Pastors & Leaders Conference

In the Celtic tradition, there are two books we can use to discover God: the Bible and the Book of Creation (that is, the whole earth). This workshop will present ways to connect these two “books” so that they can be read and experienced by an intergenerational audience — accessible to children and meaningful for adults. Explore ways to use the liturgical seasons to connect to the seasons of the earth and to connect them together. We will discuss the use of storytelling, ritual and Bible study in this interactive workshop. Lora Nafziger, Pastor of Faith Formation at Assembly Mennonite Church, will use examples from her congregation’s experiences and learnings throughout the pandemic and their desire to continue to connect to creation. When we connect with creation, the love that began in the Heart of God, the Heart of Creation, flows out through our hearts to the world. Wendy Janzen, Pastor of Burning Bush Forest Church in Canada, reminds us of this when she says, “It is after all through the woods, the fungi and the soil that we can learn the secrets of life: dormancy and growth, interconnection and community, rootedness and reaching upward.”

Leadership is a balance between offering comfort for our daily struggles and challenging us to a radical reimagination of God’s mission and our calling. When congregations experience stress, looking outward and choosing solidarity with others can provide renewal and growth opportunities. Join us to share ways in which congregations can foster a community of support, sending individuals outward not only to transform the world, but also to transform themselves.

Research suggests that Generation Z is spiritually illiterate and abandoning all forms of church. Is this true? If so, how did we get here? You may be the only person of faith a member of Gen Z may ever meet. To successfully minister to this generation, you must know and understand them. This presentation will outline current data about this generation’s unique traits and their attitudes toward culture, identity, authority, diversity and religion.

Coaching is a leadership skill we’re hearing a lot about these days. What is it exactly, and how does it fit into ministry? Come and learn how you can help others through coaching and how being coached can help you.

The current context of polarization has our congregations, communities and families railing. The church longs for a better way to engage conflict. Practicing healthy dialogue is an important part of reimagining our ministry as a relevant Anabaptist witness to today’s world. In this workshop, facilitators will use stories and resources to teach about and demonstrate practical ways congregations can engage dialogue across difference.

Using materials from the Criterion Institute as well as the book An Other Kingdom: Departing the Consumer Culture by Walter Brueggemann, Peter Block and John McKnight, we will deconstruct the assumptions made by living in a market economic culture and invite ourselves to dream of a world built on Kingdom economics. We will learn about the assumptions inherent in both worlds and brainstorm how churches can live into Kingdom economics while still residing in a market culture.

White Christian nationalism is not only a problem “out there”; it is also present in Mennonite congregations. Over the past few years, dozens of books and op-eds have been written by sociologists, historians and journalists that define White Christian nationalism. But what can pastors and leaders do to “challenge” White Christian nationalism? This workshop engages “so what” questions through two angles. First, we will briefly introduce and define White Christian nationalism, focusing especially on why it is harmful to the souls of individuals, congregations and the church’s public witness. Second, we will offer practical ways in which pastors and leaders can employ spiritual formation frameworks and tools to challenge White Christian nationalism in the context of congregational life.

How has walking through a global pandemic impacted us at an embodied level? Are we fully aware of this impact? This workshop will invite reflection on and attention to embodiment and why it is important to attend to the body in conversations of spirituality, healing and integration. We will experience an embodied spiritual exercise together and then have room to unpack this exercise in the presence of one another.

This workshop will introduce participants to the “Anabaptism at 500” initiative with a particular focus on the Anabaptist Bible Project. In addition to providing a general overview of the project’s vision, the workshop will invite participants to engage in constructive criticism on several important questions surrounding the Anabaptist Bible Project: e.g., in what sense is the Bible “authoritative” for ordinary church members today? How do we balance a strong emphasis on the priesthood of all believers with the unique insights that biblical scholars have to offer? Can a “Christ-centered” hermeneutic avoid the pitfalls of supersessionism? Join us for a stimulating conversation about this ambitious project!

Using materials from the Criterion Institute as well as the book An Other Kingdom: Departing the Consumer Culture by Walter Brueggemann, Peter Block and John McKnight, we will deconstruct the assumptions made by living in a market economic culture and invite ourselves to dream of a world built on Kingdom economics. We will learn about the assumptions inherent in both worlds and brainstorm how churches can live into Kingdom economics while still residing in a market culture.

Sunday school before the pandemic was hard, and then we have faced the last few years. What is working — or not — for your congregation now? What do you dream of for the children of the church? Come be part of a conversation about dreaming into new ways of doing faith formation with youth and children. Bring stories of and ideas for how your church or conference is approaching this.

Calling courageous, curious and intentionally playful artists and artful amateurs to imagine possibilities that can enrich congregational worship through the visual arts. We will use a segment of the newly released video, “A Creative God: The Visual Arts in Worship,” to spark conversation, shape responses and sketch ideas that could create an enriched feeling of congregational places that move worship beyond words.

What if the scandalous is spiritual, deviant is divine and bad is beautiful? This is the core question asked by the Called to be Bad Podcast, where guests reveal a “bad” topic they are passionate about. By bad, we mean unusual, taboo or something that goes against the status quo of what it means to be faithful. In this workshop we will discuss what it means to participate in ministry via a podcast. Can we reimagine church and community in online spaces?

Learn how intergenerational Sunday school and activities can reduce the need for volunteers, build relationships and create a church family. Nancy Frey has introduced a monthly intergenerational Sunday school class to reduce the need for Sunday school teachers. She has offered a monthly games night for all ages to reduce the need for youth sponsors. Both activities allow children, youth and adults to have fun while they learn together and get to know one another.

As communities of color within the Mennonite tradition, we are the bridge between the past and the future. Whether cradle Mennonites or convinced/chosen, we have for years brought both particular and universally distinctive perspectives, prophetic voices and callings to the wider church. This distinctiveness-within-distinctiveness makes for best practices that can be enfolded within current dominant practice, theology and praxis, bringing growth and depth that can enrich the church in the decades to come.

During your master’s-level seminary studies, you learned how to preach, craft worship, interpret the Bible, provide pastoral care and engage in God’s mission. But if you’re like most seminary graduates, you only had one course on how to be a leader — or maybe no courses at all. This workshop introduces AMBS’s new doctorate for church leaders; it is specifically about leadership and can help you retool for more competent ministry in your specific context.

White Christian nationalism is not only a problem “out there”; it is also present in Mennonite congregations. Over the past few years, dozens of books and op-eds have been written by sociologists, historians and journalists that define White Christian nationalism. But what can pastors and leaders do to “challenge” White Christian nationalism? This workshop engages “so what” questions through two angles. First, we will briefly introduce and define White Christian nationalism, focusing especially on why it is harmful to the souls of individuals, congregations and the church’s public witness. Second, we will offer practical ways in which pastors and leaders can employ spiritual formation frameworks and tools to challenge White Christian nationalism in the context of congregational life.

The Christian faith, and most Christian communities, have been in strong decline in the U.S. for decades, made worse by the pandemic. This workshop will examine that decline through Pew and other research surveys and then explore what may be the essential ingredients for a vital faith community and, in particular, for Mennonite churches.

Among Generation Z, trust in religious institutions and clergy is low. However, desire for relationships with trustworthy, authentic, caring mentors is great. Exhibiting the highest level of mental health challenges of any prior generation, Gen Zers need faith-centered counsel and mentoring more than ever before. This session will present strategies churches can use to meaningfully connect and communicate with the youngest members of their church and community.

One of the lasting impacts of COVID-19 is that people’s understanding of how the world operates has been deeply disrupted. Likewise, communities of faith have found themselves reevaluating many aspects of their cultural practices. This time of flux, while stressful, also offers an excellent opportunity to reimagine some of our faith communities’ food practices. This workshop will provide a chance to explore some of the richness of our Christian food culture that has gotten lost or overlooked over the years. It also offers a chance to taste some biblical food recipes that are both crowd pleasers and healthy(ier) options for individuals, our communities and God’s creation.

Learn how intergenerational Sunday school and activities can reduce the need for volunteers, build relationships and create a church family. Nancy Frey has introduced a monthly intergenerational Sunday school class to reduce the need for Sunday school teachers. She has offered a monthly games night for all ages to reduce the need for youth sponsors. Both activities allow children, youth and adults to have fun while they learn together and get to know one another.

Coaching is a leadership skill we’re hearing a lot about these days. What is it exactly, and how does it fit into ministry? Come and learn how you can help others through coaching and how being coached can help you.

Anabaptists practice believer’s baptism. We believe that every person should make their own choice about baptism and church membership. However, our membership curriculum is often inaccessible to people with intellectual disabilities. When people with intellectual disabilities have a desire to explore the possibility of membership, pastors, teachers and parents scramble to adapt or create a curriculum that is accessible. Come explore the concept of baptism, church membership, what we need to know in order to make a choice, how we can know someone’s ability to choose, and what to do when the ability to choose is not clear. As a part of this workshop, we’ll share about Anabaptist Disabilities Network’s new membership curriculum, Believing and Belonging.

The current context of polarization has our congregations, communities and families railing. The church longs for a better way to engage conflict. Practicing healthy dialogue is an important part of reimagining our ministry as a relevant Anabaptist witness to today’s world. In this workshop, facilitators will use stories and resources to teach about and demonstrate practical ways congregations can engage dialogue across difference.

Many congregations have developed beloved rituals that honor the developmental stages of young people, from baby dedications through blessings for high school graduates. We’ve been less attentive to the transitions adults undergo over the course of life — and there are many! This workshop will outline a small-group-based process developed at Columbus (Ohio) Mennonite Church for adults of all ages that involves reflection and ritual around life transitions and culminates in a Sunday worship service. It will aim to be both practical — including offering resources for group exercises and rituals, and conversational — considering how this process might be adapted for different settings.

During your master’s-level seminary studies, you learned how to preach, craft worship, interpret the Bible, provide pastoral care and engage in God’s mission. But if you’re like most seminary graduates, you only had one course on how to be a leader — or maybe no courses at all. This workshop introduces AMBS’s new doctorate for church leaders; it is specifically about leadership and can help you retool for more competent ministry in your specific context.

Calling courageous, curious and intentionally playful artists and artful amateurs to imagine possibilities that can enrich congregational worship through the visual arts. We will use a segment of the newly released video, “A Creative God: The Visual Arts in Worship,” to spark conversation, shape responses and sketch ideas that could create an enriched feeling of congregational places that move worship beyond words.

(Presented in Spanish) This is an Anabaptist series of six lessons written using FaithTrust materials on healthy boundaries. It is geared to offer a biblical reflection, in Spanish, on healthy boundaries for all Latinos/Latinas or Spanish-speaking leaders. The material will be put online to be used freely by any Anabaptist group. The material could be presented in Spanish or English.

This workshop will introduce participants to the “Anabaptism at 500” initiative with a particular focus on the Anabaptist Bible Project. In addition to providing a general overview of the project’s vision, the workshop will invite participants to engage in constructive criticism on several important questions surrounding the Anabaptist Bible Project: e.g., in what sense is the Bible “authoritative” for ordinary church members today? How do we balance a strong emphasis on the priesthood of all believers with the unique insights that biblical scholars have to offer? Can a “Christ-centered” hermeneutic avoid the pitfalls of supersessionism? Join us for a stimulating conversation about this ambitious project! (Also available in person)

As communities of color within the Mennonite tradition, we are the bridge between the past and the future. Whether cradle Mennonites or convinced/chosen, we have for years brought both particular and universally distinctive perspectives, prophetic voices and callings to the wider church. This distinctiveness-within-distinctiveness makes for best practices that can be enfolded within current dominant practice, theology and praxis, bringing growth and depth that can enrich the church in the decades to come.

Many church members grow food on church land as a way of expressing their spirituality. They often go forward with it without a lot of clarity about how to garden or what exactly it has to do with being Christian. Sabbath Gardening is a framework to empower such people. In this workshop, Andrew Hudson will give an overview of a gardening experiment he ran at AMBS (2019–2021) and then hold space for participants to talk about their experience with church land. In the AMBS garden, Andrew and others applied biblical concepts in conversation with no-till organic growing methods. They divided the garden into seven parts, having one part be fallow every year. They collectively tithed the produce from one tenth of the garden to neighbors in nearby low-income housing. Agriculturally, they practiced composting and mulching and experimented with “micro-cover cropping.” Out of these experiments emerged a framework, currently called “Sabbath Gardening,” in which church people apply biblical principles and practice gardening together in a spirit of Sabbath. Sabbath Gardening is something of a program or group of ideas practiced while also being open to grace.