Restore your why.

Pause/Play is the sole space focused on the soul of preachers, one that is both a sanctuary and a wellspring of play.

Thanks to the generosity of the Lilly Endowment’s Compelling Preaching Initiative, Pause/Play is the first and only sacred space for weary preachers to restore their creativity and reignite their imagination through rest and play.

Grind culture has taken a tremendous toll on preachers, with many citing burnout, perfunctory preaching, identity questions, and a lack of support. Pause/Play addresses these problems of identity and burnout through the transformative approach of play-based rejuvenation—offering a kind of pastoral care for the pastor.

We use soul-enriching methods to heal the whole soul of pastors through an annual cohort community for spiritual direction, play-based activities, and coaching to reignite your imagination.

We also offer a monthly podcast and annual gathering for any and all weary preachers looking to pause and play.

Above all, we work to restore your “why” by promoting a rhythm of sabbath and play in your ministry.

If you are among those spiritual leaders who are lost, overwhelmed, or burned out in your vocational journey, we will help you rediscover ways to stay in the ministry, make your work more meaningful, and give you the tools to create “beauty for ashes.”

Who We Are

Created for preachers, by preachers

CURIOUS CREATORS

We are a group of innovative thinkers who delight in childlike and Godlike creation. We’re led by curiosity and a desire to create meaning for ourselves and others.

PEACEGIVERS

We are advocates of rest who believe in the restorative power of reflection and sabbath. We will not have the resilience and patience to grow through conflict without rhythms of rest.

FUN-LOVERS

We are joyful enthusiasts who seek experimentation and believe in play with purpose. Play awakens new possibilities and roles and is the foundation for co-creating new worlds. Isn’t that the role of preaching?

SPIRITUAL SEEKERS

Where others are skills-focused, we are soul-focused.  We work to promote whole-human growth. Compelling preaching begins with the soul of the preacher.

  • she/her/hers

    Project Director

    Having worked both in the academy and at the pulpit, Casey understands the reality of grind culture. Her passion is to help preachers claim their identity as Co-Creators with God and to find healthy, sustainable ways to live into the preaching life.

    Rev. Dr. Casey T. Sigmon is the Project Director and architect of Pause/Play. She grew up in a house full of art, comedy, and music. Her first dream job was to be a director of music videos for MTV (back when they played music videos all day), which led her to study film at the University of Kansas. While in college, Casey used her creative skills to plan and design worship services at a local church plant. Her passion for thinking theologically about the choices made when layering art, music, movement, and liturgy led her to pursue a Master’s of Divinity at McCormick Theological Seminary (Chicago, IL). That’s where she met her husband. They are raising two girls in Kansas City, not far from where Casey grew up.

    After seminary, Casey moved to Music City to pursue a PhD in Homiletics & Liturgics at Vanderbilt University. She was a fellow in the Program for Theology and Practice, with an emphasis on forming a generation of professors who are outstanding teachers of people preparing for ministry and groundbreaking scholars in practical theology. The program brought select graduate students together with scholars from many disciplines for critical, theological reflection on the lived religion of people and institutions.

    Casey is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship and Director of Contextual Education at Saint Paul School of Theology. She is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She is a co-founder of TheoTechnics, a team consisting of a theologian, practical theologian, and audio video engineer helping congregations make decisions about implementing technological tools with theological discernment. Casey’s first book, Engaging the Gadfly: How to Move from Reactionary to Reflective Hybrid, Online, and In-Person Preaching in the Digital Age, is under contract with Cascade Publishing and will be published in 2024.

  • he/him/his

    Podcast Producer

    Josh is a feeler who has worked full-time helping folks bring their stories to life for the past 5 years. As a Post-Christian that grew up as an Evangelical Pastor's kid, he has a heart for the complexities of faith in a modern world.

    Raised as a pastor’s kid in the tundras of Minnesota and Alberta, CA, Josh learned faith in the youth-group basements of evangelical covenant churches. He then started what was coined a “Spirit-Filled Hardcore” band (Household), finding himself vocalizing questions and dissecting faith publicly.

    After a half-decade of touring and developing relationships, Josh continues his long history of navigating faith and meaning as a full-time producer, working on shows like You Have Permission, Re-Famulating, Homebrewed Christianity, and more.

photo by Emily Arnold

photo by @emilyarnoldphoto

  • she/her/hers

    Event Coordinator & Arts Consultant

    As a dancer, spiritual director, minister, and activist, Amy’s leadership focuses on the intersection between art, embodiment, and social change.

    Amy is a certified InterPlay teacher and has led numerous retreats, leadership trainings, and performance groups for the purpose of reconnecting people with their internal authority and body wisdom. Her teachings focus on self-acceptance, deep empathy, and radical solidarity.

    Amy is the Associate Regional Minister for New Church in the Greater Kansas City Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Before this, Amy served as the Senior Minister at Broadway Church Kansas City—a community of loving, accepting, open-minded individuals who see each person as a divine being on their own unique human journey. Many at Broadway had been rejected, excluded, or frustrated by other faith-based groups. Broadway provided inclusive, theologically progressive, healing community focused on the spiritual transformation that comes from following Jesus Christ.

    Amy was educated at Drake University and Pacific School of Religion. She and her wife live in KCMO with their young son and two cats.

photo by Erin Martinez

We’re on a mission to reawaken weary preachers to their most whole and holy selves. Join us.

Apply for the Cohort

Who We’re Looking For

We’re interested in applicants who have been preaching for a while and are having a hard time remembering their “why?” for this sacred work. Perhaps you are experiencing weariness in your soul. We hope a year in our cohort will revitalize you. Perhaps your imagination is hibernating. We hope a year in our cohort will stir imagination from its hiding place. Our year-long cohort journey is designed to hold space for busy preachers to pause and play their way into a renewal of their vocation as preachers of the Good News.

Application Details

Applications are now open! Click here to complete the Google form.

FAQ

  • This program was designed with the mid-career Preacher in mind, but we welcome applications from any age. In particular, we encourage LGBTQ+, people of color, women, and other minority preachers to apply.

  • This is an ecumenical program. In fact, we hope each cohort has a balance of many traditions.

  • The cohort runs for 12 months, July-June. You can expect a time commitment of about four-five hours in the average month for spiritual direction, coaching, and play.

  • This is not only a free program, but one that comes with a stipend for your participation! We also pay for travel, conference registration, and lodging for annual gatherings in Kansas City, MO.