AGENDA 

Friday, October 31, 2014

1:30 p.m.       Registration opens; Refreshments in Dining Hall

3:00 p.m.       Informal welcome and discussion of denominational terminology

3:45 p.m.       Break

4:00 p.m.       Welcome and Orientation

                           Ms. Melissa Wiginton, Vice President

                           Education Beyond the Walls, Austin Seminary

                           Rev. Don West, Moderator (APT)

                           Rev. Ed Hook, President (NASSAM)

4:15 p.m.       Tentmakers from Across the Country - brief self-introductions

5:15 p.m.       Break

5:30 p.m.       Dinner

6:30 p.m.       Evening Prayer

6:50 p.m.       Assignment

• In preparation for tomorrow’s 3:05 p.m. discussion, read article by David Wheeler, “Higher Calling, Lower Wages: The Vanishing of the Middle-Class Clergy, The Atlantic, 7/22/14.
• In preparation for tomorrow’s 4:00 p.m. discussion, develop questions that this group (or APT/NASSAM) might like to present to our respective denominational bodies (e.g., General Assembly/GeneralConvention; Presbytery/Diocesan leadership; etc.) or other appropriate entities.

7:00 p.m.        “An Ongoing Challenging Journey into Tentmaking Ministry”

Adrienne Hymes, 2014 graduate of Virginia Theological Episcopal Seminary 

7:30 p.m.        Sharing Your Tentmaker Story

                      Small-group discussion of personal twists & turns along the way

8:30 p.m.        Meeting adjourns … Social time begins

 

Saturday, November 1

8:00 a.m.        Breakfast

8:45 a.m.        Morning Prayer

9:00 a.m.        Ordination & ‘Secular’ Work

Selected tentmaker panelists include a farmer, a psychotherapist, and a banker.

• Describe your Tentmaking Ministry.
• Why do you need to be ordained to do Tentmaking Ministry?
• How is “ministry” carried out?
• What difference does Tentmaking Ministry make?

10:30 a.m.     Break                                                       

10:45 a.m.     Preparation for and Living out Tentmaking Ministry    

Rev. Dave Scheider: Director of Christian Ministry and Vocation, Seminary of the Southwest, member of St. Joseph’s Church, Salado, TX       

Rev. John Lewis: Co-director of The Workshop, a ministry to people in the workplace, and presenter at the Iona School for Ministry, providing training for individuals to become tentmaker clergy

Rev. Bob Bliss: Graduate of the Iona School for Ministry and tentmaker in charge of St. Joseph’s Church, Salado, TX

Noon              Lunch

1:00 p.m.       Views and Visions of Tentmaking Ministry

Rev. Caz Minter:  Pastor at Live Oak Church and Director of the Austin Chapter of Presbyinnovate

Demi Prentiss:  Congregation Coach, former Ministry Developer & Stewardship Officer, Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth

Rev. Ruben Saenz:   Executive Director for New Church Development and Transformation, Southwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church

Rev. Vera Karn White: Associate for 1001 New Worshiping Communities, General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA

• What role do you see Tentmaking Ministry playing today?
• What role(s) could you envision for the future?
• What challenges need to be met for this vision to be realized?
• What impact would the expansion of Tentmaking Ministry have on seminaries and the shape of theological education? church governance? congregations? the institutional church as a whole?

2:45 p.m.      Break

3:05 p.m.      Group discussion focused on varieties of Tentmaker financial challenges, such as churches that cannot afford to pay their clergy and clergy who cannot afford not to be paid 

4:00 p.m.      Group discussion of yesterday’s assignment

Develop questions that this group (or APT/NASSAM) might present to our respective denominational bodies (e.g., General Assembly/General Convention; Presbytery/Diocesan leadership; etc.) or other appropriate entities. Determine next steps.                                              

5:00 p.m.       Break

5:15 p.m.       Evening Prayer

5:30 p.m.       Dinner

6:30 p.m.       General Session for association matters and information

• England’s CHRISM report 
• San Dawna Ashley – Leadership Development, Mid-Council Ministries of General Assembly, PCUSA
• Sharing denominational events, activities, 2015 conference possibilities

7:25 p.m.       Break

7:30 p.m.       Concurrent association business meetings

• NASSAM
• APT (including report from Kevin Keaton, Board of Pensions, PCUSA)

8:30 p.m.       Social time 

 

Sunday, November 2

8:00 a.m.       Breakfast

8:45 a.m.       Outer Fringe or Cutting Edge?

• Small-group discussion:  “Is Tentmaking Ministry outer fringe or cutting  edge … and why?”
• Reports from small groups
• General Discussion:  “So what?” 

9:30 a.m.        Break

9:40 a.m.       Wrapping It Up and Taking It Home

• What’s your take-away from this conference?
• What two things might you continue to do, start doing, or do differently as a result of this conference?

10:30 a.m.     Break

11:00 a.m.     Concluding Communion Service with Homily

Noon              Adjourn