Conversational Conference

In case you were wondering what I was talking about when I mentioned the CE Conference, you can read about it here. Some f the names are very familiar to me, guys like Garry Poole, Mark Mittleberg, Jon Ortberg (there's a strong Willow connection there!), and I've come across several of the other speakers through emergent church blogs et al.

When I read through the topics section of the conference, I was almost tempted to book a place and fly out for it. I even checked out flight times and prices. And if my sabbatical had been starting in May rather than June, I might just have gone. Take the following two examples of topics Tod Hunter is covering:

The Cultural Context for Conversation 

The modern world loved and valued its experts; you could even say we have come to demand them. In the Christendom world, the church sat at the center of society as the trusted expert on God, morality, society, etc. Both modernity and Christendom are giving way to postmodern and post-Christian realities. These shifts call for new ways of doing evangelism—more conversational, less one-way communication. It is not so much that “truth” is up for grabs these days…but “how people come to truth” is changing. Even when important things are shaking, the Kingdom of God is never at risk. God faithfully called and equipped his people in the pre-modern and modern world. We can be sure he will do the same in the postmodern world. In this session we will learn to stand in that flow—to contextualize without compromise.

Introducing Three is Enough

Todd is forming Three is Enough Groups as an antidote to the massive image problem currently ascribed to Christians and Christianity. This unfortunate viewpoint stymies most attempts at evangelism. TiE Groups have a double meaning: they are three friends or colleagues doing three simple and humble activities together (reading, praying and serving others). Functioning in members’ most natural places of community – the workplace, school, or at the local coffee shop. TiE Groups will go on the Journey Inward of spiritual transformation and the Journey Outward of serving others. Spiritual transformation into Christlikeness has always been the true goal of Christian faith—now it is utterly strategic. TiE rescues evangelism out of the program category and relocates it back in the natural context of spiritual formation.

This all resonates with me. Hopefully I'll find out more as I read and research this stuff.