CEU News March 2020

The CEU News Continuing Education Update March 2020 A Publication of the Wesley Leadership Institute Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church

Featured Events Looking Ahead to the 2020 General Conference March 4 Online Course 0.15 CEUs The 2020 General Conference of the United Methodist Church takes place May 5-15 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Wil Cantrell, author of UM best-seller, "Unaframed and Unashamed: The Future of United Methodism," leads this session to provide information concerning the upcoming General Conference. Register now!

Brent Strawn Event March 23-24 TN Wesleyan 0.4 CEUs for full participation Dr. Brent Strawn, Professor of Old Testament at Duke University Divinity School, will be the Heritage Day speaker at Tennessee Weslean University. He will give lectures at 7 pm Monday, March 23rd and 11 am Tuesday, March 24th. The events are free and meals are available in the cafeteria for $7.55 0.2 CEUs per lecture.

Fred Craddock Lectures - Dr. Abraham Kuruvilla

The Journey from Text to Sermon April 1 Knoxville, TN 0.5 CEUs

Dr. Kuruvilla is Senior Research Professor of Preaching and Pastoral Ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary. He obtained a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen.

Dr. Kuruvilla centers his ministry around the art and science of preaching: exploring preaching through research and scholarship, explaining preaching by training the next generation of church leaders, and exemplifying preaching in regular pulpit engagements in the U.S. and elsewhere. He has served as the President of the Evangelical Homiletics Society, and in his spare time he writes preaching commentaries and other books related to preaching, all with a focus on the hermeneutics of homiletics. Most recently, he authored A Manual for Preaching: The Journey from Text To Sermon (Baker, 2019).

He has also served as interim preacher of a number of churches in Texas and in Massachusetts.

Events - Coming Soon!

Check the Holston online calendar for a full listing of future events.

March 2020: Looking Ahead to the 2020 General Conference March 4 Online Course 1.0 CEUs Ministry Entrepreneurship Program March 5-7 Washington DC 1.7 CEUs From Readiness to Launch: Starting a New Worship Service March 10 Online Course 0.1 CEUs Five Things for Being a Good Visitor to Someone w/Dementia March 12 Online Course 0.1 CEUs Brent Strawn Event March 23-24 TN Wesleyan 0.5 CEUs

Boundless Learning, Bountiful Living March 26-28 Dallas, TX 1.4 CEUs April 2020: Fred Craddock Lecture: From Text to Sermon April 1 Knoxville, TN 0.5 CEUs Ray Van der Laan Lectures: The Last Days of Jesus April 3-5 Maryville, TN 0.8 CEUs Senior Adult Day at Camp Lookout April 16 Rising Fawn, GA 0.4 CEUs Cross-Racial/Cross-Cultural Training Camp April 17-10 Trophy Club, TX 1.0 CEUs Jubilation!

April 20-22 Pigeon Forge, TN 0.4 CEUs

CEU QUICKLINKS: Check & Print CEU Report Apply for CEU Credit Event Evaluation Form

CLERGY NOTES:

This month we would like to discuss Convocation 2020. We have read ALL of the evaluations and, according to the results, many felt this was one of the best ever. Our Design Team worked hard to bring in quality speakers who would address ways to help our churches grow and “flourish”, regardless of size and location. The responses indicated that they largely succeeded. Many appreciated the diversity in presenters, musical styles, and worship. This year we chose not to focus on the looming issues before General Conference and a possible church split. The 2020 Convocation was aimed at every clergy person in every context.

There were many useful comments and suggestions for future Convocations. We really appreciate those who complete their evaluation with thought and care. We are also disappointed in those who just “draw circles” and sign the paper. We want to make this a quality event, and your input is helpful to us. Also, the CEUs offered assume that some time and effort went into the evaluation.

Regarding CEUs…. According to our Guidelines and those of GBHEM, we are supposed to require one hour of lecture for each 0.1 CEU offered (and this does not include worship.)

Traditionally, when Convocation lasted another day, we came close to accomplishing that while still offering 2.0 CEUs. Then, one year we attempted to be more accurate and offered 1.5 CEUs to much wailing and gnashing of teeth! So we went back to offering 2.0. Following that, we received repeated requests to shorten the length of the event, ending on Wednesday instead of Thursday. We also received a lot of requests for more free time. So this year we added one more plenary to try and recapture some of the missing educational time and received responses that the schedule was “too packed.” We cannot continue to offer 2.0 CEUs while still expanding free time. We understand the yearning for fellowship time with clergy colleagues, but this is still primarily an educational event. So the question arises, and we would appreciate if you would drop us an email with your opinion on this…

“Do you want to go back to running this event from Monday through Thursday to allow extended free time or would you prefer a more condensed schedule ending on Wednesday?”

Some have suggested starting earlier on Monday so that attendees could leave earlier on Wednesday, which does not solve the CEU problem.

One more issue… this event currently runs through Wednesday morning. The assumption is that, barring emergencies, you will attend the entire event. Aside from not earning your full CEUs, you do a disservice to our speakers and worship leaders who give their best efforts on Wednesday to a reduced audience. This was not meant as a “gripe session,” but the issue of free time and non-participation is a perennial one related to this event, so we wanted to address the schedule issue.

Finally, you need to submit your evaluation to get your CEUs. If you still need the form, here’s a link. Just snail mail, fax (865-690-3162) or email your completed form to us.

Book Review Fear Not: Living Grace & Truth in a Frightened World - by Eric H. F. Law Americans live in a culture of fear, whether we know it or care to admit it. Who will attack us next? Who will steal our jobs?

Whose relationship undermines the sanctity of mine? In an era when manipulative messaging is unavoidable, politicians, media, marketers, and even faith leaders play on our fears and use them to win elections, gain attention, sell products, and influence the way you view those around you - all in the name of claiming power.

Fear Not subverts insidious fear-based messaging with the creation of courageous communities committed to truth-telling, grace, hope, and love. Drawing on decades as a community-building and church growth leader for churches and nonprofit organizations, Eric H. F. Law shares practical resources and processes for bringing diverse people together to build authentic relationships and share their truth. Each chapter includes suggested activities and questions for discussion and tips for creating small discussion groups.

What Happens When a Millenial Walks Into Your Church?

- by Jeremy Steele Š Church Leadership 9/18/19 Jeremy Steele says that reaching millennials requires more than marketing and invitation. You need a plan for how to connect with them once they arrive — a plan that engages them in serious matters of the soul and feeds their hunger for authentic community.

Churches often spend more time and energy thinking through marketing and invitation strategies than considering next steps: what happens when someone responds to the marketing efforts and walks through the doors for the first time. Ultimate success in marketing to millennials needs a comprehensive plan that takes a deep look at how they can connect while inside your walls.

Millennials want to worship in a holy sanctuary space with people who welcome them and are willing to help them encounter a real God in a way that helps them live out faith in the modern world.

Deeply spiritual In research conducted by the Barna Group on behalf of United Methodist Communications, there is a clear winner when it comes to the reasons that millennials go to church: they want deep spirituality. This is echoed in another Barna study that showed a preference of “classic” over “trendy” worship in a “sanctuary” rather than an “auditorium.”

More than anything else, millennials are coming to church to encounter the divine. Though the church’s authority may be minimized in other areas of culture, it is still given primacy in spirituality. When millennials show up, they want to engage in the serious matters of the soul. Attempts by previous generations to make spaces feel less holy and more corporate have less attraction to this generation. Millennials have no problem with stained glass and do not need fake ficus trees in an empty gymnasium to feel like they are engaging with an authentic spirituality.

Real community The United Methodist Communication/Barna survey reveals a desire for community is equally important to millennials. It found that 38% of respondents said they look for a church where all are welcome and where they can make new friends and nurture friendships. Unfortunately, many churches have minimized community in worship to the point that 24% of the unchurched feel that services are people merely sharing a space at a public event instead of a group present for one other. This key factor needs to be evaluated by churches.

Far too often the only interaction people experience during service happens for 30 seconds it takes as the congregation is invited to say hello to one another in the passing of the peace.

This can feel like a fake transient community instead of a sincere beginning to community.

Though it may not be possible to break into small groups for discussion in the middle of a sermon, some churches have found success inviting people to talk before (or after) the service about issues related to the sermon topic. Others invite people to share coffee with the pastor in the lobby after services. However you do it, real community is an absolute must for churches seeking to engage millennials.

Casual atmosphere When Barna researched about worship style and spaces, there was a clear preference that mirrors a larger cultural trend away from formality. When millennials walk into a church, they want to feel relaxed and comfortable instead of “dignified.” This is most acutely expressed in the clothing choices appropriate to the space. Millennials want to be able to arrive in a nice T -shirt (or polo) and jeans without feeling judged or out of place in the community of worshippers. This can be a difficult atmosphere to create in churches with a tradition of more formal attire. Even that can easily be remedied by intentionally mixing the dress styles of those who are in up-front leader roles.

A casual atmosphere is reflected in much more than attire. It’s communicated by the overall warmth and openness a congregation expresses by engaging in conversation with newcomers and treating them as guests rather than outsiders. Where possible, the service itself can be made more intentionally causal. Rather than reading from the King James, the church may opt to use the Common English Bible (CEB) translation. Instead of writing a pastoral prayer in formal language, try expressing it in a more casual tone. Rather than saying “peace be with you” during the passing of the peace, invite congregants to simply say “peace” or offer another casual phrase as the starting point for that moment in the service.

Modern worship Barna’s findings also point to millennials’ preference for descriptive terms for worship styles.

When asked, 60% preferred “modern” over “traditional” (40%) worship. (This doesn’t mean that you need to buy a smoke machine — though many churches with them successfully reach this generation.) Instead, this choice speaks to an overall orientation. Modern worship conveys the willingness to be present in the world as it is, interpreting the Christian tradition in ways that make sense and help address the life of a modern person. Traditional suggests to them a church unwilling to change and relate to a changing world.

In summary, millennials want to worship in a holy sanctuary space with people who welcome them and are willing to help them encounter a real God in a way that helps them live out faith in the modern world. Do that, and the millennials are likely to come back next week.

CONTACT INFO: Director: The Rev. Terry Goodman terrygoodman@holston.org

Phone: 865-293-4147

Admin. Asst. & Editor: Sue Weber sueweber@holston.org

Phone: (865) 293-4135 Website: Wesley Leadership Institute