The next YPN gathering will take place on Trinity’s campus in the Waybright Center on July 10-12. All TEDS MDiv grads from the last 5 years are invited to attend.

We are also pleased to let you know that registration is now open. You can register by clicking this link and filling out the form, which takes only a brief moment. Take advantage of our early bird registration rates through April 15. Be one of the first ten people to register and you will receive an additional $50 off (sponsored by the Trinity Alumni Office). That comes to a whopping $100 discount!

Can’t wait to see you in Chicago…

On July 10-12, we will be hosting Scott Chapman and Jeff Griffin, senior pastors of The Chapel, a multi-site church with campuses throughout the North Shore. The conversation will center on the practice and perils of doing ministry through teams: all pastors work with teams, but how do we do it well?  We are calling our gathering “Life on the Playground.”

Mark your calendars; we’d love to see you there! Be looking for more updates in the coming weeks.

Our plan is to move the Gathering to the greater Chicago area next summer.  We feel this move will better facilitate our mission, which is to cultivate a network of connections among seminary graduates serving as leaders in the local church.

Although this necessarily entails that we will not be able to meet this summer, we are excited for the conference next summer and look forward to being sharpened together with you. Keep a look out for our upcoming announcements on specific dates, themes, and speakers for our Gathering in 2012!

For more information, or if you have questions, please contact us at 913.402.2701 or email youngpastorsnetwork@gmail.com.

Our best attempt at improv. We clearly still have much to learn!

Last week we had the privilege of hearing from Peter Cha and Lee Eclov as we explored what it means to be improvising pastors, and while the 2010 Gathering of the Young Pastors Network may be behind us, the knowledge we gleaned from our seasoned speakers will stick with us.

Our gathering centered on the idea that as pastors live in the world of improvisation. Wynton Marsalis, one of the greats in the world of jazz, knows more than a little bit about improvisation, and his definition guided our discussion.

“Improvisation is the willingness to live within the bounds of the past and yet search for the future at the same time. Improvisation is the desire to make something new out of something old…It is experience in being open to letting the people around you have an impact on what you are creating.” Wynton Marsalis

Improvisation is where the past intersects with the future. We, as young pastors, stand at that crossroads. We stand on the shoulders of the giants who have gone before us, yet we are continually looking ahead, moving as the Spirit guides us, and growing as the Body of Christ. This past week we discussed this intersection and what is required of us to live and minister here.

We discovered together that we must live in a state of Relaxed Awareness, learning to be more aware of what God is doing in our midst, and more aware of the contributions others around us can make in our lives and ministries. We also recognized that improv is about Constrained Contingency, living in boundaried freedom. To do this we must know the story we are telling deeply, know who we are with our unique, Spirit-given gifts, and know the boundaries of our own faith traditions. Finally we live in a state of Disciplined Spontaneity. Those who improvise are masters of their craft, and mastery comes through discipline. Those who have been formed through discipline are then free to respond spontaneously in any situation that arises.

Relaxed Awareness. Constrained Contingency. Disciplined Spontaneity. These are the building blocks of improv and the building blocks of sustainable pastoral ministry.

All in all, we had a great few days together. We’d love to have you join us next year. Be watching for dates later this fall!

It’s also not too late to register.

We know cost is always a factor for any conference. We are young pastors after all! We are working hard to keep costs low to allow as many as possible to be able to come this summer. Additionally, we’re excited to announce that the Trinity Alumni office is offering $25 scholarships for those who register before May 17. If you haven’t committed yet, now’s a great time.

We hope to see you this summer!

Lee says:

This job—being a pastor—can take the stuffing out of you! I believe it is the most extraordinary work there is, a high and holy privilege, but it can be brutal sometimes. Those first years can be especially challenging—swamped by inadequacy, jack-hammered by criticism, or the ache of a heart cooling by degrees. By the grace of Jesus, I am nearing my 60^th year and I am still a pastor. I know the hits and the hurts, the soaring Sundays and sweet once-in-a-lifetime memories. I believe that one of my God-given assignments is to give young pastors a love of this holy work we do; to help those who come behind me cultivate the soft hearts and thick skin it takes to persevere in the ministry. “Ministry As Improv”? Man, that is what we do! My wife Susan and I can’t wait to connect with you.

Peter says:

During the past several years, I participated in a multi-year project that brought together many young pastors for mentoring and training.  These interactions, among other things, have deepened my conviction that the first five years of one’s ministry is a particularly critical period.  This can be a very exciting period of growth as a pastor but can also be a vulnerable period when a young pastor may wrestle with (1) doubts about one’s calling, especially when he/she comes in touch with one’s own personal and spiritual brokenness, or (2) a sense that one’s ministry has become routinized, causing a sense of ministry restlessness.

These experiences are a part of growing for most pastors, yet many also silently assume that they are the only one going through such struggles.  At the upcoming Young Pastors’ Network Gathering, we hope to provide a safe and open setting in which we will be able to hear each others ministry stories of both joy and pain, where we can pray for one another for God’s sustaining grace and strength.  Also, in order for us to examine various dimensions of ministry more imaginatively, we will explore together the theme of “ministry as an improvisation.”  We will examine the importance of listening and responding to the leading of God’s Spirit (the one who directs our improvisation), to other partners in your congregation (with whom we improvise), and to the ever-changing world that is crying out for lasting meaning, purpose and hope (in the ever-changing stage of our improvisation).   I hope many of you will be able to join us for this experience of rich fellowship, prayer and learning.

We hope you can join us this July in Kansas City. For more information and to register, click on the 2010 Gathering link above. Hope to see you soon!

July 20-22, 2010, the Young Pastors Network will host our first gathering in Kansas City. We are excited to host Dr. Peter Cha and Pastor Lee Eclov for an extended conversation on “Ministry as Improv.”

All TEDS MDiv grads from the last 5 years are invited to attend this event.

Check out our Invitation to find out more about our gathering.

Click here to register.