News and Views

The Rev. Steven Manskar, director of Wesley Leadership with the denomination’s Board of Discipleship in Nashville, will be leading the Bible study at the Annual Conference Session Thursday and Friday.

Manskar, a clergy member of the Minnesota Conference, is the author of several books, most recently, “Disciples Making Disciples.” He served congregations in Maryland and Minnesota until he joined the staff of Discipleship Ministries in 1999. Both his M.Div and D.Min degrees were earned at Wesley Theological Seminary.

Manskar’s Bible study will be held Thursday at 8:30 a.m. and Friday at 8 a.m.  The first morning, he’ll look at Ephesians 4:1-6 and on the second day he’ll explore Ephesians 4:7, 11-16.

“Paul is laying before the people that we are one in Christ, that it’s all about unity,” Manskar said. “I’m going to unpack that, verse by verse on Thursday.”

On Friday, he said, we’ll learn how that unity is lived out in the life of the church and the church’s mission.

“And, of course, I’ll be making lots of Wesleyan connections,” he said. Early Methodism, through its preaching and particularly through the network of small groups is where disciples are formed, he said.

Manskar will use the image of a Gothic cathedral to illustrate his point. Which one? You’ll have to wait until Friday morning to find out.

“What makes it possible for us to be who God has called us to be are those pillars that hold up the church,” he said. “The pillars are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, pastors and class leaders.”