Overview
This three-part series is designed for those serving in congregational ministry. Through three consecutive Mondays, clergy will spend time in community exploring the art of pastoral ministry. Topics will touch on the impact of visual arts in proclamation, music and worship, and pastoral care. Come to one, two, or the full series.
Topics, Dates, & Leaders
I. Psalms: The Gymnasium of the Soul
Monday, January 28, 2019
St. Ambrose called the Psalter a gymnasium for the soul. This course will consider how the regular use of psalms in worship can serve to stretch and strengthen the prayer muscles of the congregation.
Martin Tel is the C. F. Seabrook Director of Music at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. At the seminary Martin conducts the seminary choirs, teaches courses in church music, and administers the music for the daily seminary worship services. He served as senior editor of Psalms for All Seasons: A Complete Psalter for Worship (Faith Alive, 2012) and on the editorial committee producing a new hymnal for the Christian Reformed Church and Reformed Church in America denominations, Lift Up Your Hearts (June, 2013).
II. The Art of Soul Care
Monday, February 4, 2019
In the western religious landscape, shaped by the marketplace, the success of a pastor is often determined by membership size and budget growth. In a culture shaped by consumerism, how can we imagine soul-care for the pastor in a way that preserves her humanity? Or, in the current sociopolitical environment, characterized by incivility, human calamity, and forgotten voices at the margin, how can the pastor engage in self-care in a way that preserves a coherent sense of identity in the wake of tragedy and trauma? Join Dr. Danjuma Gibson to explore the art of soul-care for the 21st century pastor. By engaging the lens of depth psychology, the contemplative work of theologian Howard Thurman, the literary genius of James Baldwin, and other genres in the liberal arts, Dr. Gibson will explore ways that pastors can engage in life giving soul-care for themselves as they strive to serve in their communities.
Dr. Danjuma Gibson is an associate professor of pastoral care at Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS). He is also in private practice as a psychotherapist in Grand Rapids, MI. Prior to joining CTS, he was the senior pastor of a church in Chicago for over sixteen years, and was also bivocational as commercial banker during that time. His most recent book—Frederick Douglass, A Psychobiography: Rethinking Subjectivity in the Western Experiment of Democracy(2018)—is in investigation into the formation of Douglass’ psychological and religious identity in the context of trauma and the American slavocracy. In addition to emotional and psychological trauma, Dr. Gibson’s current research includes exploring the intersection of black religious experience and psychoanalytic discourse in a way that is accretive to how we understand personhood, identity formation, and human flourishing. Dr. Gibson earned his Bachelor of Arts from Morehouse College, Master of Business Administration from DePaul University, Master of Arts in Urban Ministry and Master of Christian Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and Doctor of Philosophy from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. He currently holds memberships in the American Academy of Religion, The Society of Pastoral Theology, and the Society for the Study of Black Religion.
III. Visually Speaking: Proclaiming the Gospel in a Digital Age
Monday, February 11, 2019
If our brains receive 90% of information visually and we retain 80% of what we see and 10% of what we hear, should the sermon still be offered as an auditory rather than visual experience? Are there other ways to communicate? Can pastors and church leaders “visually speak”? Join Lynn and Mark Barger Elliot to explore how to proclaim the gospel in a digital age by reflecting on the Caves of Cueva de Los Aviones, the Boolean Algebra theory and Claude Shannon, and the elusiveness of the individually networked GenZ.
Mark Barger Elliott is Senior Pastor of Mayflower Congregational Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan and an award-winning documentary filmmaker. He is the author of Creative Styles of Preaching and has taught preaching at McCormick Theological Seminary and “Biblical Perspectives” at Compass College of the Visual Arts.
Schedule for Each Monday
Cost & Registration
Daily rate: $65
Full series: $175
Offered with support from the Baer, Morasch, and Kirk in the Hills Seminar funds.