7:30 – 9:00 pm CST    St. Croix 2

Reception: In-person attendees will gather to celebrate our first time together since 2019. Online participants will have an opportunity to gather via Zoom.

all times CST

All Activities in Elk and Deer Rooms

8:30-9:30 am  Welcome and Presidential Address              

Sandy Selby “Connection and Community: Leadership in an Age of Alienation and Isolation”

9:45- 11:15 am  Session 1

Lisa Withrow – “Opportunities of Liminality for Co-Creating Connection and Community”

Mary Kay DuChene and Mark Sundby – “The Lonely Spiritual Leader”

Larry Crudup – “Walk Together Children: Reclaiming the Collective Ethical Leadership Model of the Black Church Through Leadership-as-Social Ethic”

11:30 am -1:00 pm Lunch on your own

1:00-3:00 pm  Session 2

Phil Allen – “Liturgical Colonialism: Analyzing Evangelical Megachurch Leadership and Organic Intellectual as Alternative to Foster Belonging”

Laura Murray – “Courageous and Connected: How Hospitality Leads the Way in the Digital Age”

Emily Dykman – “Forming Young Leaders for the Church and the World”

Lisa Withrow – Synthesis of Presentations

3:00-4:30 pm Panel Discussion

Susan Maros, Craig Hendrickson, Jessica Vaughan Lower, with Chris Brooks, moderator – “Engaging White Leaders in Racial Justice Work During an Era of Alienation and Isolation”

6:30 pm Dinner together at the Newsroom – included in Conference Registration 

all times CST

8:00 am  Continental Breakfast and Introduction   Elk and Deer Rooms

9:00-10:15 am  Conversations in Communities of Practice

“How Can We Learn Across Difference? A Conversation about Ethical Research and Writing vis-a-vis Identity and Positionality” – facilitators Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi and Robert Martin – sponsored by Journal of Religious Leadership

Elk and Deer Rooms  Description: We will discuss a) our motivations and applications in researching and writing about leadership, and b) how our research might contribute to connection and community.

“Joining God in Classrooms and Online” – facilitator Mark Lau Branson 

Wayzata Bay Room  Description: How can we discern God’s engagement with us in the midst of structured learning, and how can we leverage that to encourage learners toward being leaders of such discernment? Mark Lay Branson will be presenting virtually; in-person participants are encouraged to bring a laptop or other device, and headphones or ear pods for Zoom connection. 

“Cultivating Connections between Congregations and Neighborhood in an Age of Alienation and Isolation” – facilitators Alicia Granholm and Scott Hagley

Gray’s Bay Room  Description: How are communities of faith called to participate with God in addressing alienation and isolation in their neighborhoods? What opportunities and challenges do we encounter in developing deeper connections between the faith community and its surrounding communities?

10:30 am-12:00 pm Business Meeting and Wrap-up     Elk and Deer Rooms