The gospels base their stories of Jesus’ nativity on Jewish ideas: Matthew’s Jesus is a new Moses; Luke’s Mary is a new Hannah; John’s “In the beginning was the Word” draws on Jewish theology; the “virgin birth” tradition begins with the Greek translation of Isaiah. How did the Christian Church adapt its Jewish roots, and how can Christians avoid the antisemitic teachings that occur when those roots are forgotten? 

Tuesday October 15
The United Nations and the Future of People of African Descent with Michael McEachrane

Tuesday October 22
Bold Discipleship: Reflections from the United Church in Saskatchewan with SunDo Hyun, Bernon Lee, Becca Whitlaw

Tuesday October 29
Race Talks from GenZs with Spring water Hester-Meawassige, Emo Yango

Tuesday November 5
Fighting Anti-Palestinian Racism in Canada with a panel of key leaders

Tuesday November 12
Continuing Our Stories: Indigenous Identities in the Christian Church with Leaders from the Anglican Church of Canada and The United Church of Canada

Tuesday November 19
The Texts of Advent: Finding Good News and Avoiding Antisemitism with Amy-Jill Levine

Tuesday November 26
What Will We Sing When We Need to Sing a New Song? with Then Let Us Sing! Committee

"The success of an intervention depends on the interior condition of the intervener." (William O’Brien) Is this true? If it is, it could be read to say, “The success of a church depends on the interior condition of its leadership.” How are we as leaders (whether paid or lay)

- attending to our interior journeys of faith, healing and transformation?

- mindfully support the congregations we are serving?

This workshop will explore the theme of the leader's interior condition and will consider four foundational spiritual disciplines for healthy church leadership: Meditation; Lectio Divina, the Gift of Paying Attention, and Acceptance Prayers.

Frequently we hear that people resist change. Does this have to be true? Could we find ways of engaging change, transformation and renewal that energizes the church while allowing the church to live more fully into the future to which God calling forth? This workshop explores the dynamics of leading change as well as drawing from both the congregational life cycle and the rhythms of the journey of renewal.

The third edition of the Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination – Race to the top: putting racial equity and justice at the forefront of development agendas – will be held in São Paulo, Brazil, from 29 November to 1 December 2023.

This edition will focus on the importance of placing race at the center of developing and implementing strategies for socioeconomic development. Government officials, including ministers, policymakers, practitioners, academics and members of civil society and artistic communities, will be invited to discuss effective strategies to address systemic racism.

How many times have you sat through a poorly run meeting, knowing that if the session were being better facilitated, you would be accomplishing twice as much in half the time?

Discover the skills, knowledge, and behaviours to help you effectively facilitate in a wide range of situations. This 2-day, 14-hour workshop will introduce you to the core competencies of facilitation, modelled through the use of multiple engaging facilitation techniques grounded in adult learning.

You will gain a greater understanding of your own personal facilitation style and learn how to use your strengths to maximize your effectiveness as a facilitator.

Four days of conversations with the Convergence Digital Ministry Senior Fellows and leaders from across the country about the current state and future of digital ministry in the church.

Oct. 10: The Dual Function of Genealogy and Family Lore in Cases of Race Shifting (bilingual event)
Oct. 17: Exploring Anti-Racist and Decolonial Theologies
Oct. 24: Raising Anti-Racist Children
Nov. 7: A History of Violence: The Legacy of Environmental Racism in Canada
Nov. 14: Countering Antisemitism Today
Nov. 21: Intersecting Identities: Intergenerational Asian Voices
Nov. 28: Copyright Justice and Musical Misappropriation (bilingual event)

This three-part online workshop series is designed for church leaders thinking about, in the very beginning stages of, or shifting toward intergenerational worship with their congregation. We will begin by discussing the big picture, such as the definition of “intergenerational,” and then we will move into specific practices that can be implemented, and finally, how to apply these practices to the upcoming seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. These hour-long Wednesday workshops will be highly participatory and tailored to individual contexts in order to be most helpful.

Attention pastors, clergy, chaplains, spiritual care providers and anybody providing spiritual care to the dying and the bereaved. Please join us Wednesday, October 25, 9:45–3:30 p.m. at Emmanuel College for Anne Simmonds’ workshop: "Preparing for Death in the Midst of Life and in the Time of MAiD." Proudly hosted by Emmanuel College’s Centre for Religion and Its Contexts.

We’re gathering both online and in person this year!

Alongside the digital conference experience, you’re invited to join us in-person at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The digital conference space will remain as the home base for us, but we’ve heard loud and clear that there’s something electric about attending in-person next to other wanderers. Whether you’ll be with us in Minneapolis or online, you’ll have access to view conference recordings until January 1, 2024.

Join leading thinkers, clergy and others to creatively engage with issues facing the Church in Canada.

The Annual Carr Lecture in Fall 2023 features Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart, Dean of St. Andrew's Hall and Professor of Mission Studies at Vancouver School of Theology. Dr. Lockhart will offer a lecture titled Super, Natural Vancouver – Christian witness and mission in a secular age.

The Church Can't Ignore Mental Health Any Longer

Everyone from your community members, teams, and leaders has either struggled with their mental health or has been a support to others.

Your church has the opportunity to transform your community and connect with people who are desperate to find a safe place to heal and belong.

Join the Church Mental Health Summit so you can be strengthened as a leader, equipped to support others, and able to build a culture of care at your church.

As we emerge from our homes and return to our places of worship, we’ve discovered a world that has fundamentally shifted. While some transitioned from the pew to the couch to engage and nurture their spiritual lives, others disappeared altogether. Longstanding trends of declining church membership accelerated during the pandemic and have found exhausted church staff working harder than ever to connect with their congregations. Habits changed, theology was challenged, and connections were severed, pointing to an unavoidable truth: The church we know is at a critical crossroads.

Join Joni Sancken online to explore collective trauma through lament, storytelling, and blessing as means for individuals and communities to grow in resilience.

Joni Sancken is Professor of Homiletics at United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio. Joni will be joining VST in January, 2023 as the new Bulter Chair of Homiletics & Hermeneutics.

This online study explore what the bible and theology say about our work. We will learn about work in relation to creation, salvation, and God’s coming Kingdom. We will consider how this can transform our careers and workweeks. The following topics will also be explored:

• Faith in relation to modern work
  Work in the Bible and Theology

• How work can be transformed in light of God’s presence in the world

• How careers can contribute to the common good and anticipate the Kingdom of God

• How Sundays should empower the workweek

In this workshop your team will learn:
Antiracism language & the framework in building an antiracism lens
Rooting your awareness in understanding Canada’s colonial history
The impacts of Unconscious Bias , Systemic Racism & White supremacy
The first step in developing an antiracist workplace for your team

Is the faith community adequately prepared to support each other during these difficult times? Do churches and faith leaders have a plan to help those on the brink of suicide?

This conference will:

-share stories of hope and recovery

-give authentic answers of why people die of suicide

-educate you on the signs

-give insight on how to help those considering taking their own lives

Come join us at our International event at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in our first-ever conference on how to end poverty.

Humans have a spiritual side however, many institutions

frequently deny this side of them. We shall tackle humanity

holistically at this conference by acknowledging the existence

and the significance of spirituality in reversing poverty in people's

lives.

How can a hybrid congregation or ministry community truly thrive—fostering real connections, spiritual growth, and harmony between its digital and in-person ecosystems? “Amplifying Digital Ministry: AI and Content Creation” is tailored to address the needs of church leaders and communities maneuvering the challenges of hybrid ministry; it will provide attendees with a digital content toolbox focused on AI integration, while also carefully considering the theological foundations of Gospel proclamation.