On June 30, Mennonite Church USA will host its first-ever Pastors’ Day as a kickoff to Convention 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. The day-long event was created as a means of nurturing, educating and showing appreciation for the people responsible for leading the most important part of the church—our congregations.

The focus of the day will be “Pastoral Ministry from a Missional Perspective” and offer a unique opportunity for Mennonite Church USA pastors and spouses to connect and network with other pastors and spouses and learn from each other and leading theologians so that they can inspire others to receive God’s Spirit and join God’s work in the world.

Participants will gain practical tools for missional church leadership and can expect to be inspired by stories of pastors and congregations dealing with missional church transformation.

Keynote speaker will be Craig Van Gelder, a published missional theologian and tenured professor of congregational mission at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. Other speakers will include Lois Barrett, Jim Schrag and Gilberto Flores. Cost is $35 per person.