Summit 2026 - Norman
Guest Lecturer
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Terry and Darlene Wildman
Creation’s Wisdom: Indigenous Perspectives on Psalms and Proverbs
This seminar examined tradition and identity in Western Christian worship, equipping participants to reflect on their own practices and engage more hospitably with other traditions. Participants assessed their musical and liturgical contexts while exploring the shared roots and key developments shaping Western worship.
Perkins Lecturers
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O. Wesly Allen, Jr.
Mark as Parable
Participants explored the Gospel of Mark as a unified parable shaped by the theological questions following the temple’s destruction in 70 CE. Designed for laity and clergy, the class deepened understanding of its historical context, literary artistry, and theological depth, while challenging participants to reconsider Christ and their role as disciples today.
Preaching and the Human Condition
In this class, clergy explored how to broaden the dimensions of the human condition addressed in sermons to more fully engage the lives and world of their hearers. Participants examined the vertical, horizontal, and inner dimensions of sin, learned to identify these within biblical texts, and developed strategies for focusing sermons while addressing the full scope of the human condition over time.
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Dean Bryan Stone
Toward a Wesleyan Theology of Evangelism and Social Action
This session explored how Wesleyan theology brings together evangelism and social action without diminishing either. Participants examined key theological resources, imagined practical expressions of this integration, and engaged current research on how adults in the U.S. come to faith.
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Emily Nelms Chastain
She Preached Anyway: The 70 Years that Changed Methodist Ministry (1956–2026)
This session traced how Methodist women secured full clergy rights in 1956 through persistent organizing, communication networks, and advocacy. Participants explored the key figures and milestones behind this breakthrough, connected past strategies to present-day practices of leadership and inclusion, and identified concrete steps to better recognize and support women’s gifts in the church.
From Pulpit to Policy: How Belief Becomes Church Practice
This session explored how theology takes shape through agendas, minutes, and votes, equipping lay and clergy leaders to navigate meetings with conviction and grace. Participants mapped decision-making processes in a United Methodist context, practiced values-based meeting strategies, and applied a simple framework to guide real decisions in their own settings. -
Kate Hanch
God as Our With-ness: Faith Through the Lens of Friendship
This course explored faith and theology through the lens of friendship and the witness of figures ranging from Julian of Norwich to Julia Foote. Participants examined the concept of God as friend through “with-ness,” reimagined salvation beyond traditional atonement theories, and considered how a theology of friendship shapes faithful living in the world. -
Marcell Silva Steuernagel
Multicultural Worship: Fresh Takes on Global Song
This seminar equipped participants in multicultural congregations to diversify worship by incorporating cultural expressions beyond European and North American traditions. Participants engaged key concepts such as cultural hospitality and justice, explored hymnals and embodied practices, and gained practical strategies for planning more culturally enriched worship.
Messiness: Community Singing and Congregational Identity in Worship
This seminar examined tradition and identity in Western Christian worship, equipping participants with frameworks to reflect on their own practices and engage more hospitably with other traditions. Participants critically assessed their musical and liturgical contexts and explored the shared historical roots and key developments that have shaped Western worship.