On February, 21, 2008, Franconia Conference’s Faith and Life Advisory Council (FLAC) will lead an interactive conversation on claiming and exercising authority as pastors and leaders in our congregations. The breakfast conversation will be held at the Mennonite Conference Center, 771 Route 113, Souderton, Pa.
In a recent Growing Leaders article, “A nervous embrace…Cultivating Leadership and Authority,” Long-time church leader and FLAC chariperson James Lapp, states, “During the past ten years, more than a dozen congregations in Franconia Conference have experienced a significant crisis in their life together. In nearly all cases, the themes of leadership and authority were important challenges that needed to be addressed in order for the body to be restored to health. In general, the role of the pastor, the organizational structures of the congregation, and patterns of decision-making needed to be revisited and clarified.”
Lapp goes one to ask, “What is happening that leadership and authority so often appear as front-burner agenda for the church?” Lapp, along with fellow FLAC members, Blaine Dewiler, Beth Styer, Micheal King, and Sharon Wyse Miller hope to provide a time for reflection and conversation over the challenges that are present on congregational leadership.
The breakfast will begin at 8:00 am. Please register for the breakfast by Saturday, February 16, 2008 to Jessica Walter at jwalter@mosaicmennonites.org
View flyer for more details
Top photo by Timoyer
Bottom photo by kreg Ulery
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.