Ted, Thomas, and a Letter to a Local Church
by Ted Harro
At the encouragement of his friend and pastor, Ted Harro wrote and delivered a letter that imagined what Quaker philosopher Thomas Kelly might say to his home congregation, The Practice Church.
The message felt timely and true for a broader audience, so we convinced Ted to share it — and an accompanying exercise — with you here in written form.
Just as Paul’s letters mention real names and situations, you will see firsthand references and personalized humor sprinkled throughout the text. Ted was writing to lifelong friends and fellow disciples. We left those details in because they serve as a good reminder that pastoral letters worth their salt always come from a real context. They address real people the messenger knows by heart, not some abstract audience.
And now this letter is for you.
Find your story in it. Share it. Expand on it as you open your heart to whatever the Lord might say specifically to you and your group. Read it as the playful, prayerful, humble exhortation it was meant to be. And be encouraged.
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Ted Harro
Ted Harro serves as President of Renovaré. He is a graduate of the Renovaré Institute and the founder of Noonday Ventures, a strategy and leadership development firm. Ted has studied and taught inside-out transformation for more than 20 years. He uses humor and creativity to make spiritual change accessible to people in a wide variety of marketplace and ministry contexts. He and his wife Gretchen have been married since 1988 and have been partners in marriage ministry for over 25 years. They have invested in hundreds of couples as mentors, teachers, retreat leaders, writers, and co-founders of a ministry for newlyweds.
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