High Level Talks for the Crossroads of our Time

Taking its inspiration from the historical and philosophical legacy of Athens, Greece, the Areopagus Symposium focuses on intellectual and philosophical topics related to Christology, missiology, and ecclesiology.

We invite scholars, theologians, and practitioners from diverse backgrounds to engage in a profound exploration of the theological landscape at the intersection of these vital disciplines. The symposium fosters rich dialogue and interdisciplinary exchange, delving into questions of the nature and significance of Christ, the challenges and strategies in mission and evangelism, and the evolving character of the Christian Church in the contemporary world.

Through presentations, discussions, and respectful dialogue, we aim to bridge the ancient wisdom of Christian thought with the pressing issues of today, encouraging respect for diverse perspectives and a deeper understanding of these critical facets of our faith.

  • Philosophical and Intellectual Focus

  • Engagement with Diverse Ideas

  • Interdisciplinary Approach

  • Theological Community of Exchanging Ideas

  • Contemporary Relevance

  • Exploration of Missiological Issues

Upcoming Symposium

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Community Intelligence

September 19, 2024, 3pm ET

In the 21st Century, churches and religious organizations are facing an epistemological crisis. Engaging increasingly complex communities, and navigating a rapidly changing technological landscape, it is more difficult than ever to arrive at a confident knowledge of theological and missiological truth. The aim of this webinar is to suggest that collective intelligence is among the more reliable forms of religious epistemology. It begins by defining what is meant by collective intelligence, and uses common objections to it in order to better understand how religious organizations can achieve it without falling into mob-mentalities or group-think. This exploration results in a kind of road map for organizations that may wish to achieve collective intelligence by focusing on two key components: Diversity situated around a unifying missiological purpose, and algorithmic feedback loops of feedback and network plasticity. It is suggested that organizations willing to employ these strategies in their decision making processes can better reflect the life of the Trinity, engage with the mind of Christ, and plant self-theologizing faith communities. We'll hear from Adam Amberg, PhD student at Kairos University followed by insights from a panel of leaders and close with a time of Q&A.
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Past Symposia

Free access to the video editions of past Areopagus Symposia

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Gender Significance

Dr. Kate Coleman and Rev. Cham Kaur-Mann

Exposing some of the internal and external challenges that hold women back in leadership and discover insights and resources to clear the path and pave the way. We'll hear from Dr. Kate Coleman, founding director of Next Leadership and author of 7 Deadly Sins of Women in Leadership. She was the first black woman Baptist minister in the UK and has been recognised as one of the 20 most influential black Christian women leaders in the country. Dr. Coleman will be joined by Rev. Cham Kaur-Mann, co-director of Next Leadership with 25 years of leadership experience in the church is the first (and currently only) Asian woman minister within the Baptsit Union of Great Britain. We'll also hear insights from a panel of leaders and have time for Q&A
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Transformational Servant Leadership

Prof. Kathryn Chiu

Join us for this Areopagus Symposium as we'll hear from Kathie Chiu, previously a 30 year Salvation Army Officer, now a PhD student and a professor in the BA Leadership program at Trinity Western University. She'll share her research discovery on transformational servant leadership followed by insights from a panel of leaders.
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Islam in the West

Wes Watkins, DMiss

The upcoming webinar, "Islam in the West," delves into the multifaceted relationship between Muslims and the Global North, drawing parallels to the Christian experience. Like Christians, Muslims represent a diverse spectrum of beliefs and practices. They also face the challenge of being "in the world and not of the world," often echoing evangelical Christian values. Islamophobia persists, with evolving dynamics involving right-wing alliances across religious boundaries and the unfortunate potential for radicalization within both faiths. The webinar explores a transformative approach centered on movemental ecclesiology and a supra-religious, Christ-centered witness. Novel initiatives involve sending Majority World movement catalysts to immigrant communities in the West. The question remains: Can the Church adapt to these new wineskins? Join us in (re)discovering our Muslim neighbors and exploring the heart of Jesus for us both.
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Contextualization Risk Paradox

Michael T. Cooper, PhD

Missiologists have frequently recognized the thin line between contextualization and syncretism. This symposium will introduce broad boundaries in the missionary task which account for the tendency to either over- or under-contextualize systems of beliefs and behaviors. The respective paradox of syncretism and reductionism raises the question of the value of contextualization as a missions tool. As a corrective to the paradox, Dr. Cooper will introduce a missiological theology to serve as a framework for the missionary task.
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Recent Symposium Topics

Join for free to watch past Areopagus Symposia presentations

    1. Welcome!

    1. Introduction

    2. Contextualization Risk Paradox - Recording

    3. Contextualization Risk Paradox - Slide Deck

    4. Contextualization Risk Paradox - Chapter download

    5. Further Study

    6. Missiological Theology

    1. Introduction

    2. Islam in the West - Slide Deck

    3. Islam in the West - Recording

    4. Respondents

    5. More from Warrick Farah

    6. Religions in the World

    1. Introduction

    2. Transformational Servant Leadership - Presentation

    3. Panel Discussion

    4. Q & A

    1. Introduction

    2. Gender Significance - Presentation

    3. Panel Discusion

    4. Q & A

    1. Register for the next symposium

About this course

  • Free
  • 24 lessons
  • 5 hours of video content

In partnership with the Movement Leaders Collective

Catalyzing Jesus Movements to Shift the Tracks of History

The Movement Leaders Collective provides a catalyst for movement leadership and a community for movement leaders across gender, geography, race, and ethnicity. The mission of MLC is to identify, train, and empower 100 Jesus-movements and 1,000 Christlike leaders using the mDNA framework to become dynamic, innovative, and generative movements able to shift the tracks of history.
Learn more