Ken Howard

Conflict Transformation Dialogue Process

1998-03-01

Lead the team which developed an innovative approach to dialogue on human sexuality issues, which led to a significant shift in the emotional climate of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, and made it possible for conservative and liberal clergy and congregations to work together with more trust and less animosity.

Groundbreaking research on Jewish Christianity in the Early Church

Published groundbreaking research on the separation of Judaism and Christianity, and how the Church lost its Jewish roots by mistakenly excommunicating Jewish-Christianity as heretical, even though it's theology and ecclesiology was within the bounds of orthodoxy at the time. A cautionary tale for the modern Church.

Yale University

Symposium with Miroslav Volf

Emergent Theology

Blogger & United Methodist Pastor

United Methodeviations: Rethinking Church in the 21st Century

Howard is asking the questions that every church should be wrestling with. The church we have been for the past few generations is not the church we need to be for the coming generation. The world we live in has changed significantly. How we merge faith and practice and present a theological integrity that speaks to the modern/post-modern generation is of critical importance. We must learn from our past to create a radically different future.

Blogger

Dancing in Fields of Grace

Ken Howard's "Paradoxy" . . . gives me hope that we can have meaningful dialogue -- and find friendship -- with those who differ from us.

Rector

Calvary Episcopal Church, Memphis, TN

Ken Howard's new book, "Paradoxy," really is unique, because it seeks to make theological sense of what is happening in the Church today. It's hard to imagine a book that could have a more profound impact on our understanding of church today. It's an especially rewarding challenge for a church group to tackle, particularly one that includes people from each of the two traditional streams who are struggling to live together faithfully.

Evangelical Blogger

The Christian Watershed

Howard's thesis is simple – all churches need to live in the love of Christ as the center of their community. Everything else is peripheral. Anticipating that both conservatives and liberals would find difficulty in such a way of thinking, he implores Liberals to see that such a shift in thinking is a progressive paradigm while explaining to Conservatives that what they see as “God’s Truth” that needs to be defended doesn’t in fact need to be defended. That is, if they fear putting Christ as the center of their church community because it would abdicate progressive ideas or conservative apologetics, neither side should be afraid; Christ is progressive and capable of defending His doctrines without our help.

Pastor

St Andrew's Parish Church, Blantyre, Scotland

Ken Howard speaks powerfully to our current intractable positions where folks from either sides of the debate fling verbal (and sometimes worse) hand-grenades from side to side.

Blogger

Without A Map

Ken Howard has that rare gift of making very complex matters understandable quite quickly.

Canon to the Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church

In an age when the church’s membership appears to many to be sharply divided into competing camps of thought on so many issues, parish priest and organizational development consultant Ken Howard addresses this tendency toward polarization while offering an intriguing alternative to the familiar “either/or” dichotomy. Having personally known the author since our days together at Virginia Theological Seminary years ago, I have seen him put into practice the principles he espouses, and to good effect. As an instructor in conflict management, I rejoice that Howard has provided the church with an engaging tool for study and fruitful discussion.

Resource Center Coordinator

The Eastminster Presbytery

Howard phases out the “divide and conquer” mentality with “join and connect.” He asks where we are now, how did we get here and where do we go in the future? When we answer these questions, we can better lead congregations in these challenging times.

Church Planter & Pastor

Prince of Peace Church

Ken Howard is an engaging man. The “new middle way” he proposes is equally engaging. He shows a way to go beyond winners and losers to a place where everyone can engage Jesus in community with one another, in worship of God, and service to the community. Ken’s hopeful, open way of relating to one another will open doors to the gospel for a culture and society that has grown skeptical of encounters and looks for engagement that is formed by whole-hearted acceptance.

Bishop

Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan

Ken delivered a biblically and theological grounded, highly interactive, hands-on experience and a new language of Church that is already having positive ripple effects across the diocese. As a result of the conference, Clergy are reporting that:

Paradoxy is changing their perspectives in ways that are enabling them to engage tough questions about the future of their congregations.

Paradoxy is helping them and their congregations to imagine a non-proselytizing evangelism and become more confident and effective evangelists.

Paradoxy is transforming the way they and their congregations think about conflict, enabling them to harness God-given diversity through the love of Christ in order to harvest healthy Christian community.

Professor of Management

American Intercontinental University

Here is a direct method for churches and congregations to begin their discussions about inclusion, defining their evangelical style, calling new clergy, elevating the laity, and bringing out the gifts of the excluded in their communities

Editor, Author, Speaker

ExploreFaith.org

Howard offers both a sharp-eyed analysis of how the Church has arrived at its present permutation followed by a very accessible and kindly-inclined diagnosis of what Her condition presently is. More importantly, perhaps, Howard gives us one of the clearest and most concise commentaries presently available about where the Church may reasonably be seen as going in this time of paradigmatic shift.

Bishop Provisional of Eau Claire

The Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire

We are most grateful to you: for writing PARADOXY, for your presence with us last week, and for putting flesh on and love into your words as they apply to us.

Canon to the Ordinary

Episcopal Diocese of Long Island

Sincere thanks from the heart for companioning our clergy through a rich few days in Glen Cove.

You led us to a lovely place that will no doubt continue to bear fruit in our common life.

Blessings to you, your parish community, and our friends in D.C.

Starting Fresh: Envisioning Your Congregation in a Missional Diocese

Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire First Annual Visioning Conference  Eau Claire, WI

2012-05-19

Unpacking the Vision: One Diocese, One Mission, To All God's People

Episcopal Diocese of Long Island Annual Clergy Conference  Long Island, NY

2012-05-08

Creating Christian Community Beyond Us & Them

Episcopal Diocese of Missouri Annual Clergy Conference  St. Louis, MO

2011-10-04

Emergent Leadership

Leadership Workshop  Midland, MI

2011-05-21

Beyond Liberal & Conservative: A Third Way of Being Christian

St. John's Annual Spring Community Lecture  Midland, MI

2011-05-19

Creating Christian Community Beyond Us & Them

Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan Annual Clergy Conference  Midland, MI

2011-05-18

Imagining the 21st Century Church

St. Mark's, Houston, Annual Epiphany Lecture Series  Houston, TX

2010-01-21

The Death & Resurrection of Christianity: Re-Paradigming the Church

Plant My Church Conference  Kanuga, TN

2009-09-21