Known and Unknown

Experiencing Spiritual Formation in Field Education

This “hands-on” workshop is an opportunity to enrich the field education curriculum for spiritual formation by introducing simple, effective, and culturally diverse spiritual practices that foster spiritual maturity. This workshop will profile the many wonderful resources offered from numerous authors of the recently published book Experience: Spiritual Formation in Theological Field Education.

Dawn Davis is the Professor of Contextual Learning in the Faculty of Theology at Huron University, London, Ontario. She is an Anglican priest with a professional human resources certification, specializing in training and development. She also has a doctorate in ministry in spiritual formation. Dawn developed the international Revive Program to help parishes grow in spiritual vitality. Lay leaders join with a facilitator in small groups to learn how to pray, lead scripture meditations and develop their sense of call for leadership. She also serves as an honorary assistant at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, Ont. as the faith formation director. Dawn recently co-edited a book with the late Matthew Floding titled Experience: Spiritual Formation in Theological Education.

How Adaptive Leadership Changes What is Possible for the Church

In this highly participatory workshop, learn how adaptive leadership can change the horizon of possibility for your congregation, and for the Church as a whole. This is a practical theological stand-off against the most difficult challenges our congregations face today. You will find new encouragement, discover skills you never knew you had, and come away with 6 practices that you can use to open new horizons right away, with no additional budget or leadership position required. You’ll be encouraged, you’ll be equipped, and you’ll discover the Holy Spirit at work in your congregation in the most surprising ways.

The Rev. Clara King (VST MDiv ’09) is an experienced adaptive leadership educator, a PhD candidate in Practical Theology at Fuller Seminary (in California), and a Research Affiliate at VST. An Anglican priest in the Diocese of Calgary, Clara has 20 years of experience leading change in congregations and church systems using adaptive leadership. She is a teacher and mentor in the Leader’s Way Program for Clergy at Yale Divinity School, and a regular contributor to Faith+Lead at Luther Seminary in Minneapolis. With her husband Michael, Clara has two adult step-daughters, two characterful horses, and a delightful Border Terrier named Jonah. You can find her online at ClaraKing.com

Stewarding Witness: Forming Generous Disciples (without talking about finances)

The solution often prompted for the Western Church’s sustainability crisis is to be more efficient and work harder. But what if we look closer at our theology of stewardship? This workshop will explore how some churches are taking the focus off of stewarding finances and onto stewarding their witness to the gospel. Learn how forming generous disciples might be a strategy navigating our changing sustainability landscape.

Andrea Perrett is a pastor at CapChurch in North Vancouver. Trained through the PCC, Andrea has an MDiv and ThM from VST. She is a church planter and previously led a church planting network through the Centre for Missional Leadership at St Andrew’s Hall. As a multivocational leader she also works as a dietitian and leads an online missional bread baking group. Andrea and her spouse Jordan call North Vancouver home, where they explore the mountains with their 4 year old and goofy black lab.

Learning about starting a congregation in this liminal time

Speakers: Marnie Peterson, Rector of St. Anne’s Anglican Church, Steveston; Rev. Aaron Miller, minister of University Hill Congregation and Campus Minister at UBC, and Rev. Afonso Issa (left to right), a recent graduate of VST and newly ordained Presbyterian minister. Marnie, Aaron, and Afonso guided a group of VST students in Spring Term 2025 in an immersive, on-the-ground experience in the early-stage development of a new ecumenical community of faith.

Working with Liminal Space: Creative Approaches to Uneasy Times

No one is confused that we are in a liminal time personally, politically, culturally or as faith communities. What we struggle with is how to cope with that reality. Is it time for creativity, playfulness and prayerfulness to help us listen to the Holy Spirit in this time? This workshop will invite us to creative exercises that don’t try to solve or stabilize our liminal time, but instead helps us stay curious about it and attempt to hear God within it. You’ll leave with some practices to help you manage your fear and uncertainty, either personally or with your community, and that can be used in group or facilitated processes as you lead and support faithfully in uncertainty.

Rhian Walker joined St. Andrew’s-Wesley in 2018 and is currently the Co-Lead minister of a busy downtown church. She brings a love for nurturing the spiritual development of those around her. She is passionate about new expressions of church and believes in the power of spiritual practice and community to transform the suffering in our communities and our world. She has a Masters of Public and Pastoral Leadership from the Vancouver School of Theology, an MA in Philosophy, Religion and Literature from Sussex University and a BA in Philosophy and Creative Writing from UVic.

Learning from Indigenous Leadership

Indigenous People have, by necessity, led their communities through constant change for the last 400 years. This workshop will explore some of the tools and principles that have proved effective in these times that may prove illuminating to all leaders during our changing times.

Rev. Dr. Ray Aldred is a husband, father, and grandfather. He was first ordained with the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada and is now ordained with the Anglican Church of Canada. He is status Cree from Swan River Band, Treaty 8. Ray is the director of the Indigenous Studies Program at the Vancouver School of Theology whose mission is to partner with the Indigenous Church around theological education.

Liminal Space Through A Journalistic Lens

This workshop will explore using journalistic techniques to learn about each other’s transitions and threshold moments. Participants will interview each other about moments of transformation or important change in their lives, and then work on writing a short, broadcast journalism-style story of about two minutes about what they learned. We’ll talk about listening, interviewing and storytelling techniques. Participants will have the possibility of filming one another as if they were reporting a feature news story. After, those who wish may share their filmed stories, and we’ll debrief, discussing what it’s like to share one’s story, what it’s like to tell someone else’s, and where it feels like the Holy Spirit is present.

William Burr grew up in Ottawa and just completed his Master of Divinity at VST. Will works as a journalist for Radio-Canada, the French CBC, where he loves to do human interest stories. He also loves to paint and make music. This year he joined a choir, United Voices, which performs sacred classical music.

Spirit-Led Change: Moving Faith Communities Through Liminal Space

Parishes and congregations everywhere are living in a liminal season—no longer who they were, not yet who they will become. This workshop introduces a model that sparks movement in such “in-between” spaces: adaptive, values-based leadership and organizational-development methods deeply rooted in spiritual discernment that embed change structurally and culturally. Through story-telling and reflections, participants will leave with key insights on ways they can be more proactive in ushering positive change in their own contexts—whatever size, setting, or stage of vitality.

The Rev. Tellison A. Glover, D.Min., serves as Director of Mission and Ministry Development for the Diocese of New Westminster. Holding a Doctor of Ministry in Congregational Development from Nashotah House and experience as an Organizational Development practitioner, he supports parishes through transition, visioning, while advancing diocesan initiatives on land stewardship and redevelopment. Tellison’s work brings together cultural shifts in an organization that deepen leadership capacity  and help faith communities feel seen, heard, and held. Passionate about re-imagining mission in rapidly changing contexts, he equips leaders to discern the Spirit’s movement and translate insight into sustainable action.

Registration Fees

• $200 Regular Ticket
• $150 Student/Senior Ticket

Your registration fee includes the full conference program and meals (2 lunches, 3 dinners, wine and cheese reception and breaks).