One of God’s greatest gifts to us is friendships, especially what our guest Rev. Dr. Victoria White calls “holy friendships.” These are the friendships that not only make life more enjoyable and more creative, but they are also core to who we are and who we become. They are “mutual and sacred relationships formed in God’s love,” and they help us be who God designs us to be. She gives us permission to drop the idea that we have to be hyper-productive lone rangers in the world and calls us to spend more time with our friends. She points out that even Jesus depended on the diversity and friendship of his disciples for his ministry. We are excited for you to hear this conversation on the life-giving importance of holy friendship. Listen with a friend over coffee!

Quotations

"Our society has commodified friendship and developed it into something that can be consumed. The church offers a real opportunity for us to cultivate the conditions for more authentic, more mutual, more holy relationships that help form us into the people God is creating us to be."

Rev. Dr. Victoria White

"My holy friends are going to do that for me because they know that my work matters; they know that what I am doing contributes to the way that I am bearing witness to God's work in this world."

Rev. Dr. Victoria White

"You know you're in a holy friendship when you can be uber confident and unashamedly yourself."

Rev. Dr. Victoria White

We discuss:

The different forms that holy friendships can take and how they can impact various aspects of life. (6:00)

The power of friendship in forming disciples and the importance of cultivating authentic relationships in the church. (11:39)

The positive impact of spending time with friends on energy, creativity, and overall performance in various aspects of life. (16:00)

The significance of mutual respect, covenant, and conversation in friendships, especially in the face of inequality and social issues. (29:44)

Exploring the connection between holy friendships and institutions, highlighting the need for friendships among institutions. (34:03)

Find the poem from the podcast here.

About

Victoria Atkinson White is the managing director of grants at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. In this role, she encourages traditioned innovation among Christian institutions and their leaders. For eight years, Victoria was a chaplain at the 900-resident Westminster Canterbury Community in Richmond, Virginia. Before that, she worked as minister to alumni at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. Victoria is a graduate of Duke Divinity School, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and Rhodes College. She is an ordained minister affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Victoria is author of Holy Friendships: Nurturing Relationships That Sustain Pastors and Leaders, a book about how pastors and Christian institutional leaders serve more creatively, effectively, and joyfully when they feel supported and art of an intimate community of colleagues and friends who care about their personal and professional wellbeing.

Show Notes

Victoria Atkinson White is the managing director of grants at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. In this role, she encourages traditioned innovation among Christian institutions and their leaders. Victoria is a graduate of Duke Divinity School and an ordained minister affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. She is also author of Holy Friendships: Nurturing Relationships That Sustain Pastors and Leaders.

This podcast is brought to you by the Leadership Ministry team at Wesleyan Impact Partners. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high-capacity leaders who are courageously doing God’s work in the world, partnering in a Spirit-led movement to bring about human flourishing grounded in love, generosity, and belonging.

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(Ep 55) Michael Borys