VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 10/5/18)—Church leaders at small and rural Baptist congregations have a chance to be renewed and inspired for their ministry through the Resource Leadership Conference, a new event that will be held May 9-11.
The Resource Leadership Conference will be held at The Chateau Hotel & Conference Center in Bloomington, Ill., on Thursday, May 9, to Saturday, May 11. The event is a collaboration between the American Baptist Great Rivers Region and ABC-affiliated Judson University and Northern Theological Seminary.
“Small and rural churches are on the front lines of the kingdom of God and are an integral part of the ministry of Northern Seminary. We are excited to partner with Judson and our American Baptist friends to design programming to strengthen the local church and train successful ministers. Pastors and church leaders will learn content and deepen relationships that will give them courage and wisdom to reach their communities for Jesus,” said Dr. William Shiell, president of Northern Theological Seminary, Lisle, Ill.
Attendees will have four keynote presentations and choose from workshops highlighting innovative ministry strategies on topics such as church leadership and administration, worship in the small church, justice in the small church and the future of the small church.
“The creation of the Resource Leadership Conference came about because we at Judson and Northern Theological Seminary wanted to assist the Great Rivers Region to provide inspiring worship experiences and educational resources for small and rural church leaders,” said Dr. Gene Crume, Judson University president. “We want to help renew and inspire these church leaders by arranging for them to hear from speakers who have blessed our chapel and campus worship.”
Keynote presentations will be given by Dr. Jolene Erlacher, founder of Leading Tomorrow; Rev. Dr. Dennis Edwards, associate professor of New Testament at Northern Theological Seminary; Dr. Lina AbuJamra, a pediatric ER doctor and founder of Living with Power Ministries; and three-time Grammy Nominated Singer Michele Pillar.
“This is an amazing event with all three groups (GRR, Judson, Northern) coming together for the benefit of small and bi-vocational church pastors. We know it will be of tremendous help and encouragement to all those who attend,” said Rev. Paul Gibson, regional executive minister for the Great Rivers Region.
Learn more about the conference or sign up for information at Resourcelc.org. Registration will open at a later date.
American Baptist Churches of the Great Rivers Region is a resource for challenging, empowering, assisting and representing the American Baptist faith communities in Illinois (excluding Cook, DuPage and Lake counties) and Missouri as we live out our ministry together. Mission and Ministry is our purpose and nature.
Judson University is a fully accredited, private Christian institution representing the Church at work in higher education. Nestled along the beautiful Fox River in Elgin, Ill. Judson offers degrees in more than 65 different majors and minors for traditional, graduate and adult students and ranks consistently among the Best Regional Universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report
Northern Theological Seminary of Lisle, Ill., prepares leaders who will faithfully serve Jesus Christ with evangelical passion and mission skills in biblically grounded and culturally relevant ministries.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.