For one fast-paced weekend, 70 seminarians from across the country formed one congregation.

The Disciples Seminarians Conference brought students from 27 theological institutions in the United States and Canada to Nashville for a weekend of education, community, and worship. Open to Disciples students who have completed their first year of Master of Divinity studies, the conference is sponsored by the general ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Each general ministry offered an overview of its mission and ministry and had staff available to answer questions.

"There were so many of the national groups represented that it offered a wonderful wider and deeper look into the denomination," said Shannon Keeney of the Disciples Divinity House at Vanderbilt University. "Getting a chance to hear about the ethnic ministries was enriching and enlightening. It shows a great vitality and hope for the future. This was an educationally and spiritually renewing opportunity."

The conference also provides opportunities to remember some of the lessons they need once they are in pastorates.

"Meeting the other Disciples seminarians and the support staff [from general ministries] has been the most valuable aspect of this conference," said Ron Stair, a student at Central Baptist Theological Seminary near Kansas City. "There were several excellent sessions focusing on the hidden aspects of being a minister. These were topics that don't get cover in a seminary such as search and call, housing allowances, and the IRS."

Additional topics included self-care, personal finances, and an overview of the church's health care program, new church ministries, and an orientation to regional ministries.

A schedule jammed with speakers and learning didn't keep students from renewing acquaintances or making new friends, and that community was evident in worship. Students planned and led worship each day, bringing different backgrounds to a common service that included gospel-style sing-alongs, traditional hymns and contemporary worship.

Bringing a message centered on Romans 5:2 to "rejoice in hope," five guest speakers presented their own takes on the church and its future:

• The opportunities and challenges facing the church were the focus of General Minister and President Sharon Watkins' keynote address.

• Diversity and acceptance served as the center of the message from Timothy James, Associate General Minister and Associate General Minister and Administrative Secretary of the National Convocation.

• Stewardship of resources - including the minister's own mental and physical well-being - were the core of the message from Janet Long, pastor of Washington Avenue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Elyria, Ohio.

• A new look at evangelism from the Pentecostal, evangelical, and liberal churches was offered by José Morales, Jr., of Iglesia del Pueblo in Hammond, Indiana;

• A call to address the world's problems by Amy Gopp from Week of Compassion closed the conference.

"I really appreciated getting answers to my questions," said Luis-Alfredo Cartagena, Jr., a seminarian at New York Theological Seminary. "What I have learned will have long-term benefits for me and my relationship with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."

"The whole conference was a gift," said Lorrie Kovell, Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. "All the information, inspirational preaching, generous hearts of the leadership, the community with peers, all of it."

The next Seminarians Conference is tentatively scheduled for the spring of 2009.