ANNUAL GATHERING

April 20-22, 2017
Hyatt Magnificent Mile, Chicago, IL

Leadership for Change

The ARL’s Spring 2017 annual gathering theme is “Leadership for Change.”  The conference will explore  the question of change:

• from an organizational perspective that focuses on the dynamics of changes, and
• from a theological perspective that focuses on the theological issues change creates, and 
• from a practitioner perspective that focuses on the experience of leaders who work within specific cultural contexts to enable change.

The meeting will take place April 20-22, 2017 at the Hyatt Magnificent Mile, Chicago, Illinois. The agenda will include presentations from scholars and leaders who describe leadership for change. We desire papers from any faith perspective.

Download Conference Papers

The following papers will be presented during the conference. You are invited to download them and read them in preparation for the meeting.

Friday, April 21

Session I Papers (8:30-9:30)

Linda Bobbit, “Competing Narratives: How Diverse Missional Imaginations Inform Ministries and Collaboration in an Inner-City Ministry Strategy”

Jinna Jin, “Leadership in a Changing Transnational Context”

Matthew Waterstone, “Revival without Revolution: The Story of How a White, Agricultural Church became a Multi-Racial, Multi-Generational Body of Christ”

Session II Papers (9:45-10:45)

Ken Evers-Hood, “From Outcome to Quality”

Hilary E. Livingston, “Emerging Leadership Roles”

Ben Pickett, “The Cross in Christian Leadership”

Session III Papers (11:00-12:00)

David M. Carlson, “Earth Stewardship and the Missio Dei: The Leadership of Integrating Congregations”

Jason W. Locke, “Using Appreciative Inquiry as a Tool for Congregational Change”

Karen E. Parchman, “’It doesn’t make sense!’: Disruptive Interaction for Innovative Leadership”

Session IV Papers (1:30-2:30)

Zach Ellis, “Shared Leadership and the Creation and Maintenance of a Holding Environment”

Jill Ver Steeg, “From Plateau to Transformation: The Development of Learning Communities for the Reformed Church in America Churches”

Steve Shaffer, “Leading Cultural Change: The Pursuit of Community Based Spiritual Growth”

David Werner, “Leading Different Small Groups Differently in the Missional Church”

Session V Papers (2:45-3:45)

Dan De Leon, “Leading Cultural Change: The Pursuit of Community Based Spiritual Formation”

Courtny B. Davis Olds, “Growing: A Case Study of One Church’s Change”

Drew Poppleton, “Augmenting Practical Theology Methods: Creating Cultures Where Transformed and Transforming Leaders Fuel Transformational Change”

Session VI Papers (4:00-5:00)

Randall Carr, “Transforming Narratives: Discovering God’s Story for Effective Ministry”

Ginger Hertenstein, “Growing Disciples through Biblical Storytelling: How our Little Church is taking the Gospel to the Public Square in their Multi-Ethnic Community”

Jean Halligan Vandergrift, “Leading Church Change with Ends and Means Integrity: Three Turns Toward the Reign of God”

Saturday, April 22

Session VII Papers (9:45-10:45)

Mara Joy Norden, “Growing Together When We Disagree: A Local Congregation Discusses Same-Sex Marriage”

Stephen Sprinkle, “A Course of Stones”

Michael Wilson, “Heading to the Barn”

Session VIII Papers (11:00-12:00)

James Hensley, “Confronting Students’ Misconceptions about Poverty”

Michelle Wilson, “Christians, Muslims, and the Reign of God: An Evangelical Approach to Interfaith Dialogue and Partnership”

Richard Yale, “A Secular Congregation? Understanding and Responding to the Effects of Secularization within the Congregation”