Scripture Untangled

Season 13: Episode 4 | Mark Jefferson | How Do You Go Deeper, Spiritually?

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In this episode, Mark and Andrew discuss:

• Being formed before you lead – why worship and community shape future leaders.
• Clarity as a spiritual gift and discerning what to carry and what to shed as your calling narrows.
• The “First Minutes” practice of dedicating the earliest part of the day to God.
• From curiosity to passion in Scripture, and moving beyond devotional skimming into “digging in.”
• Spiritual formation that begins by actually seeing young people and not just demographic data.
• Starting with the Gospel of Mark, a simple on-ramp to meeting Jesus in Scripture for new readers.

Mark Jefferson

Rev. Mark Andrew Jefferson, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and the John Norris Gladstone Chair of Preaching and Worship at Acadia Divinity College, where he also serves as Dean of the Chapel. An ordained Baptist minister, he is a homiletician and theologian whose work explores Black worship, preaching, embodiment, and the formation of Christian communities amid surveillance, racial capitalism, and digital mediation.

His scholarship brings Black theology, sound studies, and ecclesial practice into sustained conversation with contemporary questions of technology and power. He has preached and lectured widely across North America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East.

His forthcoming book, Rhythm and Algorithm: Preaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, examines Black preaching as a practice of rhythmic resistance and spiritual formation in an algorithmic age. Dr. Jefferson is a member of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College and served as Bicentennial Preacher at Virginia Theological Seminary.

Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling was the Senior Minister of Timothy Eaton Memorial United Church in Toronto, one of Canada’s largest United Church congregations and was responsible for leadership and administration at Timothy Eaton from 1998 until his more recent retirement. Overseeing staff, providing visionary leadership, acting as the public representative of over 1,500 members and managing a dynamic and ever-evolving ministry to the city of Toronto and beyond.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Law from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, a Master of Divinity from the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Nova Scotia and a Doctor of Ministry in preaching from Acadia Divinity College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia. In 2008, Wycliffe College, Toronto, recognized his contribution to preaching with an honorary Doctor of Divinity.

Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling is now the Ambassador for the Canadian Bible Society building relationships with churches, academic institutions and individuals across Canada.