Pastors' Conference
READING GOD'S WORLDLY WORD: PREACHING AND WITNESS FOR POSTMODERNITY

  February 26, 2007
  Institute for Christians Studies
  Toronto   [map]

Speakers · Schedule · Workshops · Register · Questions

God reveals himself through his creation and our culture — even though both also groan under the weight of sin. As preachers we need to preach, teach and witness to God's revelatory activity in a manner that resonates with postmodern ears. This day will give pastors opportunity to:

• Communally develop a sermon outline beginning with God at work in creation and culture,
• Probe the theological strands underlying this approach
• Ask questions and consider applications.

Speakers and Facilitators

Nik Ansell is Sr. Member in Theology at the Institute Christian Studies (ICS), where his focus is on the revitalizing of our web of beliefs in the light of the spirituality of existence and the authorizing of Scripture.

Scott Hoezee is Director of the Centre for Excellence in Preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, MI.

Phil Reinders is Sr. Pastor at First CRC in Calgary, AB helping an established congregation embrace and engage its culture and community.

John Rottman is Associate Professor of Preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids MI.

John Suk is President of the Institute for Christian Studies, a pastor and former editor of the The Banner.

John Van Sloten is the Pastor of Preaching at New Hope CRC in Calgary, AB. A former real estate developer, he has spent the past 9 years developing a new kind of culturally relevant ministry.

Schedule

Morning: Telling the Story
Pastors Reinders and Van Sloten will tell the story of how the creational preaching idea was planted, grew and developed in Calgary. To get us all on the same page, a quick overview of the theology will be presented, along with several practical illustrations. You will then select a workshop. In some cases you have assigned pre-work and together with a facilitator will develop a sermon outline.

Afternoon: Probe the Theology
Nik Ansell, Scott Hoezee and John Rottman will discuss with you the various theological concepts underlying this creation and culture approach to ministry. John Suk will moderate this discussion. Bring your questions. You will then select a workshop that enables you to probe a given theological strand or aspect more specifically.

Closing: Deepening and Widening the Application
A cool sermon hook? Hardly. God's revelation in creation and culture is far bigger. What about discipleship curriculum? Or small group studies? In this session, lead by Pastors Reinders and Van Sloten we'll explore other horizons of church life where we can interact with God's worldly word. We'll also make room to ask further questions arising from the day.

MORNING WORKSHOPS

Gourmet God Exploring food and faith: there's so much more to eating than mere consumption; the preparing and enjoying of a meal is a spiritual activity rife with the presence of God. In this workshop, we'll dive into the gastronomic world of good food, fine cooking, and real life, exploring God's delicious presence. Prior to workshop participants should: 1. watch A food movie (either Like Water for Chocolate, Babette's Feast, or Eat Drink Man Woman); and 2. enjoy a food experience (either go out for a good meal with your spouse or have people over for a meal you've prepared). Phil Reinders

Preaching Justice in Four Pages The workshop will examine what it means for the preacher to address contemporary issues of social justice mindful of both God's judgement and God's grace. The session will include a brief introduction to the "Four Page" approach of Paul Scott Wilson and ideas about what counts as success in social justice ministry. Participants will begin to work through a particular text to see how some of these issues might play out. John Rottman

Why Preaching is Hard: the Challenge of Preaching to a Post-Literate Audience Spending time with television, internet, radio, leisure, and other modern media gives today's audiences a different set of listening skills. Effective preachers need to accommodate the form of their sermons to these new skills. This seminar explains how those listening skills have changed and offers some strategies for preaching the old, old story to a new kind of audience. John Suk

What's Been Happening Lately? Since our last ICS gathering, we at New Hope CRC have learned a whole lot more about this creational preaching gig. From innovative sermon research methodologies, to new understandings in the area of discernment, to the exploration of new creational topics (including Architecture, The Oil Industry, Queen, and a Children's Hospital); there are a lot of new insights from the edge to hear about. John VanSloten

AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS

Wisdom Calls For(th) Wisdom Can the voice of Creation be heard as the Voice of God? Theologians have often understood this speaking and hearing as a “general” revelation and a “common” grace that are limited and deficient in contrast to “special revelation” and “special grace.” But is this way of opposing Scripture and experience, Word and world, itself biblical? This workshop will explore how the Bible's portrayal of the heaven/earth relationship, the Call of Wisdom and the priestly significance of imaging God all point to a different way of evaluating and experiencing the spirituality of existence. Nik Ansell

What Is Excellence in Preaching? What should preachers keep in mind in composing sermons? Toward what sermonic goals should they aspire? What evaluative categories can church members become aware of to dialogue more meaningfully with their pastors (and with one another) about the preaching life of the church? This session will hold up the rubrics "Biblical, Authentic, Contextual, and Life-Changing" as goals for preachers and as helpful categories for congregations to use in discussing sermons. When pastors and church members come to a common understanding of what preaching should be, possibilities for helpful conversations begin across the life of the congregation, to the mutual benefit of all! Scott E. Hoezee

Register Online (VISA or Mastercard)

This is for Feb. 26 2007, Toronto only.
Please register before Feb. 20, 2006 to ensure lunch.

Questions?

For more information please contact Robbin Burry, 1-888-326-5347 ext.234, or Jenny Krabbe