Experience. Research. Integration.
“Is it even possible to be healthy and in leadership?”
In my late twenties, as I watched the aftermath of yet another church leader’s personal life crumble, I voiced a question that had haunted me since I had graduated from university and gone into full-time ministry.
In the decade since then, I have been exploring how faith leaders can build integrated spiritual practices to live and lead with integrity and hope, building communities of spiritual healing rather than harm.
I am a PhD candidate in Theology at Emmanuel College, part of the Toronto School of Theology, and have a Masters of Divinity from Wycliffe College in the same consortium. I belong to the Christian tradition (currently a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church in Canada) and also have extensive experience working in interfaith contexts.
Coaching, Consulting, Workshops
If you’re a leader looking for individual support and spiritual accompaniment, or if you’re part of a community looking to support its constituents/leaders (e.g. congregations, denominations, theological schools), I would be delighted to connect with you!
I currently offer five workshops that are specifically oriented to faith leaders (ordained or non-ordained):
- Rethinking Vocation and Calling
- Doing Theology from the Toes Up
- Cultivating a Sustainable Ministry Life
- Mental Health Care in the Church
- Navigating Change (A Community Workshop)
Workshops, specialized consulting, and individual spiritual accompaniment are all available through New Leaf Network.
Click Here to find out more about group offerings or to book an individual appointment with me.
Quantitative & Qualitative Research
The Malcolm Inventory of Satisfaction and Stress in Ministry (MISSiM) is a statistically valid and reliable instrument that explores 29 aspects of Christian ministry life and their relationship to an individual’s levels of satisfaction and stress. Created by Dr. Wanda Malcolm, I had the privilege of working with her in its development from 2014-2021.
The MISSiM is a statistically valid and reliable instrument that can provide denominations, organizational leadership, or research teams with a concrete picture of their constituency’s workplace engagement and burnout experience, factors contributing to satisfaction and stress, and demographic or identity markers that may also have an impact on overall well-being.
If you’d like to know more,
Videos & Podcasts
- Leading worship at Knox Presbyterian Church in Guelph for Vacation Bible School Sunday, July 2023.
- Leading worship at Gale Presbyterian Church in Elmira, July 2023.
- Nurturing Wholeness and Connection in Fragmented Times: a webinar for St. Paul’s Bloor St. Anglican Church in February 2022.
- Rethinking Calling: A workshop with New Leaf Network in June 2020 .
- A conversation about why I still go to church.
Selected publications
Fisher, Elizabeth. “15 Mg of Grace: Finding God in Antidepressants.” Canadian Journal of Theology, Mental Health, and Disability, 2, no 1 (April 2022): 1-6.
Fisher, Elizabeth and Amy Panton. “Transformation & Resistance in the Interfaith Classroom: Reflections on Teaching in the Canadian Context.” The Wabash Center Journal on Teaching, 2, no 2 (May 2021): 143–152.
Fisher, Elizabeth, Kraus, Jan, Kuluski, Kerri, and Allatt, Peter. “Church Services in a Complex Continuing Care Hospital: Why Bother?” Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling 71, no. 4 (December 2017): 274 – 283. https://doi-org.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/10.1177/15423
Malcolm, Wanda M., Elizabeth A Fisher, and Elvira Prusazyck. “Multivocational By Choice: What Difference Does it Make?” in Tentmakers: Multivocational Ministry in Western Society. James Watson and Narry Santos, eds. Eugene, OR: Pickwick. 2022.
Malcolm, Wanda M., Elizabeth A Fisher, and Elvira Prusazyck. “The Complexity of Assessing Ministry-Specific Satisfaction and Stress.” Journal of Psychology and Theology, (2021): 9164712110219–.
Malcolm, Wanda M., Karen L. Coetzee, and Elizabeth A. Fisher. “Measuring Ministry-Specific Stress and Satisfaction: The Psychometric Properties of the Positive and Negative Aspects Inventories.” Journal of Psychology and Theology 47, no 4. (April 2019): 313-327. doi:10.1177/0091647119837018.