Episcopal, Anglican theologians gather in Dallas for RADVO conference

[Diocese of Dallas] The message of hope in a tumultuous world is the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, and the recurring theme for the Ancient Order Radical Vocation Conference, commonly known as RADVO, a theology and discernment conference held at the Church of the Incarnation in Dallas, Texas, during the last weekend of September.

Top theologians in the Episcopal and Anglican tradition spoke at the Sept. 25-27 gathering of nearly 250 attendees with a focus on hope in Christ, the Gospel and the call to love your neighbor. 

The gathering brought together young up-and-coming theologians, clergy and discerners nationwide. The conference framework included theological talks from authors, academics and thought leaders in the Christian faith; worshiping together in Holy Eucharist and evensong; developing relationships and forming community; and creating space for unstructured discussions among a cerebral and passionate group of believers.  

It’s easy to get distracted with the busyness of our lives, so to be here with clergy, church leaders, people just discerning and being reminded that it is all about our hope in Christ was a wonderful thing to see, said the Rev. Nathan Webb, associate rector at Peter and Paul Episcopal Church in Marietta, Georgia. 

Early in the conference a panel of theologians spoke candidly on a topic pastors everywhere are talking about:” how to best minister to those who are politically opposite in their congregations. One speaker talked about hateful words exchanged publicly online between two parishioners with differing political views and how bringing them together, in person with their pastor for discussion, human connection and understanding resolved the issue in a satisfying way. 

People think being prophetic is telling people off on social media or saying they hate their enemies, said the Rev. Tish Harrison Warren, author, columnist and priest in the Anglican Church in North America. “The prophetic needs to be truly alternative so the church behaves in such a way that it doesn’t fit in the political categories of our day but should challenge everyone in the room whether they are on the left or the right,” she said.

Clergy must consider ways to create congregations where people of diverse political views can worship together and experience the power of the Gospel, Warren said.

Kenneth Keith, who lives in Dallas and is discerning his call to serve, said the panel discussion was “refreshingly” realistic. “That speaks to me,” he said. “Theologically I don’t fall neatly in the categories of the tradition that I grew up in or the tradition that I’m in now. It gives me permission to be there and not fit into any of those categories except for allegiance to Christ the King.”

Panelists also said preaching in today’s climate should focus on the Gospel and not culture. The Rev. Annette Brownlee, who teaches pastoral theology at Wycliffe College in Toronto, Canada, talked about theologian Karl Barth, a leading Christian thinker in the 20th century, who insisted that God’s revelation in Christ, not human culture, philosophy or politics was the foundation of theology. The Church must be centered on the Word of God not on state propaganda or cultural ideas.

She also talked about being a minister to all in the church because one day that may mean pastoring a teenager who is transitioning and the next day to the parents who are against it. “We are called to love one another, period.” Brownlee said. “What an important vocation to witness to the power of love over our petty, finite, transitory distinctions.” 

Many were also encouraged by the words of Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, who gave a homily by video at the conference during a morning worship service. Rowe preached from readings of Ezekiel and the Gospel about seeds of the cedar tree and mustard bush. He talked about Ezekiel’s towering cedar tree, mighty and capable of bearing fruit and sheltering God’s creatures with its sturdy branches. Meanwhile, the mustard seed is invasive, grows unchecked and crowds out native plants, but provides yellow flowers as it spreads across mountains and fields.

Our participation in God’s mission requires us to nurture both kinds of seeds, Rowe said. “The Kingdom of God is like both. We need our towering resplendent institutions that anchor The Episcopal Church as a witness to our past and provide shelter for ancient truths and the thinkers who safeguard and strengthen them,” he said. “And we need our edgy church plants, campus ministries and restarts where we wrestle the challenges that make a bold, bright witness to the truths in a culture filled with conflict and chaos.

“Either way, Team Cedar or Team Mustard the Kingdom of God is like the seeds you are planting now and the growth that God is giving. The Kingdom is upon us now in all its towering majesty and all its chaotic, golden wonder. As members of the body of Christ sometimes we are called to be its branches and sometimes we are called to rest in its shade and always we are to proclaim its hope.”

Shruti Kulkami, who is discerning her call and lives in Boston, Massachusetts, said she took comfort from Rowe’s homily. “I really appreciated him saying that God works in different ways,” she said. “If what you see is not what you are hoping for or what you expect, trust that God is working through that and to keep going. That is a message a lot of us needed to hear.” 

While much of the conference focused on theology, those in discernment for holy orders were invited to a special luncheon to hear Central Florida Bishop Justin Holcomb and Dallas Bishop Coadjutor Robert P. Price talk about the process of discernment in their dioceses and to answer questions. 

Holcomb talked about how the Diocese of Central Florida had ordained around 150 people in the last decade and that there is a need in The Episcopal Church for young clergy to replace those who are retiring. He said his diocese looks for people with an excellent reputation, an exemplary family life, Christ-like skills, a disciplined life devoted to scripture, and those who are spiritually mature. 

Price said that discernment in community is key and helps people understand their call, that it’s not just their own subjectivity, rather it’s about serving in suffering love in a community of faith. “It’s about what people that you trust, mentors and spiritual fathers and mothers are saying to you and to trust that word,” he said. “Your openness to that is a gift.”

Philip Gains, who is a student at Duke Divinity School in North Carolina and is a youth minister at St. George’s in Nashville, Tennessee, said he came to the conference for theological formation and to hear and think about discernment as he seeks to understand his own call.  “The content has been really good, and it has been great just listening to people who are at the top of their game theologically and pastorally and seeing what it can look like being a priest in this church outside my particular parish and how there is real community that is found in that space,” he said. 

Embracing the normalcy of life as a vehicle for God’s glory was another sub-theme that emerged throughout the event. The Rev. Ephram Radner, who is a professor of Historical Theology at Wycliffe College said, “Hope is discovered in normalcy where God has chosen to magnify His greatness. Priests are called to testify to the hope that living a normal life is a gift from God. It’s a fundamental aspect of human existence. It’s through normalcy that humans can find hope and meaning.”

Warren also touched on the idea of normalcy when she talked about a duty of delight by finding joy and beauty in small moments. She encouraged church leaders to practice delight intentionally and to not view it as a waste of time. This may be reading a book, drinking a good cup of coffee, talking to a friend or taking a nap. 

Faithfulness and consistency to spiritual disciplines is also important, Warren said. Perseverance is needed for hope. Persevere during hard times even if there is weariness or feeling less connected to God. Keep praying, keep meditating on the Psalms, keep listening to the spirit, keep practicing silence, keep learning and keep showing up to church, she said.

Many attendees said that the ideas of consistency in Christian disciplines and embracing normalcy resonated with them. Leaning into the ordinary of our lives is a great way to serve others, said Jacob Plamer, a Truett Seminary student who is in discernment. “I love the focus in just doing the ordinary work of the church and how that is a window into God’s grace in people’s lives,” he said. 

Keith agreed and said, “What I will never forget from Mother Warren is when she said the ‘Lord rends the heavens to reveal an average Tuesday’, I think that is wonderfully said not only to ordained life but to whatever vocation someone might have.”

The RADVO conference is offered every two years in Dallas at the Church of the Incarnation. The event attracts global speakers and has included the former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, N.T. Wright, Stanley Hauerwas, former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and more. The next RADVO is scheduled Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2027. 

Watch Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe’s full sermon here.