Wed, Sep 28
|Oklahoma City
Methodist History, Ministries and Beliefs
From a Methodist Preacher’s Kid to a Senior UMC Pastor – Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s our very own Rev. Owen! In this class, spend time learning about Dyton’s experiences growing up in the Methodist faith and his “hands on, heads on” model of ministry.
Time & Location
Sep 28, 2022, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Oklahoma City, 2717 W Hefner Rd, Oklahoma City, OK 73120, USA
About The Event
Born and raised in Oklahoma, Dyton and his two older brothers grew up in a Methodist parsonage. His parents often took Dyton with them as they traveled, doing the work of ministry around Oklahoma and beyond. Still living at home when his father was a District Superintendent, Dyton traveled with his father around the district, as well as to the Conference and Jurisdiction. He is a devoted United Methodist and loves the church and its diverse ministries.
The church is all Dyton has ever known, having served his first church at the age of 20, while still in college. He has traveled to many places around the world with his father, for both education and mission work. He earned his B.A. in Religion from Oklahoma City University and his Masters of Divinity at Perkins School of Theology in Dallas. In 2009, he completed his Doctor of Ministry in Theology and Worship at Northern Seminary/Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville, Florida.
Dyton is a published author, having written several devotions for The Upper Room, Circuit Rider and several professional magazines, journals, and online resources such as Next Wave and Ministry Matters. He is the author of Jesus: God Revealed and Remembering Who We Are: Four Essential Marks of the Church. He is also working on several other publishing projects, including a book tentatively entitled The Mind is Metaphor: (Re) discovering Sacred Sign and Symbol in the Life of Faith. Dyton founded Mind’s Eye Publishingwhich offers editorial and publishing services for self-publishing authors.
His model of ministry is “hands-on” – meaning he believes ministry is not simply coming to church or sitting in a pew for any of us; ministry is getting our hands and feet dirty doing the work we are called to do; and “heads-on” –
meaning he believes that faith is something that should challenge us to think and grow.
Having studied with Dr. Robert E. Webber and Dr. Leonard Sweet, Dyton’s doctoral work is in the areas of theology and worship, with a focus on sacred sign and symbol as pedagogy (teaching). He strongly believes that the church must adopt the belief of “whatever it takes” to get the Good News to the community and the world, using the gifts of technology to do so. He uses multimedia, the internet, email, and Facebook to reach as many people as possible and to help the church stay connected with its members and the world around it.