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For church professionals, lay people in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and beyond

“Getting Unstuck”

“I think there are leaders in the church that feel like they’re stuck – they’re stuck in ministry; their churches are kind of stuck in a rut, and they don’t know what to do about it.” Thomas Daniel

“How can we think together about what it would mean to ‘get unstuck’ – unstuck in relationship to how we understand God…the Church… spirituality…” Cynthia Rigby

At a time when it is not uncommon for church leaders to feel their congregations are “stuck” in worn out programs and age old patterns, the Montreat Institute for Church Leadership’s 2011 conference, “Getting Unstuck,” offers new insights for church officers, educators, musicians, and administrators. Congregational teams of leaders will find the Institute for Church Leadership designed to help them imagine God’s call for their congregation as they live into the 21st century. Topics to be explored include:

• new leadership methods
• professional development for church directors
• bringing new life to congregations
• the identity of a congregation in worship
• how worship music can shape the church
• bringing ministry beyond the church walls
• adapting the church for the 21st century
• evangelism and social justice
• the gospel and justice
• biblical authority
• using technology to enhance spiritual life
• keeping the Sabbath
• dealing with the end of a pastor-church relationship
• how art adds color and dimension to worship

Hebrews 12:1-2, 12 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.” NRSV

This event is supported by the Cunningham Trust Fund, Brown Endowment for Distinguished Speakers, Charlotte Frist Chestnutt Global Missions Endowment and The Christian Education Fund.

Key Leadership

• Craig Barnes, Pittsburgh, PA; Opening Worship Leader; Craig was raised on Long Island, NY. After graduating from The King’s College and Princeton Seminary, he received a Ph.D. in The History of Christianity from The University of Chicago. In 1981 he was ordained into the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and has served parishes in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Washington D.C. Dr. Barnes has an innovative dual position and serves as the Robert Meneilly Professor of Pastoral Ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and the senior pastor of The Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA. He is the author of several books and articles that center on the struggle of contemporary people making sense of God’s grace. His published books include Yearning, When God Interrupts, Hustling God, Sacred Thirst, Extravagant Mercy, Searching For Home, and most recently, The Pastor as Minor Poet.

• Amy Miracle, Columbus, OH; Monday Bible Study/Worship Leader; A life-long Presbyterian, she grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and attended Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. Following graduation, a Marshall scholarship sent her to Northern Ireland where she received a Masters of Social Sciences in Irish Political Studies from Queen’s University of Belfast. Upon returning to the United States, she earned a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. She served as associate pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in Denver, Colorado, and senior pastor and head of staff at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines, Iowa before coming to Broad Street Presbyterian Church in 2008 as pastor and head of staff.

• Cynthia Rigby, Austin, TX; Tuesday Bible Study/Worship Leader; W.C. Brown Professor of Theology, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Rigby’s special area of interest is setting Reformed theologies in conversation with theologies of liberation, particularly feminist theologies. An energetic scholar, Rigby is the author of more than thirty articles and book chapters. In 1998 She received her PhD in systematic theology from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she was awarded a doctoral fellowship and the Wildrich Award for Excellence in Homiletics. She earned her MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1989. Prior to her appointment to the Austin Seminary faculty in 1995, she was co-instructor and visiting lecturer at Princeton Seminary, Princeton University, and New Brunswick Seminary. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Rigby most recently served as a member of the General Assembly taskforce that authored “The Trinity: God’s Love Overflowing,” a document that articulates the relevance of Trinitarian doctrine to our lives of faith today.

• Debra Mumford, Louisville, KY; Wednesday Bible Study/Closing Worship Leader; Frank H. Caldwell Assistant Professor of Homiletics; Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Mumford, a native of Kinston, North Carolina, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Howard University, Washington, D.C.; Master of Divinity from the American Baptist Seminary of the West, Berkeley, California; Master of Arts in Biblical Languages and Ph.D. in Homiletics (with an allied field in New Testament) from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. She is an ordained minister in the American Baptist Church and has served as associate minister at Parks Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Formosan United Methodist Church, and Church By the Side of the Road, all in Northern California. She serves as a mentor for the Louisville Youth Group (a community grassroots organization that provides resources and safe space for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning young people).

• Nicole Partin Abdnour, Tampa, FL; Liturgy; Associate Pastor for Congregational Care, Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church. Nicole joined the PCPC staff in 2005. She was born and raised in Bonita Springs, Florida. She received her BA at Stetson University, and a Master of Arts in Christian Education and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and the Presbyterian School of Christian Education. As the Associate Pastor for Congregational Care, Nicole focuses on pastoral care and hospital visitation, staff liaison for congregational care, including Stephen Ministry, Parish Nurse Program, and Hungry Hearts. Additionally she serves as a resource for the Tapestry Women’s Ministry, the Presbyterian Women and the Policy sub-committee.

Eric Wall, Asheville, NC; Music; Conference Center Musician at Montreat and Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church, Asheville. Eric serves a congregation committed to a hospitality of worship and music and has worked with many gatherings at Montreat in singing a depth and breadth of congregational song.

Ann Laird Jones, Greenville, MS; Art; Ann is a Presbyterian Minister from Greenville, MS, where she serves three small congregations. During the summer months, she is the Director of Arts Ministry at Montreat Conference Center. She is a graduate of Eckerd College, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and Wesley Theological Seminary, where she earned her DMin in Arts and Theology.

Workshops

If you didn’t sign up for your workshops when you registered for the conference, sign up now! Choose three workshops and three alternates.

• Adaptive Leadership How do we move out of ruts we’ve created for ourselves in the church and envision new ways of leading, moving from technical fixes to adaptive change? Linda Bryant Valentine, an ordained elder, lawyer, and former executive at Motorola Inc., began a second four year term as executive director of the General Assembly Mission Council in July 2010. Previously, Valentine served as director and as fund manager and general counsel at Opportunity International, a Christian nonprofit group in Oak Brook, IL. Valentine holds degrees from the University of Michigan and from the Georgetown University Law Center. She served as a board member and leader in numerous church, youth and civic organizations and currently serves on the session of Highland Presbyterian Church in Louisville.

• Coaching for Development Explore this model of professional development for church professionals and how it can assist pastors and congregations develop the leadership capacity needed to meet the challenging realities of the church today. Peter Hazelrigg is an ordained Presbyterian minister and an executive coach. He is the co-founder of Pilgrimage Professional Development Group, LLC, serves as the Executive Director of Presbyterian Campus Ministry of Greensboro, and is an adjunct staff member at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). His website is www.pilgrimpro.com.

• Celebrating Endings, Envisioning Beginnings Effective leaders must discern programs that will breathe fresh energy and life into their congregations and adroitly shepherd their birth. Concurrently, they must foster the passing of ministries that, in the providence of God, need to die before they begin to decay the fabric of the congregation. This workshop will help leaders discover and develop the requisite skills to, at once, serve as both hospice caregiver to the dying program and act as nurturing midwife to the emerging ministry. Albert G. “Pete” Peery, Jr., is the sixteenth president of Montreat Conference Center, and has served congregations in Georgia and North Carolina for over thirty years. He came to Montreat Conference Center after fourteen years as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Asheville, NC. Peery also served on the board of directors for St. Andrews Presbyterian College for over a decade, and was the first alumnus to be elected board chairman. Peery’s service to the denomination ranges from having served on the staff of the General Assembly as a Peace Associate in Europe working to help churches with reconciliation toward the end of the Cold War to a five year term of service on the General Assembly’s Nominating Committee.

• Music: Giving Life and Voice to Worship Music in worship, especially singing, enlivens our praise, shapes our faith journey, and is often the “sigh too deep for words” that loosens our prayer; but sometimes it comes with confusion, controversy, and division. Rather than being stuck on contested ground, can we be rooted in a musical garden of variety and hospitality? In this session, we’ll look at how worship music has shaped us and how it is still shaping God’s church. Eric Wall; see bio above.

• Re-imagine Evangelism: Creating A Come As You Are Culture How do we reach and equip people outside the church walls, especially the next generations, many of whom consider themselves far from God? In this workshop, we will look at strategies and best practices to create a come-as-you-are culture that bridges the gap between the church and an increasingly post-Christian world. Bryan Dunagan is the teacher pastor at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up Texas, and holds degrees from Stanford University and Regent College. He is passionate about communicating the Scriptures for life change, and reaching and equipping the next generation of the church. Bryan is currently working on his Doctor of Ministry at Fuller Seminary.

• Leadershift for the 21st Century The world is growing more diverse and more complex. Today’s church lives in a world that ideologically and technologically changing by the minute. Rapid demographic shifts and population changes are providing constant challenges and opportunities and will be the dominant force in all aspects of life in today’s world. The discovering of a new paradigm shift in leadership development is not only necessarily but urgently needed to take us from where we belong to where we become; a vita and growing church. This workshop will help you understand the growing diversity in your community, discuss God’s intention for the church at this changing time, provide tools for innovative and holistic leadership that build bridges, incorporate differences and bring innovation and growth. Raafat Girgis has been on the staff of the General Assembly Council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) since 2001. He holds two undergraduate degrees and three Masters degrees in Social Sciences, Arts and Theology in addition to studies leading to the PhD (ABD). His cross cultural experiences, interfaith relations and multidiscipline academic backgrounds bring vast insight to the classroom and the sanctuary. His work experience includes ministering churches, teaching in undergraduate and graduate schools in North America and abroad and lecturing in varieties of national and international conferences. He is also the co-chair and the treasurer of the Ecumenical Network FOR Multicultural Ministries-International.

• The Exhibition of the Kingdom of God The Sixth Great End of the Church summarizes and focuses the other Five Great Ends around the missional calling of the people of God. In this workshop, we will explore how the commitment to the “exhibition of the Kingdom of God” can help a congregation integrate its understanding and practice of Christian witness — and, in the process, set aside the problematic distinction between “evangelism” and “social justice.” Darrell Guder is the Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. His missiological research and teaching focus upon the challenges confronting the Christian movement in North America “after Christendom.” He is active in the “missional church” discussion with particular interest in the theological formation of missional leaders for these changing times.

• Relationship Between Gospel and Justice Through an exploration of justice as the heart of biblical worship, this workshop seeks to help move the conversation beyond the confusing and overwhelming rhetoric about justice. We will look at the honest struggle God’s people had in regards to seeking justice while at the same time discussing doable everyday ways we all can make justice a part of our lives. Julie Clawson, Austin, TX; Julie Clawson is a mom, a writer, and former pastor who lives in Austin, TX with her family. She is the author of Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Daily Choices (IVP, 2009) and blogs at julieclawson.com.

• What is Biblical Authority? Scriptural Authority is frequently appealed to as an abstract concept. We will consider the practical implications the doctrine of Scriptural Authority has for the church’s preaching and teaching. We will also consider the doctrine in the context of some of the “hard” passages of Scripture, and learn about interpretive strategies the church has historically employed in order to allow the authoritative voice of Scripture to be heard afresh in new contexts and situations. Dr. Mark Achtemeier, Dubuque, IA, has served the PC(USA) since 1984 as an ordained pastor, author, speaker and theologian. His work on the national Peace, Unity and Purity Task Force helped the church think about what faithfulness to Scripture means in the context of deep disagreements over interpretation.

• The Kindle and the Spirit If the first decade of the 21st Century has shown us anything, it is that we live squarely in the age of technology. As our lives become more and more centered around our smart phones and IPad’s, our inboxes and Facebook accounts, how are we as people of faith to stay grounded? Is technology simply something to be resisted, or do we need to find ways that we can use technology to enhance our spiritual lives? Come for a conversation about these and other questions as we talk about “The Kindle and the Spirit.” Michael Poulos currently serves as Associate Pastor for Youth and Mission at First Presbyterian Church of Asheville. Michael’s passions include social justice, Facebook, and nurturing others to be the unique people God has created them to be. He is married to Julie Lehman and has two kids, Nicholas and Sophie.

• Sabbath Keeping Let’s have a discussion about keeping the Sabbath. Just what is the Sabbath, how was it kept in Biblical times and what significance does it have for us in the current day and age? Why is Sabbath so important? Come and discover your Sabbath rest. Veronica Cannon is the Interim Associate Pastor at Davidson College Presbyterian Church, Davidson, NC. Veronica has a B.S in Business Administration and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary. She conducts workshops and seminars for churches and other organizations around the nation.

• When Things End Well; When Things Don’t End Well Congregations, like people, periodically move from endings to new beginnings. We will focus on the dynamics in the ending of the pastor-church relationship. How can the ending —- whether healthy or hurtful —- be a source of learning and spiritual growth for both congregation and minister? Mahan Siler has alternated in his vocation between being a pastor and working with pastors. He holds a S.T.D in pastoral care, has been a pastor of five congregations for a total of twenty-nine years, a director of a pastoral care department in a medical center for ten years, and since retirement in 1998, has been a consultant to congregations, coach, teacher and written three books on pastoral ministry.

• Art: Giving Life to Worship Using fabric, wood, paint, clay and film we will explore new ways of visually embodying Peter, Mary and Jeremiah (one per day). Participants will take part in the creation of giant puppets which will be used during evening worship. The class will focus on how we use visual arts in worship, and will include discussion of theology and the arts, particularly as it pertains to you and your ministry. We will also take a brief look ahead to the texts of Advent and Lent, year B, and ideas for you to consider as you continue this exciting conversation between Arts and Worship! Ann Laird Jones; see bio above.

General Schedule

The following is a tentative schedule for the event. Please note: changes may be made to the schedule, and you will receive a final schedule at the conference registration table. Worship is always open to the public, but attendance at plenary sessions and workshops requires registration for the entire event.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

• 3:00 pm – Check in to your housing facility
• 3:00-5:30 pm – Conference Registration in Assembly Inn Lobby (Late registration: Pick up registration packet at Assembly Inn front desk)
• 5:00 pm – Introduction to Montreat (optional)
• 5:30-6:30 pm – Dinner Break
• 6:45 pm – Welcome
• 7:00 pm – Opening Program & Worship in Upper Anderson Auditorium (open to general public)

Monday, October 24, 2011

• 8:45 am – Morning Prayer
• 9:00-10:00 am – Bible Study
• 10:00-10:30 am – Refreshment Break
• 10:30-12:00 noon – Workshops
• 12:00-1:00 pm – Lunch Break
• 1:00-2:00 pm – Worship Reflection
• 2:00-3:30 pm – Workshops
• 3:30-5:30 pm – Free Time
• 5:30- 6:30 pm – Dinner Break
• 7:00 pm – Evening Worship in Upper Anderson Auditorium (open to general public)

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

• 8:45 am – Morning Prayer
• 9:00-10:00 am – Bible Study
• 10:00-10:30 am – Refreshment Break
• 10:30-12:00 noon – Workshops
• 12:00-1:00 pm – Lunch Break
• 1:00-2:00 pm – Worship Reflection
• 2:00-3:30 pm – Workshops
• 3:30-5:30 pm – Free Time
• 5:30- 6:30 pm – Dinner Break
• 7:00 pm – Evening Worship in Upper Anderson Auditorium (open to general public)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

• 8:45 am – Morning Prayer
• 9:00-10:00 am – Bible Study
• 10:00-10:30 am – Refreshment Break
• 10:30-12:00 noon – Workshops
• 12:00-1:00 pm – Lunch Break
• 1:00-2:00 pm – Worship Reflection
• 2:00-3:30 pm – Workshops
• 3:30-5:30 pm – Free Time
• 5:30- 6:30 pm – Dinner Break
• 7:00 pm – Evening Worship with Communion in Upper Anderson Auditorium (open to general public)

Thursday, October 27, 2011

• Remember to check out of your housing facility by 11:00 am
• 7:30-8:30 am – Breakfast for those staying in Assembly Inn, Winsborough, or Glen Rock Inn

Registration & Accommodations

Comprehensive Rates

We have reserved a special room block for this conference. When you make your reservation online, you will be asked to enter the group ID “micl” and password “montreat” to access these rooms. If you have any questions about the registration process, please email the registrar at susana[at]montreat.org or call 800.572.2257 ext. 339.

Register for program, housing, and meals

Comprehensive rates below include discounted conference fee of $100 per adult, room in Assembly Inn, Winsborough, or Glen Rock Inn (Sunday through Wednesday night), meals in the Galax Dining Room (Sunday supper through Thursday breakfast), plus a $4 community services fee per adult. Rooms are assigned on a first come, first served basis. Some rooms have private baths, and some rooms have connecting baths. After September 12, 2011, these rates will increase by $25 per person.

Assembly Inn

• $569.00 single occupancy
• $389.00 per person, double occupancy
• $25.00 spouse discount
• $105.00 for children 12 and older
• $53.25 for children ages 5-11
• no charge for children under 5

Winsborough or Glen Rock Inn

• $369.00 single occupancy
• $289.00 per person, double occupancy
• $25.00 spouse discount
• $105.00 for children 12 and older
• $53.25 for children ages 5-11
• no charge for children under 5

Commuter Rate

Register for program only

Commuter rates below include conference fee plus a $4 community services fee per person. After September 12, 2011, these rates will increase by $25 per person. Optional meal packages for the Galax Dining Room may be requested when you register online or purchased at the front desk of Assembly Inn.

• Commuter Rate – $179 per person
• Spouse Rate – $79 per person
• Daily Rate – $70 per person/per day (when registering online, enter “daily rate” and the date you wish to attend in the comment section)

Child Care Information

Child care is available for children ages 6 months through 10 years old at no extra charge. Pre-registration is required and enrollment is limited.

Register Online for Child Care

Refund Policy

Cancellations must be received by September 12 in order to receive a full refund less a $25 service charge. Cancellations received after September 12 but on or before October 16 will receive a 50% refund of the conference fee and payments made toward room and meal charges (if applicable) less $40. No refunds will be issued after October 16. All requests must be in writing and received via email, fax, or U.S. mail.

More Information…

• Questions about registration? Email the registrar at susana[at]montreat.org.
• If you would like conference information mailed to you via U.S. mail, please email carolo[at]montreat.org.
• Find out more about housing options available in Montreat.

Watch the Video to Learn More…

Introducing the 2011 Signature Conference & Institute for Church Leadership

Learn more about other opportunities offered by The Center for Faith & Life…

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