A Yearly Conference About Vibrant Faith in Great, Secular Places. (REGISTRATION DEADLINE JULY 31st!)
Welcome to the 2009 Culture Center Summit! This conference is a
continuation of last year's Center City Summit, "Where Faith and
Secular Culture Meet."
Our hope for these summits is that, for folks who feel committed to experiencing and fostering vibrant faith in places that are known for their secular culture—whether big places like Manhattan or smaller places like, say, Iowa City—they’d find support, vision and concrete help at these yearly gatherings.
Last year’s gathering drew from 13 states spread around the country. This year, while we’re expecting plenty of inspiration and vision, we’re giving a particular focus to offering as many concrete tools as we can and to setting up a more interactive environment among people with similar jobs or interests. Our afternoons will be spent in these settings, so pastors will hang out with other pastors, and other leaders will have chances to spend time on these issues with folks with similar interests.
We’ve worked with several churches and individuals this year who, having appreciated the specific focus of last year’s conference, have wanted more help with the nuts and bolts of setting up these sorts of communities of faith. They’ve rightly noticed that, to use an old analogy, understanding and implementing a fresh and helpful mindset is only the tip of the iceberg of what makes such communities thrive. They asked for more specific attention on the iceberg itself.
In response to that, folks who come to this conference will receive a draft copy of a book we’re currently calling CULTURE CENTER CHURCHES: THRIVING CONGREGATIONS IN GREAT, SECULAR PLACES. We’ll try to offer quite a bit of detail about what we’ve seen that has most helped churches and passionate individuals in these settings. And, again, we’ll be working some of these issues there in the afternoon gatherings.
Register for a Track:
In addition to the main conference speakers, there will be breakout sessions in the morning and afternoon for like minded people to discuss and learn about fostering vibrant faith in their areas. Each participant will register for one of the following three tracks:
PASTOR -- Led by Dave Schmelzer and Charles Park, this track is geared specifically towards to pastors and church leaders around the specifics of leading a centered-set church. Topics of discussion will include: centered-set preaching, language choices, structure of a service, and structure of a church.
WORSHIP & THE ARTS -- Led by Christopher Greco, Casey Corum, and David Linhart, this track is geared specifically towards worship leaders, artists, and musicians. Topics of discussion will include: centered-set worship, the role of worship within the larger service and different models of approaches, personnel and resources -- recruiting, equipping, resourcing and pastoring different teams, recording, gigging, and running art events.
LAITY -- Led by Brian Housman, Val Snekvik, and several others, this track is geared towards those interested in pursuing vibrant faith in their own great, secular places. Topics of discussion will include: having vibrant relationships with those around you by crossing the moat, living out centered-set faith in your area, praying for your six, tips on having great faith conversations, running SEEK, running a Leap of Faith, and other practical ways to pursue a life of vibrant faith.
LISTEN TO THE TALKS FROM CCS 2008:
