Agnes Norfleet Brochure

Your PNC, joyfully and unanimously, nominates

The Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet as Pastor/Head of Staff for Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church

December 2012

About

Grounded in twenty-five years of ministry, Dr. Norfleet brings to us her skills and experiences as: • a recognized preacher who proclaims the gospel with clarity, creativity and relevance for the life of faith • an accomplished teacher, committed to study of the Bible, who engages with Biblical scholars, theologians, poets and other conversation partners • a capable administrator who enjoys nurturing collegiality among a staff to creatively and collaboratively help a congregation realize its vision and mission • a warm-hearted pastor who enjoys hearing people’s life stories and faith journeys and who understands and appreciates anyone who struggles with honest doubt • a compassionate human being, well acquainted with grief and steady in a crisis, who has helped individuals, families, congregations and communities find hope in God

Curriculum Vitae Positions

2005-12 Shandon Presbyterian Church, Columbia, SC: Pastor/HOS 1992-05 North Decatur Presbyterian Church, Decatur, GA: Pastor/HOS 1987-92 Central Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA: Associate Pastor for Community Ministry, designated HOS during 2-year interim 1986-87 Trinity Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC: Intern 1985 Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, VA: Hospital Chaplain 1984 Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, Houston, TX: Summer intern 1981-83 Mecklenburg County, NC Department of Social Services: Caseworker

Other Services to the Church or Denomination Preaching • • • • • • • •

Austin Theological Seminary: Mid-Winters, 2011 (An annual series of lectures from leading theologians, scholars and pastors) Davidson College: Preaching Leader, Theology and Ethics of the Lord’s Prayer, 2010 Montreat Conference Center: Summer Worship, 2006, 2007, 2008 Day 1 Radio Broadcast: Featured Presbyterian Preacher, 2004 (The Protestant Hour) PC(USA) Peace and Justice Conference, Tacoma, 2004 Union Presbyterian Seminary: Alumni/ae Gathering, 2002 Davidson College Presbyterian Church: 20th class reunion, 2001 Covenant Network of Presbyterians: Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, 2000

Leading •

• • • • • •

NEXT Church: Co-Founder and a leader for PC(USA) revitalization, 2009 to present (A national church movement to embody the gospel in fresh ways, speak to contemporary culture and build networks of churches with shared mission callings) The Presbyterian Outlook Foundation: Board of Directors, 2001-2006 Trinity Presbyterian Church, Charlotte: Retreat Leader, The Language of Faith, 2001 Union Presbyterian Seminary: Current Trustee; Alumni/ae Board, 1995-2001 General Assembly: Commissioner, 1998 Columbia Theological Seminary: Supervising Pastor, 1988-2009 Presbytery of Greater Atlanta: Moderator, 1997-1998; Mission and Social Concern Division of Presbytery Council; Personnel Committee; Committee on Ministry, 2001-2005

Writing • • •

•

Feasting on the Gospels, 2011: author of four Homiletical Perspective articles Renovare Study Bible, 2005: author of commentary on Genesis Journal for Preachers: Associate Editor since 2009, regular contributor since 1989 Articles and sermons in additional publications: The Abingdon Women’s Preaching Annual, The Presbyterian Outlook, Presbyterian Survey, Interpretation: A Journal for Bible and Theology, Lectionary Homiletics

The Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet

Formal Education 2001 1986

1985 1981 1979-80

Columbia Theological Seminary, D. Min. (Bible and Preaching) Union Presbyterian Seminary, M. Div. W. T. Thompson Scholar for promise of excellence in ministry Medical College of Virginia, Clinical Pastoral Education, Basic Unit Davidson College, A.B. (French).

University of Montpellier, France: Junior Year Abroad

Ongoing Professional Development • • • • • • •

Moveable Feast Preaching Seminar annual meetings, annually since 2006 Montreat Worship and Music Conferences, annually since 1999 PC(USA) Stewardship Conference: Gratitude and Generosity, 2012 Alban Institute Advanced Supervision: Coordinating the Visions of Multiple Staff, 2008 Columbia Theological Seminary, Cohort Group for Sabbath, Study and Service, 2003-06 Study seminar in Guatemala to support women as emerging church leaders, 2005 Various seminars and classes related to professional development

[My] ministry has thrived in healthy, mission-oriented congregations who center their life together in worship, who take Christian education and congregational care seriously and who respond to the call of Jesus Christ to reach out to those in need in a hurting world.

—DR. NORFLEET

Family Husband

Larry Arney, with MBA and architecture degrees, has built his professional career as an architect, a homebuilder and a leader of non-profit organizations for affordable housing. As an ordained elder, he is deeply committed to the church.

Children

Two sons. James is a sophomore at Tulane University. Winston is a senior in high school.

(From Left): Son: James, The Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet, Son: Winston, Husband: Larry Arney

(From Left): The Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet, Son: Winston, Son: James, Husband: Larry Arney

Faith Journey

I am a child of the Presbyterian Church. The youngest of Duke and Mary Winston Norfleet’s six children, I grew up on the campus of Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, where my Presbyterian minister father served as treasurer.

My mother, a graduate of the Presbyterian School of Christian Education, wrote children’s books and curriculum for the denomination. As a child, I remember asking my mother why I didn’t have Godparents like my Episcopal friends at school. She explained that, in the Presbyterian Church, when a child is baptized, the whole congregation promises to love and nurture that child in faith. That conversation proved to be formative as I began to understand how the gracious love of God is lived out in the church of Jesus Christ where people make and keep baptismal promises. Just nine years old when my father died in 1968, I grew to trust the church to be my extended family of care and nurture.

During my teenage years of high activity in the church, I began to sense a call to ministry, but during the 1970s that call was accompanied by some uncertainty about the church’s openness to women ministers. I continued worshipping regularly during college and afterward while working as a social services caseworker in Charlotte before I enrolled at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Virginia. At Union and through a year-long church internship, my gifts for preaching, teaching and pastoral care were encouraged and my call to ministry affirmed.

I was ordained as the Associate Pastor for Community Ministry at Central Presbyterian Church in downtown Atlanta in 1987. In that urban congregation hosting a steady stream of homeless people coming to the church for food, shelter and healthcare, I experienced the expansive hospitality of God. As pastor of North Decatur Presbyterian Church from 1992-2005, I was blessed to serve another mission-oriented congregation among people who take being disciples of Christ seriously and celebrate Christian community joyfully. My call to Shandon Presbyterian Church in 2005 expanded my interests in evangelism to articulate the faith for new generations of believers. Shandon houses the PC(USA) campus ministry at the University of South Carolina and a Child Development Center for 300 children, both of which serve as portals to membership for young adults and young families. While I oversee a large staff leading church programs, this youthful vitality has encouraged my preaching and pastoral work to engage discipleship in a rapidly changing culture in which more people claim no faith.

For twenty-five years in ministry among vibrant congregations, I have feasted on the Word of God among a people eager to follow Christ, bold to share honest doubts, courageous to work for peace and justice, compassionate among those in need, caring toward one another, and generous with time, talent and resources for the work God through the church. My husband, Larry, and I have taken the baptismal promises we made to our sons James and Winston seriously and, while the church and culture have changed since our childhoods, we seek to center our family life in our love for God and commitment to the church of Jesus Christ.

Quotes About the Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet The Rev. Dr. Theodore J. Wardlaw, President and Professor of Homiletics at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary: “Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church has found in Agnes Norfleet one of our communion’s most gifted and talented leaders. Agnes is an accomplished and substantive preacher, an intuitive and caring pastor, and a bold and visionary leader. She will listen well, serve faithfully, lead gracefully, laugh generously, and freshly proclaim a timeless Word. Bryn Mawr is in for an exciting new chapter in ministry together with Agnes Norfleet and her remarkable family!”

The Rev. Dr. Margaret Anne Fohl, former Associate Pastor, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church: “Growing up in Richmond, Virginia, in the shadow of Union Presbyterian Seminary, both Agnes Norfleet and I have shared similar memories and have been shaped by comparable values and faith. Over the years, Agnes has grown to be a discerning, inspiring leader…with a warm, compassionate heart.”

The Rev. Dr. William V. Arnold, former Associate Pastor, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church: “Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church will be extremely fortunate to have the pastoral leadership of Agnes Norfleet. For over thirty years I have known her to be a woman of theological acumen, personal sensitivity, forthrightness and deep Christian faith.”

The Rev. Dr. Scott Black Johnston, Senior Pastor, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church: “Wow. What a wonderful call for Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. What a providential match! Agnes Norfleet is the consummate pastor. She is a thoughtful and organized administrator, a steady head of staff, and an engaging preacher with deep theological roots. Agnes has a huge heart for the people under her care. Every congregation that has been graced by her ministry has grown in faith and numbers. I am smiling from ear to ear as I contemplate how this partnership (this fine congregation coupled with this fine pastor) will advance the ministry of Jesus Christ. Wow.”

Soon after our first meeting with Agnes, we, on the PNC, decided that she was not “Dr. Norfleet,” not “Rev. Norfleet,” but “Agnes.” Yes, her preaching shows a depth of understanding that arises from years of ministry and study yet reaches people at an intuitive level. Yes, she is recognized within the PC(USA) for this ability. Yes, she is a skilled administrator, an incredibly quick learner, exceptionally organized and well-equipped to meet the needs of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. Yet, in addition to these impressive qualifications, what powerfully drew us to her is her gift of hospitality: Agnes is a naturally welcoming, comforting person who made us feel at home even when we were asking her tough questions.

—PAUL BURGMAYER, CHAIR, BMPC PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE

BRYN MAWR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE Brad Baturka • Jen Bowers, Corresponding Secretary • Susan Bravo Paul Burgmayer, Chair • Judy Ehrman, Secretary • Carolyn Gerrish Sue Gibbons • Peggy Gregg, Vice-Chair • Kep Kephart Sam McKeel • Steve Mygatt, Co-Secretary • Eric Swanson Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church 625 Montgomery Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 610-525-2821 • www.bmpc.org