Claiming Resurrection in the Dying Church
A lot of energy goes into denying that the church is dying. But what if it is? If we are a people whose faith and confidence lies beyond the cross, can we face the death of the church as we know it by returning to the core of our Christian faith and identity? Might a robust spirituality of resurrection point us and the churches we help to lean toward faithful ways forward beyond revival and resuscitation? Many of our congregations are facing real loss, even the end of the road. This workshop will offer practices for discerning a spirituality and practice that is rooted in both the reality of local context and the promise of resurrection.
Anna Olson
Anna Olson is rector of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church—an historic Japanese American congregation—in the diverse Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles. Her interests and expertise in parish ministry include working with historic congregations to connect with the needs and gifts of new neighbors, developing models for multilingual and inculturated liturgy, and opening space for marginalized communities to reshape and revitalize the church. She is married with two daughters, speaks fluent Spanish, and holds a second degree black belt in taekwondo. Anna blogs at http://www.ecfvp.org/posts/author/anna-olson/. Her first book, Claiming Resurrection in the Dying Church: Freedom Beyond Survival, was published by Westminster John Knox Press in April.
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Compassionate Evangelism: A Non-Judgmental Approach to Sharing Your Faith
Blog Post on Evangelism
“Evangelism is a beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.” This quote from Sri Lankan pastor-theologian, D.T. Niles becomes the starting point of this interactive lecture-dialogue. In the context of increasing racial, cultural and religious diversity in America, how do we navigate the claim that “Jesus is the way, the truth and the life”?
Fred Vergara
As Missioner for Asiamerican & Pacific Islanders Ministries in the Episcopal Church, the Rev. Canon Dr. Winfred Vergara has lived, studied, and served in three countries: Philippines, Singapore, and the United States. The pivotal point of his call happened when as a youth delegate from Asia, he attended the 5th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in 1975 in Nairobi, Kenya and participated in “Dialogue with People of Other Faiths, Cultures, and Ideologies.” He is a missionary-priest, a pastor-theologian, and a revivalist-evangelist who has served parish, diocesan, national, and international settings.
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Cultivating an Evangelistic Church
Workshop Handout
In this uber-practical yet inspiring session, you’ll form a plan to help reshape your church for evangelism. We’ll introduce a comprehensive congregational journey for becoming 1) a community of good news (spiritual formation), 2) a community for others (outreach and reconciliation), and a community of blessing (hospitality). Let’s go and grow!
Stephanie Spellers
Stephanie Spellers serves as the Presiding Bishop’s Canon for Evangelism and Reconciliation, helping Episcopalians to follow Jesus and grow in love for God, our neighbors and creation. The author of Radical Welcome: Embracing God, The Other and the Spirit of Transformation and The Episcopal Way (with Eric Law), she has directed mission and evangelism work at General Theological Seminary and in the Diocese of Long Island; launched The Crossing, a ground-breaking church plant within St. Paul’s Cathedral in Boston; and led numerous churchwide renewal efforts.
Carrie Boren Headington
Carrie Boren Headington is an evangelist and apologist with a passion to see people and communities transformed by the life- giving good news of Jesus. She speaks throughout the US and around the globe, sharing the Gospel with spiritual seekers and Christians alike. Carrie received graduate degrees from Oxford University in Theology, Evangelism, and Christian Apologetics and Harvard University in Education with a focus on Urban Poverty Policy. Carrie is founder of The Good News Initiative and serves as Missioner for Evangelism for the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, motivating and equipping the church to be the hands, feet, and mouthpiece for God. Carrie teaches a number of workshops on personal and parish evangelism and is an adjunct professor of Evangelism and Church Planting for Fuller Theological Seminary.
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Elevator Evangelism
Workshop Handout 1
Workshop Handout 2
Blog Post on Evangelism
In the corporate world, an “elevator speech” is a quick pitch, presenting a big idea in just a few moments (like you might to a CEO if you happen to be riding in the elevator with her). You only have a short opportunity to boil down something huge into a few sentences. Entrepreneurs hone their elevator speeches, knowing that they have to make it count when/if they ever get a shot to make a big impression. There are lessons here for the Church, and for our efforts as evangelists. Like entrepreneurs for Christ, we should work on our elevator speeches, boiling down our experiences as followers of Jesus into something we could comfortably share with others in a brief exchange. Attendees at this workshop will reflect on the practice of elevator speeches, that as Peter writes, you would “always be prepared to give an account of the hope that is within you (1Peter 3:15).” This is a session for people who are willing to have a bit of fun, and consider how to be better proclaimers of the Gospel in word as much as much as deed.
Casey Shobe
While he’s never pitched an entrepreneurial business idea in an elevator, Casey has had plenty of opportunities to give his elevator speech for Christ. Casey is enthusiastic about helping de-stigmatize the word “evangelism” in the Episcopal Church, and he serves as Rector of Church of the Transfiguration, the host site of the Evangelism Matters conference. His wife, the Rev. Melody Shobe, writes and edits for Forward Movement, and they have two daughters.
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Evangelism: Ancient and Modern – Exploring Fresh Expressions and Ancient Traditions
As we seek to be the church in changing times, we are never so much inventing something new as we are re-discovering and re-imagining the practices and ways of being that Christians have know for centuries. Whether in coffee shops, around dinner tables, or in the streets, we know that personal relationships, intentional invitation, and authentic community are crucial to evangelism and sharing the Gospel. We will share our experiences of growing fresh expressions of church and the gifts that these new communities can offer to the whole church. We don’t have all the answers but we have found God’s grace growing new communities of faith.
Katie Nakamura Rengers
The Rev. Katie Nakamura Rengers is the planter, Director and Vicar of The Abbey, an Episcopal Church and coffee shop in Birmingham, Alabama. She and her husband, the Rev. Josiah Rengers, attended Virginia Theological Seminary in 2011. Upon graduation, they first served small rural parishes in the Black Belt region of Alabama. They moved to Birmingham in 2013 to serve at Saint Luke’s, one of the largest Episcopal congregations in the Diocese. The Abbey opened its doors in February, 2015 with the mission of reaching out specifically to Millennials, the “un-churched” and “de-churched.”
Jane Gerdsen
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen is the Missioner for Fresh Expressions in the Diocese of Southern Ohio. She is the founder of Praxis Communities, a diverse network of emerging Christian communities. She is currently serving as the chair of the Episcopal Church’s Advisory Group on Church Planting. She graduated from Episcopal Divinity School in 2006 and served as priest-in-charge at St. Andrew’s, an inner-city church in Dayton, OH. As a missioner, she works primarily with young adults or those who have been disenfranchised from the church in some way. She is also wife and a mother of two young children.
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Evangelism for God’s Shy People
Workshop Handout
While our Presiding Bishop challenges us to share the Good News of Jesus, he also acknowledges that Episcopalians are “God’s shy people.” This workshop will demonstrate a method of talking about our faith that works even for timid Christians. We will use the time to get in touch with the Good News of Jesus while opening up ways of sharing ultimate concerns. This is done in ways that is not judgmental or threatening and can be life giving for us as well as for those to whom we speak.
Frank Logue
Frank Logue served as the church planter for King of Peace Episcopal Church and its preschool from 2000-2010. Since then, he has served as Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of Georgia. A member of Executive Council and the Advisory Group on Church Planting, he served on the planning team for Evangelism Matters.
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Evangelism vs. Entitlement
How youth and young adults receive the mixed messages of what we say and what we do. This workshop will bust some of the myths of youth and young adult ministries and will highlight the ways in which we might reclaim our integrity as a mission minded church.
Shannon Kelly
The Rev. Shannon Kelly’s passion and vocation has focused on advocating for and ministering with children, youth, and young adults through the churches she has served and through the communities in which she has lived. She has served in congregations in California and New York, served as a Chaplain at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and on the Diocesan Staff as Assistant to the Bishop for Christian Formation in the Diocese of Milwaukee. Shannon is currently serving as Staff Officer for Young Adult and Campus Ministries for The Episcopal Church. She lives on Cape Cod in Forestdale, MA with her husband, The Rev. Dr. Thomas Ferguson, their son, and dog.
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Formation as Evangelism
(Workshop Handout-Formation)
(Workshop Handout-Transforming Questions)
Sharing the Good News of God in Jesus Christ is just the first step of making disciples. For some people, as in the encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, formation precedes conversion. For others, commitment is first, as with the disciples who were invited to “come and see.” Either way, formation and invitation are closely linked. In this workshop, Scott and Melody will explore a variety of formation offerings that help introduce people to the basics of the Christian faith, including Transforming Questions, a free course to introduce people to the Way of Jesus.
Scott Gunn
Scott Gunn is executive director of Forward Movement, a ministry of the Episcopal Church focused on inspiring disciples and empowering evangelists. Forward Movement’s flagship devotional, Forward Day by Day, is read by Anglicans around the globe. Scott has served as a parish priest and, prior to that, as a technology leader in non-profit and commercial organizations. He was educated at Luther College, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, and Brown University. You can follow him on Twitter (@scottagunn) or read his blog at www.sevenwholedays.org.
Melody Wilson Shobe
Melody Wilson Shobe is an Episcopal priest who has served churches in Rhode Island and Texas. A graduate of Tufts University and Virginia Theological Seminary, Melody is currently working on curriculum development for Forward Movement. Melody, her husband, and their two daughters live in Dallas, Texas, where she spends her spare time reading stories, building forts, conquering playgrounds, baking cookies, and exploring nature.
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From Visitor to Member in 12 Months
Workshop Handout
One of the most difficult challenges in Episcopal churches is how to convert interested visitors into engaged members. Welcoming visitors inthttp://www.forwardmovement.org/promotions/PDF/Peeples_handouto an intentional process that moves them through a series of formative experiences sows the seeds of investment and ownership. In this process, newcomers become more aware of their own unique spiritual gifts and how they connect to the identity of the parish community. Join us as we discuss and outline the process that has been successfully employed in Episcopal parishes and be inspired to rethink how you connect newcomers to your community.
Chris Girata
The Rev. Chris Girata was called to be the eighth Rector of Saint Michael and All Angels in June, 2016 and started his ministry at Saint Michael on August 15, 2016.
Previously, Chris served as Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, a position he had held since 2012. Prior to becoming rector at Calvary, he was Associate Rector at St. Luke’s in Birmingham from 2008 – 2012, and as a seminarian served at The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and at St. John’s in Chevy Chase, MD.
The Rev. Girata received his Bachelor of Arts in religious studies, in honorus, from Stetson University, a Master of Theological Studies from Emory University, a Master of Divinity, cum laude, from Virginia Theological Seminary, and is completing his Doctorate of Ministry at Duke University. He is recognized as a leader in the Episcopal Church, presenting regularly at church-wide conferences, seminars and retreats, and the Consortium for Endowed Episcopal Parishes.
Chris is a native of Florida, a classically trained musician, and an amateur cook. He and his wife, Nicole, have three children; Brayden, Layna, and Annemarie.
Elizabeth Carrière Peeples
Ebet serves as the director of welcome and community at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, TN. Her greatest joy is greeting visitors and welcoming newcomers into the life of the parish through oversight of the Greeter Ministry and the Calvary Shepherd Society. In her over 17 years of parish ministry, she also has coordinated parish sacraments and services, parish communications, and the adult confirmation process. Ebet began serving as a faculty member for CREDO conferences in 2010. She currently serves on the West TN Diocesan Commission on Ministry and has presented on the topic of evangelism and new member incorporation at CEEP conferences and at Mary Parmer’s Invite ∙ Welcome ∙ Connect Summit. Ebet has a degree in Justice from The American University in Washington, DC. She and her husband Clayton met and married at Calvary, and are the parents of Ella (12) and Jack (9).
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Home: From the Front Door to the Kitchen
Workshop Handout
An intersection of communications strategy, formation, and membership growth.
Home: From the Front Door to the Kitchen is a paradigm shift, a metaphor for the invitation and connection we know in our own families. It is how we connect with each other as neighbors. It’s how it can start with a conversation on a soccer field or at a neighborhood meeting and culminate in friendship—especially when invitations to dinner are extended. “Come over for dinner,” we say. From that first front-door welcome to your guest, to the deeper relationships built with those who’ve dined at your table many times, to the deeper connections as family friends become an ‘Aunt Mary’ or an ‘Uncle Bob,’ our conversations, our hospitality, and our mutual expectations change in our ever-deepening relationships over time.
So too in our churches our dynamics change in the rooms of our common life as we welcome guests at our front doors, as we show hospitality around the family table, and as we ask those who consider themselves family members to help prepare the meal and to stay for conversation and help with the dishes afterwards.
Discover the strategies employed by healthy, growing churches to create intentional environments where relationships grow deeper with God and with one another. Explore how hospitality can move guests to engage and explore life in a church community and eventually become members of the family, themselves inviting new friends and neighbors to come for dinner and stay for the nurture and nourishment of community.
Mike Orr
Mike Orr serves as the Director of Communications for The Episcopal Church in Colorado. Previously, he was the Director of Communications at Saint John’s Cathedral in Denver from 2011 to 2015. He began his ministry in communications at Southeast Christian Church, a non-denominational church in the south suburbs of Denver, where he served for 8 years.
Mike is the curator of caffeinatedchurch.org, serves on the board of Episcopal Communicators, collaborates with the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes, and is a speaker and presenter for Project Resource, a series of stewardship conferences funded by The Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops, The Episcopal Church Foundation, and the Presiding Bishop’s Office for Development.
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How the Church Can Reach and Engage Millennials
There are a ton of resources on what millennials are doing differently than generations in the past. The only problem is, most resources aren’t written by actual millennials so they focus on what millennials are doing without explaining why they’re doing it. This time will debunk misconceptions about young adults and share how the church CAN reach and CAN engage Millennials.
Grant Skeldon
Grant Skeldon speaks nationally on equipping the church in how to reach Millennials. He speaks at conferences and consults churches and denominations nationwide in Millennial engagement. Grant is the founder of INITIATIVE, a young missionary network. In response to millennials being labeled as non-committal, critical, entitled, slacktivists, INITIATIVE’s mission is to shift the culture of Dallas by making millennials Christ-loving, city-changing, church-investing, disciple-making, local missionaries.
He serves on the advisory boards for Harvest America in Dallas and Movement Day Greater Dallas. He co-founded a missional training organization, Breakdown Ministries, when he was 20 years old. He now lives and goes to church in West Dallas, where he serves on the preaching team at Mercy Street Church, a multicultural, urban church plant.
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This workshop has been canceled
How to Contextualize the Message of Jesus in U.S. Hispanic Cultures
Luis Andrade
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How to Make a Quality Welcome Video on a Tight Budget
In the digital age, a church’s Welcome Video is often the first point of contact to a seeker and church shopper. The Episcopal Church often suffers from generalized, low production value videos that do not reflect the life and vitality of the parish. Through interactive exercises, Trevor and Christian will lead attendees to identify and clarify their church’s brand and develop a tangible game plan to create an industry standard welcome video on just a smart phone and free editing software.
Christian Anderson & Trevor Black
Christian Anderson and Trevor Black developed the Episcopal Video Network (EVN) to meet the needs of a digital church within the Episcopal context. Their background in production and development within the Los Angeles entertainment industry has fueled their passion to provide Episcopal Churches the basic tools that are needed to develop effective video content that can share the Good News of Jesus Christ. “Welcome Video on a Dime” is their first project which aims to equip any parish with the ability to make an industry standard welcome video with just a smart phone and free editing software.
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Invite*Welcome*Connect
Workshop Handout
Inviting, welcoming and connecting people who come to our churches are critical and strategic steps for building healthy, vibrant and growing congregations. Join Mary Parmer who created materials to make it easy for churches to accomplish just that – including easy-to-use check lists for each step to provide an objective assessment of a church’s current situation. The assessment tools are supported by an extensive list of creative and concrete resources and examples to form an intentional newcomer ministry that results in a systemic and positive change to participating congregations.
Mary Parmer
Born and raised in the deep South, Mary Parmer is a congregational development consultant/coach, speaker and retreat leader who commutes between offices in Austin, TX, and Sewanee, TN.
Parmer serves as Director of the Gathering of Leaders, a national leadership group of young Episcopal clergy, and as creator and developer of InviteWelcomeConnect born out of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas Newcomer Ministry Project. Mary has served as a Lay Deputy to the last four General Conventions, and currently serves on the Task Force on Clergy Leadership Formation in Small Churches (GC 2015-A045). She holds a degree in Religious Studies from St. Edwards University in Austin and formerly served as Director of Adult Ministries & Evangelism at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Beaumont, Texas. Parmer has two grown children and six young grandchildren, builds stone labyrinths, and spends her time away from work hiking and reading. Visit maryparmer.com for further information. Visit invitewelcomeconnect.com for checklists, resources and videos from the InviteWelcomeConnect initiative.
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Made for Evangelism
How vision, focus, and institutional structures are being reshaped to support the work of Evangelism.
Andrew Doyle
Andrew Doyle, ninth Bishop of Texas, describes his six-word autobiography as: “Met Jesus on pilgrimage, still walking.” Bishop Doyle received his M.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary after receiving a fine arts degree from the University of North Texas. Previous to his election in 2008, Bishop Doyle served for five years as Canon to the Ordinary. He also served churches in Temple and College Station, as well as being elected deputy to several General Conventions. He most recently served on the Structure Committee and is currently president of the Compass Rose Society, a global group of patrons and leaders making a difference in the Anglican Communion.
Gregory O. Brewer
The Right Reverend Gregory O. Brewer was ordained the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Central Florida on March 24, 2012. In Central Florida, a major focus of his ministry is the raising up of the next generation of lay and ordained leaders. He has published articles in The Anglican Digest, with articles appearing regularly from 1985–2007. Other publications include Bible Reading Fellowship: Journey Through the Word Series and The Coming of the Lord, Second Corinthians. Married for over three decades, Bishop Brewer and his wife Laura Lee actively engage in their hospitality ministry with regular clergy dinners and parish visitations. They are the proud parents of five sons and two granddaughters.
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Our Stories Speak of God
An interactive workshop with two parts. First we will learn about story, narrative, and myth and how they function in our faith. We will consider what the stories, narratives, jokes, and tropes we repeat say about who we are and how we understand God in our Church. Secondly, we will learn how storytelling can redefine evangelism. Telling your story makes the story of God in creation, the Living Word. We will tell our stories, and listen to others stories looking for the glory of God. Come share, learn, and be inspired by the way our stories speak of the goodness of God.
Hershey Mallette Stephens
The Rev. Hershey Mallette Stephens is a native North Carolinian, currently serving time in New York City. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was educated at North Carolina A&T State University and Howard University before graduating from General Theological Seminary.
Hershey describes her spiritual journey as a life spiraling in control. Through the stories and influences of sage grandparents and elders, many wise priests, loving friends and family, romantic relationships, and spirit-filled communities both spiritual and secular, she is met and guided by God’s immeasurable grace each and every day!
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Reaching Refugees
In 2016, 80,000 refugees will come to the U.S. They are the poor, the oppressed, the orphan, the widow, and the stranger (Matthew 25). They are our neighbors (The Great Commandment). They are ends of the earth people (The Great Commission). Are our parishes ready to respond? This workshop provides practical tips for moving a congregation from spiritual apathy, fears, and prejudices into seeing, understanding, desiring, and connecting with God’s mission locally as well as globally through refugee ministry. This workshop offers a systematic and holistic method that can be customized based on the spiritual needs of your congregation in order to reach refugees for Christ.
Samira Izadi Page
Rev. Dr. Samira Izadi Page is the founder and Executive Director of Gateway of Grace Ministries. She was born and raised in Iran as a Muslim. Samira and her family fled Iran due to persecution and obtained political asylum status in the U.S. Samira converted to Christianity. She earned her Master of Divinity and doctorate in Missional Church Studies from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. Samira has committed her life to bringing the hope and love of Christ to those whose hope, dignity, and humanity have been taken away by oppressive governments and circumstances. She frequently speaks nationally and locally at conferences, churches and other venues on issues of interfaith relations, Islam and Christianity, and refugee outreach. Samira works cross-denominationally with pastors and mission leaders and moves local congregations into new ways of mission and outreach.
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Re-Launching a Parish in the Midst of New Urban Development–A Case Study
Can a congregation re-envision itself and engage vigorous evangelism of its long-term and newly developing urban communities? Can a team of outsiders help? David Gortner presents an example of how a seminary team developed a short-term partnership with a small outreach-oriented congregation that had sold its building, went “homeless” for two years while a new building was constructed, and was preparing to enter its new site. Participants will learn about Gortner’s 4-level process of collaborative preparation — Neighborhood Evangelistic Conversation, Personal Network Invitation, Community Partnership-Building, and Re-Launch Planning — for this congregation’s relaunch as a way of stirring missional clarity. Through frank revelation of what worked well and what didn’t work so well, Gortner will invite participants to discuss, problem-solve, and seek creative solutions and strategies. Through this kind of discussion, participants will hone their own analytic skills for similar evangelism and mission work with other churches.
David Gortner
David Gortner (MA, MDiv, PhD) is Associate Dean for Church & Community Engagement, Director of the DMin Programs, and Professor for Evangelism and Congregational Leadership at Virginia Theological Seminary. He is author of Transforming Evangelism, Varieties of Personal Theology: Charting the Beliefs and Values of American Young Adults, Around One Table: A Study of Episcopal Identity, and several articles and book chapters on Episcopal clergy leadership and public ministry. David has taught at CDSP, Seabury-Western, and a number of colleges and universities. He has also served in a number of congregations including as a co-founding pastor of a federated three-denominational church plant, in campus ministry, in interfaith leadership training and community organizing, and in hospice and hospital chaplaincy. David is passionate about evangelism as a fundamental spiritual practice and about intentional leadership development focused toward public faith — topics on which he has taught and trained church leaders around the world.
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Report from the Field: 28 Months of Episcopal Evangelism in the Diocese of New Jersey
28 months ago, The Rev. Cn. Dr. Rob Droste was called to develop and execute all diocesan church growth programs for the 146 congregations of the Diocese of New Jersey. During that time, he has engaged hundreds of congregants in dozens of faith communities in efforts to grow the Episcopal Church in the Garden State. In this presentation, Cn. Droste will reflect on the key lessons he’s learned – and offer some thoughts about how anyone dedicated to growing the Episcopal Church might move forward. The presentation is a time to consider what we’re up against – and what we can do in response.
Rob Droste
The Rev. Cn. Dr. Rob Droste serves as Canon for Congregational Development and Mission in the Diocese of New Jersey. A graduate of Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California (M.Div) and Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (D.Min), Cn. Droste led congregations in the San Francisco Bay Area for 14 years prior to joining the diocesan staff in Trenton, New Jersey in 2014. Cn. Droste’s deep conviction that the purpose of the church is “to make disciples who make disciples of Jesus Christ” joins fully with his bishop’s vision of each congregation in the diocese as “a school of discipleship.” Cn. Droste agreed wholeheartedly with the Archbishop of Canterbury when the Anglican primate recently wrote, “The best decision anyone can ever make, at any point in life under any circumstances, whoever they are, wherever they are, is to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.”
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Social Media, Evangelism and Connecting with Emerging Cultures
Workshop Handout
Jesus was about relationships, and the church is at its best when it assists others in their relationship with one another and Christ. There are many people today who are disconnected from God and community and don’t know how to connect or who to connect with. The traditional church is not trusted. Social media affords us the ability to connect with emerging ethnic cultures as well as the growing Nones. This workshop will share stories and demonstrate the power of utilizing social media for evangelism.
Anthony Guillén
The Rev. Canon Anthony Guillén is the Missioner for Latino/Hispanic Ministries of The Episcopal Church. Guillén is a “social media evangelist” who is strong believer and practitioner of utilizing social media and digital resources for Christian Formation and Evangelism. Canon Guillén is committed to raising and equipping a large network of “digital disciples” that together can spread the Gospel and introduce people to the Episcopal Church. Guillén and the Office of Latino/Hispanic Ministries yearn for a church that embodies the multiethnic, multilingual, and multicultural context we live in today. The vision is to make the Episcopal Church known to Latino/Hispanic communities that they may experience our church and embrace it as their spiritual home.
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Storytelling as Evangelism: How to connect our story with the never ending story
Workshop Handout
Evangelism is not about selling programs or an institution but connecting people’s stories with the ongoing story of Christ’s redemption. To be an evangelist, one must know why Jesus has made a difference in your life. The workshop teaches the skill of storytelling by training participants to tell part of their own narrative to one another.
Porter Taylor
Porter Taylor serve as the 6th Bishop of Western North Carolina until October 2016. He has a PhD in Literature and Theology from Emory University and was a professor of American Literature before being ordained. He will join the faculty of Wake Forest University School of Divinity in the fall of 2017.
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Talking God Today
The 21st Century presents us with unique challenges, as well as, opportunities for new forms and styles of evangelism. This workshop will explore, provide tools and openly invite participants to discuss how the Church presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the digital age.
Albert Cutié
Since his early teens, Albert Cutié became convinced that the Gospel of Jesus Christ could transform the world. He started out as a disc-jockey, only to discover God was calling him to play “a different kind of tune” as an ordained minister in God’s church. Since his ordination in 1995, he has been privileged to play those tunes in a variety of media and church settings; including hosting talk shows on international television, on radio, through books, the written press and is convinced that social media is presently opening up new and exciting ways to keep proclaiming the love of God. He is the Rector of St. Benedict’s in the Diocese of Southeast Florida.
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The Ministry of Presence: Turning Social Outreach and Mission into Evangelism
The global is more local, and the local more global. So, what does it mean to be present in the world, while being a part of God’s Mission? Drawing on wisdom from the mission field in Haiti, this workshop emphasizes the importance of being fully present as the hands and feet of God, and discovering the wealth of tools and gifts for mission and reconciliation in local contexts. These gifts can inform, guide and equip us in any mission outreach, local or global. Participants will have a chance to share their best practices, and their challenges, in their own ministry contexts.
Alan Yarborough
Alan Yarborough worked as an Episcopal missionary in Haiti for two years in the Central Plateau and a third year as a project manager for the revitalization program of the St. Barnabas Agriculture Center near Cap Haitien. He recently returned to the U.S. to work with the Episcopal Office of Government Relations and the Center for Anglican Communion Studies at Virginia Theological Seminary. Alan is originally from Asheville, North Carolina, and graduated from Clemson University before moving to Haiti.
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The Shape of the Jesus Movement: Strategies for Discipleship, Evangelism and Reconciliation
Workshop Handout
Led by Jay Sidebotham and Stephanie Spellers
Episcopalians everywhere are answering the call to join the Jesus Movement. Before you go running out the door, remember: you can’t share what you don’t have! What are the actual steps we can take – as individuals and as congregations – in order to grow disciples rooted in deep love for Jesus, and then to send them out to participate in the Movement? Jay (founder of RenewalWorks) and Stephanie (Canon for Evangelism and Reconciliation) partner to introduce the shape of the movement and highlight strategies for both going deep and branching out.
Jay Sidebotham
The Cartoonist
Father Sidebotham serves as director of RenewalWorks, a ministry of Forward Movement, and also serves as an associate rector at St. James’ Parish in Wilmington, NC. Before hearing a call to ordained ministry, he worked in New York in the fields of animation, illustration, and advertising. (Some would say he is still working in advertising.) He is grateful not only for the opportunity that parish work affords to continue expressing himself through his drawing, but also for the abundant supply of cartoon material that emerges in parish life.
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The Ten Things to Do (and Not Do) When Starting an Episcopal Church
Workshop Handout
Think of this workshop as church planting 101, an introduction for anyone who either wants to start a new ministry or wants to understand how church planting serves as a primary way to share the good news of Jesus Christ with new people.
Mike Michie
The Rev. Mike Michie is the founding Rector of St. Andrew’s. He came to McKinney to plant St. Andrew’s in 2005. Before that he was Vicar of Christ the King in Houston, TX and Associate Rector at St. Barnabas, Austin and St. Richard’s in Round Rock. Active in many community, Diocesan and Episcopal activities and causes, Father Mike also loves music and sports. He is married to Laurie and has three daughters, Kellie, Jennifer, and Mariana.
Susan Brown Snook
The Rev. Susan Brown Snook is the founding pastor of The Episcopal Church of the Nativity. She has been ordained as an Episcopal priest since 2003, and before that, served as a Certified Public Accountant in Houston. Susan also serves on The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council, and as a leader of the Acts 8 Movement. She has previously served as Associate Rector of St. Anthony on the Desert, Scottsdale, and Curate at St. Peter’s, Litchfield Park. In church service prior to ordination, she served as Director of Christian Education for children, youth and adults and as Director of Lay Ministries. She is married with two children.
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Word Alive: Unpacking the Gospel Message
Led by Carrie Boren Headington
Just before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He gave his followers a commission to “go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15) Yet often when we are asked what we believe, we freeze. Sometimes it is difficult to sum up the wondrous life we have in Christ. How can we begin to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ? This practical workshop provides tools in how to communicate the Gospel message. We will look at how to articulate the overarching Gospel narrative in a clear, natural, and concise manner. Come get equipped in how to be an ambassador for Christ sharing the greatest message to those in our daily lives.