Illuminate - Presidential Signature series

Thursday, October 10, 2024 8:00 AM-4:00 PM

George Shinn Center

Discover Purpose at the Intersection of Faith and Work

Join us for Illuminate, a one-day conference, on Oct. 10 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the George Shinn Center on Lipscomb University’s campus. Cost is $45 per person.

This event includes keynote sessions delivered by bestselling authors and ministry leaders David Kinnaman, Jordan Raynor and Amy Sherman, along with discipline-specific breakout sessions. The conference will also include a lunchtime No Small Endeavor show led by Lee Camp featuring former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.

About Our Keynote Speakers

David Kinnaman

David Kinnaman is the author of the bestselling books Faith For Exiles, Good Faith, You Lost Me and unChristian. He is CEO of Barna Group, a leading research and communications company that works with churches, nonprofits, and businesses ranging from film studios to financial services. Since 1995, David has directed interviews with more than two million individuals and overseen thousands of U.S. and global research studies. He lives in Fort Worth, Texas and has three children.

Jordan Raynor

Jordan Raynor is a leading voice of the faith and work movement. Through his bestselling books, The Sacredness of Secular Work, Redeeming Your Time and The Creator in You, keynote speeches, podcasts and devotionals, Jordan has helped millions of Christians around the world connect the Gospel to their work. In addition to his writing and speaking, Jordan serves as the executive chairman of Threshold 360, a venture-backed tech startup. He has twice been selected as a Google Fellow and served in The White House under President George W. Bush. Jordan lives in Tampa with his wife and their three young daughters.

Amy Sherman

Amy L. Sherman directs the Center on Faith in Communities at the Sagamore Institute and is an active consultant with Made to Flourish. Sherman is the author of seven books and over 100 articles in a variety of periodicals including First Things, The Christian Century and Christianity Today. Sherman created and co-directed the national Vocation Infusion Learning Communities, a four-year initiative gathering congregational leaders to discuss issues of faith, work and economics. She is also the founder and former executive director of Charlottesville Abundant Life Ministries, an urban ministry in Charlottesville, VA.

Schedule

7:30-8 a.m.: Registration & Light Breakfast, Shinn Landing & Balcony
8-8:15 a.m.: Welcome & Opening Remarks
8:15-9:15 a.m.: Keynote - Jordan Raynor
9:15-9:30 a.m.: Break
9:30-10:30 a.m.: Breakout Session 1 (1 hour)

How to Have Difficult Conversations without Losing Your Faith, College of Education & College of Leadership & Public Service, Ezell 301
The Transformative Work of Vocational Missions, College of Bible and Ministry & Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering, Ezell 363
Intentional Work Brings Restoration and Hope, College of Business, Doris Swang Chapel, Ezell Center
The Halls of Healthcare: Is Your Faith Thriving or on Life Support?, College of Health Sciences & College of Pharmacy, Paul Rogers Boardroom, Ezell Center

10:30-10:45 a.m.: Breakfast
10:45-11:30 a.m.: Keynote - Amy Sherman
11:30-11:45 a.m.: Break
11:45 a.m. -1:30 p.m.: Lunch program including No Small Endeavor show featuring former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam
1:30-1:45 p.m.: Break
1:45-2:30 p.m.: Breakout Session 2

How to Have Difficult Conversations without Losing Your Faith, College of Education & College of Leadership & Public Service, Ezell 301
The Art of Courage, George Shinn College of Entertainment & The Arts, Ezell 363
Mondays Matter: How Work Can Be Sacred, College of Bible and Ministry, Doris Swang Chapel, Ezell Center
Agents of Flourishing, Center for Vocational Discovery & Amy Sherman, Paul Rogers Boardroom, Ezell Center

2:30-2:45 p.m.: Break
2:45-3:45 p.m.: Keynote - David Kinnaman
3:45-4 p.m.: Closing Remarks

Concurrent Breakout Sessions #1: 9:30-10:30 a.m.

The Halls of Healthcare: Is Your Faith Thriving or on Life Support?
Hosted by the College of Health Sciences and the College of Pharmacy
Location: Paul Rogers Boardroom, Ezell Center
Panel: Dr. Parker Panovec, Dr. Hillary Blackburn, and Dr. Merranda Holmes; moderated by Lynette Austin and Tom Campbell

Healthcare professionals face immense pressure and stress, which can lead to burnout and a loss of sense of purpose in their work. For many, faith and spirituality play a crucial role in providing meaning and motivation. This panel discussion explores the role that faith plays as we seek to serve patients in a complex environment where spirituality is challenged daily. This presentation will provide insights and strategies for integrating faith into practice as we help patients in their most difficult moments. The discussion will also explore the additional challenge associated with political pressures affecting healthcare.

Intentional Work Brings Restoration and Hope
Hosted by College of Business
Location: Doris Swang Chapel, Ezell Center
Panel: Duane Murray, C12 Principal Chair; Spencer Patton, Lindsay Bisel, and Garrison Snell

A practical conversation about living on purpose now and growing into your highest and best. We’ll talk with business leaders in varying contexts about how they are engaging their employees, vendors, clients and communities to live a life on purpose. Learn how peer groups seeded ideas that built visions. Hear their origin stories and how their giftings and their trials propelled them into greater purpose. See what they are imagining next. Attendees will walk away with two resources to discover the purposes they have today and the potential God is imagining through them.

The Transformative Work of Vocational Missions
Hosted by College of Bible & Ministry and Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering
Location: Ezell 363

Panel: Steve Sherman, Jeff McCormack, Earl Lavender, and Tyler Kemmerer; moderated by David Elrod and Leonard Allen

From its earliest years, David Lipscomb advocated that students be trained to live out Christ’s calling through their broad and diverse vocations. From the earliest days of Nashville Bible School to the present moment, we have witnessed the transformational impacts of doing just that. In this session, you will hear from a panel of individuals who have witnessed that impact from a variety of perspectives including that of parents of students, teachers of students, leaders of student teams, and those who have been served by our students. Come and hear of this amazing catalyst for spiritual growth and formation.

How to Have Difficult Conversations without Losing Your Faith
Hosted by College of Education and College of Leadership and Public Service
Location: Ezell 301
Presenters: Dr. Leslie Cowell and Dr. Steve Joiner

The session explores practical strategies for navigating challenging dialogues while maintaining spiritual integrity. It focuses on techniques for empathetic listening and respectful engagement. Participants will learn how to stay rooted in their beliefs while being open to understanding others, fostering constructive conversations that strengthen rather than tear down. The session emphasizes the importance of compassion, humility, and resilience in upholding one's faith amidst differing perspectives.

Concurrent Breakout Session #2

Agents of Flourishing
Hosted by the Center for Vocational Discovery
Location: Paul Rogers Boardroom
Presenter: Amy Sherman

God calls Christians to participate in his redemptive mission in every sphere of life. This session will focus on God’s call to seek the shalom of our communities in six arenas of civilizational life through author Amy Sherman’s 'thriving cities’ framework detailed in her award-winning books Kingdom Calling and Agents of Flourishing.

Mondays Matter: How Work Can Be Sacred
Hosted by the College of Bible & Ministry
Location: Doris Swang Chapel
Presenters: Dr. Earl Lavender, Dr. John Mark Hicks, and Dr. Alden Bass

This panel discussion focuses on the theological importance of work in the Christian life. The conversation will also emphasize the vital role of the church in sustaining this vision for its ministry.

The Art of Courage
Hosted by the George Shinn College of Entertainment and the Arts
Location: Ezell 363
Presenter: Steve Taylor

There’s a reason Christian engagement in the arts has largely been a footnote within the broader American culture: most of it’s not very good. In this session, award-winning filmmaker, musician and humorist Steve Taylor challenges the assumptions behind this state of affairs and advocates for the next generation of Christians to be creative, fearless truth-tellers.

Mark October 10 on Your Calendar Today!

Illuminate is a part of the Presidential Signature series as a collaborative event with the Center for Vocational Discovery and College of Business.