The 2018 Children’s Spirituality Summit has concluded. It was a beautiful success with participants from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, as well as from 23 states.
People from a broad range of Christian traditions participated including those from Anglican, Catholic, Churches of Christ, Baptist, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Christian Reformed Church, Seventh Day Adventist, and several community churches.
Participants included children’s ministers, professors, youth ministers, graduate and doctoral students, medical professionals, curriculum writers, Christian education directors, and other church and family leaders. It was a wonderfully diverse, engaged group of people passionately interested in children’s spiritual formation. Our plenary speakers, Dr. Steve Kang, Dr. Robert Keeley, and Dr. Scottie May, provided insightful historical and theological context for children’s spiritual formation in the world today and challenged us to think more intentionally and creatively as we move forward.
The two traditional aspects of our conference consisted of twelve rich and well-delivered paper presentations and nineteen amazing workshops. A new feature of the Summit in 2018 was the addition of a PechaKucha™ style session in which six presenters showed twenty slides narrating each one for twenty seconds, addressing such fascinating topics as spiritual direction with children, creating Pray-Grounds, and welcoming children with developmental disabilities. Also the addition of the Taste and See event, an experiential opportunity, was a new element for the conference. The Children’s Spirituality Summit was sponsored by the Lipscomb Institute for Christian Spirituality. We are already planning the Children’s Spirituality Summit coming June 8-10, 2020. Mark your calendar now and come join the conversation! Holly Allen President, Society for Children’s Spirituality: Christian Perspectives Other Board Members: Kathie Amidei, Nashotah, Wisconsin [Catholic]] Robin Floch, Ambridge, Pennsylvania [Anglican] Kirsten Hitchcock, Secretary, chaumburg, Illinois [Willow Creek] Robert Keeley, Treasurer, Holland, Michigan [CRC] Mimi Larson, Wheaton, Illinois [CRC] Trevecca Okholm, Costa Mesa, California [Anglican] Dana Pemberton, Abilene, Texas [Churches of Christ} John Roberto, Cheshire, Connecticut [Catholic] Shirley Morgenthaler, Western Springs, Illinois [Lutheran] Karen Williams, Winston-Salem, North Carolina [Baptist]