Pastor and Ministry Leaders Appreciation 2026
Pastor and Ministry Leaders Appreciation 2026
Oct. 8, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
The Church is changing. The call to faithful leadership remains.
Join us for the 2026 Pastors and Ministry Leaders Appreciation Event at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary—a day created to encourage, equip, and celebrate those who faithfully serve the Church. Through inspiring worship, meaningful fellowship, engaging breakout sessions led by PTS faculty and ministry leaders, and thought-provoking keynote presentations, you’ll gain practical insight, fresh perspective, and renewed encouragement for the work God has called you to do. This year's theme, Faithfully Forward: Leading Through Generational and Cultural Change, invites us to consider how faithful Christian leadership can respond with wisdom, hope, and courage in a rapidly changing world. Our worship service will feature preaching by the Rev. Dr. Lee Kricher '20/'22, and our keynote address will be delivered by the Rev. Dr. Almeda Wright, whose work explores the intersections of faith, culture, race, and youth ministry.
Whether you're serving in a congregation, nonprofit ministry, chaplaincy, or another ministry setting—whether your work is rooted in a neighborhood, reaches across a region, or serves a national community—we hope you'll join us as we celebrate God's work through your leadership. This day is our opportunity to honor your commitment to Christ and the Church. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is grateful for your ministry and remains committed to partnering with leaders like you as, together, we faithfully serve today's Church and prepare for the Church of tomorrow.
Presenters
Almeda M. Wright (Ph.D. Emory University, M.Div. Harvard Divinity School, MAT Simmons College, B.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is the tenured associate professor of religious education at Yale Divinity School. Her research focuses on African American religion, Womanist practical theology, adolescent spiritual development, and the intersections of religion, education, and public life. Dr. Wright launched Communitas, a young adult ministry innovation hub at Yale. She is also the co-principal investigator for the Conectere Project, a partnership with Eastern Mennonite University, to empower parents and caregivers in their efforts to create more secure bonds with their children and to explore ways of sharing their faith and values with their children.
Dr. Wright’s most recent book Teaching to Live: Black Religion, Activist-Educators and Radical Social Change (Oxford, 2024) explores religion, education, and radial social change among African Americans through the stories of eight educators across the 20th century. She is also the author of The Spiritual Lives of Young African Americans (Oxford, 2017) and the editor, with Mary Elizabeth Moore, of Children, Youth, and Spirituality in a Troubling World. Almeda contributed to the exciting student Bible, the Common English (CEB) Student Bible.
Dr. Wright is an ordained minister of the American Baptist Churches and has worked with young people for more than 25 years, including as a 5th and 6th grade teacher, as a youth minister, and the assistant director of the Youth Theological Initiative at Emory University.
Lee Kricher has more than four decades of senior leadership experience in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. He currently leads C12 Pittsburgh, helping executives to “build great businesses for a greater purpose.” Previously, Lee served as the president of the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation, a nonprofit organization that brings leaders together for the good of the city, addressing issues such as food insecurity and under-resourced schools.
Earlier in his career, Lee served as the vice president of leadership development at Development Dimensions International (DDI) and the regional vice president and executive coaching practice leader for Linkage Inc. Lee’s clients have included the Federal Judicial Center, Solvay Pharmaceuticals, McKesson, Scientific Atlanta, Citrix Systems, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Ernst & Young, General Motors, Dow, Chick-fil-A, K. Hovnanian, Caterpillar, and NIKE. He has significant international experience and has led executive development initiatives in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Austria, Hong Kong, Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Lee is the author of For a New Generation: A Practical Guide for Revitalizing Your Church (Harper Collins, 2016). The book chronicles a season of Lee’s life when he served as pastor of a church that was transformed from an aging, dying church of 150 people into a growing, multi-generational church of 2,000 people. He is also the author of Seamless Leadership Transition: A Guide for Leaders and Board Members.
Lee earned his B.S. in from Geneva College, MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, master in global leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a doctorate from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Linda, have two daughters and five grandchildren.
The Rev. Dr. Hunter Farrell
Senior Teaching Fellow for the World Mission Initiative at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
The Rev. Ayana Teter
Dean for Community Life and Formation at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
The Rev. Dr. Asa Lee
President at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Dr. Derek Woodard-Lehman
Director of the Miller Summer Youth Institute at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
The Rev. Brian Edmonds
Senior Pastor of Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh
Alan Hannah
Lead Pastor of Allegheny Center Alliance Church, Pittsburgh
The Rev. Dr. William Glaze
Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church, Pittsburgh
Breakout Sessions
#1. Dr. Asa Lee – Retooling Teams and Infrastructure to Minister to the Next Generation
#2. Dr. Derek Woodard-Lehman – Public Theology and Next Generation Ministry
#3. Dr. Hunter Farrell and The Rev. Ayana Teter – Intercultural Dialogue and its Implications for Generational Ministry
#4. The Rev. Brian Edmonds, Alan Hannah, and the Rev. Dr. William Glaze – Generational Transitions in Pastoral Leadership
Schedule
| 9:30 a.m. | Welcome and Continental Breakfast |
| 10:00-11:00 a.m. | Breakout Sessions |
| 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m. |
Chapel Service – The Rev. Dr. Lee Kricher |
| 12:30-1:00 p.m. | Networking |
| 1:00-1:30 p.m. | Lunch Served |
| 1:30-2:15 p.m. |
Keynote Lecture Speaker: The Rev. Dr. Almeda Wright |
| 2:15-2:45 p.m. |
Interactive Reflection Session and Q&A with Dr. Alameda Wright |
| 2:45-3:00 p.m. | Closing Remarks |
Questions
Please contact or call 412-924-1345.
