The Curriculum for the 

22nd Annual CME Convocation

September 30 – October 3, 2008

Knoxville, TN

     Senior Bishop William H. Graves (Host Bishop), Bishop Paul A.G. Stewart (Convocation Chairman) and Bishop Thomas L. Brown (Program Chairman) along with the members of the Convocation Committee are working diligently in anticipation of this year’s Annual Convocation in Knoxville, TN. While planning for the many summer activities on our schedule of events, Dr. Tyrone Davis (Convocation Director) is also encouraging early registration for the Convocation in September. In light of the increased emphasis on the curriculum and class topics and themes, Dr. Carmichael Crutchfield (Convocation Curriculum Director) has provided the following overview of what you can expect in the classes.
     The front cover of “Rev!” magazine reads ‘Is the American Church in Crisis’? The article goes on to delineate the decline of the American Church by examining attendance trends in several mainline denominations. It then gives some suggestions for reversing this movement.
     Although the aforementioned article is worthy of consideration, the 22nd Convocation has decided rather than dwell on crisis and decline to offer classes that lift up ideas for transforming our faith. We have chosen a textbook as the basis for our study. It is entitled “Christianity for the Rest of Us” written by Diana Butler Bass.
     The book is a story of the research and findings of Bass as she listened to congregations. She asks the question, “Why do some succeed?” (p. 9) She is interested in spiritual community and the local expression of such community in congregations. Our classes will delve into her interest and look for ways to strengthen our own congregations.
     Bass uses the metaphor pilgrimage throughout her book with the idea that there is a destination. She says on page 11, “Emerging Christianity is about change—about changing from spiritual tourists to pilgrims—about transforming ourselves, our congregations, and our communities.
     Echoing the sentiments of Bass’ book, if you are satisfied with your local congregation, if you like the kind of Christianity that offers certainty and order in an age of change, if you think church is about closing your eyes; then the classes below are not for you. They are not for the comfortable, the certain, and religiously content. You are invited to pilgrimage through the classes at the convocation. You are encouraged to purchase the book that will be available to you at a discounted rate this summer. There are churches finding new life in the face of change.

The Classes

1. Where Everybody Knows Your Name
What are the practices of the local church that welcome others? Hospitality sometimes is relegated to a committee who seems to have as its goal to gain members for the church. This class is designed to examine the local church practice of hospitality and seek ways that improve the practice and lead to renewal and transformation of the local church.

2. Paying Attention
“Discernment requires that we pay attention,” writes Catholic theologian Wendy Wright; it “is about feeling texture, assessing weight, watching the plumb line, listening for overtones, searching for shards, feeling the quickening, and surrendering to love.” You have to pay attention when you are not entirely sure where you are going. This class is designed to visit the ancient church practice of Discernment with the purpose of discovering how hearing, seeing, touching and feeling God leads to church renewal and transformation.

3. Do you want to be healed?
We are all broken and in need of God’s healing. All sickness is not physical. Brokenness comes from the damage and power of sin. Healing is not always instant, but more often takes place over a process of transformation. The design of this class is to delve into the ancient practice of healing and seek ways it has relevance today in the local church in regards to bringing transformation and renewal in the local church.

4. Let all the earth keep silent
In the 21st century we spend a tremendous amount of money, time and energy to be connected. We use the Internet and many technologies, such as Blackberries, I Phones, and wireless networks, to connect with others. But how good are we as people of faith in connecting to ourselves, families, our communities and with God? The design of this class is to investigate the practice of contemplation and being silent and how this practice might transform and renew the local church.

5. Talk it Out
The entire New Testament is a testimony, a record of the experiences that early Christians had with the transformative power of God. Our early church experiences in the United States put great emphasis on testimony. This class is designed to evaluate the power of the practice of testimony to transform and renew the local church.


6. A Piece of the puzzle
As the demographics of our land changes what are we to do in our local churches? Are we to ignore that our neighbors are changing in their cultural outlook and maybe their race isn’t black? How diverse is the local church? Is our local church or denomination the whole puzzle or a piece of it? This class is designed to help us acknowledge the power of diversity in transforming and renewing the local church.


7. Let Justice Roll
Theologian Walter Wink writes, “The Powers That Be are not, then, simply people and their institutions, as I had first thought; they also include the spirituality at the core of those institutions and structures. If we want to change those systems, we will have to address not only their outer forms, but their inner spirit as well.” This class is designed to address how practicing justice, being the hands and feet of Christ, transforms and renews faith in a local church.

8. Merry, Merry, Merry
What is worship? What is its purpose? The design of this class is to look at how “worship needs to be an experience of God, rather than a reflection about God,” and how it moves from the head to the heart. In particular this class is designed to see how worship as celebration transforms and renews the local church.

9. All My Mind
All people of the church are theologians. The trouble comes when we do not activate our theological intellect. This class is designed to see that God calls us to love God with our entire mind, thus, thinking theologically is essential to the transformation and renewal of the local church.

10. Spiritual Revolution

     The summer of 2005 Newsweek magazine claimed in a cover story that Americans are looking for “spirituality” and not “religion.” The design of this class is to flesh out what this means and if it is true, what are the implications for the transformation and renewal of the local church?

You may inquire about additional information at (901) 345-4100.

We look forward to seeing you in Knoxville for the 2008 Annual CME Convocation!

     Submitted by General Secretary of Personnel Services Dr. Tyrone T. Davis.