Joanna la Fleur
MTS 2016
Before coming to Wycliffe College, I had worked in business, communications, and the tech industry, and then engaged in ministry for over a decade in large evangelical, multi-site churches. Wycliffe provided me the time and space to wrestle through key issues of theology that I had not allowed myself to consider when engaged in the busyness of just "doing ministry." It enabled me to form more depth as a leader so that I can serve with greater wisdom in an age of instant opinions.
I chose Wycliffe for its rigorous academic reputation, its location in the heart of Toronto on a historic campus, as well as its Anglican approach, which was different than my own background. I wanted to be challenged by new ideas, diverse people, and different approaches to Christian practice. My favourite courses at Wycliffe included C.S. Lewis and Evangelism, the Israel trip course that brought Scripture to life in new ways, and anything that had to do with the future of the church in Canada.
My main work now is called "Word Made Digital," through which I help churches navigate their communications in the Digital Age, using tools like social media, branding, storytelling, and podcasting to share the Good News (or as I call it, the BEST news in the world). My studies at Wycliffe provided a theological and historical grounding for how I help churches with these strategies. I’m thankful to Wycliffe for having sponsored Seasons 2–5 of the Word Made Digital Podcast, through which we reached hundreds of thousands of people with conversations for Christians in the Digital Age.
