Workshop Three

Saturday April 12, 2008 - 11:00 am to 12:30 pm

The Balance Beam - Rev. Melinda Priest, Church of the Nazarene
What a challenge for clergy to find balance amidst ministry, family, and our self care. Experience a panel dialogue concerning philosophical and practical tools on finding balance in our demanding busy lives. Journaling exercises will bring all this down to a helpful and insightful learning experience that can be applied immediately.

Completing the Circle: Mentoring as Fulfillment of the Call - Rev. Lori Niles, Church of the Nazarene
Mentorship is a gift offered and a gift received. While we are building up those who will serve beyond our scope, we are also addressing our own ongoing developmental processes in a Kingdom-centered cycle of service. Without attention to this interactivity both generations - and indeed, those of the future - suffer an unthinkable disconnect from God's rich blessing in the presence of one another. We'll discuss a framework for mentoring ministry and tools for carrying it out.

Single in Ministry - Rev. Gayle Salter, Church of God
Wows: We are called to serve; we have favor from God; we are promised good success.
Woes: When our call is not accepted by others, when the journey becomes difficult; when "IT" feels like failure.
Join us for an engaging workshop that discusses these "Wows" and "Woes" of clergy women.

Gender & Power: Pastoral Leadership - Rev. Dr. Mary Kate Morse
Women struggle with the idea of power and its use for kingdom purposes. A definition and grid for assessing one's power and suggestions for maturing it in Christ are the topics of this workshop.

How Pornography is Affecting the Church - Donna Rice Hughes
The Internet has revolutionized our lives and has transformed the way we live, work, conduct business, and communicate with others. While this life-changing technology offers us unlimited worldwide access to information and instant communication, it has also provided a global platform for the distribution of hard-core sexually-explicit materials that is harmful to our families and children. Research has revealed that the majority of individuals seeking help for problematic sexual behavior online are married, heterosexual males. Furthermore, the percentage of persons addicted to pornography within the church body is comparable to the percentage of persons addicted to pornography outside the church body. Research has also indicated that pornography consumption increases the risk of separation and divorce, infidelity, increases the appetite for more graphic types of pornography and sexual activity, detracts from time spent with children and increases the risk of early childhood exposure to pornography.

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God says: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." As believers, we are called to be salt and light in this world. In this workshop we will discuss this critical issue and illustrate that as a church body, we must address this issue if there is to be any chance for cultural renewal. The church must also be a safe haven for the many people that are struggling with sexual brokenness - particularly within the growing Internet-related sexual addictions. We see in scripture that God desires to heal the brokenhearted and to set the captives free; Christians across the world are in bondage to pornography addiction - from pastors to laypeople - and we are doing a disservice to our children, our communities, and this world, if we do not seek God's redemptive and healing guidance in this area.

Sitting with Jesus in Silence, Stillness and Wonder - Dr. Rebecca Letterman, Free Methodist Church
Have you ever considered silence, stillness and wonder as spiritual disciplines, relevant for active Christian women of the 21st century? In the presence of Jesus, these practices can open our hearts to more readily receive the grace and leading of the Holy Spirit so that our lives and ministries are borne by the currents of Christ's love.

"Jesus is my Homeboy": Why does the Culture Embrace Jesus but not the Church? – Rev. Sarah Thomas Baldwin, Free Methodist Church
All around us Jesus is popular, but church attendance is declining. With a look at what researchers are saying about the decline of the church and contrasting the popularity of Jesus with our culture we will explore together why people love Jesus but not the church. What can we learn from the culture's critique of church and what does it mean for us as pastors and ministry leaders? Is there hope for the church as we know it?

Communicating in a Post Modern World - Captain Lisa Smith, The Salvation Army
Note - this session is repeated in Workshop 2
One of our greatest challenges as Christian leaders is finding ways to communicate the truth of Christ to a post-modern generation that, in the words of Ravi Zacharias, "listens with its eyes and thinks with its feelings." In this workshop the presenter will explore the elements of post-modern thought, discuss their implications for ministry, and share some practical ideas for communicating the message of Christ in ways that make sense to today's world.

Preaching II . . . The Relevance of Preaching - Dr. Diana Swope, Church of God
During this workshop we will discuss the relevance of preaching. We will use the book The Burdensome Joy of Preaching by James Earl Massey to facilitate discussion.

Removing the Blinders: Sex Trafficking, Prostitution and the Global Sex Industry - Lisa Thompson, The Salvation Army
Note - this session is repeated in Workshop 2
This workshop will provide an overview of sex trafficking - what it is, how it works, who it affects - and will explore it's symbiotic relationship to prostitution and the burgeoning global sex industry.