![\"Collonges\"](\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/images_news-2019_Collonges.jpg\")
<\/a>Over the four days they spent time in lectures, reflections and exchanges on the theme of pastoral ministry and ecclesial leadership. Such conferences are important as theologians address the issue of ministry from a variety of angles.<\/p>\nTo introduce the subject, Walter Ala\u00f1a, Dean of the Adventist Theological Seminary in Peru, present in the context of a new agreement between Collonges and Lima, addressed “the theology of pastoral ministry from an Adventist perspective”. That theme was then developed by other speakers. Miguel Guttierrez (Villa Aurora, Italy) discussed the “prophet as a model of spiritual leader”; Old\u0159ich Svoboda (Sazava, Czech Republic) explored the New Testament vocabulary of ecclesial leadership; Ivan Milanov (Newbold, England) compared “prophetic and cultic leadership”; while Nestor Petruk (Sagunto, Spain), addressed a missiological dimension.<\/p>\n
Richard Lehmann (Collonges, France) approached the issue of the ministry from the perspective of the shepherd, sharing lessons from his long experience. Then Reinder Bruinsma explored the question of “authority and conscience” in relation to the freedom of the pastor. Alexander Schulze (Friedensau, Germany) considered ministry in relation to the challenge of youth and its integration into the Church; a reflection usefully completed by Bj\u00f8rn Ottesen (Newbold, England) on the issue of young pastors and the question of authority from participation and influence. Daniel Olariu (Cernica, Romania) focused on the happiness of ministers. Rudy Van Moere (Belgium) addressed the question of the “pastor’s dilemma in a postmodern society”, while Gabriel Monet (Collonges, France) concluded by showing the relevance of an evolution in the conception of the ministry in a changing world.<\/p>\n
The ETTC (European Theology Teachers Conference) occurs traditionally every two years, each time on a different Campus. The next ETTC will take place in 2021 in Budapest, Hungary.<\/p>\n<\/a>In addition to these stimulating conferences, an afternoon at the Palais Wilson in Geneva, home of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, provided an opportunity to understand how the working commissions of this important United Nations body function, but above all to be sensitive to the \u2018Faith for Rights\u2019 project, which seeks to encourage faith actors to be a driving force for human rights.<\/p>\n<\/a>On a second afternoon trip, participants visited the old city of Geneva, including the International Museum of the Reformation, discovering landmarks related to John Calvin and the Protestant Reformation. <\/a>They also benefited by hearing a lecture by Michel Grandjean, a renowned Calvin specialist, who explored the conception of the ministry in the writings of the Geneva reformer. The excursion concluded with meeting Blaise Menu, the moderator of the Geneva Company of Pastors, who presented the history and current developments of this original organisation.<\/p>\n<\/a>Spiritual times marked this theological meeting, with devotionals led by Marius Munteanu and Daniel Duda, the educational leaders of the two European divisions of the Adventist Church; a beautiful holy communion to begin the Sabbath; participation in the Sabbath worship at the Collonges Church and a very musical end to the Sabbath in the Chapel of the Maccabees in Geneva Cathedral, a high place of the Reformation.<\/p>\n<\/a>Gabriel Monet, Dean of the Faculty of Theology of Collonges and coordinator of the conference sees the importance of the gathering: “These moments between Adventist theologians are precious, not only for theological stimulation around an important theme, which remains to be explored, but also for fraternity and fruitful exchanges that provide an incentive to pursue our important teaching ministry for the Church”.<\/p>\n