TUNE IN TO "YOU'RE ON MUTE!" WHEREVER YOU GET PODCASTS or Click Link Below to Spotify
Welcome!
What is MyPocket Preacher?
This is a digital platform for all. Whether you are an active church member, have no connection to a brick and mortar church, want to be religiously anonymous, or may be home-bound or disabled, this is a digital faith community at your fingertips!
Rev. Dr. Mary Williams Anderson
My Path
Having served as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since 1983, I’ve seen the church do amazing work, screw-up big time, be there for people in intimate and life-changing ways, and drive people away with shaming, judgment and hatred. Yes, the church is very much an imperfect institution struggling to live out its call to follow Jesus.
In my professional career and in my life as a disciple, I’ve witnessed the transformation of the church in its discipleship and its decline as an institution. These are both exciting and unnerving times. To all that, I say, Game On!
I live in Columbia, SC, my ancestral home, with my husband, Frank, who is pastor of St. Michael’s Lutheran Church. We have two adult daughters. Colleen is a nurse in Catawba, NC, and Elise is a Lutheran pastor in Chattanooga, TN.
As a graduate of Newberry College, Newberry, SC, the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia (now United Lutheran), and the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, I have served in rural and urban congregations in Philadelphia, South Carolina, and metro-Chicago. I have a doctoral degree in preaching and have taught at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. I’m currently serving as an Interim Pastor in South Carolina. That means I serve a congregation for a year a more while they are searching for a new full-time pastor. It's a fast-paced ministry and I love it!
You're On Mute...Podcast
How many times have you been on a Zoom meeting and and heard someone say, "Yo Harold, you're on mute"? If the last few years have taught us anything, it's that the gaps in generational thinking are bigger than ever and we have a lot to learn from one another. On "You're On Mute", my daughter, Pastor Elise Anderson, and I will talk faith, leadership, social issues and much more, bringing the mindset and knowledge of our respective generations, knowing that people of different generations are differently wise! We hope to inspire and inform leaders and members of congregations, as well as the unchurched or unsure.
It's Boomer v. Millennial, game on.
Retreat and Workshop Modules
Pastor Mary can help your congregation with tackling issues facing today's congregations and faith leaders--from administrative matters to in depth policy and societal changes.
Stay tuned for more!
Ponder Anew (Blog)
Ponder Anew is my longtime blog. New blogs are published about twice a month. I try to stimulate the reader's thoughts on a variety of spiritual, religious, and globally relevant subjects. Forming one of the main anchors of MyPocketPreacher, the blog continues to inspire and create thoughtful debate among its loyal readers throughout the world.
Super Quick Bible Study
Biblical and quick messages of faith and religion that can be read anytime. An ideal bible study while waiting in carpool lines, at the doctor's office, or on a lunch break. Useful reflections for pastors preparing sermons to folks with little Bible knowledge.