A film about faith, hope, and ultimately, love.
The Colossian Forum was approached by Tremelo Productions with an idea. They wanted to make a movie about people who disagree and still belong to each other. They wondered if we could help. After many months and hundreds of hours of filming, Leap of Faith was born.
Though it is not The Colossian Forum’s film, Leap of Faith shows the beauty that can emerge in conflicted spaces, and demonstrate that faith communities have an extraordinarily important and positive role to play in a time of such deep national polarization. We hope you see it.
A word from Michael.
Michael Gulker is featured in the film, not only as the leader of The Colossian Forum, but also as a dad, Christian, and human trying to live with hope and courage.
How to take a leap of faith.
Take the Leap at Home
This four-part, flexible guide takes you behind the scenes of the movie and deeper into Michael's story. You'll hear more about true vulnerability and learn some questions that will spur you to action with your family.
Take the Leap in Your Neighborhood
You can explore this guide on your own or with friends who saw the movie. Its four sessions move through hope, lament, listening, and action. This guide has prayers written by the pastors and questions for discussion and personal reflection.
Take the Leap in Your Faith Community
Do you have deep longings for your own faith community? This guide can help you work through those longings. The pastors offer their own reflections and prayers. This guide can be used in a small group setting, with friends and family, or as a solo exercise to cultivate hope.
The Practicing Hope Podcast: Leap of Faith conversations
Do you wonder what the pastors think about their Leap of Faith experience? Or how it changed them after the cameras stopped rolling? The Colossian Forum sat down with each of the pastors and Michael for in-depth conversations about their experience.
The movie opens up a lot of questions.
What is The Colossian Forum?
The Colossian Forum works with people to cultivate connection across differences. We teach leaders how to proactively identify and lean into potential areas of conflict—and how to better care for people when conflict arises.
What type of work does The Colossian Forum do?
The Colossian Forum works with individuals, churches, schools, nonprofits, or other types of organizations to create healthy conflict cultures. We offer organizational workshops and training, plenary talks, individual coaching, small group discussion guides, and online courses to demonstrate how conflict can strengthen our connection to one another. You can learn more by visiting our website.
Is The Colossian Forum affiliated with a denomination?
The Colossian Forum is non-partisan and non-denominational.
What are the theological beliefs of The Colossian Forum?
Our work is driven by the promise of Colossians 1:17, that “all things hold together in Christ”—including the Church. We have a deep desire to follow Jesus’ commands in Mark 12:30-31: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The Colossian Forum exists not to define or persuade an individual’s belief on social issues, but rather to use conflict as a driver for connection and growth. We facilitate open dialogue, fostering an environment where they are encouraged to see the reflection of God in themselves and each other, allowing themselves to be drawn by the Holy Spirit of self-giving love into empathic and understanding connections. Our work lifts from a deep well of spiritual insights and biblical practices, inviting people into shared experiences that surface hope and a collective sense of purpose as the image of God is revealed in ourselves and our neighbors.
Does The Colossian Forum only work with pastors and faith leaders?
No. While our methodologies are biblically-based, The Colossian Forum works with any individual or group who wants a new normal and to hold the tension of conflict with love and not walk away.
How is The Colossian Forum funded?
The Colossian Forum is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Individual donors and foundations support the development and deployment of our programs and research.
Did The Colossian Forum commission Leap of Faith?
No. While The Colossian Forum is an active participant in the movie, we did not commission nor fund Leap of Faith.
How did The Colossian Forum get involved in this film? Why did the organization choose to participate?
Leap of Faith Producer Morgan Neville and Director Nicholas Ma approached The Colossian Forum in 2021 to inquire about our participation in this movie. Morgan read about The Colossian Forum in a December 2020 Wall Street Journal article, and had a desire to understand whether humans can disagree and still belong to each other in a divided world. As we learned more about Morgan and Nicholas, we discovered their intent was authentic and their questions came from a place of curiosity, love, and respect, which are important values at The Colossian Forum. We ultimately said “yes” to participating because we felt the movie could bring a message of hope, show the beauty that can emerge in conflicted spaces, and demonstrate that faith communities have an extraordinarily important and positive role to play in our time of deep national polarization.
What does The Colossian Forum think about Leap of Faith?
We believe Leap of Faith is a beautiful and important movie for today’s culture. While the movie does not speak for The Colossian Forum, it does speak to us, deeply. With the filmmakers, we share a deep desire for mutual belonging, and the film articulates that longing beautifully. We hope this movie will light a fire for that belonging. We hope that each viewer will find their way into that possibility by journeying into greater love of God and love of neighbor and the transcendent love found there.
Does Leap of Faith represent the organizational beliefs of The Colossian Forum?
While we believe Leap of Faith is a beautiful representation of the longing for mutual belonging that we all hold, the movie does not speak fully to or for the work of The Colossian Forum. Although The Colossian Forum facilitated a safe and inviting environment that encouraged participants in the movie to engage in deep and rich conversation, Leap of Faith articulates the personal and particular journeys and beliefs of those in the movie, including our president, and does not define the non-partisan, non-denominational principles of The Colossian Forum.
How can President Michael Gulker lead The Colossian Forum professionally from a completely objective perspective without being influenced by his personal beliefs?
Our mission at The Colossian Forum is to equip Christians to think, act, and lead more like Jesus in the midst of conflict in their families, communities, churches, and institutions. Each individual in The Colossian Forum, including Michael, has a position and has to be held accountable to love of God and neighbor. We believe we can engage in conflict when Christ is the one holding all things together. Michael wholeheartedly supports The Colossian Forum’s mission and holds a deep desire to help individuals and organizations move toward a deeper love of God and neighbor as he is also doing in his own life.
How were the pastors featured in the movie chosen?
The Christian leaders in the movie were chosen by The Colossian Forum. We sought a diverse group of individuals located in the Grand Rapids area who had a genuine desire to seek authentic relationships with others despite their differences. We brought them together so that they might learn to love each other despite their differences, and also bring a healthier conflict culture back to their institutions, which are divided by many of the same conflicts that the pastors themselves grappled with within the movie.
How do the pastors featured in Leap of Faith feel about the movie?
We are proud of all the pastors who courageously participated in this movie. While each of the pastors experienced a variety of emotions and were challenged in their walk toward a deeper love of God and neighbor, none regret participating in Leap of Faith. The pastors you see on screen developed an authentic love for one another despite their differences and continue in fellowship to this day. They are grateful that the movie brought them into one another’s lives and can stand as a testimony to the worthwhile work of showing up and continuing the hard work of Christian conflict transformation. They believe the movie will be a catalyst for conversations with their congregations and communities that are often difficult to initiate.
Why does the movie heavily represent one political viewpoint over another? Why did you not allow robust responses from individuals with differing viewpoints for some of the issues discussed?
The movie tells a story, and every story is only one part of the truth of what really happened. As the director, Nicholas Ma included interactions he felt were most important for viewers. It takes a long time to build relationships of mutuality and trust, especially across deep differences that often remain unresolved. The filmmakers shot over 300 hours of footage, which was condensed into this roughly 90-minute film. Most of that footage is of the pastors building relationships that could sustain the kinds of challenges you witnessed. The pastors involved represented all sides of issues and a variety of conversations and perspectives were discussed off-camera. Even with these robust discussions, no individual walked away from the experience with a changed position on a single issue, rather they simply changed how they talk about their position as they move toward a deeper love of God and neighbor.
Why did Michael decide to include his kids in the film?
The decision to include Michael’s kids in Leap of Faith was made jointly by the Gulker family after much discussion and prayer. Michael and his wife spoke extensively with their kids about the realities of the project, and in the end, it was the children’s decision to be involved. They chose to be involved because they hope their journeys could help others.
How can I find out more about each pastor's story?
We encourage you to read the bios of each of the individuals featured in Leap of Faith on our website and also subscribe to our podcast, Practicing Hope. On the podcast, we speak with the leaders featured in the movie and have honest and courageous discussions about some of the most difficult and messy issues currently dividing humanity. Much like the movie, the deep and rich conversations you’ll hear on the podcast are a beautiful representation of a new appreciation for people who see things differently and the longing for mutual belonging that we all hold. Our ultimate desire is that this podcast helps you embrace your curiosity and learn to love and respect one another even in disagreement.
Has The Colossian Forum changed since the release of this movie?
No, The Colossian Forum has not changed. We remain committed to helping people better understand one another by using conflict as a driver for connection and growth. We believe Leap of Faith is a tool for our continued work. So many current movies and perspectives focus on the things that divide us, on the hopelessness many of us feel, and on the impossibility of shared community—these can leave us mired in despair. Leap of Faith takes a stand in a very different direction and offers hope. We believe this is a critical movie for our divided world and hope it encourages viewers to understand more about our work of conflict transformation and how we bring people who have participated in our programs into a shared community across differences.
Your gift allows us to increase accessibility to this important work.
The Colossian Forum helps people have a new imagination for engaging conflict and growing stronger together. As a result of our work, communities develop healthier communication patterns, a deeper sense of belonging, and a greater focus on fulfilling their organizational purpose.
But this work comes at a cost.
Many of the organizations and churches we engage need financial support in order to do this work. With your help, The Colossian Forum can offer scholarship aid so more organizations can lean into conflict in a healthy way.
Meet the pastors
Meet the Grand Rapids area pastors who are featured in Leap of Faith.
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Andrew Vanover
Lead Pastor, Thornapple Covenant Church
“I immediately responded to this invitation because of my long history with The Colossian Forum and Thornapple Covenant’s new vision that anticipates God healing people across all sorts of divides as we increase our allegiance to Jesus alone. Grand Rapids is my home. I believe in the Church. And I am sick and tired of how we Christians have behaved ourselves around differences lately. God desires a better way. I am eager to explore what that might be and maybe help build a new future together.”
Podcast episode coming soon.
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Artie Lindsay
Pastor of Spiritual Formation, Tabernacle Community Church
“I’m joining in the work of this project because I love the church and want to see it live into the prayer of Jesus in John 17 and the vision described in Revelation 7:9. I’m committed to being part of any work that helps to move us toward that future.”
Listen to Artie’s podcast episode.
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Ashlee Eiland
At filming, Co-Lead Pastor, Mars Hill Bible Church
“I’m looking forward to The Colossian Forum cohort because I believe in God’s beautiful design for the Church. I long to see the Body glorify Christ in its pursuit of Spirit-led renewal and biblical unity as Jesus prayed for us in John 17.”
Listen to Ashlee’s podcast episode.
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Ben Kampmeier
At filming, Campus Pastor, City Harbor Church
“The vision to put a diverse group of pastors in close relational proximity with an emphasis on lament, honest dialogue, and prayer is personally compelling to me, and feels very important for the Church at this moment. I have confidence in The Colossian Forum to facilitate these conversations with care, and am honored to be invited to participate in the conversation.”
Listen to Ben’s podcast episode.
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Chase Stancle
Lead Pastor, Unison Christian Church
“I said yes to this project because The Church needs a tool for processing our differences of interpretation and feelings that will allow us to maintain unity. We don’t need to think and believe the same for us to be United. But we do need discipline. I hope this is a tool that will help us cultivate that needed discipline.”
Listen to Chase’s podcast episode.
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Cornelius Ting
Pastor, Grand Rapids Chinese Christian Church
“With a prayerful and hopeful heart, I am looking towards a renewed passion, courage, and zeal toward true and evident unity within and outside of my local congregation.”
Listen to Cornelius’s podcast episode.
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Dr. James Stokes
Senior Pastor, New Life Tabernacle Church of God
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Joan VanDessel
At filming, Associate Pastor and Director of Community Outreach and Mission, Grand Rapids First United Methodist Church
“I come to this project with a sense of curiosity about what the Holy Spirit has in mind for us. I wholeheartedly believe that the church has a unique voice to offer in these polarizing times, and that Christ calls us to be a beacon of hope and healing. I’m looking forward to seeing how we can begin to model new (and perhaps revisit ancient) ways of embodying this call together.”
Listen to Joan’s podcast episode.
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Kim DeLong
At filming, Pastor, Wyoming Park United Methodist Church
“I chose to participate in this project because part of God’s call to me has always been to bridge multiple ‘worlds,’ whether that is cross-cultural, political divides, or other differences. The Church is ‘blessed to be a blessing’ to the world. Part of that call is to learn how to communicate and disagree without demonizing one another. The Church should be leaders in modeling that behavior as the Body of Christ.”
Podcast episode coming soon.
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Molly Bosscher
Rector, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
“I’m excited to participate in this wide scoped project. As someone who has been in conversation across difference (political, class, gender, racial, etc.), this work is a passion of mine. It called to me, and I said yes. I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
Listen to Molly’s podcast episode.
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Tierra Marshall
Pastor of Formation and Strategic Leadership, Fellowship Reformed Church
“I said ‘yes’ to this cohort because I live for the Church’s mission to proclaim Christ in all times and places. I’m fascinated by the cultural moment we find ourselves in and am interested in learning with and from others as we uncover the unique challenges and also discover the unique opportunities to proclaim Christ in our own time amidst polarization and secularization.”
Podcast episode coming soon.
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Troy Hatfield
Co-Lead Pastor, Mars Hill Bible Church
“This year-long project interests me because I am a curious person living in an increasingly non-curious world, defined not only by more entrenched beliefs and perspectives, but a growing refusal to hear or seek to understand the perspective of others outside our tribe. I’m interested in being stretched and equipped to turn that tide ever-so-slightly in my spheres of influence. And I refuse to give up on the local church and its call to be a peculiar people, populated by a diverse batch of folks, nourished by the Vine and sustained by the Spirit.”
Listen to Troy’s podcast episode.
Michael Gulker is a passionate leader deeply invested in the polarized intersection of faith and culture, exploring how both can thrive when grounded in love of God and love of neighbor.
Since 2011, he has served as president of The Colossian Forum, where he has helped transform contentious conflicts into opportunities for deeper discipleship and a more beautiful witness. Under his leadership, The Colossian Forum has equipped thousands of church, nonprofit and organizational leaders to discover transformative practices that turn everyday conflicts into catalysts for spiritual growth.
Michael’s work focuses on fostering connection in divided times. The Colossian Forum’s One Anothering small group experience is a perfect example of this, inviting Christians into an 8-week journey to cultivate mindsets and habits that promote Christian virtue. The experience challenges participants to embrace differing beliefs while maintaining relationships, offering a path forward in politically polarizing times.
Michael’s efforts with The Colossian Forum have been recognized in major media outlets, including a feature in The Wall Street Journal that highlights the organization’s role in helping Christians navigate complex issues like abortion, guns, and political divisions. He also appears in Leap of Faith, a documentary directed by Nicholas Ma that captures the shared human longing for mutual belonging and understanding and explores whether we can disagree and still belong to each other in a divided world.
A native of West Michigan, Michael studied philosophy and theology at Calvin College before earning his divinity degree from Duke Divinity School. He is also an ordained Mennonite pastor, having previously served as the pastor of Christ Community Church in Des Moines, Iowa. He and his wife Jodie live in West Michigan with their two children.
Michael Gulker, President of the Colossian ForumHow you can work with us.
We believe in meeting people where they are. That’s why we’ve developed offerings to meet individual, small group, and organizational needs.
Whether you want to listen to our podcast on your drive home, access free resources to help you facilitate challenging conversations, participate in a small group study, host a speaker at your event, or set up an organization-wide workshop, we have options.
