Probably no other work is as potentially rewarding as that of the pastor! At so many precious and vital points of a person's life, pastors are invited to be "present in the midst" of life-changing moments.

Spiritual Guide. Preacher. Pastoral Care Giver. Administrator. Leader. Educator. Visionary. These are a few of the roles a pastor fills as he or she participates in God's multi-dimensional work.

The rewards that come from participating in God's work among the Body of Christ are amply balanced by the challenges a pastor experiences in ministry. Isolation. Resistance. Ineffective prayer disciplines. Crisis ministry. Issues like these are related to long-term pastoral health and excellence.

This year's conference will focus on practical advice that will assist in some of pastoral ministry's more difficult moments. Conference topics include:

• From "I" to "We": Breaking the Isolation of Pastoral Ministry
• Prayer as Transforming Practice
• The Self-defining Leader Amid Conflicting Expectations
• Claiming the Power of Ritual
• Ministry as Learning

Conference Leader

Mahan Siler

This year's gathering features Mahan Siler, recently retired after forty-two years of ministry. Upon retirement, a colleague said to Mahan, "Write for us! Write something practical, something useful for those of us back here 'in the trenches.' Write something realistic and hopeful." Mahan has responded to that request, motivated by respect, concern and gratitude for persons serving as pastoral ministers.

During the last two years, Mahan has sifted through his rich pastoral experience with a goal of providing practical wisdom for pastors still on the job. Along the way, he also received a Lilly grant, which he used to design a model for developing and encouraging pastoral peer support groups.

Mahan holds an S.T.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has served as Director of the School of Pastoral Care at Baptist Hospital, and as pastor of Ravensworth Baptist Church (along with Bill Ratliff, Professor of Pastoral Care at ESR) and Pullen Memorial Baptist Church. Mahan remains active as a consultant with pastors and congregations.

"I respect the courage of pastors — the courage to stand regularly with conviction, offering an alternative world view to the dominate culture of competitive, sometimes violent ways of relating; the courage to declare Sunday after Sunday the character of God with words that always fall short of defining God; the courage to enter, upon invitation, into the private places of a person's life and be there with words of faith, not sight, with presence, not solutions; the courage to bear the symbols of God, even being a symbol of God, while risking the danger of playing God."

—Mahan Siler

SCHEDULE

REGISTRATION

You can download the brochure with a registration form in PDF format here. Print the brochure, fill out the form, and send it with your check to the address given.

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