Sessions and Workshops
At Compelled, you will have the opportunity to attend three plenary sessions and two workshops out of the six being offered.
Plenary Sessions
Mixed Signals: The Jesus Who Stops Mary Magdalene and Invites Thomas
with Dr. Sandra Glahn
If you’ve ever felt like God’s timing or boundaries make no sense, you’re in good company. In His post-resurrection encounters with Mary Magdalene and Thomas (John 20:11–29), Jesus gives seemingly opposite instructions to two of His most devoted followers. He tells a worshiping Mary Magdalene to stop clinging to Him, but He invites a skeptical Thomas to touch His wounds. Why the mixed signals? By examining these contrasting encounters in the garden and the upper room, we’ll discover how Jesus personalizes His care for us even as He advances His kingdom.
Loving Jesus and His Biting Sheep!
with Dr. Matthew D. Kim
The reinstatement of Simon Peter to the work of ministry is a significant teaching moment in the Gospel of John. In this plenary session based on John 21:15–25, Dr. Matthew D. Kim will draw from his research and pastoral ministry experience to explore what it means to love Jesus while loving the sheep who sometimes wound their ministers. Dr. Kim will address the wounds experienced by both pastors and congregants and the hope found in Jesus, who understands what it means to be wounded yet calls His followers to continue loving and serving others.
Why the Wounds? John 20:19–29
with Dr. Phillip L. Pointer Sr.
Why does the Gospel of John portray the risen Jesus as still bearing the wounds of the crucifixion? This plenary session will explore what those wounds reveal about Christ and His mission and how they serve as signs of identity, continuity, and revelation. Particular attention will be given to what the wounded yet glorified Christ means for Christian leadership and pastoral practice, inviting clergy and scholars alike to consider how John’s resurrection theology can shape the church’s witness in a wounded world.
Workshops
Workshop Times:
- Period 1: 1:20 p.m.–2:20 p.m.
- Period 2: 3:40 p.m.–4:40 p.m.
The Joy on the Other Side of the Wound: Preaching John’s Vision of Restored Gladness
with Emmanuella Carter
Joy in John’s Gospel is not a spiritual substitute for happiness—it is happiness felt, embodied, and real. When the wounded Christ appears to His disciples, they are not merely theologically reassured; they are flooded with gladness. This workshop equips preachers to proclaim a joy that produces something in their hearers. Drawing on John’s resurrection narratives, we’ll explore preaching that doesn’t just inform people about joy but helps them experience it.
Humility’s Restorative Power
with Dr. Dennis R. Edwards
Reviving the underrated virtue of humility can heal our souls and transform our Christian witness. Humility connects us to the heart of Jesus, while submission opens us to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Drawing from John and other Christian writers, this workshop will explore what biblical humility looks like and how embracing it as a way of being can bring restoration to our lives and witness.
Beyond the Wound: Healing-Centered Preaching from the Gospel of John
with Dr. Deb Gorton
Trauma-informed preaching has helped us ask an essential question: What happened to you? But the Gospel of John invites us to ask a second question: What is right with you? This workshop introduces healing-centered engagement as a complement to trauma-informed frameworks and explores how Jesus’ encounters with Thomas, Mary Magdalene, the woman at the well, and others offer more than healing from pain. They point toward the restoration of identity, agency, purpose, and belonging. Together, we’ll consider how preaching can move beyond naming wounds to cultivating wholeness.
The Admirable Woman at the Well: John 4:1–45
with Dr. Dominick S. Hernández
Jesus used shocking rhetoric in an unexpected conversation with an unnamed Samaritan woman for the sake of her spiritual well-being (John 4:1–45). Her receptiveness to Jesus changed not only her life but also the lives of those around her—and continues to challenge those who read her story. In this workshop, we’ll explore how Jesus’ words and the Samaritan woman’s response call us to remain receptive to those who challenge us and to lovingly but boldly confront others with truth for their good.
Life Through Death, Glory Through Humiliation, and Victory Through Defeat: Isaiah’s Suffering Servant in John 12:20–43
with Dr. Brittany Kim
For those who are hurting or afflicted, John 12:20–43 reveals that Jesus is intimately acquainted with suffering. Drawing on the portrait of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53, the passage reframes our anguish with the paradoxical good news that life comes through death, glory through humiliation, and victory through defeat. This workshop will explore how preaching John through the lens of the Old Testament can help people find healing and restoration in Jesus, who suffered with and for us.
The Wounded Healer Speaks from the Cross
with Dr. Gerald W. Peterman
As Mary stands at the foot of the cross and watches her son die, Jesus speaks to her with astounding love: “Woman, behold, your son!” The compassion behind these stunning words becomes even clearer in light of what John has revealed throughout his Gospel. In this workshop, we’ll trace that journey through John to discover how the wounded Healer demonstrates extraordinary compassion even during His own suffering.
