The primary purpose of this conference is to explore the impact that the ancient and modern modes of communication exerted has on the way the Word of God is communicated to the believing communities. The ancient modes of communication undoubtedly include the proclamation of prophetic messages, the preparation of manuscripts, and the propagation of printed Bibles. The modern days have witnesses the production of electronic Bible study tools that enables the ministers to learn how to use the biblical text in original and translated languages and to present their message in a way that utilizes the best that the modern civilization has to offer.

From the two conferences, also made possible by the gracious support of the Chatlos Foundation Inc., we have learned the importance of listening for how the eternal Word of God speaks to individuals and communities in their particular contexts. Those contexts clearly includes the ways in which they preserve and share how God dealt with them according to God’s gracious care for each person, each generation, and each people. In the next conference, we plan to reflect upon the media through which God’s message of salvation has been communicated.

The day will have two main components. The morning sessions will feature presentations by leading biblical scholars, who will speak about the modes of communication in biblical and post-biblical times. These sessions will inform the participants of the biblical-theological framework that guides the centuries of the transmission of Torah and the spread of the gospel.

The afternoon sessions will provide hands-on exercises that introduce the audience to the modern technology in the ministry of the Word. The sessions will be accompanied by workshops that feature the widely utilized electronic resources including BibleWorks, Logos, and Accordance. In addition, the participants will have an opportunity to be informed of the cutting edge of the web-based ministry of the Word.

About NYTS

New York Theological Seminary, founded in 1901 and formerly known as the Biblical Seminary in New York, is a non-denominational urban center for theological education with more than 525 students working in partnership with churches throughout the metropolitan area. Its student body is one of the most diverse in the nation today, and its programs are offered at a variety of academic levels in order to provide resources for ministry. NYTS offers programs to prepare men and women for effective service in church and society in parish ministry and other vital ministries such as chaplaincy, social policy advocacy, and community organizing. NYTS offers programs in several languages, at different educational levels, and at multiple locations. The Seminary shares with its constituencies a fundamental commitment to the transformative power of the Word of God and, in light of this commitment and in keeping with its history as the Biblical Seminary of New York, the Bible is at the center of the Seminary’s curriculum and devotional life. NYTS is the only seminary in the nation primarily dedicated to preparing and supporting clergy and laity for inner-city ministry.

Since the 1970s, NYTS has developed a mode of theological education in which the Seminary is closely involved with the churches from which its students come and in which they serve as graduates. As a result, the Seminary both learns from the congregations, and contributes to the congregations through both students and faculty. This enables NYTS to be a resource to other seminaries—those without direct involvement with the churches of New York or any city--who wish to use New York as a “learning laboratory” for their own ministry students.

NYTS, long known for its mission of training religious leaders for ministry in urban settings, is poised at the beginning of a new period of growth and opportunity. The Seminary is dramatically expanding and increasing its programs of training for ministry, with new interdisciplinary programs and centers including the Center for the Study and Practice of Urban Religion; the Center for World Christianity; and the Center’s Globalization Project, which is sponsoring the upcoming Conference, Religion in the Global City: Faith, Justice, Action.