HSU Insider

The first ever Baptist General Convention of Texas’ “Working Together: Women in Ministry Conference� comes to the Hardin-Simmons University campus Tuesday, Oct 16, 2007. The conference is designed for Ministry students from Texas Baptist universities and seminaries, as well as Texas Baptist men and women who are interested in topics related to women in ministry. The conference will encourage, support, and connect women who sense a call to vocational ministry, and offer a venue for women and men to learn more about working together in this critical work.

“We are thrilled to be co-sponsoring this historic conference with the Baptist General Convention of Texas,� says spokesperson Meredith Stone, coordinator of Recruitment Services at Logsdon Seminary, “For so long, many women in Baptist life have felt relegated to subservient roles in their churches. HSU and Logsdon’s involvement in this conference is momentous, and as a called Baptist female serving in a local church in Abilene, I consider it a great blessing to be a part of an institution which is devoted to supporting and equipping all those whom God has called.�

The conference begins at 9:00 with registration and continues at 9:30 with welcoming remarks from Dr. Charles Wade, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Break out sessions include:

“Sorting it Out� – Discovering how to clarify your call, find the courage to respond to your call, stay on track to make it a reality, and deal with those that might try to get you off your course.

“Scriptural Basis for Women in Ministry� – Working it out for yourself….with the help of great resources.

“The Reality of Being a Woman in Ministry� What does a woman face going into the ministry, including the Job search, resumes, interview, on-the-job behavior, etc.

“Gender Relations� – How to lead and minister effectively with the “other gender.�

“He Said…She Said: - Communication differences between men and women.

“Clinical Pastoral Education� - Learn about this intensive approach to training in pastoral care which combines experience, reflection, and personal formation to enhance your preparation for pastoral ministry.

“Plate Spinning 101� – How to keep al the plates in the air as minister, parent, spouse, and church member.

There is no cost for the conference and registration is brisk. Stone sees this as an indication the conference is filling a critical need, “The recent steps the BGCT has taken to actively support called females in churches and institutions have been extremely encouraging to women in ministry throughout Texas. This conference will be a significant step for the BGCT and Texas as we attempt to forge new ground celebrating the unity we have as male and female ministers of Jesus Christ.�

Throughout Baptist history, women have played key roles as Sunday School teachers, music ministers, missionaries and pastors. In 2000, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a revised faith statement that prohibits women from serving as senior pastors. The Baptist General Convention of Texas holds to the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message, which continues the historic pattern of leaving women’s roles in congregations up to each church. The BGCT could elect its first female president this October.

Contact Meredith Stone at 325 670-1576 for more information or register by contacting Royce Rose at royce.rose@bgct.org or Julie Oteter at julie.oteter@bgct.org

“1.2 billion people today try to survive on $1.00 a day. The Bible says God and his people are on the side of the poor, but incredibly rich American Christians give less and less as their incomes go up and up. What’s wrong about this picture,� says the “pull-no-punches,� founder of Evangelicals for Social Action, Dr. Ron Sider. The Christian activist, who has been a thorn in the ethical side of the evangelical world for decades, will be the featured speaker at Hardin-Simmons University Chapel on Tuesday, Oct 16 beginning at 9:30 a.m. The talk, “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Ending the Scandal of Global Poverty,� Is open to the public.

Dr. Ron Sider

Dr. Sider feels the scandalous failure of Christians to “live what we preach� is at the heart of the matter, “In poll after poll by Gallup and Barna, we see that evangelicals live just like the rest of the world. Contrast that with what the New Testament says about what happens when people come to living faith in Christ. There is supposed to be a radical transformation in the power of the Holy Spirit. The disconnect between our biblical beliefs and our practice is just, I think, heart-rending.�

Dr. Sider doesn’t consider himself a radical. He takes pot shots from both the left and the right. But, few dispute that his message is uncomfortable no matter how he presents it. He applies evangelical morality – sin and repentance and the need for transformed lives – to the unfamiliar subject of politics and economics. If he moralizes about sex, no evangelical will ever object; but when he moralizes about wealth, well, it upsets people.

When asked how evangelicals can dig their way out of this morass he says, “We need to rethink our theology. We need to ask, ‘Are we really Biblical?’ Cheap grace is right at the core of the problem. Cheap grace results when we reduce the gospel to forgiveness of sins only; when we limit salvation to personal fire insurance against hell; when we misunderstand persons as primarily souls; when we at best grasp only half of what the Bible says about sin; when we embrace the individualism and materialism and relativism of our current culture.�

Dr. Sider attended the University of Waterloo, in Ontario, and received a BA in European history. After graduating from Yale with a Master of Divinity and Ph.D. in History, he accepted a position teaching at Messiah College, in its newly opened campus in the inner city of Philadelphia. He credits the racism, poverty, and evangelical indifference he observed first-hand with the inspiration for his first book, Rich Christians in the Age of Hunger. The book sold over 350,000 copies in three printings and is hailed as one of the most influential books in religion in the twentieth century by Christianity Today.

He has written over 22 books and over 100 articles in both religious and secular magazines on a variety of topics including the importance of caring for creation as a part of biblical discipleship. In addition to his work with the Evangelicals for Social Action, he is a founding board member of the National religious Partnership for the environment. He is also professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry and Public Policy and Director of the Sider Center on Ministry and Public Policy at Palmer Theological Seminary at Eastern University, in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.