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next church national gathering

Using our setbacks as steppingstones

The Rev. Dr. Jerry Cannon used his prodigious and engaging hermeneutical skills to cap a NEXT Church National Gathering that has taken a deep look at rest and restoration.

Rest is resistance

After earning a PhD and teaching for a few years, Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes decided to enroll in seminary, where her eyes were opened in an unexpected and unpleasant way.

Using our setbacks as steppingstones

The Rev. Dr. Jerry Cannon used his prodigious and engaging hermeneutical skills Wednesday to cap a NEXT Church National Gathering that has taken a deep look at rest and restoration.

One farmer’s take on the Creation narrative

The Rev. Dr. Nathan Stucky serves Princeton Theological Seminary as director of the Farminary Project, a place “where theological education is integrated with small-scale regenerative agriculture to train faith leaders who are conversant in the areas of ecology, sustainability and food justice.”

Self care as holy restoration

Self care is “all the rage these days,” NEXT Church keynoter Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes said Tuesday during her second of three talks. It’s a “commodified topic,” but it’s not well understood. Walker-Barnes, Professor of Practical Theology and Pastoral Counseling at Columbia Theological Seminary, laid out six claims on the topic to help bring understanding to those attending NEXT Church’s National Gathering both in person at Montreat Conference Center and online.

Rest is resistance

After obtaining a PhD and teaching for a few years, Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes decided to enroll in seminary, where her eyes were opened in an unexpected and unpleasant way.

‘May Christ heal us from our dis-ease’

In the midst of awful current headlines and centuries of injustice, God’s word for today came to the NEXT Church National Gathering underway at Montreat Conference Center from the Rev. Larissa Kwong Abazia, Vice-Moderator of the 221st General Assembly (2014).

NEXT Church director will leave her post later this month

The Rev. Jessica Tate, who helped lead NEXT Church into what she called “a space for sparking imagination, telling the truth, working for justice and pouring into church leaders in this time when the church as an institution is precarious,” has announced she will leave her position at the end of the month after nine years of service.

Messy but vital work

During a candid panel discussion held as part of the NEXT Church national gathering last week, leaders talked about antiracism work that’s been going on within the organization and the bumps in the road they’ve encountered striving toward greater inclusivity, especially among leadership.