Salt & Light Leadership Training Day Seeks
Workshop Proposals On Six Topic Areas
Survey of Training Needs and Workshop Leaders in CCCA
Christian Church(Disciples of Christ)Capital Area
2019 Salt and Light (Leadership Training) Conference
“Lay Leadership in the 21st Century”
Saturday, October 19, 2019, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Christian Church Capital Area will be hosting its semi-annual Salt and Light Conference at National City Christian Church in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, October 19, 2019. We expect clergy, experienced lay-leaders as well as lay-leaders-in-training to participate from each of the 40 member churches in the Capital Area Region.
The purpose of the Salt and Light Conference is to help develop congregational leaders by providing practical information, inspiration, and encouragement. In this way we hope to strengthen and enliven regional congregations, improve/retain our saltiness, and to let our light shine brightly (see Mt 5:13-16).
The Rev. Dr. Doug Powe will be the Keynote Speaker at the opening session. He is the Director, Lewis Center for Church Leadership, James C. Logan Professor of Evangelism (an E. Stanley Jones Professorship) and Professor of Urban Ministry at the Wesley Theological Seminary. His recent publication Not Safe for Church: The Ten Commandments for Reaching New Generations identifies some challenges and opportunities we face today and in our future.
A major part of this conference are the workshop sessions. There are three 80-minute sessions planned, and potentially 6 simultaneous workshops in different rooms, for a total of at most 18 different workshops to be offered. In order for us to provide for as many of the Region’s leadership training needs as possible, we invite you to give some consideration to the following six broad topical categories that will likely be important to us now and for some time in the future. In each category, please share with us your view of the most-needed specific (more narrowly defined) topic areas for our workshops.
Also, if you know someone you could recommend to us to lead a workshop session in one of your priority areas, please let us know. And, if you would like to propose a workshop that you yourself could lead, please feel free to submit a proposal by August 10, 2019. The simple format for submitting a proposal is included at the end of this message.
2019 SALT AND LIGHT WORKSHOP TOPICS
Anti-Racism, Pro-Reconciliation Objectives. How can we best build bridges and work together toward a goal of being an Anti-Racism, Pro-Reconciliation community? How successful have we been in working to break down systems of oppression that effectively marginalize people through practices of social and economic exclusion? What remains to be done? How can we help those impacted by discrimination and injustice over the years?
Being a Welcoming Church as Community Diversity Increases. How can we best motivate, encourage, and equip leaders to reach out in Christian love to touch the lives of diverse groups of people in the communities surrounding our churches? How do we remain attentive to the changing character and diversity of our communities? How do we welcome and incorporate new churches into our regional activities?
Church as a Dynamic Faith Community. How can we be open to inevitable change, and remain flexible to needs of our changing communities? What processes enable adaptive congregations? We must recognize what is eternal (Christ) and what is dynamic (our communities and congregations). How do we practice vital worship, attentive to the spiritual needs of the congregation? How do we adapt to the evolving technological communication standards of our members?
Loving the “Least Of These” How do we identify and reach those in need, who are the “least of these”? Examples include the “missing generation”, our disaffected youth, those who have dropped out or been “hurt in church”; those who are members of marginalized, vulnerable groups or are homeless; and those who are socially and/or economically excluded. How do we best evangelize, welcome or serve those in need without enabling or disenfranchising them?
Engaging the Congregation in the Community. How do we engage the surrounding community in faithful witness and productive service? How do we participate with other associations, faith communities, schools, and local/government agencies in this mission? How do we maximize the use of our facilities and property for service? How do we resource our congregations and promote God’s stewardship principles in 21st Century terms?
Leadership Development/Teambuilding. How do we enable our members, especially our youth, to find and utilize their calling/gifts/expertise? How do we encourage, train and equip new lay leaders, to become missionaries and ministers-in-training? How do we promote maturity in the faith, in preparation to become the next generation of Elders? Do we need to improve the collaboration between the Elders and the Ministers in the congregation?
Thanks in advance for your generous assistance in planning the next Salt and Light Conference. To receive a format for workshop proposal submissions and to submit your proposal by e-mail (by August 10, 2019) e-mail neil.romstedt@gmail.com and copy to SaltandLightCCCA@mail.com.
With His blessing, we are looking forward to a great event.
Neil Romstedt, Planning Team Chair
