About the Pastor’s Trellis

Born out of the desire to share thoughts freely and in an accessible format, the Pastor’s Trellis is a collection of articles authored by Duane Otto, Pastor of Christ Community Church of Chenoa and founder of Ithaka Fellowship, an agrarian study center. These writings explore the nature of church ministry in relation to the Genesis mandates of place-making and place-keeping. This blog provides a voice for those thoughts that may not fit into a sermon or do not have the opportunity to be featured by Ithaka. However, it will also serve as an archive for Pastor Duane’s writings, and give insight to the larger context connecting the farm, the church, and ministry life.

Born from the book, The Trellis and the Vine, by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, the name of the blog symbolizes intimate and crucial relationship between the body of believers and spiritual structure. For more information, check out our first blog post here, or take a look Marshall and Payne’s book.