“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” This verse from Hebrews 11:8 was the theme of the second Church of the Brethren L.E.A.D. Conference held at Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren on May 1-3.

By Nate Polzin A few weeks ago, Church of the Brethren leaders from our largest congregations gathered in Orlando, Fla., for a time of learning, sharing, and support. Churches were invited that had an average of 200 or more in person at their worship services. Out of 11 congregations of that size, 9 sent pastoral

Ice and fire. No, not the epic Game of Thrones saga but the very real elements some endured to gather for the Western Plains District Leadership Training in Great Bend, Kan.

Registration for the Church of the Brethren’s L.E.A.D. (Listen Equip Adapt Disciple) Conference is now open at www.brethren.org/dlf/lead-conference. This year’s conference is May 1-3 at Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren and also open to virtual attendees. The scripture theme is Hebrews 11:8, which talks about Abraham following God through unfamiliar territory—certainly an apt description of church leadership today!

Nancy Sollenberger Heishman will retire on July 17 as director of the Church of the Brethren’s Ministry Office, after holding the position for almost nine years. She started as director of Ministry on Nov. 6, 2017.