Preaching as a Pastoral Care
While preaching is a craft and a skill to be carefully honed and developed, it is also a form of caring. Historically the preacher was called a "shepherd of souls," but cultural shifts have moved us away from this concept. This sectional examines the two-way street that exists in the integration of preaching and pastoral care. Good preaching provides pastoral care. Yet, at the same time good preaching is formed by pastoral care. Both sides of this balance will be examined.
Gender Issues in Worship
Does gender ever enter into what we do in worship? Is it possible that men and women might bring different things to the worship experience? If so, how can our worship reflect the fullness of who we are as male and female created in God's image? This workshop explored these questions.
Symposium 2007 - The Glory of God and Faithful Worship
This session delved more deeply into the conference worship theme by probing key scriptural texts on the theme of divine glory, reviewing contributions of influential theological texts, and then exploring the pastoral dimensions of weaving this luminous theme into everyday ministry back home.
Hymns within the New Testament and Worship Today
This session investigated possible hymns and choruses in the New Testament and discussed if this material is beneficial in our choice of music today.
What We Can Learn about Worship from Asaph the Psalmist
Asaph is hardly a household name, yet he has been impacting worshipers for 3,000 years. Twelve psalms are attributed to Asaph. Scripture reveals that Asaph was a man of integrity as well as a great artist. This workshop explored the man and his art to glean practical applications for us today.
Helping Children Worship
This workshop offered practical ways parents and the church can partner together to help engage children in worship.
The Poetry of Astonishment: Preaching the Psalms
This session took the Psalms as a case study for considering what it means for the preacher, first, and then the congregation, to be astonished by the biblical text. How might this ancient poetry be surprising, and therefore revelatory, to those who hear it in our contemporary contexts? What sort of preparation is necessary for the preacher who wishes to engage the Psalms as poetry?
Providence, Preaching, and Pastoral Care
In this session philosopher John Cooper presented key points in the theology and philosophy that undergirds our understanding of God's providential care in a world where terrible things happen all the time. Why do bad things happen to good people? Scott Hoezee connected these thoughts to the pastoral care that preachers can provide from the pulpit. This session aimed to be both rigorously thoughtful and pastorally practical for the life of the church.
Culturally Diverse and Holistic Worship
Worship throughout scripture and history is culturally diverse, not monolithic, reflecting the diversity of God and his creation. True biblical worship is also holistic, involving the soul, the mind, and the body. This workshop explored the culturally diverse and holistic nature of worship, with reference especially to African American, Caribbean, and Hispanic worship.
Knowing Our Limits: Job's Wisdom on Worship
This session explored what the book of Job teaches about the meaning and spiritual significance of worship, and offered worshipers both theological insights and some evocative poetic images to guide their approach to worship.
Where Then Shall We Live? Location as Fundamental Choice for Christian Discipleship, Worship, and Evangelism
This session raised the question as to whether some, if not all, of the ministries of the church might be enriched if they could be re-integrated around particular geographic locations. Specifically, this session will suggest the possibility that choosing where to live or what ministries of the church to affiliate with based on where one lives can be a fundamental act of Christian discipleship.
Stories that Preach
This workshop discussed how contemporary short stories from writers such as Flannery O'Connor, Doris Betts, and Raymond Carver resonate with New Testament themes and how such stories might help preachers find ways to relate contemporary themes to their listeners.