Reader ministry has recently been redefined to include three central strands. One of these is enabling mission. This event, led by Rev Dr Joe Kennedy will encourage us to engage with the biblical image of mission as a 'ministry of reconciliation' entrusted to us by God. We shall explore the contemporary landscape of Western society, looking for barriers and openings to reconciliation with God and {so) with one another. Finally, we shall reimagine churches as communities of reconciliation and ask about the distinction and unique contribution Readers can make to the building up of such communities.
Joe Kennedy is Vicar of Oxton St Saviour, a large suburban church on the Wirral Peninsula, and Rural Dean of Birkenhead. He has taught theology in a range of Higher Education settings and led one of the CoE's theological colleges, preparing students for ordination. Most recently, for five years until 2019, he taught theology and missiology at St Mellitus College.
