Center for Faith and Life
Montreat Conference Center’s new Center for Faith and Life (CFL) is a key component within the institution’s newly adopted 5-year Ministry and Mission Work Plan. While continuing to oversee the current adult conferencing portfolio, it will also focus on a restructured adult programming strategy for 2011 designed to serve the 21st century challenges and opportunities of the emerging church and world.
The proposed strategy for streamlining Montreat-planned adult programming will spotlight two larger annual conferences planned by Montreat – a single topic signature conference and a newly created “Montreat Institute for Church Leadership” conference which will feature parallel tracks incorporating some of the conference center’s most popular leadership conferences. In addition, several smaller non-repeating conferences will be offered each year that focus on the conference center’s mission headings, “Celebrating Relationships,” Nurturing Congregations,” and “Deepening Discipleship.” The CFL will also pursue program partnerships with other institutions and organizations, church retreats, and customized programs for individuals and small groups.
The first action of the new Center was establishing a Master Planning Team that would be charged with developing conference topics and recruiting leadership. Calling together the right team was crucial to the on-going success of the restructuring process. Nine bold, visionary, highly visible leaders from across the church have accepted the invitation to serve three year terms.
“The church has changed,” said Peery. “So Montreat Conference Center must change to serve the church that is emerging. Furthermore,” he added, “we are affected and must respond to today’s realities – people’s limited discretionary time; tight budgets, both personally and institutionally; and competing activities and opportunities. This new Center for Faith and Life and its Master Planning Team will address all of these things.”