WMI Conference

MISSIONAL LEADERSHIP IN A TIME OF DISRUPTION

DATE

Oct. 7-8, 2022

LOCATION

Online via Zoom and in-person at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

OVERVIEW

The past two years have brought a seismic shift in many areas that touch each of us and our churches: a global pandemic that profoundly disrupted not just health systems and supply chains, but the stuff that binds us together in community: who we spend time with, how close we get to each other, how we protect each other’s health. The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 caused a growing number of Americans to see our nation’s legacy of racial injustice for the first time; the rise of Christian Nationalism has laid bare what to many Americans was an increasingly dangerous conflation of faith and power.

What does it mean to engage in God’s mission of love, peace, and justice through the major disruptions of our day? How can we lead in mission in new ways amidst the disruption we’ve experienced in the past two years?

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

The Rev. Eugene Cho’s many passions involve leadership, justice, the whole gospel, and the pursuit of God’s Kingdom on earth. He travels throughout the world to encourage churches, non-profits, pastors, leaders, missionaries, and justice workers – whether this happens in churches, arenas, conferences, universities, or as a guest in underground churches or refugee camps.

Eugene is the president/CEO of Bread for the World and Bread Institute, a prominent non-partisan Christian advocacy organization urging both national and global decision makers to help end hunger in the United States and around the world. Bread has been engaged in this critical discipleship of advocacy for the hungry and vulnerable since its inception in 1974.

He is the founder and visionary of One Day’s Wages (ODW), a grassroots movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty. The vision of ODW is to create a collaborative movement that promotes awareness, invites simple giving (one day’s wages), and supports sustainable relief through partnerships, especially with smaller organizations in developing regions. Since its launch in 2009, ODW has raised more than $8 million for projects to empower those living in extreme global poverty. He is also the founder and former senior pastor of Quest Church, an urban, multi-cultural, and multi-generational church in Seattle, Wash. After 18 years, Eugene stepped aside at Quest in 2018.

For his entrepreneurial work, Eugene was honored as one of 50 Everyday American Heroes and a recipient of the Frederick Douglass 200 – included in a list of 200 people around the world who best embody the spirit and work of Frederick Douglass, one of the most influential figures in history. Eugene was also the recipient of the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of two acclaimed books, Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk: A Christian’s Guide to Engaging Politics (2020) and Overrated: Are We More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World Than Actually Changing the World? (2014).

Workshops

Workshop Session 1 – 9:45-10:45 a.m.

1A - Being Leaders of Disruption – The Rev. Paul Roberts, Senior Pastor, Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh

This session will cover how the Church can be disruptive in regard to race. It will give practical ways to intentionally become a racially reconciling Church. Topics will include intentionality, relocation, redistribution, and reconciliation

2A - The Gift of Disruption: Recalibrating Your Church’s Mission - The Rev. Dr. Hunter Farrell, WMI Director, and The Rev. Bala Khyllep, WMI Associate Director

The disruptions we’ve experienced have paused churches from fully participating in God’s mission as they used to. Yet these disruptions have exposed some of the paternalistic assumptions present in so much mission work today. Through this workshop, participants will look at tools to help their congregation recalibrate its mission engagement in the way of Jesus. This workshop will be based on their recently published book, Freeing Congregational Mission: A Practical Vision for Companionship, Cultural Humility, and Co-Development, by IVP Academic, 2022.

3A - Leading Through Disruption - Rose Schrott Taylor, Interim Associate Editor, The Presbyterian Outlook

Through this workshop participants will be able to listen, learn, and engage with congregational mission leaders from different denominations who will share their experience of leading their churches in mission during this time of disruption.

4A - Resources for Relevant Missions Leadership - Dr. Dan Bouchelle, President, Mission Resource Network

In a world that is changing faster than our perception of it, how can churches discern clear callings and set appropriate and effective visions to join what God is doing now to advance his kingdom?

5A - Mission and Resistance: Toward the Renewal of our Missional Imagination – Dr. Scott Hagley, Associate Professor of Missiology, PTS, and Dr. Victor Aguilan, Professor of Church and Society, Silliman University Divinity School, Philippines

Learning from the Theology of Struggle in the Philippines and other ways in which churches and theologians have learned to participate in the struggle for a more just and trustworthy world, this seminar considers the ways participation in the struggle for justice can reshape and refine our missional imagination for our congregations.

Workshop Session 2 - 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

1B - Advocacy Matters – Engaging your Church – Heather Taylor, Managing Director, Bread for the World, and The Rev. Eugene Cho, President/CEO, Bread for the World

What values and theology guide engagement in politics? For Eugene Cho, this is an aspect of seeking the whole gospel and building the Kingdom. Eugene will share what it means to live out values using real-world examples of faith-based advocacy. Second, what can we do, during a time of crisis, to take action? We will invite participants to take action and make their voices heard through an Offering of Letters to Congress, and help shape our government's response to hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.

2B - The Gift of Disruption: Recalibrating Your Church’s Mission - The Rev. Dr. Hunter Farrell, WMI Director, and The Rev. Bala Khyllep, WMI Associate Director

3B - Leading Through Disruption - Rose Schrott Taylor, Interim Associate Editor, The Presbyterian Outlook

4B - Resources for Relevant Missions Leadership - Dr. Dan Bouchelle, President, Mission Resource Network

In a world that is changing faster than our perception of it, how can churches discern clear callings and set appropriate and effective visions to join what God is doing now to advance his kingdom?

5B - Short-Term Missions Disrupted: A Review - Simeon Rodgers (M.Div. Student), Kacy Howard (PTS Grad), Rudeene Jackson (PTS Grad), Jason Dauer (PTS Grad), and Hannah Ostlund (M.Div. Student)

Join a group of PTS seminarians who will discuss their experiences of disruption while on trips with WMI. The conversation will include sharing of lessons learned with a focus on how these experiences help point toward a new framework for engaging short-term mission through disruption.

Schedule

FRI., OCT. 7, 2022

5:00 p.m. - Registration, Mission Displays, Book Table

7:00-7:20 p.m. - Opening Worship

7:20 p.m. - McClure Lecture

SAT., OCT. 8, 2022

8:00-9:00 a.m. - Registration

9:00-9:45 a.m. - Worship

9:45-10:45 a.m. - Workshop 1

11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. - Workshop 2

12:15-1:15 p.m. - Lunch Conversation with Eugene Cho

1:15-2:00 p.m. - Plenary Discussion with Asa Lee, Saleem Ghubril, and Karen Rohrer

2:00 p.m. Closing Worship

Registration

Registration is FREE, but sponsorships are available to help defray the cost of the conference. Please check below for the sponsorship levels.

Sponsorship Opportunities

We are only able to offer this major event free of charge because we have faith that churches and individuals like you will support this work by becoming a sponsor. If interested please indicate on the registration form and we'll invoice you. Thank you!

For sponsors who contribute up to $200: