Young Adult Leadership Development: Intersections and Intersectionality

Monday, July 22, 2019

5:00pm – 6:30pm

Leadership and spiritual development with young adults happens in a variety of ways and is done by a number of ministries across the life of the Disciples church. In the last few years, the ministries of HELM, Obra Hispana, and NBA have collaborated on several occasions through their programs, such as HELM’s Leadership Fellows, which offers scholarships for Disciples young adults in undergraduate programs; NBA XPLOR, a faith-based, volunteer service program; and the Leadership Experience for Young Adults of the Obra Hispana. Yet, connections have also been made more personally, through conversations with and by young adult leaders about the realities of cross-cultural identities and the place of faith and church on justice issues today.

“Young adults are a locus of wisdom in this church,” says Rev. Rebecca Hale, NBA Executive Vice President. “Accompanying them as they shape and name what a faithful spiritual life can look like in the church and world for this day is a sacred task. It is a great joy to be part of the shared efforts of HELM, NBA, and Obra Hispana.”  In thinking about developing young adult leaders, Rev. Lori Tapia, National Pastor for Hispanic Ministries, added that “Investing in the development of young adults is not a privilege, it is a moral and spiritual responsibility of the body of Christ. What is a privilege, however, is building relationships with and working alongside such vital voices, gifted and talented individuals, and passionate, justice-seeking followers of Christ. The sustainability of the church is at stake, and we must take this sacred work seriously.”

In this shared event, our ministries seek to offer an opportunity for reflection and meaningful conversations from leaders, in particular Disciples young adults. Following a meal, we plan for a moderated panel discussion by representatives from the Central Pastoral Office for Hispanic Ministries, Higher Education and Leadership Ministries, and the National Benevolent Association. The panel will focus on three themes: leadership development as culturally contextual, the importance of intersectionality, and the role of service and justice work in leadership development.

Event Details

• Monday, July 22, 2019, 5:00pm – 6:30pm
• Iowa Convention Center
• $25
• To register, add this meal to your General Assembly registration

Join us as we share our stories and fellowship together!

Higher education has been a priority of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) from the earliest days of the movement. Alexander Campbell once said, “Colleges and churches go hand in hand in the progress of Christian civilization.” It is that idea and vision that has propelled Disciples across the generations to be committed to promoting education through the establishment of colleges, universities and theological institutions across the country. Disciples remain proud of this heritage and committed to keeping our institutions of higher education strong. One of the schools that is part of this legacy is Tougaloo College in Mississippi.

Having been founded in 1882 by the Home Missionary Society of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Southern Christian Institute of Edwards, MS, served black students during the Jim Crow era and trained several generations of African American educators, clergy and other leaders. In 1954, the Southern Christian Institute merged with Tougaloo College and continued its central mission of education, while also playing a critical role in advancing the cause of freedom justice during the Civil Right Movement.

While Tougaloo was not an original signatory to the 1977 Covenant between the colleges and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Tougaloo has continued to appreciate its affiliation with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and has stated such in its mission statement over the years. Beginning in 2015, Rev. Dr. Alivin O. Jackson, retired Disciples clergy and member of the Tougaloo board of trustees, began facilitating conversations to try and strengthen the relationship between Tougaloo College and the Disciples. These conversations led to a formal meeting between Dr. Beverly Hogan, President of Tougaloo College, and Rev. Chris Dorsey, President of HELM, where both agreed to work toward Tougaloo achieving full affiliation with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

At a recent Tougaloo College Board of Trustees Meeting in October 2018, the Board voted to affirm its commitment to the current Covenant between Colleges and Universities and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and officially requested to join in full affiliation with the other fourteen affiliated colleges and universities of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In November, the HELM Board of Directors voted to approve Tougaloo’s request for full affiliation, and this was followed by an affirmative vote by the Presidents who make up the Disciples Council of Colleges and Universities. Finally, the Administrative Committee of the General Board voted to approve Tougaloo’s request. This brings the total number of Disciples colleges and universities to fifteen!

At a time when many private colleges and universities are giving up their affiliations with churches and religious organizations, it is rare that a school would seek to strengthen its relationship with the church. Furthermore, as the church celebrates the merger agreement that brought together the National Christian Missionary Convention with the International Convention of the Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ), this is an opportunity for the Church to welcome another HBCU into a full affiliation with the Church. We give thanks for the deepening of the relationship between the Disciples and Tougaloo College as we continue to strive to make Campbell’s words a reality.

The annual HELM Leadership Fellows retreat took place from November 1st through 4th in New York City. This year, twenty-five Fellows gathered for an opportunity to share and engage with one another as well as meet with creative and faithful leaders from across the life of the church. During their time in New York, Fellows met with Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, President of Union Theological Seminary, Dr. Patrice Rankine, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Richmond (VA), and Rev. Dr. Amy Butler, pastor of Riverside Church. They also visited the 9-11 Museum and, on Sunday, worshiped at Riverside Church.

When asked what she gained from the retreat, Quinlan Pulleyking, a third-year fellow from Missouri State University, noted she was reminded that it is okay to dream: “During one of our plenary sessions, Dr. Patrice Rankine spoke on designing our lives. I was encouraged to understand that there are multiple great lives within me and I get to choose which one to build toward. There is space within me and within all of us for more than one life outcome.” She also shared that, as a Religious Studies major at a state university, she often finds herself caught between two worlds: “There is the world of people who are totally emotionally stimulated by Christ but don’t let that cross over into their headspace. Then there is the world of people who are on board for studying religion and ideology but don’t have time for Jesus to be intimate. However, during the weekend we had time to break off into small groups (cohorts) and each had a conversation leader.”

Chris Dorsey, President of HELM, met with the first year Fellows as they discussed the theme of Community using Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together while, coincidently, meeting in the Bonhoeffer Room at Union Theological Seminary. The second-year cohort met with Brandy Daniels and focused on Transformation by discussing Martin Luther King’s Why We Can’t Wait, with particular attention to his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. The time with third-year students was facilitated by former Global Mission Intern Toni Reynolds as they focused on the theme of Global Awareness using Solidarity Ethics by Rebecca Todd Peters. Finally, fourth-year students met with Patrice Rankine and Mark Anderson, President of the National Benevolent Association (NBA), using Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak to talk about Vocational Discernment.

Paulina Garcia Gonzalez, a student at Chapman University, noted that for second-year students such as her, New York City was the perfect location: “My friendships with the other fellows were transformed into deeper friendships, my connection with God was transformed and challenged as we discussed what it means to be church today, and my point of view of liberty was transformed as we went to the 9-11 memorial.”

Finally, Colten Johnson, a first-year Fellow who is studying at Drury University, shared that “The best part of the trip was the people. I have never been surrounded by a group of people my age who are so grounded in their faith. An example I can give is comparing this weekend to church camp. Some of my best conversations about faith have come from camp, but rarely on the first day. Everyone tends to need a few days to warm up to each other, but the Leadership Fellows retreat was a different story. No warm-up was needed. Everyone knew why we were there. The conversations where educational and challenging. I’m so glad that I’m getting this opportunity.” Gonzalez agreed: “The Leadership Fellows retreat is one of the weekends I look forward to the most during the school year because I know I will get to see some of my best friends, get to explore a beautiful city, meet new people, learn new things and experience the glory of God.”

The Leadership Fellows Program is a leadership development program for Disciples undergraduate students. Each year of four years of undergraduate education has a different focus: Community, Transformation, Global Awareness, and Mentoring. Click “here” to learn more about the Leadership Fellows Program.

At the recent gathering of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature (AAR/SBL) in Denver, CPB/Chalice Press and HELM hosted a reception for fifty-eight Disciples scholars and graduate students. Chris Dorsey, President of HELM, noted that “Chalice Press and HELM have partnered for decades to provide this unique opportunity for Disciples scholars and graduate students to reconnect and network during the AAR/SBL.  We are excited to continue this tradition.”

In addition to an informal time for meeting with colleagues, those gathered shared where they are teaching or studying as well as professional milestones of the past year such as the publication of books or the completion of Ph.D. studies.  Dorsey and Brad Lyons, CBP President and Publisher, also gave updates on the work of HELM and Chalice Press, respectively.

In speaking about the importance of taking time to meet with Disciples scholars, Lyons said that “The unsung heroes of Disciples education are the teachers who instruct the leaders of our congregations, lay and clergy. That education has, as its core, books — not just the Bible but many of the other books CBP/Chalice produces. Gathering them annually to thank them for their work and ministry, to learn about opportunities for future projects, to hear their feedback on what we do, and to introduce them to our newest publications is a wonderfully educational opportunity.”

The meeting of the AAR/SBL is the largest global gathering of academics in the field of religion, with attendance usually exceeding 10,000 participants.  Over 1,200 events are offered during the course of the four-day conference, including academic sessions, receptions, workshops, and tours.

The Hiram College Board of Trustees approved several academic redesign recommendations during its spring 2018 meeting. Among these, the Board voted in favor to further explore the feasibility of the College’s Strategic Academic Team’s (SAT) recommendation to add two new sets of majors over the next two years. Faculty members are in the midst of developing and voting on curriculum for majors in marketing, criminal justice, international studies, and sports management. Majors in data analytics and engineering are also under study for future consideration.

Shaped by recommendations from the shared governance Academic Program Committee, the new academic disciplines take a liberal arts approach to contemporary studies, quintessentially, Hiram’s New Liberal Arts.

The Board also approved the SAT’s recommendation to restructure Hiram’s three current stand-alone majors and minors in studio art, music, and theatre art into two separate programs; eliminate its art history major and religious studies major and minor, and will move its economics, philosophy, and mathematics, French and Spanish majors to minors by 2019.

But while the religious studies major and minor were affected in the restructuring, the College remains committed to its relationship with the Disciples of Christ and its religious course offerings.

Within the past year, the College entered into a formal partnership with the Hiram Christian Church to create a joint role of College Chaplain and Church Minister. This unique position honors the 168-year historic tie between the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the College when members of the Hiram and neighboring Disciples churches came together to create the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, which later became Hiram College. Rev. Christopher McCreight ‘03 is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and now serves in this new role.

Rev. McCreight will be teaching a Freshmen Seminar in the spring semester titled “Jesus and the Politics of Community,” utilizing the works of Bernard Brandon Scott, Gustavo Gutierrez, James Cone, and Marcella Althaus-Reid.

“This partnership is a bridge from our common past to our hopeful future of bringing together the campus and local communities,” said Rev. McCreight. “Already, we are seeing new relationships form, bringing connection and life to our communities.”

During orientation week, Hiram Christian Church invited the Hiram College Terrier football team to dinner as part of its initiative to welcome 100 students to the community. “Students are finding a church home at Hiram and participating in worship, and many more understand that a compassionate congregation is right next door,” Rev. McCreight added. “There is an emerging student interest in the creation of a Disciples on Campus and a demonstrated commitment from the congregation. Teaching on campus enhances the presence of both the Chaplain and Church at Hiram. We have so many ideas to explore as we continue to strengthen this partnership to serve the students at Hiram College.”

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Theological education in today’s interconnected world demands opportunities for students to experience and learn from different cultures and contexts. Partnerships with theological education institutions around the world are one means of providing this interaction.  From September 24th to October 1st, 2018, the Caribbean-US Forum on Theological Education and Praxis brought leaders from seminaries and theological institutions related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ together with colleagues from theological schools in Latin America and the Caribbean to discuss ways of partnering together.  The Forum, sponsored by Global Ministries as part of the Caribbean Initiative, was hosted by the United Theological College of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. Rev. Angel Rivera-Augusto, the Area Executive for Latin American and the Caribbean at Global Ministries, noting the importance of this gathering, explained that “The Caribbean-U.S. Forum on Theological Education and Praxisallowed the participating institutions to challenge themselves mutually in the process of developing a theological education that can respond to the social challenges in both the Caribbean region as well as in the United States.”  During the week, participants shared about the social and theological realities in both the Caribbean and the United States, the academic programs their respective schools offer, and opportunities to dialogue about collaboration into the future.

During the conference, time was spent sharing information on various settings in which represented theological schools train students. One surprise for many was similar educational challenges across contexts.  Rev. Dr. Oral Thomas, Acting President and Dean of Studies at United Theological College of the West Indies, reflected on the time together: “It has been helpful to learn about the challenges that we each face. At times, when you are acting independently, you become easily overwhelmed. However, to know there are others in the same space that you are – facing the same challenges – is helpful. We’re really not alone. It gives us an opportunity to share resources in such a way that we can use our varied gifts in the service of God.” Dr. Palmira Ríos-González, Interim Dean at the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico, agreed: “One unanticipated outcome of the forum was learning about the common challenges faced by seminaries in the United States and the Caribbean.  Because of these similarities, I learned about many organizational models that can inform how we evaluate our programs.”

Towards the end of the week, time was set aside for schools to engage in initial conversations about ways they could partner. Rev. Dr. Joretta Marshall, Executive-Vice President and Dean of Brite Divinity School, shared that “There are multiple ways to engage in conversations and partnerships. De-constructing the temptation of those of us in the continental United States to pre-determine the outcome of those partnerships moves us closer to the realm of God. I look forward to the development of further ways of being present to one another.”  As the facilitator of the Forum, Rev. Rivera-Augusto shared his excitement about the conversations that took place: “The way participants sat together and explored future projects and initiatives demonstrated the openness they brought to the event as well as expectations to share with one another the need of forging alliances and mutual strategies.” Opportunities including faculty and student exchanges, joint programs, cultural exchanges, and library and resource development were also recognized for their potential to foster future collaboration.

A sentiment shared by all involved was a feeling of thankfulness for time together and the forming of new relationships.  Dr. Carlos Hamm, President of Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cuba, gave thanks to Global Ministries, a common witness of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ: “I want to say thank you for organizing this important Forum of which we all benefited.  It served to strengthen our mutual support towards ecumenical theological education in both North America and the Caribbean region.”   Rev. Dora Arce-Valentin, Chairperson of the Gender Studies Program at Matanzas, concurred: “I take home the confirmation that being together, accompanying each other, and praying for one another gives us strength and the courage to continue our task in each of our contexts. Despite the challenges of the current world and the proliferation of ideologies that proclaim values which are in opposition to God’s Realm, I go back home with hope.”  Finally, Rev. Dr. Marshall said that “The gift of meeting colleagues in theological education and having people engaged in focused conversations about the Caribbean was incredibly rich! I am grateful for the generous spirit of those I encountered during the week.”

HELM gives thanks to Global Ministries for supporting and facilitating this Forum, offering the opportunity for Disciples related theological institutions to engage with colleagues on ways to partner and strengthen the work of theological education.

List of Forum participants:

Rev. Dora Arce-Valentín, Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary

Rev. Dr. Jon Barnes, Higher Education and Leadership Ministries

Rev. Dr. Ashley Cleere, Pathways Theological Program

Rev. Dr. Stephanie Crowder, Chicago Theological Seminary

Ms. Bethany Guy, Director of Communications, Global Ministries

Rev. Dr. Joretta Marshall, Brite Divinity School

Rev. Dr. Mary Moschella, Andover Newton Theological Seminary

Dr. Palmira Ríos, Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico

Rev. Angel L. Rivera-Agosto, Area Executive for Latin America and the Caribbean of Global Ministries.

Rev. Dr. Oral Thomas, United Theological College of the West Indies

Rev. Elida Quevedo, Venezuelan Center for Theological Studies

Sometimes we have the gift of being a part of something that changes the way we see ourselves and how we engage with the world. This month we reached out to Rev. Jose Morales, a participant in the first cohort of HELM’s Disciples Leadership Institute (DLI) and asked him to reflect on the program and his involvement with it.

HELM: What do you remember about your involvement with DLI?

“I was a newly minted Disciple when I served on the first steering committee that developed the Disciples Leadership Institute, so it is a program that is near and dear to me.  My favorite memory is still the first gathering.  It was new.  We all were hesitant and unsure as to how it would unfold.  It really was the first of its kind among Disciples: focused on emerging leaders in the church, with hard-fought intentionality regarding race and ethnicity, gender, new church leaders and leaders from established congregations, regional/geographic diversity, liturgical expressions, everything! We reflected on scripture, worshipped, debated, ate, and played together.  Out of that lived and living encounter, we were all changed, transformed.”

HELM: What are your thoughts on the impact of DLI on shaping leadership for the wider church?

Morales: Thinking of those who were in that cohort, we now see, today, the results of DLI’s impression and formation on us: from that group we now see prominent leaders in our denomination, who are doing significant congregational, regional, and general work, who are pastors, innovators, non-profit execs, activists, and professors.  It really is amazing to see the fruits of DLI ministering among us today

HELM: What are some of the key lessons learned by those involved in DLI?

Morales: We sometimes overdo our active role in the church, depleting of our passive role in the church—especially when we come from places of privilege.  Now, to be clear, we need to fight for access and agency, especially among ignored and underrepresented groups within our church—women, LGBTQIA persons, people of color, new church planters, etc.  There’s a part of our call that requires that we simply open ourselves to the new things rising within our community, things we cannot take credit for, and receive both its blessings and its challenge for how we partake in this communion. We all like to see ourselves as the ‘Good Samaritan’. However, truth be told, many (most?) times we are the religious leader who ignore the suffering of our midst, not just beyond the church but especially within it. Sometimes, we are the wounded traveler in the roadside ditch.  DLI taught me to see—honestly see!—my own wounds and to trust that within our fold, there are good Samaritans from unexpected quarters, who can offer me a healing touch and who can and should be the ones leading us all.

HELM: What did you learn specifically from your participation in DLI?

DLI was a foretaste of what a truly—and by truly, I mean ‘intentional’—cross-cultural community should look like.  It was really hard work that required that we be open to both unexpected praise and necessary reprimand.  At times I was a recipient of the latter, and I am better for it.  In a way, DLI didn’t work on my agency (i.e., on what I can do for the church), but on my receptivity—that is to say, on readying and opening myself to this new way of being church together.  This awareness of, and this openness to, the diverse church that we already are, but don’t live into fully, was the greatest gift that DLI gave me.

In addition to his participation in DLI, Rev. Morales’ ministry experience is broad, including more extensive denominational work, congregational ministry, advocacy/community organizing, and educational training.  He is currently the Director of Pastoral Formation at Disciples Seminary Foundation in Claremont, CA, working with ministerial students on issues of pastoral identity and training. In addition, he is also a Ph.D. candidate in Comparative Theology and Philosophy at Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, CA.  Rev. Morales has served as adjunct professor at Claremont School of Theology and Lexington Theological Seminary for their Certificate Program in Spanish.

Before moving to California, he served for four and a half years as the Executive Regional Minister of the Central Rocky Mountain Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which encompasses Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, northern New Mexico, and southeastern Idaho. Prior to this, Rev. Morales served as the Associate Pastor at Iglesia del Pueblo-Hope Center (now named Hope Christian Church), a multicultural Disciples congregation in Hammond, Indiana. During his pastoral tenure in Indiana, he was an adjunct professor at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago and the Clergy Caucus Chair of the Northwest Indiana Federation, an interfaith community organizing network working on justice and public policy issues in northwest Indiana.

Disciples Leadership Institute engages leaders in a model of community that deepens understanding and develops relationships across the perceived boundaries of race, culture, and language. DLI seeks to create a place for these young leaders to deeply and authentically share experiences of God thus increasing the effectiveness in building up the body of Christ and sharing the Gospel.  Click (here) to learn more about DLI.

A Conversation with former Leadership Fellow Rev. Caroline Hamilton-Arnold

Former HELM Leadership Fellow Caroline Hamilton-Arnold, who currently serves as the Associate Director for Week of Compassion, believes that being a good leader depends on the ability to build and nurture relationships: “The most valuable lesson in leadership I gained from the Fellows program is that leadership, like faith, is relational. If a life of faith is aboutright relationship with God, self, neighbor, and creation, then to be a faith leader is to foster those kinds of relationships.”  Rev. Hamilton-Arnold, who holds a Master of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology and a BA from Texas Christian University, goes on to note that “Most obviously, this means seeking collaboration and cooperation in my ministry. It also informs the attitudes I carry into interactions, the ways I create and inhabit spaces, and the questions I ask of systems and structures—always centering the balance of those four relationships. Prioritizing relational leadership requires rearranging power to be mutual and non-coercive. In a moment when we are confronted, once again, by the rampant abuse of pastoral authority to objectify and exploit others, this lesson of relational power is paramount.”

Another lesson learned from her time as a Leadership Fellow is how to deal with failure: “I have always been the goal-setting, perfection-seeking type. As such, Itend to shy away from risk, because risk perchance means failure. One year of my fellowship, we had half-a-dozen or so fellows at TCU.  At the time, part of the Fellows program was to create and implement a project that would benefit a congregation or community. We decided to try something new and generate a joint project. We assessed our skills and passions, identified a community partner with needs we could help fill, and designed the project. Then it failed. Abjectly. Through that experienceand the process of evaluating what had derailed our plans, I learned about the growth that comes from failure.”

When asked about memories from her participation in the Leadership Fellows Program, Rev. Hamilton-Arnold said, “The Leadership Fellows program introduced me to the broader world of the Disciples! During my high school years, I was very involved with our youth leadership team and camping program, but myconnections with the denomination stopped at the Regional level. During my first summer as a fellow (2007), HELM made it possible for me to attend my first General Assembly, and I haven’t missed one since.”  Reflecting on her first experience at a General Assembly she recalled: “In an arena in Fort Worth, this church embodied on a grand scale what I deeply loved about my local Disciples of Christ congregation. This gathering of diverse people, after a day of admittedly contentious debate on various resolutions, heard the gospel preached by Rev. Sharon Watkins then gathered around the table to share the Lord’s Supper. General Assembly and the connections made during the annual retreat fostered in me a deep appreciation for the way our covenantal structure can, at its best, foster collaboration and shared ministry across the breadth of the church.”

In her role with as Associate Director of Week of Compassion—the relief, refugee, and development mission fund for the Disciples, her primary focus is on domestic (US and Canada) disaster response. She coordinates with local congregations and ecumenical partners after disasters, providing solidarity grants where Disciples households or churches sustained material damage or where Disciples are involved in offering early relief, connecting Disciples with resources and organizations to support long-term recovery, and (where appropriate) collaborating with Disciples Volunteering to engage volunteers for rebuilding.  She also promotes disaster preparedness and educates for responsible disaster response among Disciples congregations and connects with Disciples congregations to share about the work of Week of Compassion and to celebrate the generosity of congregations.

The HELM Leadership Fellows Program is for undergraduate students who are part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Click here for more information.