Twelfth Annual Pastors Conference
with Pastor Dave Hansen

Sept. 28-29, 2009

The Art of Pastoring

Pastor as a Parable of Jesus Christ

Not a how-to. Rather, we will look at what’s happening when we’re doing our work right; when we stumble into the presence of Jesus in the middle of our pastoral work. Or, as so often happens, people tell us years later that God met them in our visit. Extending the love of Christ makes us his living parables and the results are unpredictable.

Four Loves for Ministry

Here are four kinds of love found in scripture which reflect the heart of God and are essential to our pastoral work as parables of Christ: steadfast love, compassion, sacrificial love, and the little appreciated but ever so powerful joy of simply liking people.

Praying Enough to Get Fired

Some ministry situations are so perplexing that all we can do is spend an unreasonable amount of time praying about it. How can we do that? We can pray for hours at a time if we understand the amazing freedom God gives us in prayer, as exemplified in the Scriptures.

Workshops on pastoral transitions, time management, and a congregational "Bill of Rights," presented by area pastors, will round out the conference schedule.

To register, print and complete the registration form, and send with payment to the address given. For questions contact Mandy Ford fordma@earlham.edu or 1-800-432-1377.

About Our Conference Leader

DAVID HANSEN has served in pastoral ministry for 30 years. He has pastored churches in Montana and Ohio. He speaks regularly at pastor’s conferences as well as teaches Doctor of Ministry courses. David has authored four books, including The Art of Pastoring, Ministry Without all the Answers; A Little Handbook on Having a Soul; The Power of Loving Your Church; and Long Wandering Prayer. He has also contributed 26 articles to Leadership Journal ("Glimpses of an Elusive God Keep Me Searching and Serving").

Dave is presently the Interim Pastor at First Baptist Church in Hillsboro, Ohio (American Baptist). The father of three, he loves hanging out with his wife of 36 years, Debbie, getting crazy with his three grandchildren, fly-fishing, and playing the guitar and dulcimer.