Inaugural Cork Lecture and Workshop Confirmed
The Vancouver School of Theology and St. Andrew’s Hall are delighted to announce that Andrew Root, PhD, will be the lead speaker at the inaugural Cork Lecture and Workshop.
Andrew Root (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary) is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He writes and researches in areas of theology, ministry, culture and younger generations. His most recent books are Churches and the Crisis of Decline (Baker, 2022), The Congregation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2021), The End of Youth Ministry? (Baker, 2020), The Pastor in a Secular Age: Ministry to People Who No Longer Need God (Baker, 2019), Faith Formation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2017), and Exploding Stars, Dead Dinosaurs, and Zombies: Youth Ministry in the Age of Science (Fortress Press, 2018).
The Cork Lecture and Workshop is jointly sponsored by VST and St. Andrew’s Hall in honour of Mardee Cork, a generous supporter of theological education. The Cork Lecture and Workshop is made possible through allocations from a permanent fund held by St. Andrew’s Hall with all distributions exclusively at the direction of the VST President. The Cork Lecture and Workshop will focus on congregational vitality. This year, Professor Root will address the follow topics in his keynote addresses:
Friday August 11, 7 p.m.
Living After a Pandemic or Why We’re All So Exhausted: The Church in a Time Crisis
It’s often assumed the church and local congregations are in a crisis of resources. Congregations are losing people, money, and overall cultural influence. There is a misguided assumption that what ails the congregation is this loss of resources. The crisis the local congregation faces is not a loss of resources, but a loss of time which just keeps speeding up. And local congregations and denominations simply can’t keep up with technology, social life and pace. Congregations can attend to sacred time in a late modernity of accelerating time, to move forward faithfully, and find revitalization.
Saturday August 12, 10-2 p.m. (Lunch included)
Ministry Inside the Immanent Frame: The Task of Speaking of God in a Secular Age
Congregational life isn’t an easy task in our time. Institutions are weaker, budgets are in decline, people are uninterested, and commitment is wavering. These are only symptoms of a bigger issue: many congregations find themselves in an identity crisis. We will be examining what living in a secular age does to congregational identity and how pastors and lay leaders can find new footing within it.
While there is no charge to attend, registration is required for each of the sessions.
About St. Andrew’s Hall
St. Andrew’s Hall is a college of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, a residential college at UBC and an associate college of VST. The mission of St. Andrew’s Hall is to educate and equip missional leaders through teaching, hospitality and witness for Christ’s church of tomorrow, today.
About VST
VST’s core mandate is to educate and form thoughtful, engaged, and generous Christian leaders for the church in the 21st century. VST is a leading theological school, viewed as a change agent and innovator for the church.
VST is an affiliated college of the University of British Columbia ranked in the top 100 schools globally and in the top 10 of most improved theological schools. VST has been recognized by In Trust Magazine for its realizing transformational change as it renews theological education. A recipient of a prestigious Pathways for Tomorrow grant from the Lilly Endowment, VST is redefining the critical role of theological field education in preparing clergy. VST is accredited by the Government of British Columbia, and in North America by ATS (Association of Theological Schools).
The Vancouver School of Theology celebrates its foundational relationships with the Anglican Church of Canada, Presbyterian Church in Canada, and United Church of Canada. VST also welcomes students from many Christian communions, other faith traditions, and Indigenous communities. The Indigenous Studies Program at VST is central to the school’s identity and commitments.
The Vancouver School of Theology recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2021. VST, through its predecessor schools, has been teaching theology in Vancouver since 1893.
The Vancouver School of Theology acknowledges that the land on which they are located is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəyəm (Musqueam) People.
Contact: Richard Topping
President & Vice-Chancellor Professor of Studies in the Reformed Tradition
Vancouver School of Theology
6015 Walter Gage Road, Vancouver, BC Canada, V6T 1Z1
richardt@vst.edu • 604-822-9808