One of my favorite ways to spend summer days is to wander a quiet art museum. So it was with sadness, when a friend asked me if I’d seen any good art lately, that I had to answer, “No.”
But today I’m rethinking my answer.
Because, in having the opportunity to direct the SheLeads Summit this year, as I’ve spent this week finalizing the presenters and discussing with others the kinds of conversations that we want to advance, I’m watching something beautiful emerge.
As I’m gathering the headshots and having conversations with these presenters, I see Lutherans, Anglicans, Wesleyans, Baptists and Nazarenes. I see significant Christian leaders whose histories draw from Africa, Asia, Europe, South and North America – and even Australia! (We’ll have to work on our Antarctic reach next time!) I see Baby Boomers and Gen Xers and Millennials. And they have so many stories to tell!
Todd Hunter will share from both his Vineyard and Anglican leadership experience. Alexia Salvatierra will bring insights from her work as both a pastor and a community developer. Nancy Ortberg will tell stories drawn from both the church and parachurch worlds. Jean Burch will speak through the lens of a woman who now pastors the congregation her father once led. Janette Ok will bring her experiences as both a professor and preacher. Kate Wallace Nunneley will share from her work as a writer and non-profit founder. And this is all just a taste as we’ll be led in all of it by our co-hosts, Christiana Rice and Montague Williams. I, for one, can’t wait to see how all these different voices will join with the stories our participants bring. I can’t wait to watch how all these unique voices intersect with one another around a common point of interest – the honoring of women as leaders in the Church!
I see now that I get to witness firsthand the shaping of a breath-taking work of art. What I see emerging for this Summit is no less than a small but exquisite portrait of the bride of Christ—a tiny foretaste of Revelation’s image of the New Jerusalem which is at the same time a Holy City, housing and healing the whole world, and the Bride, prepared for her husband.
I see the #SheLeads Summit emerging as no less than a small but exquisite portrait of the bride of Christ! Click To TweetIt’s an odd image—is it a woman dressed for her wedding or a city filled with multitudes? As confusing as the imagery is, on some level we get it enough to live in a way that proclaims unity among men and women of all ethnicities. As we live out this Blessed Alliance—all peoples, men and women from every nation and generation—the Beautiful Bride is healed.
We will gather on October 28 in Pasadena and (through livestream) at Regional Venues, churches, and in homes all over the country (and beyond), out of our belief that we can see this healing begin among us in this life.
We’re gathering for this conversation because we believe that when we lead together as women and men, we see the family of God restored.
When we lead together, we learn a new vocabulary for mission.
When we lead together, we better reflect the person of Christ.
When we lead together, we more fully embody Jesus’ gospel.The SheLeads Summit exists to encourage and equip our sisters and to welcome our brothers as we imagine together where God is leading His Church, for the blessing of the nations.
Will you join us? Visit the 2017 SheLeads Summit page here.