Reimagining

PREACHING

Reimagining

PREACHING

conference

Keynote Address

Creating New Worlds with Words: Spirit and Imagination in Preaching

God our creator invites and urges us to participate in the re-creation of the world. What are the essential elements of preaching that open our listeners’ ears and ready their hearts, souls, minds, and bodies to join in God’s loving, just, and life-giving ways in the world? As preachers, how do we cultivate practices that encourage imagination and hope amid the suffering and cruelties of this blessed and broken world? These are questions we’ll consider as we explore “theopoetic preaching” in ministry.

Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm is the Brightbill Professor of Preaching and Worship at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, IN. Ordained in the Church of the Brethren (one of the Historic/Living Peace Churches), she has served as a hospital chaplain in psychiatric and trauma centers, then as pastor of two churches in Lancaster and central Pennsylvania. Dawn earned her Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary and has been teaching at Bethany for over 20 years. The author and editor of several books, her current research and writing focus on theopoetics at the intersection of preaching, spirituality, and justice. She is married, has three adult children, and enjoys outdoor/distance swimming and singing (not at the same time).

Workshops & Facilitators

Culturally Intelligent Preaching

In today’s diverse world, effective preaching requires more than just strong communication skills—it demands cultural intelligence. This workshop explores how to craft sermons that resonate across cultural differences, helping preachers connect meaningfully with diverse audiences. Participants will learn practical tools and strategies to adapt their message, delivery, and engagement while maintaining authenticity. Through interactive discussions and real-world applications, this session equips leaders to preach in a compelling way that fosters understanding and impact across cultural lines.

Rev. Dr. Allison Coventry is the Assistant Superintendent for the Pacific Northwest Conference of the Free Methodist Church. She has pastored churches in New York and the Seattle area, and she spent five years leading Leadership Development initiatives across Latin America. As a Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Fellow, she is part of a global network of thought leaders dedicated to fostering a more culturally intelligent world.

Efficient Sermon Prep

Are you a busy church leader or lay preacher struggling to do it all? Do you find yourself scrambling on Saturdays? Come learn practical hacks for planning and preparing sermon content and how to put together a well-crafted message in 4 hours or less.

Rev. Laura Terasaki is the Executive Presbyter of the Northwest Coast Presbytery (PCUSA) and the founder of Small Acts Consulting which serves nonprofits and faith-based organizations.

Liberated Voices: How Do We Deliver a Bold Sermon In Our Current Context?

More specifically, how do we comprehend our temporal position, life stage, socio-cultural location, and the movement of God’s spirit? Preachers must be compelled to challenge their established norms to discern the message that must be spoken now.

The Rev. Dr. Seth Thomas (D. Min, Portland Seminary) is the Minister of Word and Sacrament at St. James Presbyterian Church in Bellingham, WA.  Seth has spent much of his ministry career exploring how spiritual practices can integrate with the rhythms of our lives. Seth also serves on the Center for Transforming Engagement staff, working with regional congregations in the Transforming Communities project.

Developing Lay Preaching Teams for the Congregation

This workshop will assist you in identifying potential preachers and nurturing their gifts.  We will also discuss the wisdom of having a variety of voices and styles in a preaching team.

Rev. Canon Britt Olson, Vicar of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle for the past 10 years and former Lay Preaching Trainer for the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada

Soulful Sermons: Personal Story with Authenticity and Boundaries

In this workshop, Dr Davis will share a framework for using personal story in sermons that is both authentic and boundaried to promote and protect the spiritual and emotional health of both the preacher and listeners. Examples of what to do (and what not to do) will be shared, and participants will leave with a checklist for assessing future sermons of their own.

Kate Rae Davis (MDiv, EdD) serves as the Executive Director for the Center for Transforming Engagement at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, and was the first layperson awarded the Bishop’s Preaching Award in the Diocese of Olympia. Her work focuses on leadership development through connecting personal narrative, community narrative, and divine narrative.

Letting God Speak Outside the Box

At this workshop we’ll explore a variety of creative practices for preaching to help expand our repertoire, enliven our delivery methods, approach scripture from new points of view, break down writer’s block, unlock some easy yet powerful methods for proclamation, and have a lot of fun together.

Rev. Ivar Hillesland is a Lutheran/Episcopal pastor, congregational song leader/writer (thereverbcollective.com), and Canon for Congregational Development and Leadership Formation in the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. He recently concluded 12 years as Pastor of Church of the Apostles in Seattle, a community broadly known for its innovative approach to ministry.

Tending To Your Own Soul: Preaching as a Spiritual Practice

In Forming the Leader’s Soul, Morris Dirks writes, “If you are failing to feed your soul, while at the same time you are handling sacred responsibilities, the disconnect will finally become too much. The only way we can remain integrated in the ministry is to follow Jesus’ pattern (of listening to God).” In this workshop we will explore ways to regain integrated in ministry. How do we tend to our own soul so that we don’t just speak about God, but are also known by God? In this workshop we will reflect on the longings of our heart and reclaim the wonder that is the act of preaching.

Rev. Andrea Benson Chaumont is a PC(USA) Ordained Pastor who has served churches in France, New Jersey and Seattle, WA. She attended the Protestant Institute of Theology in Paris, France and Princeton Theological Seminary. In 2019, she co-founded a New Worshipping Community called Jazz Vespers that combined music and words to create a spiritual oasis. Most recently, Andrea served Seattle Community Church as their Transitional Pastor and is currently working towards a certificate in Spiritual Direction from Soul Formation.

Special plenary session: Dialogical Preaching Demonstration and Q&A

Rev. Taeler Morgan will preach using a dialogical style, leading attendees into an interactive exploration of Luke 13:18-21 If you’ve ever wondered how a more interactive style of preaching could actually work, this session will help you envision it–and to experience how wonder, conversation, and participatory engagement in the act of preaching encourages spiritual transformation.

Rev. Taeler Morgan is the Missional Cultivator of Olympia Presbytery (PCUSA) and Pastor of Fircrest Presbyterian Church and Gather Tacoma, a 1001 New Worshipping Community. She is passionate about exploring how the intersection of new worshipping communities and established congregations contribute to the sustainability of faith life in the PNW.

Reading Scripture with the Community of Creation

What happens when we read the Bible as a book that is filled, from beginning to end, with references to nature and our relationship to it? Much of the Bible’s content happens outside, but the majority of our reading and interpretive work is done inside. In what ways might this impact our reception and understanding of the text? When we open our eyes to God’s deep love for ALL of this world that God has made, how might that change the ways we relate to the WHOLE community of creation—both human and more than human?

Dr. Forrest Inslee is the Associate Director of Circlewood, and host of the Earthkeepers—a podcast that explores issues at the intersection of faith praxis and creation care. He also served as a graduate professor of International Community Development for 20+ years at Northwest University, and most recently worked at the Pacific Rim Institute for Environmental Stewardship as the interim Executive Director. He earned a BA, MA, and PhD from Northwestern University in Chicago, and an MA in Theology from Regent College—where he designed contextualized strategies for theological education and leadership training for emerging Turkish churches. He lives in Edmonds with his dogs Nigel and Suzie.

Dr. James Amadon is the Executive Director of Circlewood, a ministry dedicated to “accelerating the greening of faith” through creative media, immersive education, and the development of Circlewood Village, a sustainable learning center on Camano Island. James is ordained in the Covenant Church, and pastored in churches for 15 years before starting Circlewood in 2017. He has a BA from Gordon College, an MDiv from North Park Theological Seminary, and a DMin from Duke Divinity School, where he focused his work on developing the framework for Ecological Christian Leadership (ECL). He lives on Camano Island with his family.

Becoming Adaptive and Responsive to the Changing Needs of our Neighbors and Congregation

So much is transient and so little is certain. Yet, we often don’t know how to or dare to or have the energy to adapt and learn and experiment with new wineskins for today. How might we remain adaptive and responsive to the changes in our neighborhoods and congregations? How might we fear change or failure less and instead pay attention more to what’s new and springing forth? How might we stay curious about what works and what no longer does? How might we start to fail more so we can learn faster?

In this discussion group, we will share our own experiences and insights and hopefully leave encouraged, emboldened, and excited about being and bringing the Good News to our neighbors and neighborhoods.

Eunice Lin-Sawyer serves as Urban Impact’s Vice-President of Neighborhood Transformation as well as Parish Collective’s Seattle Area convener for the Grounded Faith Initiative. Prior to moving to Seattle in 2019, she spent 7 years as a Social Worker before entering full-time ministry in her home church in Singapore where she led the young adult ministry and set up her church’s local justice and mercy ministry. As a facilitator and convener, she loves connecting and equipping Christians to be the church. She is also passionate about calling and organizing the Church to care for immigrants and refugees who are feeling especially vulnerable in this moment. Her heart is to see Jesus followers collaborate creatively to make the Kingdom of God tangible and visible all over Seattle, one neighborhood at a time.