Where is the church going? What makes the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) unique and gives us such hope and potential? And, what do new leaders need to know to live into this vision?

Answering those questions—and creating many, many more questions—was the core of the eighth annual HELM Leadership Fellows Conference, held this year at National City Christian Church in Washington, D.C.

Eighteen students from across the country and across the church gathered for a weekend of reflection, community, and worship. With questions about Disciples faith, structure, and theology as the foundation for the conference, a panel of distinguished leaders in the church provided some of the answers and left the door open for more exploration.

"This weekend gave us an amazing look into the different areas of our denomination, from general ministries to long-term pastoral careers to church history and to new church starts," said David Weuste from Guthrie, Okla., a junior at Texas Christian University.

"Overall we got a great view of our church in general."

• Opening the conference was Marshall Dunn, pastor of University Christian Church in Hyattville, Md., for more than 30 years and recently the interim deputy general minister of the denomination. Dunn offered his ideas on how leaders, both pastors and lay leaders, can create and support a healthy congregation or renovate a struggling congregation.
  
• Newell Williams, a leading historian on the Stone-Campbell movement, and the president of Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas, offered an overview of the Disciples' unique history and theology. Also the current moderator of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Williams helped Fellows take a fresh look at how our ecumenical roots offer great opportunities in our changing culture.
  
• Currently Yvonne Gilmore-Essig serves as interim pastor at First Christian Church in Baltimore, but she's also in the process of starting a new congregation in Columbus, Ohio. She offered insight on starting new churches, ranging from evangelism to finding the right real estate for her new church.
  
• Sharon Watkins, the General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), offered a big-picture view of the Disciples right now and what the near-future may bring, particularly regarding youth and young adult ministries. This was Watkins' first visit with Leadership Fellows and the third time a general minister and president has joined the conference.

Jean Ellen Cowgill, from Lexington, Ky., a senior at Dartmouth College, is a history major, so the historical connections resonated for her.

"Hearing how my church and its members have been active participants in these stories, grappling with the issues, standing up for what they believe, reaffirms my faith in this denomination. I am part of a tradition I want to share. I want to say to others, 'Look how cool my denomination is!' It gives me hope that our members will continue in this tradition, continue to respond to the needs of the world and think critically and act critically with respect to the problems and challenges of both the church and the world."

How our history connects to our future stuck in Kathryn Welch's mind. "It's important as Disciples to know our history, and this weekend gave me a new appreciation and new insight into the history of our denomination," said Welch, a Baltimore native who is a sophomore at Transylvania University. "It's so important for us to form an identity even if we are camped in the land of ambiguity. I only wish that our whole church could hear some of the things that were shared with us."

Worship is a key element of the Leadership Fellows Conference. Students led each of the four worship times, coordinated by the student-elected planning team of Welch and Katie Johnson, from Nashville, a sophomore at Texas Christian University.

Sunday morning the conference moved to the landmark sanctuary at National City, joining the congregation for its morning gospel service. Pastor Stephen Gentle highlighted the group and offered a warm welcome on behalf of the congregation.

As is always the case with college students, the end of the day's programming doesn't mean lights out, either. The congregation of Leadership Fellows gathers only once a year and at General Assemblies, so students stayed up past midnight both nights creating a new community and sharing their faith stories.

"The most engaging times for me were those when we all just talked and fellowshipped and discussed our thoughts," said Memphis native, Courtney Waters, a sophomore at Rhodes College, "because I knew that no matter what I said, I would be accepted."

Brad Lyons is Director of Communications/Program Officer of Higher Education Leadership Ministries, a general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).