NATIONAL EPISCOPAL PREACHING CONFERENCE — Recasting the Sermon: What Language Shall We Borrow?

April 23, 2012 - April 26, 2012

How is a sermon heard in our day? How might our sermons receive a better hearing?

What is the place of social media, technology and innovation in the contemporary proclamation as we tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love?

Co-sponsored with the Episcopal Preaching Foundation, the third annual National Episcopal Preaching Conference will inspire clergy and seminarians to improve their preaching by exploring emerging patterns of proclamation.

All participants will share in a mix of worship, lecture and discussion. Workshops will be offered on technology, social media, collaborative preaching and improvisation.

An emphasis also will be put on small preaching groups, led by faculty of the Foundation's annual Preaching Excellence Program, where sermons will be reviewed and critiqued.

“Everyone will bring a sermon to preach in their small group of 10 or so preachers,” said the Rev. Dr. William Brosend, conference coordinator. “The feedback will help their future preaching, as will the chance to hear our keynote speakers and other colleagues.”

Conference speakers will share what drives their preaching and how they stay inspired to make their messages reach a constantly evolving audience.

About the speakers

Shane Hipps is the teaching pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church, founded by Love Wins author Rob Bell in Grand Rapids, Mich. Formerly an advertising strategist for Porsche, he changed careers to pursue a long-held interest in spirituality and theology, earning a master of divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary. After graduating, he became the lead pastor of a vibrant Mennonite church in Phoenix. He is the author of two books, The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospel and Church and Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith.

Tony Jones is an author, theologian, social commentator, blogger and sought-after speaker and consultant in the areas of emerging church, postmodernism and Christian spirituality. He is a theologian-in-residence at Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis and an adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary and Andover Newton Theological School. His books include The Church Is Flat: The Relational Ecclesiology of the Emerging Church Movement, The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life. He co-owns a social media consulting and event planning company.

The Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers is the Hodges-Haynes Professor of Liturgics at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. She also serves as a priest associate at All Souls Episcopal Parish in Berkeley, Calif. She chairs the Episcopal Church's Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music and is an associate member of the Council of Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission. Her publications include Continuing the Reformation: Re-Visioning Baptism in the Episcopal Church, Worship-Shaped Life: Liturgical Formation and the People of God, co-edited with Paul Gibson, and numerous articles.

Dr. Lauren Winner is the author of Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath and the forthcoming Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis. She has appeared on PBS's Religion & Ethics Newsweekly and has written for The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post Book World, Publishers Weekly, Books and Culture and Christianity Today. She has degrees from Duke, Columbia and Cambridge universities. The former book editor for Beliefnet.com, she currently serves as an assistant professor of Christian spirituality at Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C.

Conference Staff

COORDINATOR: The Rev. Dr. William Brosend directs the Episcopal Preaching Foundation and is an associate professor of homiletics and director of the advanced degrees program at the University of the South's School of Theology in Sewanee, Tenn. His latest book is The Preaching of Jesus: Gospel Proclamation, Then and Now.

CHAPLAIN: Br. Scott Borden is the prior of Holy Cross Monastery, a Benedictine community in West Park, N.Y. He entered the Order of the Holy Cross in 2001 and was life professed in 2005. Previously he worked in the public radio system, including positions at WKYU Bowling Green, West Virginia Public Radio and WNYC New York. A spiritual director and retreat leader, he frequently leads programs at the monastery and other locations.

MUSICIANS: Theodicy Jazz Collective is a group of musicians committed to ministry through the creative, spiritual power of music. Their unique sound is influenced by the spirituals and gospel music of the African-American church, as well as progressive jazz and world music. For three years, they led the Sunday morning jazz service at Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio, which became the highest pledging service during their leadership. They have also played at the National Council of Churches, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, St. Paul's Chapel in New York, Oberlin College and 15 churches in six states. Theodicy currently leads the weekly jazz service at the Episcopal Church of St. Paul and St. James in New Haven, Conn.

 

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