CONWAY, Ark. (January
19, 2021) — The Rev. Matt Miofsky will deliver the annual Willson Lecture,
which is free and open to the public each year. This year, for the first time,
the Willson Lecture will be broadcast from the “Hdx Chapel” Facebook page, www.facebook.com/hdxchapel, on Monday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Miofsky is the
founding and lead pastor of The Gathering United Methodist Church, a multi-site
congregation in the Saint Louis area that was recently named the third-fastest
growing United Methodist congregation. Before founding The Gathering in 2006, he
earned a degree in advanced mathematics and played football at Washington
University, attended Candler School of Theology, and served as an associate
pastor in the St. Louis area.
Passionate about
church planting, connecting with new generations, and multi-site ministry,
Miofsky frequently speaks and teaches on these subjects. He is the author of Let
Go: Leaning Into the Future Without Fear (Abingdon, May 2019), 8 Virtues
of Rapidly Growing Churches (Abingdon, 2018), Happy? What It Is and How
to Find It (Abingdon, 2017), Fail: What to Do When Things Go Wrong
(Abingdon, 2017); and a contributor to Disciple Fast Track: Into the Word,
Into the World (Abingdon, 2017), Flipping Church: How Successful Church
Planters Are Turning Conventional Wisdom Upside-Down (Discipleship
Resources, 2016), and the DVD project Ask: Faith Questions in a Skeptical
Age (Abingdon, 2015).
Miofsky has been
elected to serve as a delegate to numerous United Methodist General and
Jurisdictional Conferences. He is also passionate about the Mozambique safe
water ministry he began through The Gathering. To date this ministry has raised
almost $2.2 million for safe water and dug more than 175 wells.
How Preaching is Changing: An Online
Workshop in Three Sessions
In addition to
delivering the Willson Lecture, Miofsky will lead the John and Marjem Gill
Preaching Workshop, which will be offered online for the first time in its
history. “How Preaching is Changing” will consist of three 75-minute sessions
on Zoom, from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. on three consecutive Tuesdays in April:
- April 13 -
“Crafting and Delivering a Conversational Sermon”
- April 20 -
“Preaching Hard Topics”
- April 27 - “Preaching
on Camera and Online”
The cost for
participants is $35 and includes a copy of Miofsky’s latest book, which will be
used in the workshop. Registration is now open through Eventbrite. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu/gillworkshop.
About the
Willson Lectures
The Willson Lectures were established at Hendrix in 1956 for the purpose
of bringing outstanding speakers to discuss spiritual values, sound family
relations, and vital issues confronting the world today. The Willson Lectures
are made possible through the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Jim Willson, who have
established lectureships at 23 United Methodist colleges nationwide.
About the John
and Marjem Gill Preaching Workshop
The John and
Marjem Gill Preaching Workshop aims to strengthen the United Methodist Church
by enhancing clergy’s ability to proclaim the gospel in ways that are relevant
to the needs of our time, and to enhance dialogue and fellowship among clergy
colleagues. Since 1984, Hendrix has helped facilitate this annual gathering,
providing preachers throughout Arkansas with continuing education and training
toward becoming more effective preachers.
About
Hendrix College
A private liberal
arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns
recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is
featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change
the Way You Think About Colleges.
Its academic quality and rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix
as a fixture in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876,
Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To
learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.