M15 Conference

I spent this week at the Mission ’15 conference, or “M15” for short, or #M15 for you twitter-heads. It’s presented by the USA/Canada region of the Church of the Nazarene to equip pastors and leaders to engage in the mission of God.

We had some difficult conversations at M15: How do we reach a post-Christian culture? Is one form of worship better than another? What does it look like for the Church to remain true to the biblical teaching on homosexuality and marriage, and yet, be loving and Christ-like to our LGBT neighbors? How do we pass along the faith to the next generation?

Needless to say, my brain is on overload!?!

I don’t have time to sum up the fruit of these conversations, nor would I dare to say we answered all of these questions. I will tell you this: I left Kansas City optimistic, hopeful, and determined. Many people are ready to write the obituary for the Church. I admit there are serious challenges ahead, but God confirmed to me that our church, Bentonville Church of the Nazarene, has been raised up for “such a time as this.”

I hope you share my optimism, hopefulness, and determination. If we ever been begin to doubt, let’s lean hard into this promise: “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (1 Thes. 5:24)