As people of faith, we often refer to God as a “higher power.” But we don’t always understand how to interact with the ways that power impacts our daily lives. How do we, the people of God, influence for good while using power well? This is a spiritual formation question, as it requires embodying an inner response to a power obsessed world.
We invite you to join us for a lecture by Dr. MaryKate Morse, Professor of Leadership and Spiritual Formation at Portland Seminary, about the spiritually forming role of power in a power-crazed world. Morse’s lecture will unpack the nature of influence, service, and power and then present a biblical view of power as modeled by Jesus.
In seeking to understand power and its spiritually forming role, we will consider these guiding questions:
➡️ What exactly is power and how is it created in a group?
➡️ How is power communicated through our bodies?
➡️ Why do some people draw attention as soon as they walk into a room?
➡️ Why are other people "unheard" even when they do speak?
➡️ How can each of us become better stewards of the power we do possess?
➡️ What does the life of Jesus show us about a biblical view of power?
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
MaryKate Morse (PhD, Gonzaga University) is a professor of leadership and spiritual formation in the Leadership and Spiritual Formation DMin track at Portland Seminary. In her role as lead mentor, she sets the overall ethos of the program and coaches other program instructors. Together, they design the course content for each semester, lead the four academic retreats, and facilitate the online learning experiences.
MaryKate has taught at the seminary for over 30 years in the fields of New Testament Greek, various spiritual formation courses, and leadership and organizational change courses. She also designed several of the seminary programs and served in various administrative positions at the university, including as the seminary’s executive dean, associate dean, director of hybrid programs, and as university director of strategic planning.
In addition to teaching at the seminary, she is currently a mentor and trainer for Lausanne Young Leaders, is a part of the Mentoring Community Board, and serves as a trainer for Leighton Ford Ministries. She is a founding board member of Missio Alliance and a Leading Voice in the Writing Collective. Additionally, she is a spiritual director for national and international ministry leaders.
She has authored Lifelong Leadership: Woven Together through Mentoring Communities, Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space, and Influence and A Guidebook to Prayer, as well as various other chapters and writing projects.