One of the nation’s foremost experts on emerging adults in the church will present the Parkhurst Lecture at Southwestern College Tuesday, Feb. 19. Drew Dyson will speak on “Borders, Bono, and the Bifurcated Life: Wesleyan Missional Theology and Emerging Adults.”

The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in the Richardson Performing Arts Center and is a free event that the public is encouraged to attend.  The Parkhurst Lecture coincides with the 7th annual Builders In Ministry week, Feb. 19-20, at Southwestern College. 

“We are very excited to have Dr. Drew Dyson coming to Southwestern College,” says Steve Wilke, vice president for planning and new programs at Southwestern.  “He is one of the leading authorities on trends in young Americans especially as they relate to the church.”

An ordained minister, Dyson has served local churches in New Jersey, is an adjunct instructor at the Princeton and Memphis Theological Seminaries, and was executive director of the Shared Mission Focus on Young People of the General Board of Discipleship serving as the team leader and primary author of General Conference legislation creating the Division on Ministries with Young People of the General Board of Discipleship in 2004.

Dyson has written several books on the practice of youth ministry including “Soul-Tending: Life Forming Practices for Older Youth & Young Adults,”  “Faith Forming Junior High Youth Ministry,” “Scripture Talks: Creative Messages for Youth Ministry,” and  “52 Devotions to Feed Your Fire: Soul Tending for Youth Workers.”

Refreshments and a book signing will follow the lecture in the Richardson lobby.
Builders in Ministry is dedicated to providing educational opportunities that nurture and enrich Christian leaders—lay and clergy—for effective living and ministry.  The event is a two-day conference for Moundbuilder alumni, current students, and friends of Southwestern who are involved in ministry or are anticipating going into the ministry, and will include elements of spiritual renewal/refreshment, community/fellowship, and continuing education.

Additional featured speakers for Builders in Ministry include Charles Harrison, CEO and executive director of The Center for Youth Ministry Excellence and The Youthworker Movement, an organization of over 4,500 Youthworkers; and Rev. Wendy Mohler, a Southwestern College graduate who serves as the transition in ministry associate pastor at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church.

For more information, go to www.sckans.edu/bim-week.