Having pondered the excellent suggestions for discussion topics, I’ve decided to follow CB’s advice and go for something that interests me and I have strong opinions about. Sadly, that means theology 😉
So, here’s my short list of possible topics. I think they all offer something regardless of training or experience (or lack thereof) and should allow the possibility of wide-ranging discussion. There are also a couple of other suggestions added in that I am also interested in.
- Seeker-sensitive or meaty teaching? Is is possible for a church to be/do both and how?
- Simple or simplistic? Do we dumb-down the Gospel when we try to teach it?
- Theology-lite! Are we losing the vocabulary necessary to speak properly of God?
- The ‘S’ word. How can we call a person a sinner and not scare them away?
- Cyber-church. What is the proper place for online church activity in the life of a congregation?
- Growing disciples. Is mentoring a useful model for discipleship growth?
So, there you have it: the list of possible topics from my brief brain-storming session. I could probably talk for hours on any one of them but which one would be most suitable for an assessment conference?
3 responses to “Up for discussion”
An interesting array of theological conundrums. Bearing in mind that this is a short discussion which, hopefully, colleagues will also have some knowledge about…..3 & 6 look promising. 2 might generate a good argument (which I know you enjoy!!) Not too sure how the other topics might translate into a short discussion. This is just an instant response and I’m sure others will give plenty of alternative advice. Good thinking.
I’ve decided to go for #3 with some of the others as ‘supporting acts’ – they can be examples or consequences of ‘dumbing-down’ theological understanding. One slight change – ‘properly’ will read ‘meaningfully’. Adds a little extra controversy into the pot.
OOh – good topics! Number 4 would press my buttons and you’d get a rant rather than a discussion! I would be sensible (ha!) and polite about 3; 1 and 5 would bore me, but I’d try not to show it -honest! I like 6.