Gary Neal Hansen

I'm Gary Neal Hansen, and I write articles and teach online classes to help you grow in deeply-rooted discipleship.

After 17 years as a seminary professor I'm writing and speaking full time.

My Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary is in Church History/History of Christian Doctrine, and I wrote the award-winning book Kneeling with Giants: Learning to Pray with History's Best Teachers (InterVarsity, 2012).

Now I'm a "professor gone rogue," doing the fun creative work at the core of my mission without the constraints of institutional life. 


In case you are new here, Patreon is a way to support people who do creative work that you love. Back in the Renaissance, an artist would work for rich patrons. They gave money and got a painting in return. 

With Patreon you don't have to have the last name "de' Medici" to be a patron: You can support my creative work for as painlessly little as $1 per month. It is "crowdfunding," so if a whole crowd of people donate $1 per month it adds up to de' Medici-style patronage. 

And though I won't be painting your portrait, I'll gratefully keep writing and speaking for you, sending articles and videos out to help you grow in faith and ministry.

That will help me keep writing articles and books and creating classes to help you and your church.

I offer something unique: resources that mine the best of the Church's history and theology.

With your support I'll be writing articles that will weave into books, and videos that will become courses -- all aimed at helping you grow wise and engage with an increasingly complicated world in an increasingly secular age.

That's not for everybody. Lots of people want more practical how-to resources for splashy programs and church growth. Lots of other people do that.

My stuff is, instead, for YOU -- a smart Christian who knows

• that the past shapes who we are today
• that the past contains mistakes we can learn from and avoid repeating
• that the past includes some absolutely amazing people who can give us wisdom for tomorrow

I write articles on my website to help individual Christians know why Christians believe what they believe, to deepen and broaden their knowledge of their own biblical and theological treasures:

• "Christianity as a Second Language" explores classic Christian teachings on core biblical topics, especially in conversation with the Heidelberg Catechism.
• "Role Models for Discipleship" looks at famous and forgotten saints who shaped the world or inspired past generations to follow Jesus with passion.
• "Letters to a Young Pastor" take on issues in vocation and ministry, sometimes in topical sub-series.
• "Monday Meditations" dive deep into the Gospel text for the upcoming Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary.

I'm also developing adult education classes for use in churches with videos and discussion guides.

And all of that leads us to consider... 

...how helping sustain this work can benefit you.

I'm setting up a number of membership levels here at Patreon. My aim is to make sure I give you a very valuable return on your investment in me.

I'll mention the two I'm most excited about now, and you can see all the details for every level here on the page

#1. The Inspiration. It would be truly wonderful if you would support me at the basic $1 per month level. It is a virtually painless way to be a patron. I'll hear it as a huge vote of confidence.

Plus, at that level, you'll get my Monday Meditations (and other articles) as soon as they go live on my blog -- they don't reach my newsletter subscribers till Friday each week. If you are a pastor who preaches from the lectionary, that's a boost to your sermon prep right in your inbox at 25 cents per week.

#2 The Education. If you donate $8.33 per month you will get access to the new videos I create for classes. (Why the strange amount? That's $100 per year.) Some classes are for individuals (I already offer three classes on spiritual disciplines), and some will be adult-ed classes for church groups on historical and theological texts and topics. All the videos will be yours.

I really hope that this level can work like an online continuing education group. You can read the texts I'm teaching on, and join in discussion with other patrons. (Hey, if you are a pastor your church might already give you a con-ed budget. This might end up costing you nothing!)


There's more. You can find it all here on the page. But I really hope that you'll become a patron. With your support I can create absolutely unique resources to help you, your congregation, and the Church everywhere.

Blessings,

Gary