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Mike Weaver, Director
Mike Weaver is a pastor, writer, and international speaker who has presented thousands of presentations worldwide.
Mike began his career serving churches in rural Southeast Ohio. In 2004, Mike took his first class in improvisation from Carolyn Harding and Cinublue Productions and has since learned improvisation from Keith Johnstone, The Upright Citizens Brigade, members of IO Chicago, Gary Schwartz, Armando Diaz, and many others. He regularly performs with Easily Amused Improv, has appeared in the Columbus Dispatch, and is a regular contributor to the Applied Improvisation Network, serving as a presenter and as a member of the board. Improvisation has given him a deeper understanding of group dynamics and team work that he brings into his speaking, teaching, and facilitation work.
Currently, Mike serves as a pastor at All Saints Lutheran Church in Worthington, Ohio. He received his Masters of Divinity from Luther Seminary and a Bachelors of Arts in History from Miami University. He interprets the 16th century church reformer, Martin Luther, for churches and schools (Your Martin Luther)
Mike has been featured in the Columbus Dispatch, and been published on pastors.com and The Lutheran online magazine. He is the author of Your Life...Improvised: 7 Secrets to Help You Be Happy, Live Freely, and Connect with God and Others Naturally, as well as an upcoming book on team ministry, Your Ministry...Improvised
Mike Weaver is a pastor, writer, and international speaker who has presented thousands of presentations worldwide.
Mike began his career serving churches in rural Southeast Ohio. In 2004, Mike took his first class in improvisation from Carolyn Harding and Cinublue Productions and has since learned improvisation from Keith Johnstone, The Upright Citizens Brigade, members of IO Chicago, Gary Schwartz, Armando Diaz, and many others. He regularly performs with Easily Amused Improv, has appeared in the Columbus Dispatch, and is a regular contributor to the Applied Improvisation Network, serving as a presenter and as a member of the board. Improvisation has given him a deeper understanding of group dynamics and team work that he brings into his speaking, teaching, and facilitation work.
Currently, Mike serves as a pastor at All Saints Lutheran Church in Worthington, Ohio. He received his Masters of Divinity from Luther Seminary and a Bachelors of Arts in History from Miami University. He interprets the 16th century church reformer, Martin Luther, for churches and schools (Your Martin Luther)
Mike has been featured in the Columbus Dispatch, and been published on pastors.com and The Lutheran online magazine. He is the author of Your Life...Improvised: 7 Secrets to Help You Be Happy, Live Freely, and Connect with God and Others Naturally, as well as an upcoming book on team ministry, Your Ministry...Improvised
My name is Mike Weaver. After graduating from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1998, I started my first call as a pastor in the fall of that year. I spent four years serving two small churches in Southeast Ohio before moving to Columbus, Ohio to serve All Saints Lutheran Church. In 2004 I took an introductory improv class designed for professionals like me. I was hooked. Improv literally changed my life. It revived me as I rediscovered myself. Each time I do or teach improv, the fun experienced provides a rich resource of energy for ministry.
After taking a year’s worth of classes in improv from Carolyn Harding I began performing with Easily Amused Improv and starting to use the thought process and exercises in my preaching and within the church I served. As you can imagine, I was hooked! So hooked that I started looking for other people to take improv classes from in Columbus and around the nation. Over the years I’ve taken classes from people from Second City in Chicago, Keith Johnstone of Loose Moose Theater, The Upright Citizens Brigade in New York City, Armando Diaz of the Magnet Theater in New York, and the list could go on and on. But for me, the classes had a duel benefit. On the one hand they would help my performance skills improve, and on the other hand I was learning more and more how to apply improvisational skills to life and ministry.
Mike with Armando Diaz of the Magnet Theater in New York City
Today, I am the director of Group Mind Consulting and on the board of the Applied Improvisation Network. Group Mind helps pastors reawaken joy for ministry by renewing relationships in the church. The Applied Improvisation Network is an international network of improv practitioners who use improvisation in a variety of disciplines and fields of business. By applying improvisational ideas, exercises, and values to the church setting, Group Mind is able to help pastors laugh again, enjoy ministry, and connect people in a way they never believed possible.
Improv isn't about comedy; that's an outcome. At its heart, improv is about connection and developing strong relationships. When relationships are strong, there is more enjoyment in life. After all, we are created for relationships.
The name Group Mind comes from a concept used in improvisational theater to describe the dynamic experienced by an improv troupe. Del Close, founder of Improv Olympic in Chicago, describes it best,
When a team of improvisers pays close attention to each other, hearing and remembering everything, and respecting all they hear, a group mind forms...When group mind is achieved, its members have a strong sense of the group as an entity of its own, and connects with its feelings and requirements. There is an empathy among the individuals involved, almost an instinct. The members exist to serve the needs of the group...
Can the same be said of the church, of your church, today?
I believe that there is ONE THING that contributes to the success of every church and pastor: church unity, to get people moving spiritually in the direction of the mission God has in mind. It’s what God what Jesus prayed for (John 15), what you and I as pastors strive to achieve, and where God ordains his blessing (Psalm 133).
That’s why I’ve developed Group Mind Consulting. By helping the church achieve the unity God desires, I believe pastors will experience joy, feel less stressed, and be able to adapt to challenges to ministry in the 21st century with strength and grace.
Take a moment and check out our services page and see how we can help you.
Remember, you were not meant to do ministry alone. We're in this together.
Fast forward to the present
Mike performing with Kristen and Daniel of Easily Amused Improv