American Baptist Churches USA will celebrate the 2015 Biennial Mission Summit in Overland Park, Kansas. In an effort to foster ongoing, vigorous theological conversations among American Baptist theologians, pastor-theologians, and theological educators throughout the denomination, the General Secretary Roy Medley of ABCUSA and the Emerging Theologians Commission will host the third pre-biennial theology conference around the theme Beloved Community: The Church and Theological Education in a Time of Adaptive Change. The gathering will be held at the Overland Park Convention Center on Thursday, June 25, 2015.

We welcome paper proposals that address the conference’s central theme; particularly those concerning non-violence, the effects of violence on community, the missiological implications of/for beloved community, community divides and diversity, encountering difference, and the qualities of the ideal beloved community. Papers may explore (American) Baptist notions of “The Beloved Community” from the perspective of social ethics, systematic/constructive theology, biblical studies, church history, missiology, and practical theology. Papers may also explore theology “post”-Ferguson, in connection to the BlackLivesMatters Movement, theology of protest, and the “post”-Ferguson theological classroom. The Emerging Theologians Commission encourages paper proposals that explore the views and perspectives that represent the diversity of our denomination. We encourage all who self-identify as an American Baptist theologian to submit proposals—those in academic, pastoral, and community settings.

Papers may then be submitted for publication consideration to the American Baptist Quarterly. Paper presentations will be limited to 20 minutes and can be co-authored. Additionally, panels of three participants may be proposed that would offer coherent and multifaceted perspectives on the conference theme.

Proposals should be 750-1,000 words, and make explicit the paper’s connection to the conference theme. Proposals must include: the author’s full name, paper title, institutional affiliation (as you would want it printed in the conference program), email, and telephone contact. (The paper title must be different than the conference title.)

In submitting a paper proposal you are agreeing to attend the theological conference should your proposal be accepted.

Submit paper proposals before February 28, 2015 to Dr. Donald Brash – dbrash@eastern.edu.

Notification of acceptance will be given by March 15, 2015.