Fuller Launches Lecture Series: ‘NEXT: Conversations for the Church’

On Monday, February 6, Fuller’s Doctor of Ministry program hosted NEXT: Conversations for the Church, the first in a new series of events being launched by DMin. The series is designed to bring DMin professors and graduates, Fuller master’s students, and local ministry leaders into conversation around important topics for the church. Each event features a short presentation by a DMin faculty member followed by brief responses from two DMin graduates, students, or other local ministry leaders.This first event, on the theme “Leading When God Is Out Ahead of Us,” was led by Alan Roxburgh, a pastor, teacher, writer, consultant, and DMin adjunct faculty member. The two responders were Camille Wooden (MDiv), pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Bible Church in Pasadena, and Ken Fong(DMin, MDiv), senior pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles.What does it mean that God is out ahead of us? Dr. Roxburgh presented the idea that, as leaders, God is taking us places that we cannot manage or control-disorienting spaces with no maps-where we have not been before. So how do we lead in this space of disruptive change and not try to manage outcomes? Roxburgh’s advice was to lay down our need to have a wonderful plan for our congregations and instead listen and engage questions about what God is doing, listen to the needs of people and the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives, and engage in the lives of those in our communities. After all, we cannot listen to our people or to God when we are constantly planning.To hear the full one-hour event, including responses from Camille Wooden and Ken Fong as well as the rich 30-minute question and answer time, visit iTunesU.For more information on upcoming NEXT events, or to see if we might bring a NEXT event to your community, visit www.fuller.edu/dmin and click on “NEXT Events” under Alumni/Friends/Lifelong Learning.