Connect with God during sermon prep and daily life to align your message with your own experience of faith—and find inspiration in the insights of your peers.
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Streamline Preparation
Access resources that simplify the sermon prep process, turning it into a reliable journey of discovery rather than a daunting task.
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Embrace Community
Join a network of peers who get it for feedback, collaboration, and encouragement.
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Refine Your Craft & Own Your Voice
Learn innovative techniques that make your sermons more engaging and impactful. Step into the pulpit confident in the message God has given you for your people.
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Grow Continuously
Build and deepen practices that keep you inspired and growing—in both preaching skills and spirituality,
“I have found the wealth of curated resources and thought-provoking lectures all in one place to be not only a great time-saver but inspiring. There’s just nothing else like it anywhere.”
— Anna H.
Who is this Community for?
We are an ecumenical community of lay and ordained, seasoned and new preachers from across the globe.
We welcome preachers from Episcopal and mainline denominations in an inclusive community that affirms the dignity of every human being.
What You’ll Get
2 Tiers of Membership to Help You Grow
The Collective
Everything you need to reclaim life, deepen connections, and strengthen foundations.
57/month
✔️ Weekly sermon prep resources to save you time
✔️ Weekly events to support every stage of sermon prep—regardless of text—so you always have a place to focus, glean new insights, and get feedback.
✔️ Morning co-working sessions to start your day with intention
✔️ Additional support for the busy season of Christmas
The Collective+ Plus
Everything you need to reclaim life, deepen connections, and strengthen foundations—PLUS resources to cultivate creativity and plan longer term.
77/month
✔️ Weekly sermon prep resources to save you time
✔️ Weekly events to support every stage of sermon prep—regardless of text—so you always have a place to focus, glean new insights, and get feedback.
✔️ Morning co-working sessions to start your day with intention
✔️ Additional support for the busy season of Christmas
✔️ Monthly guest lectures by experts in preaching or preaching-adjacent fields
✔️ Twice monthly spiritual reflection sessions to feed the preacher’s spirit
✔️ Seasonal sermon prep & long-term planning sessions for series, studies, etc.
✔️ Additional support for the busy seasons of Holy Week & Easter
✔️ Free access to bonus courses and workshops providing innovative content or just-in-time support
JOIN NOW & You’ll get these Bonuses!
2-Hour Deep-Dive into the backstory
of your congregation
Unlock the backstory of your congregation so your sermons speak directly to their challenges and resonate at a soul level. Through guided exercises and reflection, you’ll exegete your congregation to discover the human condition—the fears, anxieties, and emotions—holding them back from believing and living the Good News.
Join The Collective+ (Plus) as an annual member, and you’ll also receive three 30-minute 1:1 sessions for personalized support.
Get individual support from a Backstory Preaching mentor for any preaching challenge you’re facing.
Get a 1-Hour Calendar Reboot if you join in the first 72 hours (by midnight EST on February 10, 2025)!
Get a 1-hour Calendar Reboot to help you structure your time in alignment with your call. This session will be scheduled after your first three months in The Collectives, giving you time to acclimate before optimizing your schedule.
Exclusive Savings! 10% discount on all Backstory Preaching courses and camps.
Unlock the door to a world of learning with a special discount just for you. With this bonus, you'll have the opportunity to broaden your skills and deepen your understanding through an array of courses and camps at a reduced rate.
How It Works
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Join Today for Instant Access & Support
Complete our easy checkout to gain instant access to all the tools, events, and resources waiting to support you in The Collectives. Dive in as soon as you’re ready!
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Discern your starting point and where to focus first
Discover 5 key stages of growth in our Compelling Preaching Pathway and discern where you’re at on the path to building a thriving preaching life.
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Find resources tailored to your goals & grow!
Every event and resource in The Collectives is organized by your stage in the Pathway. Identify your priority milestone and dive in for immediate progress!
What Our Members Say
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I have been preaching with more clarity, presence, and honesty.
AMAZING! Somehow, someway, by the movement of the Holy Spirit, I believe things are clicking for me…Several told me how moved they were by [my sermon]… [Preaching] is less laborious, and my presentation is WAY better. —Collective+ Member
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So grateful to have the opportunity to connect with colleagues...
…to listen and hear different understandings and expressions, to be in community from afar, to have a place to land when things get hard. All so very good. —Laurel
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Tuesday Meditatio has changed my week (and my life!)
Having the dedicated time to study bracketed with prayer, knowing other preachers are with me in that hour, and especially the time to share wherever I am in my preaching process, get feedback and insights, and learn from others has helped me to front-load my preaching week in such a positive way.
—Dianne
Choose your plan
Valued at over $1575/month
The Collective
$57/mo
Sermon Prep Support Only
Join annually and get 12 months for the price of 11.
Popular
The Collective+ (Plus)
$77/mo
Sermon Prep Support + Long-Term Planning, Deeper Craft Dives, & inspiration from leaders in the field
Join annually and get THREE 30-minute one-to-one mentoring sessions with a Backstory Preaching mentor (valued at $225)!
(Annual memberships are non-refundable.
Scholarships are available for those with need.)
✺ Frequently asked questions ✺
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Who is this course for?
We have lay and ordained preachers, new preachers and those near retirement, preachers who deliver sermons weekly and those who preach only occasionally in our community. All have found value in the process.
Newer preachers appreciate the way these tools help them establish a foundation for sustainable, life-giving ministry. Seasoned preachers find these new methods and techniques invigorate their preaching, remind them of their call, and help them experience joy in preaching once again.
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First, we help every preacher establish a reliable process so you always know what to do when you sit down for sermon prep. This way, your prep is more efficient and less stressful.
Second, we view sermon preparation as pastoral care for your congregation. We encourage preachers to prioritize sermon prep in their week as a gift and service to their congregation.
Then, we offer a range of events and tools to help preachers plan their week, protect their prep time, maximize what they get done in those precious minutes, and have fun doing it!
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In The Collectives, we endeavor to be trustworthy, gracious, generative practioners.
We are faithful in our commitments.
We go with the most charitable assumption about others.
We take risks, try new things, encourage play and creativity, and offer encouragement as fellow preachers also “in the arena.”
Finally, we assume a posture of practice: we learn, we grow, we make mistakes, and we try again.
You can expect prayers and support when circumstances are hard, celebration when you’re excited, and a genuinely good group of folks from all kinds of backgrounds who are walking and learning together.
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At Backstory Preaching, we believe you are called to preach the sermons only you can preach—in the way only you can preach them.
Everything we do encourages you to tune into the Spirit and trust your questions, frustration, excitement, and feelings about a scripture are leading you to pay attention and dig in.
While there are skills we ALL can develop and improve to become more compelling as a preacher, we want to support you in becoming the best YOU in the pulpit, not someone else.
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The Compelling Preaching Pathway describes five stages foundational to a thriving preaching life:
Reclaiming Life
Deepening Connections
Strengthening Foundations
Cultivating Curiosity
Sustaining Growth
But knowing where you want to grow is different from knowing how to create change.
In The Collectives, we’ve developed events and tools tailored to foster growth in each of these stages.
No guessing. No overwhelm. No confusion.
Identify where you hope to grow, and The Collectives will tell you exactly which resources or events will support you in seeing real progress.
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First, we record everything, and many preachers find just as much value in the recordings as showing up live.
Second, there’s no expectation that you attend every event! It would be impossible! Find the events that best support YOUR goals, and take advantage of those—live or recorded.
That said, we offer events at multiple times a week, so you may find it’s easier than you think to attend a live session. And we find the community that develops live is worth the occasional effort!