Church leaders’ conference to focus on peacemaking
Published: January 29, 2024
By Annette Brill Bergstresser
ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) 鈥� In a time of polarization and division, how can congregations work for peace?
Participants in Pastors & Leaders 2024 at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (bg真人) in Elkhart, Indiana, will engage this question as they explore the theme 鈥淪trategies for Peacemaking鈥� together at the Feb. 19鈥�22 conference. The event is designed to help participants build their capacity to tend to their inner work; address conflicts within their churches; and lead people to action on big issues such as climate change, immigration and political division.
鈥淲e chose the theme because we鈥檝e heard from many leaders that they want practical skills to help them lead in this time when there seems to be a lot of conflict 鈥� not only in the world but also within congregations,鈥� said Julia Schmidt, MDiv, who oversees the planning of the annual conference for Christian leaders. 鈥淲e also know that peacemakers need to have inner peace in order to lead with grace. We believe the speakers and workshops we have lined up will give participants the skills they need to lead effectively in the world today.鈥�
The conference, which is hosted by bg真人鈥檚 Church Leadership Center, will begin at 7 p.m. EST on Monday, Feb. 19, and conclude at 12:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 22. Participants can attend in person on the bg真人 campus or online via livestream and Zoom.
Speakers
The event 鈥� which will include worship, prayer, teaching sessions and numerous workshops 鈥� will feature the following speakers and preachers:
- Featured speaker: Betty Pries, PhD, CMed, of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, is CEO and Senior Consultant at in Kitchener, Ontario. Since 1993, she has worked as a mediator, trainer, facilitator and consultant on conflict resolution and conflict management issues for businesses, nonprofit organizations, governments and congregations. Pries has a PhD in Conflict Transformation and Spirituality and is a Chartered Mediator. In 2021, she published The Space Between Us: Conversations about Transforming Conflict (Herald).
- Preacher: Nekeisha Alayna Alexis, MA, serves as bg真人鈥檚 Intercultural Competence and Undoing Racism (ICUR) coordinator and external ICUR consultant. She accompanies and collaborates with individuals, communities and organizations as they pursue growth in intercultural competence, antiracism and other anti-oppression efforts. As an independent scholar, Alexis writes and speaks in the areas of Christian theology and ethics, critical animal studies and related issues.
- Preacher: , MDiv, of Durham, North Carolina, is a writer and an ordained minister in Mennonite Church USA. His writing has appeared in The Christian Century, Anabaptist World, Sojourners, Faith and Leadership, and Anabaptist Witness. A longtime pastor, Villegas also served as President of the North Carolina Council of Churches and on the boards of Mennonite Church USA, the School for Conversion and Open Table Ministry.
Additionally, , MDiv 鈥� a Quaker pastor, writer and speaker from Danville, Indiana 鈥� will provide entertainment at an evening banquet for conference participants. Gulley is known for his acclaimed Harmony series chronicling life in the eccentric Quaker community of Harmony, Indiana, and his best-selling Porch Talk essay series. He also co-authored If God Is Love (Harper Collins, 2005) and If Grace Is True (Harper Collins, 2010).
Workshops
Conference participants will be able to choose from both in-person and online workshops. Sample titles include:
- A Field Guide to Christian Nonviolence: Exploring Eight Approaches to Peacemaking
- Climate Collaborative: Climate Action for Peace in a Global Context
- Faith and Politics in Tension
- How to Be a Part of Peace in Palestine-Israel: Becoming an Apartheid-Free Congregation
- Inner Transformation is Possible! Immanuel Prayer is One Way to Experience It
- Nonviolent Communication as a Spiritual Practice
- Skills for Navigating Polarized Spaces
- Taking Stock: Uncovering One鈥檚 Personal Self
Schmidt noted that the conference will offer participants numerous opportunities to connect with other leaders and to engage in spiritual formation 鈥� such as participating in small groups, taking time for individual and communal prayer, responding creatively in an art room, and exploring somatic practices. The event will also feature a screening of the new documentary, What Happened at Benham West: African American Stories of Community, Displacement and Hope.
鈥淲e hope participants will gain inspiration, resources and new practices that they can take back to their congregations and organizations to work for peace,鈥� she said.
Registration
Registration fees for the event vary for individuals, married couples, and students. Discounts are available for first-time participants, those who bring a friend who has never attended Pastors & Leaders, and those needing financial assistance. The registration deadline is Feb. 12, 2024.
Participants who attend all plenary, worship and workshop sessions may earn 1.2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
Information about the conference schedule, meals, lodging, transportation and registration is available at ambs.edu/pastors-and-leaders-conference.
Leadership Clinics
Also, four daylong in-person Leadership Clinics will be held on Monday, Feb. 19, before the start of the conference:
- Anxiety and Depression in Church Ministry
- Cultivating Vital and Faithful Congregations
- Healthy Boundaries 101
- Leadership for Antiracist Spiritual Formation
See: ambs.edu/leadership-clinics
Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs 鈥� all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God鈥檚 reconciling mission in the world. ambs.edu
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