On March 4-6, the Young Clergy Network is holding a conference at OKC 1st Church of the Nazarene in an attempt to attract young clergy members from around the United States to participate in the life of the Church. Although this conference is aimed at young ministers or prospective ministers, all people who are looking to participate in ministry or are simply curious about ministry are welcome.
This year’s speakers include Dan Boone, president of Trevecca University, and Justin Lee, author of Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate. These speakers will be talking about the struggle of integrating the LGBTQ+ community into churches today and the importance of hospitality in a Christian environment.
Young Clergy Conference is the perfect place for Southern Nazarene University (SNU) students to gain resources, knowledge and wisdom from older and experienced clergy members. By hearing and discussing theological issues in this environment, SNU students can not only learn about different perspectives from this experience, but also develop relationships with current young clergy members.
According to Brit Bolerjack, director of the Young Clergy Network, the atmosphere of the conference is intended to be hospitable and relational, Bolerjack saying, “Just being in the room and feeling the energy of people who are in ministry and hearing their stories, it is unbelievably encouraging. Anybody who is looking to do ministry in the future or is doing ministry now would really benefit from being a part of that atmosphere.”
It’s that atmosphere that has encouraged SNU student Ben Klippert to get involved with the Young Clergy Network. He is currently the college representative for this network, working with college undergraduates and Christian colleges to participate and provide resources for the Young Clergy community. Klippert described the importance of SNU’s involvement in this event, saying:
“We are called to ministry as a whole. We are Christians called to live out our ministry in our everyday lives, whether that be nursing, pastoral ministry or accounting… we want people to express this ministry, and we are giving them the resources for that. Young Clergy Conference allows us to come together and remember that we are not only accountants and nurses and pastors, but that we are a part of a larger Christian community.”
At Young Clergy Conference, college students have a platform to voice opinions that may not be heard elsewhere. This conference is a means to develop theological ideas, relationships and resources– being a part of theological discussions is a way in which we can actively participate in the hospitality of Christ.
For more information about the Young Clergy Network, visit: https://www.youngclergy.net/
If you would like to participate in Young Clergy Conference, visit: http://youngclergycon.com/