Steven W. Manskar|
Third Annual Wesleyan Leadership Conference Sharing Pastoral Power: November 1-3, 2012
The Wesleyan Leadership Conference aims to help The United Methodist Church develop leaders for congregations that make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. A disciple is a student who follows and patterns his or her life on Jesus Christ. Disciples witness to Jesus Christ in the world and follow his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us disciples make disciples. “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13). Disciple-making in the early church was a cooperative, communal process of Christian formation. It was built upon shared leadership among persons whom God called to the work of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. John Wesley drew upon the wisdom of the early church when he developed a method of forming disciples who make disciples. They are lay women and men who are experienced in the practices of discipleship: prayer, worship, Scripture, fasting, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, visiting prisoners, welcoming strangers, etc. Wesley’s pastoral experience taught him disciple-making happens best when clergy and laity work as partners. Clergy preach the gospel, administer the sacraments, and order congregational life in alignment with Christ’s mission in the world. Laity mentor one another in mission-shaped discipleship. This means that pastoral ministry is the work of the whole people of God. The third annual Wesleyan Leadership Conference will focus on the important practice of sharing pastoral power. Disciple-making is the shared work of clergy and laity guided by the Holy Spirit. Dr. David Lowes Watson is this year’s conference teacher. Dr. Watson is an elder in The United Methodist Church. He has years of experience as a pastor and seminary professor. David is the author of Forming Christian Disciples: The Role of Covenant Discipleship and Class Leaders in the Congregation, Covenant Discipleship: Christian Formation Through Mutual Accountability, Class Leaders: Recovering a Tradition, and God Does Not Foreclose. The Event: We will also hear from David Worthington, manager of the New Room, the first Methodist meeting house, in Bristol, England. Mr. Worthington will speak about the development of shared leadership through the early Methodist class meeting and the ministry of the class leader. Each day will include morning and afternoon breaks, times for table conversation, and an extended mid-day break that will give you time for lunch, a leisurely walk, and conversation with friends. The evenings will be free time for you to enjoy Nashville. Pre-Conference Covenant Discipleship Workshop Workshop Leader: Dr. Steven Manskar, Director of Wesleyan Leadership The pre-conference workshop is for leaders who are interested in learning about Covenant Discipleship for the first time. It will also be a good refresher for those with Covenant Discipleship experience. The cost of the pre-conference workshop is only $20.
He has written extensively in the fields of Methodist history and theology, evangelism, and congregational life and mission. His books include Accountable Discipleship, The Early Methodist Class Meeting, Class Leaders: Recovering a Tradition, and God Does Not Foreclose. He has written curriculum resources for The United Methodist Church, including the New Testament studies in Troublesome Bible Passages. He was the founding editor of the Covenant Discipleship Quarterly and the Journal of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education, of which he is a past President. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Bicentennial Edition of The Works of John Wesley and the Board of Directors of Eden Theological Seminary. His wife, The Rev. Gayle Turner Watson, is also a retired Elder of The United Methodist Church. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, she pastored congregations in the Baltimore - Washington and Tennessee Conferences, and is the author of the Guide for Covenant Discipleship Groups. Their son and daughter are both married and live in Dallas, Texas, along with their three grandsons.
Newark United Methodist Church, Newark, Delaware Wesley United Methodist Church, Dover, Delaware Fairmount Avenue United Methodist Church, St. Paul, Minnesota
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