On Thursday, March 5, 91łÔąĎ’s School of Divinity hosted its annual Church Leaders Conference. Pastors, lay leaders, and ministry workers gathered for a day of biblical teaching and encouragement. 

Dr. Jared C. Wilson, assistant professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and pastor at Liberty Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO, served as this year’s keynote speaker, addressing the topic of “Recognizing, Resisting, and Recovering From Gospel Drift.” Wilson drew from his recent book, Lest We Drift: Five Departure Dangers from the One True Gospel, as he explored the importance of gospel centrality over three keynote sessions. 

In the first session, Dr. Wilson emphasized that the gospel is not advice or instruction but the announcement of what God has accomplished through Jesus Christ. In the second session, he identified three common obstacles that keep pastors from preaching Christ from every text of Scripture. Turning to Isaiah 40 in the final session, Dr. Wilson reflected on the heart of pastoral ministry, establishing the shepherd’s primary task is to proclaim the good news of Christ’s finished work. Together, the sessions encouraged church leaders to remain anchored in the gospel as the central message, confidence, and hope that sustains faithful ministry. Times of worship, fellowship, and a Q&A session rounded out the day’s schedule and provided refreshment for all attendees.

Dr. Keith Plummer, Dean and Professor of Theology for the School of Divinity shared, “We enjoyed a day of making new friends and reconnecting with old ones, singing heartily to our Savior, and being nourished by sound biblical teaching. A major takeaway for me from what Jared shared is how easy and perilous it is to assume that we are so well-acquainted with the gospel that we no longer need to hear it. It was refreshing to be reminded that we will never outgrow the message of salvation by grace through faith.”

Dr. Wilson’s conference sessions will be made available on Faith & Truth Media. You can watch the first session here: .

Be sure to mark your calendars for next year’s conference on March 4, 2027!

Dr. Keith Plummer, Dean of the School of Divinity, opened chapel by sharing from John’s account of the feeding of the five thousand. He highlighted John 6:23, where the apostle notes that the people returned to the place where they had eaten after the Lord had given thanks. Rather than first drawing attention to the miracle itself, John points to Christ’s thanksgiving. As Dr. Plummer reminded us, Jesus shows us what it looks like to live a life marked by gratitude and thankfulness.

Dr. Plummer then shared what he is thankful for, followed by seven other School of Divinity faculty. 

We are thankful for opportunities like this to reflect on how God continually keeps His promises. In the smallest moments, and the biggest milestones, we can always rejoice and give thanks to God! Happy Thanksgiving!

On Thursday, March 6, 91łÔąĎ’s School of Divinity hosted the annual Church Leaders Conference, welcoming pastors, laypeople, and ministry leaders for a day of encouragement and learning. Keynote speaker Dr. Joshua Chatraw, the Billy Graham Chair for Evangelism and Cultural Engagement at Beeson Divinity School, spoke on “Helping the Doubting, Disillusioned, and Deconstructing,” drawing from his co-authored book, Surprised by Doubt: How Disillusionment Can Invite Us into a Deeper Faith.

In three sessions, Dr. Chatraw explored the personal nature of apologetics, using the metaphor of a house to illustrate the progression of faith to deconstruction.

 In his first session, he examined the current cultural moment, particularly how social influences shape the faith of younger generations. He emphasized that those struggling with doubt often wrestle with past interpretations of Christianity that feel inadequate in addressing justice and suffering. Rather than solely needing a path forward, they also need to make sense of their Christian past.

Dr. Chatraw then identified four truths that inevitably shape one’s journey of faith or deconstruction:

1. The big questions of life can’t be strictly proven or disproven.
2. Our background and history shape our interpretation of faith.
3. Everyone must choose where they will “live” in terms of belief.
4. This choice is influenced by intellectual, social, emotional, and existential factors.

In his second session, Dr. Chatraw outlined four common destinations for those who feel unsupported in their doubts:

• New atheism (outright rejection of faith),
• Optimistic skepticism (uncertainty but openness),
• Open spirituality (embracing alternative spiritualities), and
• Mythic truth (viewing faith as metaphor rather than reality).

As he focused on the second point, optimistic skepticism, a key theme prevailed: how Christians respond to those questioning or experiencing suffering—a major driver of doubt. He cautioned against overconfidence in explaining suffering, which can alienate those in pain. Instead, he urged believers to embrace and share the Bible’s complex, nuanced approach to suffering, recognizing that its different perspectives are complementary rather than contradictory.

In his final session, Dr. Chatraw encouraged a renewed vision of faith through the metaphor of “Main Floor Christianity.” This aimed to help those struggling with doubt move beyond intellectual arguments to experiencing faith as a lived reality. He distinguished between looking at Christianity (analyzing it) and looking along it (experiencing its light). He stressed that faith must not be reduced to institutional structures but should be centered on Jesus Himself.

Ultimately, Dr. Chatraw concluded that doubt, rather than being feared, can be used for good. It allows God to deepen faith, strengthen understanding, and ultimately bring believers into a more mature and resilient faith and, in turn, that way of thinking can be shared with others struggling with doubt.

On Thursday, February 29, the University hosted the annual Church Leaders Conference. The conference welcomed over 140 leaders from various churches in the area. This year’s theme tackled a difficult subject: “Recognizing and Resisting Spiritual Abuse in the Church.” Through three sessions led by speaker Dr. Michel J. Kruger, the attendees were able to find encouragement, wisdom, and lessons from his book Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church.

In the first session, Dr. Kruger laid the foundation for identifying spiritually abusive leaders. He reminded his audience that in training up the next generation of church leaders, the church needs to remember how the current leaders set an example for those who follow in their footsteps. “The issue,” Dr. Kruger clarified about leaders found guilty of spiritual abuse, “isn’t whether they are aware that they’re doing this. The issue is the way they justify that it’s worth doing.” Convinced of an elevated purpose, these leaders who are supposed to be representatives of God, are instead abusing their power for their own gain, setting a poor example for their congregation and for the next generation. Dr. Kruger pinpointed places in Scripture where, though the term “spiritual abuse” is not explicitly stated, there are clear signs and warnings against the possibility. In particular, Dr. Kruger expounded on 1 Samuel 8 and 1 Peter 5 as support for his argument, drawing parallels to show is audience that, both in these Scripture passages and in the modern world, the problem is, “Often, the very kind of leaders people want are the very kind of leaders they end up getting.” Building on this, Dr. Kruger shared characteristics and actions that were or would lead to spiritual abuse that church leaders should be aware of in their church and in their own lives.

In the second session, Dr. Kruger took the opportunity to further clarify what is and is not spiritual abuse. He outlined the two common extremes and subsequent problems with churches attempting to identify spiritual abuse; namely he called out the “nothing to see here” and a “everything is abuse” mentality. Both sides are driven by the current social culture. In particular, proponents of “cancel culture” who work under the assumption of a secular form of justice presume a harmful “guilty until proven innocent” verdict. As a way to counteract these extremes, Dr. Kruger posited six specific clarifications important for recognizing and addressing spiritual abuse, including a need to express spiritual abuse out of love for a church, the recognition that spiritual abuse be inflicted from the flock to their pastor, and other helpful distinctions.Ěý

Dr. Kruger then pivoted in the third and final session from being diagnostic in nature to being proactive. He identified ways that an individual, for the sake of themselves and for the ministry he or she runs, can take tangible steps to avoid becoming spiritually abusive. He recognized that most leaders who end up spiritually abusive do not start out that way. Dr. Kruger shared five principles that should mark one’s ministry and therefore build trust and a solid defense against the potential of becoming accused of such a problem. Some of the characteristics he shared included ensuring that churches avoid idolatrously elevating a leader to a “celebrity” status, to value teamwork over hierarchy, and to value openness over reactive defensiveness. Following the third session, participants closed out the day with a Q&A session that allowed for anonymous queries to be shared and addressed by Dr. Kruger.

This year’s topic, while a difficult one to discuss, equipped church leaders with biblical knowledge and tools to graciously yet firmly confront this issue that churches often struggle to recognize and resolve. 

Mark your calendars for the 2025 Church Leaders Conference on Thursday, March 6, 2025 as Cairn seeks to support church leaders in their respective ministries.

On Thursday, March 9, the University hosted the annual Church Leaders Conference. Each year, this conference seeks to serve local church communities by offering a time of refreshment, encouragement, and growth to those in positions of leadership. This year’s session focused on “Finitude Is Not Sin: Embracing Limits in Leadership,” led by Dr. Kelly M. Kapic.

Dr. Kapic is a theology professor at Covenant College as well as the author of You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News. In it, Kapic discusses the continual demand of everyday life and how it can feel frustratingly overwhelming. Our limitations, he argues, should not discourage us. Rather, our finitude and inabilities should point us to the Lord. Not only should they point us to the Lord, they should also increase our reliance and rest in Him.

The Church Leaders Conference topic tied the themes and takeaways of Dr. Kapic’s book and applied them directly into the lives of the attendees through two sessions. Especially relevant for leaders, the conference was able to not only encourage those attending to directly apply these concepts, but also gave leaders the necessary tools to better encourage those they shepherd. Following each session, attendees were able to break out into groups and debrief, further discussing the message. 

Watch the conference sessions here:

The day kicked off with the Alumni Pastors Breakfast in Manor Hall. This breakfast brought pastors and Cairn representatives together to discuss how the University can best support their churches. Later in Chatlos Chapel, the conference officially began with a time of singing and Dr. Witmer’s first main session.

• “Paul’s Shepherding in Thessalonica” with Dr. Jonathan Master
• “Shepherding and Discipleship Shaped by Doctrine” with John Biegel
• “Shepherding Teens in a Digital Age” with Dr. Matt McAlack
• “Shepherding through Visitation” with Henry Jansma

Moving from the breakout sessions to lunch, attendees finally came back together for the second main session and an open Q&A with Dr. Witmer.

In addition to the information from these sessions, conference attendees left with a copy of Dr. Witmer’s The Shepherd Leader. The conference was once again an encouraging time for ministry leaders as they continue to strive to shepherd their congregations well.Ěý
Special thanks to this year’s sponsor, . Their support is part of what made this event possible.
Listen to or watch recordings of Dr. Witmer’s sessions:
Session 1 ( | )
Session 2 ( | )