NEXT Church 2012
I was lucky enough to join around 600 other Presbyterians at NEXT 2012 this week, a leadership conference for Presbyterians this year held at First Presbyterian Church in Dallas. It was an exceptional experience.
It’s difficult to describe exactly what NEXT is, but I’d sum it up as a “frame of mind” (and paraphrase the closing sermon today) — NEXT is an urgent hope for living into a creative, innovative, and faithful future for the PCUSA.
Conferences like NEXT are like drinking from a fire hose, so I won’t even attempt to fully reflect at this early juncture. For now, here’s a few off-the-cuff responses…
- it’s refreshing to meet as a large gathering of PCUSA folks and not bicker about ordination standards and General Assembly business
- it’s liberative to be with a group of folks certain that the church needs to engage in adaptive change, and soon. While much (most?) of the church seems either in despair about the changes affecting the church and culture, or just in denial, those gathered at NEXT seemed to welcome the exciting newness.
- the Twitter conversation #NextChurch provided a great way of processing and connecting with others in real time
- it’s wonderful to see so many big steeple PCUSA pastors providing the support (and funds) behind NEXT, but also handing over leadership to younger folks. The opening worship service was led almost entirely by 20/30-somethings, and all leadership skewed much younger than the PCUSA in general.
- I’ve never seen such a wide array of workshops — it was crazy-hard to chose which two to attend
- it’s a true joy to reconnect with friends, and to meet “in real life” those with whom you’ve interacted online
- Presbyterian worship can really rock — with old hymns and new songs, strong liturgy, out-of-the-park preaching, deeply-felt prayer, and on and on….
- it’s great to attend conferences at which one has no leadership responsibilities whatsoever!
That’s a super-quick summary of what got me ticking these last two days. It’s wonderful to say that I have a renewed hope and excitement for what God is doing in the PCUSA. Thank you to all who organized, hosted, led, tweeted, and attended NEXT Church 2012. I hope to see you next year, and perhaps at regional gatherings in the coming months. In the meantime, be sure to like the NEXT Facebook page.
If you attended NEXT, what did you take away?
Connect Online
So Adam, my man.
I read everything that you’re saying about Next, and as a working-stiff of a lay-person, I have to ask, why in the world are we reserving this tremendously connectional, worshipful experience for pastors, seminarians, and retired folks?
We laity read about how amazing worship is, and are frankly, jelaous. What are we doing to deliver this environment/connection/experience to the whole of the church?
Conference experiences are great..I have had many in my career as an educator. My question is what does it look like “on the ground”?
I think that it was a great conference, and it is empowering for those of us younger folks to, for one, be given a chance to take the reigns. It seems that so many people don’t want to let that happen. But someone passed it on to them once, and eventually, you have to start to trust that those around you can carry it on. I think that the responsibility now lies with those of us who were there. We should be accountable to our communities to bring them those experiences in our own communities. So, hold us accountable! It actually works!
Thanks for sharing your reflections. I too feel full and energized, but I share Matt’s concern.
I’m a local Dallas pastor and invited any member to come to Next via the newsletter. An Elder came, and when I ran into him he stated it was interesting, but it felt like he was overhearing a conversation that he was not fully welcome to. He said, “had I known this was a conference for pastors, seminarians, and church staff, I would not have come.” My heart broke. Our vocabulary is insular. Our grammar needs to change.
I think the NExt church will be about the priesthood of all believers, but we have not thought to include them. I take ownership in that.
However, I’m hopeful. Regional gatherings could be a source to convene a conversation with a larger group of people regardless of ordination or “status.”
AMEN Susan SB! I was leading the cheers when someone said “Hey, you teaching elders, the ruling elders don’t have to have you bless everything they do!”
Susan,
You make me smile.
Thanks for the comments. I agree, it’d be great to have a bigger ruling elder focus. And, at least, have some ruling elders teach/preach/keynote at some sessions. That said, I think it’s just a tension in our polity, and in any leadership conference for all Presbyterians. I’ll put it this way: there were may more “non clergy” folks there than there might have been a Lutheran NEXT. I do wonder how to work on that….
[...] NEXT Church 2012 — Adam Copeland [...]
Adam, I don’t think it’s a tension in our polity, but in our recent practice. Our polity springs from our theology. To be Reformed is to believe in the Priesthood of all believers. Our polity ordains people to function, which should allow for parity in theory. However, to Shelley’s point, the church has institutionalized and power has been organized. It was inevitable, and so is the power disparity and polarization right now. I think we need to reclaim our theological underpinnings, particularly a ecclesiology, as we seek to follow God at work in the world.
I would also suggest moving beyond ruling/teaching elders, but toward Christian Educators, and other lay people who are passionate about the church.
John Vest made far better points in his recent blog post.
Thank you for writing Adam, and for your commitment to dialogue and the church. I do look forward to seeing how this will evolve!