Known & Unknown: Ministry Leadership in Liminal Time
August 25 to 27, 2025
Some call this is a ‘liminal season’ — a time when individuals and institutions are struggling with surprising forces inside and out, often experiencing disorientation, disengagement, and disenchantment. Leadership in ministry today requires dexterity in navigating the ‘known and the unknown’ of this time.
At this Vancouver School of Theology conference, we have invited presenters, workshop leaders, worship leaders, and preachers to offer wisdom into this liminal season from a variety of perspectives. We hope that students, alumni, and church leaders will engage and connect across diverse experiences to live into this liminal season with faithful leadership.
“In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors”
—William Blake
Coming at the end of the Lilly Endowment funded Pathways Project — Leaders for a New Day — which has focused on renewing and strengthening Theological Field Education (TFE), we hope this conference will be attentive to ‘transitions’ and ‘integration’ as we all seek to attend to the threshold or liminal moments that face us.
Schedule
Preliminary Schedule (Subject to change and more detail to come)
August 25
3pm Registration opens
Gathering music & Worship
Dinner
Welcome & First Keynote
August 26
Worship & Second Keynote
Lunch
Panel & Workshops
Book Signing — Wine & Cheese Gathering
Dinner
August 27
Worship
Discussion Opportunities
Lunch
Workshops
Dinner
9pm Closing
Keynote Addresses
Grace Ji-Sun Kim, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), received her MDiv from Knox College (University of Toronto) and her PhD from the University of Toronto. She is Professor of Theology at Earlham School of Religion, Richmond, Indiana.
Sarah B. Drummond, a minister of the United Church of Christ, serves as the Founding Dean of Andover Newton Seminary and Professor in the Practice of Ministerial Leadership at Yale Divinity School. Dr. Drummond earned her MDiv from Harvard Divinity School and her PhD in Urban Education from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.
Workshops
Information to come.
Fees & Info
Registration Fees
- $200 Regular Ticket
- $150 Student/Senior Ticket
Your registration fee includes the full conference program and meals (2 lunches, 3 dinners, wine and cheese reception and breaks).
Location
St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church
1022 Nelson St #100, Vancouver, BC V6E 4S7
Accommodations
There is a block booking of rooms at the Sandman Suites Hotel on Davie street for conference participants. To take advantage of this discounted rate, please book through the Sandman website at this link: Sandman Suites Hotel
Please note that the room-type offered is “Queen Suite with a sofa bed,” meaning rooms can be shared to reduce cost. Bring your friends!
This conference is financially supported by the ‘Leaders for a New Day’ project that is redeveloping Theological Field Education (TFE) at VST through the Lilly Endowment Pathways Project.