Forward Movement grows for discipleship work

Forward Movement is pleased to announce two key hires for its new grant-funded endeavor, the Center for Discipleship and Renewal. The Rev. Robert Hendrickson, currently Rector of St. Philip’s in the Hills in Tucson, AZ, will become the Chief of Discipleship Initiatives, and the Rev. Dr. Regina L. Walton of Harvard Divinity School has been named Editor and Content Developer for the project. Enabled by a $4 million grant from the J. C. Flowers Foundation, the Center will create transformational discipleship resources to help Episcopalians go deeper as followers of Jesus.

The Most Rev. Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and Honorary Chair of the Forward Movement board, commented, “Helping people grow as disciples is exactly the work our church needs at this time.” Rowe added, “The world needs our church as witnesses not of a comfortable Christianity but rather a transformational and compelling faith rooted in the Gospel.”

Hendrickson has led St. Philip’s, a dynamic and growing congregation, since 2016. He previously served as Sub-Dean of St. John’s Cathedral in Denver, Colorado. He is eager to begin this new chapter of his ministry. “Each generation of Christians is tasked with answering Jesus’s question, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ How we live our Christian witness, our discipleship, is our honest answer to the question. I am thrilled to join a team already taking seriously the Episcopal Church’s answer and I look forward to hearing from people across the Church to learn how we can best equip and support the next generation of disciples.”

Walton is currently the Episcopal/Anglican Denominational Counselor and a Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School. She has long experience in parish ministry, theological education, and writing and editing. In her new role at Forward Movement, Walton will write courses and work with other creators across the church to generate resources for disciple-making. “I’m very excited to be part of this new initiative that recognizes how evangelism, formation, and discipleship are interwoven, and seeks to respond to the needs of this moment in the Episcopal Church with faithful creativity,” she says.

The team at Forward Movement hopes to release the first new discipleship resources developed through the grant-funded work later this year. Expect news of a major new course, conferences, and other material in 2026. Meanwhile, Forward Movement’s other work continues at an accelerated pace as demand for new materials increases.

Hendrickson and Walton will join fully later in the summer. Forward Movement expects to announce additional staff hires in the coming days and weeks.

The Executive Director of Forward Movement, the Rev. Scott Gunn, said, “We are growing rapidly to meet new needs, and it’s a busy but exciting time.” He added, “In addition to the generous grant from the J. C. Flowers Foundation, Bishop Rowe is asking us to produce new formation and evangelism resources for the Episcopal Church. We are thrilled to do this work.”

Forward Movement has been inspiring disciples and empowering evangelists since 1935. Known widely for its daily devotional Forward Day by Day, now available in print, as a podcast, on an app, and in Spanish as Adelante Día a Día, the ministry also produces free online prayer and learning resources, as well as organizing conferences. Learn more at forwardmovement.org.