{"id":27719,"date":"2016-04-14T09:44:40","date_gmt":"2016-04-14T13:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=27719"},"modified":"2016-07-08T12:03:46","modified_gmt":"2016-07-08T16:03:46","slug":"three-day-conference-focuses-on-anabaptists-and-leadership-for-the-common-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2016\/three-day-conference-focuses-on-anabaptists-and-leadership-for-the-common-good\/","title":{"rendered":"Three-day conference focuses on Anabaptists and leadership for the common good"},"content":{"rendered":"

What does leadership mean in the Anabaptist tradition today? More than 230 people gathered at 91短视频 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, April 7-9 to explore that question at \u201cLeading into the Common Good: An Anabaptist Perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

The conference, sponsored by a spectrum of Mennonite-related organizations and higher education institutions, brought together viewpoints from inside and outside the Mennonite church. Author and consultant Peter Block<\/a> and Mother Earth News<\/em> founder Bryan Welch<\/a> headlined an array of speakers who shared over the course of six sessions.<\/p>\n

Block, addressing the event via a live videoconference from Cincinnati, encouraged participants to seek a \u201cthird way of leadership\u201d that overcomes a tendency toward isolation and emphasizes community.<\/p>\n

\"feature-20160408-Leadership<\/a>
Peter Block addresses conference attendees. (Photo by Andrew Strack)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cHow do we in small groups come together so that everyone\u2019s voice is heard?\u201d Block asked. \u201cA small circle means you\u2019re facing the people you\u2019re creating a life with.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said Mennonites are particularly well-equipped to shift the focus toward dialogue and building something new due to their values.<\/p>\n

\u201cMennonites have the strongest foundation to initiate that conversation in the world because you stand for something,\u201d Block said. \u201cEverywhere I go where I see democracy breaking out\u2014an egalitarian spirit, caring for the whole\u2014one of you is always in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melia Watkins, a Goshen (Indiana) College junior, was one of numerous millennials from six Mennonite colleges and universities invited to share reflections during the gathering.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most impactful thing I learned was to think about what I really care about,\u201d said Watkins, a marketing major from Cincinnati. \u201cEver since Peter Block mentioned that phrase I\u2019ve been thinking, \u2018What do<\/em> I really care about?\u2019 I\u2019m really glad I\u2019ve been here to experience that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vernon Jantzi<\/a>, faculty emeriti and former director of 91短视频\u2019s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding<\/a>, said Block also struck a chord for him.<\/p>\n

\"feature-20160409<\/a>
Speaker Gilberto Perez Jr. (Photo by Cody Troyer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe thing I\u2019ve resonated strongly with is Peter Block\u2019s comment on leadership as convening\u2014creating spaces for new forms to emerge,\u201d Jantzi said. \u201cFor those of us who are now in my generation, our task is to be space creators in the world. That\u2019s where the miracle of transformation is going to occur.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier, Welch\u2014now CEO of B the Change Media, which encourages socially and environmentally responsible business practices\u2014looked at leadership trends through the eye of a business executive.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most important movements shaping the 21st century is the global movement of people with a passion for using business as a force of good,\u201d Welch said. He also underscored the need for a positive spirit and consensus-building. \u201cNo one wants to follow a pessimist,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Anabaptist entrepreneur and Mennonite Central Committee founder Orie O. Miller received significant attention during the conference as a foundation for discussing leadership. Hesston (Kan.) College professor John Sharp, author of a biography about Miller<\/a>, shared reflections and noted Miller\u2019s \u201cgenius at connecting people.\u201d 91短视频 also dedicated a new, flag-filled Orie O. Miller Hall of Nations<\/a> in its University Commons.<\/p>\n

Speakers underscored the need for new styles of leadership to meet today\u2019s needs, examining values, theology and identity. 91短视频 professors David Brubaker <\/a>and Roxy Allen Kioko<\/a> hosted sessions and facilitated discussion, including a closing plenary session that allowed small groups to generate ideas. Five workshop choices provided additional learning opportunities.<\/p>\n

Jim Smucker<\/a>, vice president and dean of graduate studies<\/a> at 91短视频 and one of the primary organizers of the conference, said he was pleased with the event and hopes similar gatherings happen in the years ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of polarization today in society in general and in our church,\u201d Smucker said. \u201cThe hope of the conference was that we could contribute to new models of leadership and ways we can work together going into the future that are more constructive. We had lots of rich conversation, lots of rich input from a variety of voices; it probably exceeded my expectations in terms of the quality of input.\u201d<\/p>\n

Participants seemed to echo that sentiment, closing the conference with a simple unison benediction of \u201cWow!\u201d<\/p>\n

The conference was sponsored by 91短视频, Everence, Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Economic Development Associates, Mennonite Health Services, and the Anabaptist Center for Religion and Society. Co-sponsors included Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind.; Bethel (Kan.) College; Bluffton (Ohio) University; Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg; Conrad Grebel University College, Waterloo, Ontario; Goshen (Ind.) College; Hesston College.<\/em><\/p>\n

Published with permission from<\/em> The Mennonite<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What does leadership mean in the Anabaptist tradition today? 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