Schedule

Day One
9:00 am - 5:00 pm (Registration/Check-in begins at 8:00 am)

• Gospel and Stories
• Break
• First keynote: Understanding Our Story: Its Idols and Its Insights

The first session would consider the modern scientific humanist story that has shaped western civilization. What important insights into creation has that story opened up? What idols has that story established?

• Break
• First breakout session: Considering the existential implications of the modern story (5 questions for 5 breakout groups)

Here we would ask questions about how we ourselves have been deeply affected by the modern story for good and for bad. (E.g., how has rationalism, individualism, dualism affected us? What insights and dangers arise?)

• Break
• Second breakout session: Considering the communal implications of the modern story (5 questions for 5 breakout groups)

Here we would ask questions about how the modern story has shaped the church, its self-understanding, its ministries, etc. for good and for bad.

• Discovery Insights & Wrap Up

Our last session would discuss findings from our discovery groups (Each group would answer their specific questions by giving 6-8 insights of bulleted ideas on a Powerpoint.  We would then spend the last session discussing 1 or 2 points from each group with Mike Goheen and others contributing to the discussion). 

Day Two
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

• Gospel and Stories
• Break
• Second keynote: Understanding Our Contemporary Situation: Its Idols and Its Insights

The second session would consider three interwoven depth processes that are shaping western culture today: globalization [global transformation of the modern story], postmodernity [foundational challenge to the modern story], and consumerism [outworking of the first two].

• Break
• First breakout session: Considering the existential implications of our contemporary situation

Here we would ask questions about how we ourselves have been deeply affected by our contemporary situation.

• Break
• Second breakout session: Considering the communal implications of the modern story

Here we would ask questions about how our contemporary situation has shaped the church, its self-understanding, its ministries, etc.

• Discovery Insights & Wrap Up

Day Three
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

• Gospel and Stories
• Break
• Third keynote: Living at the Crossroads: Faithful and Relevant Mission

The third session would ask the question about what faithful contextualization in western culture would look like. How do we live at the crossroads between the western and biblical story? The gospel must be embodied and communicated in a relevant way without capitulation to the idols of our time. How is that possible?

• Break
• First breakout session: Considering the existential implications of contextualization

Here we would ask questions about how we ourselves live in the ‘unbearable tension' at the crossroads. Are we as people/pastors more bent toward preserving the gains of the gospel in history or making the gospel fresh and relevant? What dangers toward domestication and irrelevance do we see in our own lives?

• Break
• Second breakout session: Considering the communal implications of contextualization

Here we would ask questions about strategies the church has employed to handle the tension of living at the crossroads. What kinds of churches think first of all of faithfulness to the gospel? How has this been done in illegitimate ways? What kinds of churches think first of relevance? How has this been done in illegitimate ways?

• Discovery Insights & Wrap Up