Eastern Nazarene to host She Leads Summit as a satellite location. (Credit: Eastern Nazarene College)
Eastern Nazarene College will serve as a satellite host for the She Leads Summit presented by Missio Alliance on October 28. The purpose of this summit is to equip and empower women taking on leadership roles in ministry.
The campus first got involved with the She Leads Summit last year, and saw importance in re-instigating the conversation on campus. The primary focus of the summit is on “shared leadership in the Church and Christian ministry.” The hope is to communicate the role that men have in incorporating women into ministry as well.
Coordinator of Campus Ministry and Campus Chaplain, Lynne Bollinger feels a deep connection with their mission because she has personally felt the hardships of becoming a leader in the Church. Bollinger believes that she has progressed as a leader thanks to the help of men along the way. The types of conversations that will be discussed at the summit will include those of men and how their participation is critical to helping women into leadership positions.
Bollinger stated that “males have a role in women’s part in ministry,” and for most women, it’s going to take a man to bring “both voices [to] the table.” She believes that women deserve an equal opportunity in ministerial leadership which can only be achieved when those in higher positions, usually men, advocate for those with less influence.
By teaming up with Misso Alliance, ENC has created another platform for networking and conversations surrounding opportunities facing Church leaders across a wide range of geographic and cultural contexts. It all starts with the conversation, but the conversation the She Leads Summit is starting just happens to be a ground-breaking one.
A majority of ENC’s female students who are interested in ministry will find this conversation intriguing because of their direct correlation with this topic. Misso Alliance’s inclusive nature towards women will connect students interested in ministry to a broader issue that requires tough conversations. The history of women’s roles in the Church will be touched upon as the female leaders who struggled to become leaders will be taking part in the panel.
The summit welcomes male students as well and encourages them to consider the importance of listening to the voices of women in the Church. This event will also attract students interested in women’s rights and social justice issues.
Most importantly, the She Leads Summit is looking for diversity. This topic “goes across denominational boundaries,” says Bollinger, the idea that women can be in leadership roles in the Church is not widely accepted. This topic is not specific to just Nazarenes either, women’s struggles in finding acceptance as leaders comes from all types of denominations. So to presenting different viewpoints and stances to the topic is an important aspect of the conference.
There will be both male and female panelists at the live event to discuss the necessity of women in ministry. ENC will host 4-5 panelists who will discuss this topic in coordination with the live stream from Pasadena. ENC graduate Jason Condon (’92) will serve on the panel, serving as a voice in his leadership roles of the Director of Church Planting and Associate Superintendent for the East Coast Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Another familiar face, Montague Williams, who was the previous chaplain here at ENC, will be co-hosting the event live from Pasadena.
For $25, students can attend this event in the President’s Dining Room from 11:30am – 5:30pm on October 28. For $19, students also have the opportunity to watch a live stream from Pasadena from 8am – 2pm. The livestream will include only those panelists in California and not the ones at ENC and other satellite locations across the U.S.