By Sarah Carlson, Arts Editor
Church leaders will come together to discuss missional leadership at the fourth Ministry Summit on April 21-22.
Dr. Mark Love, assistant professor of ministry and director of Ministry Events, said the summit is a chance for people in ministry positions either in the church or in the university to come together for conversations on ministry. Elders, children’s and youth ministers, both New and Old Testament scholars and others will contribute to ministry discussions, focusing on their respective areas and how missional leadership plays a role.
Love said many programs people attend are large and unfocused, but the Ministry Summit offers a chance for smaller groups to gather and engage in ministry discussions.
“This is more focused, and I just think it fits a niche that ministers are finding very helpful,” Love said.
He said the past three years have been well attended and received, and because of the program’s popularity, coordinators opened it to the public this year.
This was done to avoid creating situations of comparing who is invited and who isn’t, Love said, as well as to help offset the expense of the event by charging admission.
This year’s main speaker is Alan Roxbourgh, president of the Missional Leadership Institute and core member of the Gospel and Our Culture Network. Roxbourgh will give two presentations on missional leadership, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and at 8:30 a.m. on Friday.
Aside from the main presentations, those attending the summit will have the opportunity to hear from various ministers and church workers discussing issues in their respective areas.
Dr. Robert Oglesby Jr., instructor of Bible, missions and ministry, will present during the first breakout session at 11 a.m. on Friday. During his presentation, titled “How’s Your Youth Ministry Performing?,” Oglesby will present an evaluation program for churches to use to analyze their youth ministers and ministry programs, focusing on 13 competencies the department of Bible, missions and ministry uses to evaluate students preparing for ministry.
Oglesby said the program looks at areas such as teaching, organization and people skills, as well as use of technology in ministry, conflict resolution and one’s general work ethic. Churches can use the program online, and Oglesby will write a report and send it back to the church. He said five churches have used the program so far to evaluate current youth ministers and their deficiencies, helping them see what needs changing.
“I think it’s a tool that should be used by every youth minister to see how they are doing, what they need to change, etc.,” Oglesby said.
He said the program is primarily a preventive tool and can be used to analyze youth ministers before they are hired instead of during their ministry when problems are already arising.
The program is ready to be used by churches and during his presentation, and Oglesby said he will be looking for feedback from other ministers and is always looking at how to adjust and sharpen the evaluation tool. Churches who are interested in the tool should contact Oglesby directly.
“We’re getting pretty close to feeling pretty satisfied with it,” Oglesby said.
The general registration fee for the summit is $60, and doctorate of ministry students and alumni can pay $30. Faculty, staff and graduate school of theology students are admitted free.
