We are pleased to invite members, friends, and the community to this year’s Wayne H. Bell Lecture on Ministry, on November 6 and 7.
Our speaker is Dr. Dan Moseley, Professor Emeritus at Christian Theological Seminary and former Senior Minister of Vine Street Christian Church.
The workshop and lecture will focus on a common experience in congregational life: conflict. The lightning speed of change in our culture creates a context of intense feelings of anxiety. Churches, which for decades were able to deal with the conflict produced by change, are now finding themselves in more profound struggles.
In the workshop, we will explore the psychodynamics of conflict and the multiple layers of tension that characterize congregational conflict. Since conflict is a natural part of change and transformation, we will explore the spiritual significance of this conflict. We will discover that conflict, when processed with pastoral sensitivity and care, can be an occasion for hope and new life.
Click to download a flyer for this event.
Dr. Moseley is Professor Emeritus at Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, IN. He is a graduate from the Vanderbilt University Divinity School in Nashville and has served in three roles at Vine Street Christian Church. He was a ministerial intern while at Vanderbilt and then served four years as Associate Minister under the leadership of Dr. Wayne Bell. Dan was called back to Vine Street to serve as Senior Minister from 1983-1997. He became the Herald B. Monroe Professor of Practical Parish Ministry at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis in 1997 and retired in July, 2009. Dan is author of "Living With Loss" (Xyzzy Press) and "Healing Relationships: A Preaching Model" (Chalice Press) and is currently working on a book "Leading in Conflict: Helping Congregations Navigate Change and Loss." He currently travels extensively lecturing and leading workshops. He lives with his wife Deborah in Indianapolis and between them they have five adult children and eleven grandchildren.
The Wayne H. Bell Lectureship on Ministry
Vine Street Christian Church has been a leader throughout the decades in calling and training ministers for the Christian ministry. Its leadership has included ordained clergy from judicatory offices and university for decades. It has nurtured hundreds of students who are training for ministry and has ordained dozens throughout the decades.
Dr. Wayne Bell, senior minister of Vine Street Christian Church from 1960-1974, was instrumental in developing and stabilizing a ministerial intern program at Vine Street that has since produced dozens of clergy who are in leadership roles throughout the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). His commitment to the future of the church and the importance of well-mentored ministers was such that it led him to accept the presidency of the Lexington Theological Seminary a position which he held from 1974 until his retirement in 1986.
In 1992, the Congregation of Vine Street adopted a long-range plan calling for the establishment of this lectureship in honor of Dr. Bell and to highlight Vine Street’s role in ministerial training. Through the generosity of individuals and families, this memorial lecture ministry continues into the future. If you would like to contribute to the Wayne H. Bell Lectureship on Ministry Fund, you are invited to do so by writing a check to Vine Street Christian Church and indicating your designation to this special fund.