Mid-Atlantic Foundation

The Church of the United Brethren in Christ

2011 Pastoral Resource Day

November 6 and 7

Rhodes Grove Camp and Conference Center, Chambersburg, PA

"The Journey of Faith"

Sunday 7:00 PM Informal Gathering and Fireside Chat

Monday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM  Speakers, Lunch and Snacks

Presenters:

Jo Ann Kunz	Tony Blair

Ever wish you had a GPS for your spiritual life? Or one to help others in your congregation? A map that you could use to determine current position … and that would then help to plot a course to your desired destination using known reference points? We map all kinds of things, from financial statistics to the human genome to school curriculum. We map not only travel over land – but the journey of life.

In this workshop we’re going to take a look at the broad phases of the spiritual journey, using a model adapted from a very helpful book called The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith by Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich. This journey of faith, as presented by them and adapted by the workshop presenters, is composed of six milestones/phases, which are simply markers to help us understand where we (or others) might be. The first three are primarily external – our faith is expressed in ways that are set by external standards. Milestone 4 marks a place of great personal challenge and transformation. And Milestones 5 & 6 mark life lived with God in a very trusting, free way.

Unfortunately, we can get stuck at any of these milestones on our journey, and therefore a faith community is a very necessary part of the journey… to help one another move forward in the journey. This workshop therefore examines the critical journey not only from the perspective of the individual pilgrim but also from that of the church and its leaders.

• How can a church support people at each stage of the journey?
• Why do churches tend to major in the first three stages?
• Why do some churches do some stages well and other stages?

The presenters have led their church through a strategic planning process in which they are identifying necessary ministries and other support structures for each stage, so they can be a “church for the whole journey.” They’ll share some of their own strategies, challenges, questions, and discoveries, as they go.

The presenters are Tony Blair and Jo Ann Kunz, who share senior pastor responsibilities at Hosanna! A Fellowship of Christians in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Tony is the recently installed President of Evangelical Theological Seminary, Myerstown. Jo Ann is an instructor in spiritual formation for Evangelical, Eastern University, and Oasis Ministries, in addition to her pastoral role.