Annual Theology Conference 2021

Lean On Me

The pandemic has made clear something known for a long time – ministry personnel can’t do everything we’re called to, by ourselves. This workshop will explore ways of building ministerial support communities – of growing “collegial caring.”

Richard Bott is the Moderator of The United Church of Canada. Prior to this ministry, he served with communities of faith in rural Ontario and urban BC, in both solo and team settings. He has long had a keen interest in finding ways of faithfully responding to the lived stress of clergy.

Remembering Forward ~ Canadian Methodism as a source for congregational renewal in a post-Christian society

Using stories of lived religion, the first part of the workshop will look at four aspects of John Wesley’s thought as practiced by Canadian Methodists in pioneer conditions and later as part of the country’s religious establishment: spirituality as experience of the sacred; the class meeting as a form of spiritual and ethical accountability; a concern for social justice; and finally, openness to working with other faith traditions.  In the second part of the workshop we will explore ways to translate and re-imagine these four aspects into our own context.  Here we draw on your experience, insight and hopes for the future.

Dr. Marguerite Van Die held a joint appointment in Queen’s Theological College and the History Department at Queen’s University from which she retired in 2011.  She has published and lectured extensively on aspects of Methodism in nineteenth-century Canada.  In her final years she coordinated a course on evangelism and church renewal where clergy and laypeople shared innovative approaches.

Championing God’s Blessings

This workshop will focus on how ministers and lay people can effectively communicate God’s blessings both inside and outside the congregation, resulting in many types of growth. Byron United Church in London, Ontario is an example of a congregation with increasing attendance, membership, finances, volunteers, community service, and refugee sponsorships as God’s blessings are being championed effectively.

Rev. Dr. Greg Brawn graduated from QTC and was ordained in 1998. He has ministered in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Ontario. Greg has a D.Min. in Preaching and he’s passionate about building communities of holy joy, faith, and love.

Placing the Gospel in the Centre of the Sacred Circle

Come and join Rev. Evan Swance-Smith for an exploration of how Indigenous Christians are able to live into the fullness of the gospel by following Traditional and Biblical teachings.

Rev. Evan Smith has been the minister at Toronto Urban Native Ministry for seven years. Working with some of Toronto’s most marginalised people, Evan is constantly striving to redefine evangelism, decolonise Christian community and walks alongside people on their spiritual journeys always advocating for the oppressed.