We Are Salt:
The Church as Incarnational, Relational, and Missional

17-20 January 2011

Continuing our quest to be the church in the 21st century, we want to highlight the crucial role the church plays in the missio dei (mission of God) in the world.

If the mission of the church is to participate in God's mission in the world, what does that mean?

What does that look like?

We are pleased to have two excellent speakers who will help us wrestle with these important aspects of church ministry. both speakers not only observe and study the latest developments in the church, including the emergent church movement, but both are also successful practitioners in God's kingdom.

Our Seminar Speaker:  Dr. Leonard Sweet

Author of more than two hundred articles, 1200 published sermons and almost forty books,  Leonard is currently working on two textbooks: one on preaching (Giving Blood) and one on evangelism (Pay Attention: Every Bush is Burning). His most recent book is So Beautiful: Divine Design for Life and the Church. The last two years Len has been voted by his peers as “One of the 50 Most Influential Christians in America” as polled by ChurchReport magazine.  His popular weekly podcast is called “Napkin Scribbles.” Len is designated one of “The Twitter Elite,” and routinely ranks in the top 1000 of the millions of twitter users worldwide.

Currently occupying the E. Stanley Jones Chair of Evangelism, Leonard served from 1995 to 2001 as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Theological School at Drew University, Madison, New Jersey. He is also a Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon, and President Emeritus of United Theological Seminary. He is a weekly contributor to the online preaching resource, sermons.com.  For more information on Len’s ministry, visit his website at www.leonardsweet.com

Our Devotional Speaker:  Rev. John Middendorf

Pastor Jon Middendorf accepted the position of Senior Pastor at Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene in August of 2007. Jon has previously served as Youth Pastor and more recently as Senior Associate and Pastor of Student Ministries. He is now serving in his second decade at OKC First.

Jon's best days are spent living life with his family he loves so much: wife Kelly, and children, Taylor & Drew.  Jon enjoys his opportunities to teach theology in the religion department at Southern Nazarene University. In addition he is an accomplished and in-demand speaker and author, and most recently served the General Church of the Nazarene as the Consultant and Coordinator of Big Picture Youth Ministry Training - a ministry designed to train and encourage both professional and volunteer youth workers.

For more information on Jon’s ministry, visit the website of Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene at www.okcfirstnaz.org