John L. Bell
Creative Communal Bible Study
Many Bible study programmes begin with the information; seldom do they start with the people. It has been John Bell’s experience that when, in a non-judgemental environment, the pastor is not looking for the preferred right answer there are gems of insight which can be culled from the experience, wisdom, and imagination of the laity. This workshop will highlight a number of creative practices that can produce new insights to scripture and fresh ideas for sermons.
Sarah Han
Preaching Jesus from Rhythms of Abiding
The call to faithfully preach Jesus Christ in a complex world can quickly lead to pastoral exhaustion. In this interactive workshop, we will look at a preacher’s life not as a series of tasks, but as a rhythm composed by accented beats. Developing rhythm is essential for authentic ministry and holistic longevity as a preacher. We will step back from the mechanics of sermon preparation to focus on the soul of the preacher, using John 15 and ‘abide in the Vine’. We will explore personal rhythms that move from being “citizens of this world” to “citizens of heaven.” Preaching becomes the life-giving overflow of an everyday relationship with the living Christ.
Gail Ricciuti
Jesus the Conundrum: Preaching the Questions
As preachers, how can we overcome tired and well-trodden renderings of Jesus Christ and his work in the world? Exploring the unexpected silences around Jesus’ words can offer fresh and intriguing perspectives concerning Christ. Within narrative, there are gaps that imply but don’t fully reveal. We do best to treat such textual silences and gaps from the pulpit with strategies like: magnifying the questions; suggesting answers; offering images; and other possibilities. We will explore Bible texts and share wisdom and experience with each other.
Andrew Stirling
Learning from Bonhoeffer’s Christology for Our Time of Hyper-nationalisms
Christocentric preaching is essential in a world of competing ideologies. Bonhoeffer stood against the tide of divisive and dangerous nationalist propaganda. He saw Christ as the means of addressing his age with a radically different understanding of being faithful. He spoke of “Christ the Centre”: “The humiliated one is present for us as the risen and exalted one… [We] have to deal with the God-Man who is known to us only through the resurrection and exaltation.” We will discuss how this ‘humiliated one’, reorients us when we are bombarded by both false messiahs and dangerous ‘king’-doms.
Eugene Sutton
Preaching Public Issues
“Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.” This final line from William Shakespeare’s King Lear speaks to a dilemma that most preachers face in our polarized world: when do I speak what I feel I ought to be saying in these turbulent times, and how do I preach it? The gospel of Christ affects all of life. Preachers may choose not to not address controversial issues that have the potential to further divide their congregations. This workshop will draw on the leader’s decades of experience as a bishop in Washington, DC. He will offer suggestions for how sermons can be preached, and more importantly heard, in churches today.
R. H. Thomson
The Power of The Story: Wondrous or Malevolent
Stories underpin the arts, commercials, the Bible, governments, and even armies. Jesus was a master storyteller. Preaching Jesus Christ inevitably involves storytelling and understanding how stores work. Many scholars have argued, “The form of the stories is the story.” How a story is told—its structure, style, perspective, and techniques—is inseparable from its actual meaning and content. In this workshop an old storyteller will explore how, using narrative, we can wrap our unfathomable existence and even the mysteries of faith and practice into liveable realities.