A Faithful Future: A Conversation about the missional church and the first third of life

The Seventh Annual Consultation on the Missional Church
Nov. 4-5, 2011

Presenters

RYAn bolger

Associate Professor of Church in Contemporary Culture, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Following Jesus in Participatory Culture: Faithful Living in a World Mediated by Technology"

Ryan Bolger joined the Fuller faculty in 2002. His research focuses on the emerging and missional church movements and he teaches classes on contemporary culture, including postmodern and new media cultures, exploring the implications these cultures have on Christian witness. Bolger is co-author (with Fuller's Eddie Gibbs) of "Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Communities in Postmodern Cultures" (2005). He has contributed to "Mass Culture" (2008), "Worship That Changes Lives" (2008), "An Emergent Manifesto of Hope" (2008) and "Evangelical, Ecumenical and Anabaptist Missiologies in Conversation: Essays in Honor of Wilbert R. Shenk" (2006). He has published articles in Missiology and the ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science and is a frequent conference speaker on church and culture. Bolger has received awards from Duke Divinity School and Yale, and he is a member of the Allelon Mission to Western Culture Project.

Terri elton

Associate Professor of Children, Youth and Family Ministry and Director of the Center for Children, Youth and Family Ministry, Luther Seminary

"Cultivating a Consequential Fatih in a Consumer-Driven World: From Object to Subject to Agent"

Terri Elton holds a Ph.D. in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary. Prior to teaching at Luther, she served for 16 years at Prince of Peace Lutheran in Burnsville, Minn. In her first year there, Elton helped write a confirmation curriculum that was published for use at other churches.

Terence fretheim

Elva B. Lovell Professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary

"Thinking Deeply about Relationship: The Practical Adequacy of Our Understanding of the God-Human Relationship"

Prior to his current role, Terence Fretheim was a teaching fellow in Greek while still a seminary student. He returned as assistant professor in 1968 and became professor of Old Testament in 1978. He has served as dean of academic affairs, acting chair of the Old Testament department and chair of the curriculum committee. He has also taught at Augsburg College and Seminary in Minneapolis, McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago and the University of Chicago Divinity School. Fretheim received the Fulbright Scholarship for study in England, the Lutheran Brotherhood Seminary Graduate Scholarship, the Martin Luther Scholarship, the Fredrik A. Schiotz Fellowship Award, and the ATS Scholarship for Theological Research. A graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa (B.A., 1956), Fretheim earned the M.Div. degree from Luther Seminary in 1960 and the Th.D. degree from Princeton Seminary in 1967. As a Luther College alumnus, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1995. Fretheim has published numerous books. More recent titles include "God and World in the Old Testament: A Relational Theology of Creation" (Abingdon, 2005); "Hope in God in Times of Suffering" (with Faith Fretheim; Augsburg Fortress, 2006); and "Abraham: Journeys of Family and Faith" (University of South Carolina Press, 2007).

John Roberto

President and Founder, Lifelong Faith Associates

"Envisioning the Future of Faith Formation in the First Third of Life"

John Roberto is the president and founder of LifelongFaith Associates, an organization dedicated to nurturing faith growth for all ages and generations in the parish and at home. He edits the journal Lifelong Faith, works as a consultant to churches and national organizations, teaches courses and conducts workshops in faith formation, manages LifelongFaith.com and develops resources in lifelong faith formation. His latest publications include "Living Well: Christian Practices for Everyday Life" (LifelongFaith Associates, 2009); "Becoming a Church of Lifelong Learners" (Twenty-Third Publications, 2006); and four volumes of intergenerational learning programs in the People of Faith series (Harcourt Religion Publishers, 2005-2007). John holds a masters degree in religious education from Fordham University.

Moderator

roland martinson

Academic Dean and Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Children, Youth and Family Ministry, Luther Seminary

Roland Martinson came to Luther Seminary as assistant professor in 1977 and was named professor of pastoral theology and ministry, pastoral care, in 1982. He chaired the committee which created the new curriculum introduced at Luther Seminary in 1993. In May 2000, Martinson was installed as Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Children, Youth and Family Ministry. A summa cum laude graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., Martinson earned the B.D. degree from Luther Seminary in 1968. He received the S.T.D. degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary in 1978. He was scholar-in-residence at the Institute for Religion and Wholeness at Claremont, Calif., and attended the California Family Study Center in Burbank and The National Training Lab at Monterey while in the parish. Martinson is a member of the National Council on Family Relations. His works include "The Spirit and Culture of Youth Ministry (with Wesley Black and John Roberto; 2010); "Gearing Up for Youth Ministry in the 21st Century" (1992); "Effective Youth Ministry, A Congregational Approach" (1988); "Bringing Up Your Child and Ministries with Families" (1986); and "A Joyful Call to Ministry" (1982).

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