Engaging Pastors: Papers and Reflections from the Summative Conference December 1-3, 2009

This book includes both the presentations from the guest speakers at the Summative Conference and the fruits of discussion from the groups consisting of Mennonite Church Canada, Mennonite Church USA and administrators from Mennonite Institutions.

The Engaging Pastors project of AMBS was a five-year effort funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. to transform seminary-church connections through sustained interaction between professors and pastors. The following "key learnings" emerged from the project, and each represents an area of growth and learning for Mennonite seminaries, denominational leaders, and pastors in the generation ahead:

1. Both the practice and teaching of ministry are strengthened when pastors and professors regularly engage each other in ways that honor the knowledge and expertise of each.

2. There is an urgent need and opportunity for pastoral, biblical, and teaching authority to be strengthened in the Mennonite church.

3. The church and the seminary need to equip pastors and professors to read and engage their missional contexts with joy.