2017

Church

Growth

Leadership

Summit 

Now is the time for your church to grow!

                       Outside Voices                     Discipleship

• Developing discipleship for all ages within your congregation.
• Dialogue panel on the impact of discipling and mission in other countries

Discipleship Dr. Susan Forshey joined the faculty of University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in August 2014 and is the Assistant Professor of Discipleship and Christian Formation. She brings twenty years of experience in congregational lay ministry, administration, retreat leadership, spiritual direction, and Christian education, and ten years experience in higher education. Susan completed a Ph.D. in Practical Theology with a concentration in Spirituality. She worked in the Center for Practical Theology as coordinator of the Spiritual Formation and Church Life project, and as a Marsh Chapel associate, pastoring students and leading retreats. Her Ph.D. dissertation, "The Role of Prayer in Theological Education for Ministry: Toward a Contemplative Practical Theological Pedagogy," focused on creating a framework in which academic inquiry, first-person reflection, interpersonal dialogue,  and practices of prayer can be intentionally explored in the theological classroom. Dr. Forshey continues as a facilitator with Museum Without Walls, an educational non-profit which connects students with survivors of racial, ethnic, or religious prejudice, co-leading summer trips to Northern Ireland on the history of the Troubles and religious reconciliation. Her current writing and speaking focuses on spiritual disciplines in conversation with education and cognitive studies, and she blogs about contemplative living and prayer at the contemplativecottage.com.

Christian Education as Church Growth  Ross Thompson is distinguished professor of psychology at the University of  California, Davis, and is director of the Social & Emotional Development Lab. He has served twice as associate editor of Child Devplopment, was a Senior NIMH Fellow in Law and Psychology at Stanford University in 1989-90, and served on the Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development (1998-2000) and the Committee on the Science of Children Birth to Age 8 (2013-15) of the National Research Council/Institute of Medicine.  He has written several books.  A developmental psychologist, Professor Thompson studies early parent-child relationships, the development of emotion understanding and emotion regulation, conscience development, prosocial motivation and the growth of self-understanding in young children.  He is broadly concerned with the development of constructive social motivation early in life. Professor Thompson also works on the applications of developmental research to public policy concerns, including school readiness and its development, early childhood investments, child abuse prevention, families in divorce and early mental health. Psychology.ucdavis.edu/people/rathom 

Mission Patrice McMahon is an Associate Professor of Political Science at   the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Her research is at the intersection of international security, conflict and human rights.  She has written several books regarding the impact "Do-Gooder" organizations have in the world - whether the organization is wasting money or having a negative or positive impact.  This will supply the churches with information on What's out there mission-wise.  We must ask ourselves: How does this inform us as the church?  What can we learn from this?  How will it inspire us to mission differently? 

Richard Brown  has been putting together his own
leadership puzzle for his entire adult life. That includes his college years, rarely included in anyone's definition of adult. He was one of two Midshipman selected to serve as an officer position as a junior. In his senior year, he was appointed as Midshipman Battalion Commander, the highest leadership position available to a student. Named the USMC Honor Graduate, he served his active duty as an infantry officer with the 1st Marine Brigade in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Prior to leaving the Corps Richard was selected ahead of his peers for promotion to Captain. In 1978, he began a thirty year career in sales with Pfizer, Inc. Four years later, he was one of the youngest individuals at the time promoted to District Manager. In 2001, Richard returned to the field to apply his experience to the most challenging type of leadership, leading his peers. Richard helped found PRE, or Professional Resources Enhancement, in 1998 as a means of bringing his unique vision of leadership to small business, coaches, teachers, and young adults. Richard is now a certified speaker, coach, and trainer with the John Maxwell Team. In 2012, Richard published the book "Become THE LEADER Your PEOPLE DESERVE."  

Contacts

Kris Peterson - krisp@homesteadpres.org    Renee King -hpoffice@homesteadpres.org

 Growth Project of the Quad Presbyteries of

Central Nebraska, Homestead, Missouri River Valley & Prospect Hill