The purpose of SACEM is to strengthen the practice of continuing education for ministry. One of the ways we do this is through our annual conference. Next year's SACEM conference will be held March 6-8, 2009, in Atlanta on the campus of Columbia Theological Seminary. The theme for the conference will focus on strengthening the practice of continuing education for ministry in times of change. The 2009 conference will strive to continue the opportunities we have enjoyed in the past for conversations, networking and resource sharing, worship, and presentations and workshop opportunities. 

Leadership for the conference will include Russ Moxley and Ron Cervero. Ron Cervero is professor and head of the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia. He is the author of numerous books and articles on continuing education. Ron is a long time friend of SACEM and brings a wealth of knowledge about the practice of continuing in many professions including ministry.

Russ Moxley has served as senior fellow of the Center for Creative Leadership and has been a resource for the Lilly Endowment’s Sustaining Pastoral Excellence initiative. He is the author of Leadership and Spirit: Breathing New Vitality and Energy into Individuals and Organizations (Jossey Bass, 2000).  More information about Russ and his work can be found at http://moxleyandassociates.com/index.html.

The pedagogy for this year’s conference will be highly collaborative and will include the use of learning approaches such as Harrison Owen’s “Open Space Learning ” and Parker Palmer’s “Circles of Trust.”  Our goal is to explore ways that we can build an effective learning community focused on continuing education for ministry.

Additional information on the conference will be available later in the summer.

Save the date and spread the word – March 6-8, 2009, spring in Atlanta Georgia!