Dr. Dale McConkey, sociologist and ordained Methodist minister, will present a lecture, “Sexuality and Schism: Social Issues and the Divided Church,” for Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD) at Lee University on Thursday, April 20. The event will take place from 5-6 p.m. in the Johnson Lecture Hall, located in Lee’s Humanities Center.

Over the past decade, three mainline denominations have experienced schism, including the Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Lutheran church. This division has resulted in the loss of 10 percent of its membership, mainly to form new conservative congregations. As a sociologist and pastor in the Methodist Church, which is the largest Protestant mainline denomination, McConkey will address the issue of “the circulation of the saints” in his lecture.

McConkey is associate professor of sociology and director of the Wesley Foundation at Berry College. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy in sociology from the University of Illinois, Urbana, with graduate studies at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. He is the co-author of several books, including “Faith, Morality, and Civil Society” and “Community and Political Thought Today.”

The event is free and open to the public.

For information on the event, please contact AKD sponsor Karen Mundy-Judkins at [email protected].