Each week throughout the semester, the Campolo Scholars and I gather for a “Monday Meeting.” These meetings are a critical component in the ongoing discipleship of these young leaders.
Last week, we were honored to have Reverend Amy Banka lead our discussion.
Amy is the Senior (and first female) Pastor of Hopewell United Methodist Church, where she mentors Campolo Scholar, Ally Bartlett. Hopewell is also the church home of our newest Campolo Scholar, Berdy JeanMary.
Amy led a challenging and important discussion addressing the question: What is the nature and mission of the Church?
This is a foundational question that all Christians – particularly Christian leaders – must wrestle with, and attempt to answer.
Amy shared that Jesus gave the Church a clear mission statement: make disciples – and noted how often churches develop secondary mission statements. Rev. Banka attributes the neglect of this mission statement as a key factor in the decline of the contemporary church in the West.
We were reminded that “we can’t be a disciple of the one despised and rejected without experiencing rejection.” This was a difficult discussion for the scholars, but their responses were overwhelmingly positive.
Scholar Emily Pastin shared afterward that Amy was her favorite speaker we’ve brought to campus. Scholar Hilary Horigan emailed me to say: “She was quite challenging. Thank you so much for having her come in.”
Monday Meetings are core to the Campolo Center for Ministry’s strategy to develop the next generation of church leaders. If you, or someone you know, would like to speak at our weekly meetings, mentor a Scholar, or financially support the Campolo Center, contact us today. Your partnership is vital!
With gratitude and hope,
Robert Gauthier
Executive Director
