The Mentorship
Transform your preaching ministry from the inside out
August 2025 – May 2026
A 10-month Preaching intensive Tailored to your needs, challenges & goals
100% of participants recommend the mentorship to other preachers.
“Transformational!”
“Will revolutionize the way you approach sermon preparation.”
“Amazing community!”
“Worth both your time and your money.”
“Helpful and outstanding in quality.”
Preach with More impact. Live with less Stress
Tackle the Blank Page.
Get people talking about your sermons.
Feel renewed by your sermon prep.
& Finish on YOUR Schedule.
A word from our Founding Steward,
Lisa Cressman
Lisa Cressman, Founding Steward of Backstory Preaching, shares what you can expect in the Mentorship.
“I was a pretty good preacher, but I wanted to be a good preacher, full stop… not just articulate, but also compelling. With specific and consistent feedback from my mentor and my cohort, I pushed past my comfort zone - and it showed. One Sunday, my husband said, ‘I don’t know if you realize it, but your preaching has gotten really good,’ and I told him, ‘Well, I do. It’s Backstory Preaching and the Mentorship.’”
Be good news so you can preach good news.
Our Dual Focus Makes this Online Mentorship Unique
Spirituality
Preaching isn’t about performance—it’s a deeply spiritual practice. We’ll help you connect your personal story with God’s story by exploring:
Your identity as a child of God and preacher
The impact of fear and shame on your voice
The transformative benefits of cultivating wonder, joy & curiosity as you engage Scripture
The sacredness of ordinary moments of God’s love
Craft
Learn how to preach compellingly week after week—with less stress and more joy.
Draw multiple sermon ideas from a single Scripture passage
Strengthen delivery with small but powerful adjustments
Apply fresh writing strategies
Collaborate in small groups over core content
Offer and receive sermon feedback that sharpens your message
The result? Deeper faith & a new foundation that will strengthen the rest of your preaching vocation—for life!
“As a newly ordained Deacon without formal homiletics training, I was struggling in my preaching life and searching for my voice. The carefully formed community of mentors and mentees, and the thoughtful resources provided in the Mentorship program, have been invaluable to my formation.
And can I say that meeting my mentor has been one of the very best parts of this experience? Our meetings were truly grace-filled... I cannot think of a better way to have started out on the preaching path.”
Who is this for?
This mentorship is for any preacher who desires depth, clarity, and community:
Bishops, priests, pastors, and deacons
New grads and seasoned veterans
Bi-vocational clergy balancing life and ministry
Anglican, Mainline Protestant, and Roman Catholic voices
Lay and ordained preachers seeking spiritual and craft renewal
What You Receive:
✔️ 10 months of individual + small group mentoring (Aug–May)
✔️ Membership in The Collective+ for ongoing preaching resources
✔️ Participation in Sermon Camp with your Mentorship cohort
✔️ One-on-one mentor sessions
✔️ Bite-sized, weekly mentor lessons for quick integration
✔️ Small group online collaboration
✔️ Detailed sermon appraisals
✔️ Materials to develop your voice & perspective
What our graduates have to say
“It’s one thing if you go to a conference… but over several months I learned it, I practiced it with lots of encouragement and support, and now it’s just part of my lived experience. The Mentorship gave me the confidence to try some new things in my preaching, and now people are noticing and they’re asking me about it. I was worried about the time and energy, but it has given me so much more energy than it has ever taken.”
—The Rev’d Gretchen S, Class of 2025
“After nine times through the lectionary, I was experiencing a profound sense of déjà vu. Thanks to the instruction of the Mentorship and the mentoring from the very good mentors, I'm now approaching sermon texts with excitement and a sense of discovery. I'm almost always done with my sermon by Thursday, enjoying a full day of Sabbath on Friday, and hearing from parishioners that there's new energy and engagement in my preaching.”
—The Rev’d Lindley D., Class of 2025
“Setting aside time for the Mentorship program has been a game changer for me. I loved having access to the Collective Plus program and the chance to collaborate weekly with other preachers, with the help of mentors - that time has just been invaluable. Now, there’s this sense of freedom that comes with preaching, and sometimes, I’m a week ahead, but don’t tell anybody.”
— The Rev’d Danielle B., Class of 2025
“One thing that has changed during the Mentorship is that I’ve taken a lot more risks in the moment of delivering the sermon. With encouragement from my mentor and colleague, I’ve learned to let go of such a tight grip of control and say yes to the insight or instinct that I’m sensing and receiving from God. My congregation has noticed too—they’ve said I’m bringing more of me into my sermons without even speaking a word about myself.”
—Pastor Julie W., Class of 2025
“My mentor listens so attentively that I have been able to access new dimensions of my preaching voice... I think after the mentorship ends, I will just be beginning to reap the rewards.”
Investment Options
Valued at over $9000
offered for just $3990.00
$399 deposit upon application +
9 monthly payments of $399 (August - April)
Applications are now open!
100% of Mentorship graduates recommend the program!
“I have been preaching for 15 years, and rarely felt confident I was delivering effective sermons. By the end of the Mentorship, I can say with confidence I am an effective preacher...
Please don’t let the time involved or the cost get in your way of applying. The Mentorship is worth both your time and your money, because it changes sermon development from a chore to an opportunity to spend time with God.”
