If you are planning to attend the Province 1 regional gathering, register through the singular form for both the conference and gathering.
Radically Hybrid Conference
The 2027 Forma Conference, “Sanctified Imagination,” invites formation ministers to explore the vital role of theological imagination in shaping transformative ministry. Grounded in Ephesians 3:20—”Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us”—this gathering examines how the capacity to envision and interpret connections between divine and human experience is foundational to our vocational calling. Theological imagination encompasses the communal and embodied habits that enable us to perceive God’s activity, embody Christian virtues, and envision gospel-rooted alternative futures. As formation ministers, cultivating this imagination is not merely aspirational but essential, directly influencing our ministry mission, vision, culture, and practices. The conference will equip participants to engage their ministry contexts and those in their pastoral care with renewed creativity, while also sustaining their own spiritual and vocational vitality through the transformative power of sanctified imagination.
The conference materials will be coordinated through VTS+ and synchronous content will be streamed through Zoom. You can participate with us from anywhere.
The entire content of the conference will be simultaneously interpreted and materials will be translated into Spanish.
Regional Gatherings: Locations of on-site events for those who wish to participate in the conference in community are currently being coordinate, look for more information soon.
The Rev. Judy Fentress-Williams’ doctoral dissertation entitled, “What Has Happened to the Son of Kish? A Dialogic Reading of Saul in I Samuel” reflects her interest in a literary approach that celebrates the multiple voices and inter-textuality of scripture. With a passion for an equipped and informed laity, Dr. Fentress-Williams lives at the intersection of the church and the academy. In addition to her teaching position at VTS, she serves as Senior Assistant to the Pastor for Preaching and Teaching at the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA. In this role, she teaches night Bible study, Senior Bible Study, Christian Life Institute, Ministers in Training, and serves as a retreat facilitator.
A member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Postcolonial Biblical Studies Committee, Dr. Fentress-Williams is an active participant in the Bakhtin and Biblical Studies Group and serves on the Advisory Board for the Office of Religious Life at Princeton University.
In addition to her active bi-vocational ministry, Dr. Fentress-Williams is also a prolific scholar. Her published essays include “The Bible in Dialogue” in September 11: Religious Perspectives on the Causes and Consequences, “Location, Location, Location: Tamar in the Joseph Cycle” in Bakhtin and Genre, and “Exodus” in Biblia Africana. She recently published a commentary on the book of Ruth for the Abingdon Old Testament Commentary Series.
During her academic career, she has received many awards and honors, including the Distinguished Alumni Award for excellence in Theological Education, Yale Divinity School (2016), Wabash Fellow for Teaching and Learning (2001-2002), Dissertation Fellowship, Yale University (1993-1994), Henry Axelrod Fellowship (1992-1993), Graduate Fellow, Yale University (1990-1994), Dwight Fellowship for Graduate Study (1990), Black Graduate Scholar, Fund for Theological Education (1990-1993), the John A. Wade Prize for great originality in expository preaching (1989), and Benjamin E. Mays Fellow, Fund for Theological Education (1988-1990).
Prior to joining the faculty at VTS in 2002, Dr. Fentress-Williams was a member of the faculty of Hartford Seminary from 1994-2002, as Professor of Hebrew Bible. She was also the director of the Black Ministries Program, a certificate program designed to meet the needs of African-American clergy and laity in the greater Hartford area. Dr. Fentress-Williams was ordained as a Minister of the Gospel in the National Baptist Convention and Progressive National Baptist Convention in October 2012.
She is married to Kevin Williams, M.D., and they have two children, Samantha and Jacob.
The Rev. Kelley Hudlow is the Instructor of Preaching at Bexley Seabury Seminary. She guides students through the nuances of communicating the gospel well across diverse contexts, with attention to marginalized communities and contemporary societal issues. Hudlow teaches Introduction to Preaching and a Preaching Lab. She also teaches electives in Preaching Imagination that focus on rhetoric, form, and public proclamation. She leads a course called Learning from Alabama, which explores the Civil Rights sites in Alabama and considers the role of place and memory in proclamation. Her other courses include Constitution and Canons, Reading Walter Brueggemann, and Reading Pauli Murray.
Hudlow's academic and professional training includes a Bachelor of Arts in History, a Juris Doctorate, the National Criminal Defense College, Education for Ministry through Sewanee, and the Alabama Ministry School. She is a homiletic peer coach, having completed the David G. Buttrick Graduate Certificate Program in Homiletic Peer Coaching through Vanderbilt Divinity School. She has also completed the Teach Leadership program through the Kansas Leadership Center, and she is a trained Thriving in Ministry mentor-coach. In 2024, Hudlow completed a Master of Arts in Theopoetics and Writing through Bethany Theological Seminary. She graduated with honors in Theological Studies and earned distinction for her portfolio, "A Preaching Theopoet: Afrofuturism, Theopoetics, and a Labyrinthine Journey." She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Interpretation and Proclamation at the Candler School of Theology at Emory.
Hudlow was ordained a deacon in October 2011 and served churches in Fayette, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Fairfield. Her diaconal ministry included directing the Episcopal Tornado Recovery Cooperative, a joint effort of the Episcopal churches in Tuscaloosa to respond to the devastating April 2011 tornadoes. She was ordained a priest in November 2020 and has served churches across the diocese, including in Birmingham, Heflin, Greensboro, Alabaster, Roanoke, and Chelsea. For fifteen years, she served as a spiritual director for the Diocese of Alabama Vocare Community. She has served on several diocesan committees, including the Standing Committee, the Bishop's Committee on Generous Pastoral Response, the Department of Campus Ministry, and the Young Adult Ministry Steering Committee. She also served as Lead Documentarian for the Alabama State Committee of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
Hudlow previously served as Canon for Vocations and Community Engagement in the Diocese of Alabama. In that role, she worked with lay and ordained leaders and with people in discernment and formation for ordained ministry. She also served as Communications Coordinator for the diocese. Before joining the diocese, Hudlow practiced law as a public defender and in private practice. She also served as interim director of a legal clinic at the University of Alabama School of Law.
Hudlow's spouse, Shanti, is a poet, writer, and professor. They live in Birmingham, Alabama, with the "Ginger Brothers": an orange cat named Julien and a corgi named Brother Juniper. Hudlow serves part-time as Associate Rector at All Saints Episcopal Church in Homewood, Alabama.
| Ticket Type | Dates Available | Amount |
|---|---|---|
|
General Registration |
October 1 – December 15 |
$170 |
|
Forma Member 25% off General Registration |
October 1 – December 15 |
$127.50 |
|
Late Registration |
After December 15 |
$190 |
|
Forma Member 25% off Late Registration |
After December 15 |
$142.50 |
|
Sponsors receive an additional discount for bulk tickets of 10% for up to 10 tickets and 20% more than 10 tickets. |
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