University of Indianapolis to host conference supporting the health and wellness of pastors and ministry leaders

The Lantz Center at the University of Indianapolis will host the second annual Called + Crafted Preaching & Innovation Conference on Oct 19-21 to help pastors and ministry leaders address their own feelings of burnout and being overwhelmed while caring for their own congregations and communities. 

The conference is part of UIndy’s Compelling Preaching Initiative, which is designed to strengthen and equip the current and the next generation of preachers in Central Indiana, and is supported by a grant of more than a $1 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. This year’s theme is “We Choose Joy,” reflecting the conference’s focus on preaching, innovation and the personal well-being of those called to ministry. 

“Called + Crafted is not your typical preacher’s conference,” said Rev. Arionne Lynch, University of Indianapolis chaplain and director of the Lantz Center for Christian Vocation. “It’s a holistic, person-focused experience that reminds us that we are deserving of joy, that God wants that for us, and that we can choose it—not to escape the pains of life, but as a source of Divine strength that sees us through them.”

The conference offers workshops on topics like how to make your preaching more neuroinclusive and how to navigate depression and anxiety in ministry. There are also holistic wellness support activities including yoga, biofeedback lava bed relaxation, zero-gravity massage chairs and creative arts.

This year’s keynote speaker is the Rev. Dr. Teresa L. Fry Brown, Bandy Professor of Preaching and associate dean of academic affairs at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Fry Brown is the author of several books, including “Delivering the Sermon: Voice, Body and Animation in Proclamation,” and was recently added to the International Hall of Honor in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College.

“If you want to know how to engage the joy you preach about, Called + Crafted is for you,” said Rev. Dr. Rae Karim, founder of the nonprofit Good Grief Now! and workshop leader. “It’s a gathering for the person, who is the preacher. It’s not just about the sermon of words we give on Sundays. It’s about the ways we live out the sermons of our lives in ways that honor God and acknowledge our humanity.”

Regular registration for the Called + Crafted Conference is $150 and ends on Oct. 5. An early bird registration price of $100 is available through Sept. 25. Scholarships are available for those facing financial barriers. For more information, visit https://www.indycpi.org/ccc or email hello@indycpi.org.

For members of the media who are interested in learning more, please contact UIndy’s Director of Public & Media Relations Dan Klein at kleind@uindy.edu.