The well-known practical theologian and author, Professor Andrew Root will be the guest presenter at a public forum jointly (and proudly) sponsored by Uniting College and Tabor College on May 23rd, 7.00 pm at UCLT, Brooklyn Park.
Andrew will address the pressing theme, 'The Pastor in a Secular Age.' He notes:
'Being a pastor is no easy task in our time. Institutions are weaker, budgets are in decline, people are uninterested, and commitment is wavering. But these are only symptoms of a bigger issue. This presentation will seek to peer beneath the symptoms and explore why many pastors find themselves in an identity crisis. The presentation examines what living in a secular age does to pastoral identity and how pastors can find new footing within it.'
Obviously, this forum will be of great interest to ministers in placement, but it will also be of vital importance to all members of the church at this time.
Following the forum, UCLT will provide supper and refreshments.
The event will be free but any offering on the night, to offset expenses, will be appreciated.
A little more about Andrew Root
Andrew Root, PhD (Princeton Theological Seminary) is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary. He is most recently the author of four volume Ministry in a Secular Age series (Churches and the Crisis of Decline, The Congregation in a Secular Age, The Pastor in a Secular Age, and Faith Formation in a Secular Age), and The End of Youth Ministry?. He has also authored Christopraxis: A Practical Theology of the Cross (Fortress, 2014) and Bonhoeffer as Youth Worker (Baker, 2014). Root puts together theology and storytelling to explore how ministry leads us into encounter with divine action. His book The Relational Pastor (IVP, 2013) as well as a four book series with Zondervan called A Theological Journey Through Youth Ministry (titles include Taking Theology to Youth Ministry, Taking the Cross to Youth Ministry, Unpacking Scripture in Youth Ministry, and Unlocking Mission and Eschatology in Youth Ministry) break new ground in this direction. In 2012 his book The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry (with Kenda Creasy Dean, IVP, 2011) was Christianity Today Book of Merit. He has written a number of other books on ministry and theology such as The Children of Divorce: The Loss of Family as the Loss of Being (Baker Academic, 2010), The Promise of Despair (Abingdon, 2010), Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry: From a Strategy of Influence to a Theology of Incarnation (IVP, 2007) and Relationships Unfiltered (Zondervan/YS, 2009). Andy has worked in congregations, parachurch ministries, and social service programs. He lives in St. Paul with his wife Kara, two children, Owen and Maisy, and their dog. When not reading, writing, or teaching, Andy spends far too much time watching TV and movies.
