At its annual Leadership Academy, New Church Ministry gathers leaders for learning, growing, and community building. Our team invites undergraduate and seminary students, individuals contemplating ministry, those feeling “stuck” or isolated in ministry, and clergy ready for a new way to do ministry in a changing world to join us. You do not need to be a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada to attend.

Leadership Academy includes:

  • Three track sessions that allow participants to learn alongside fellow peers currently at the same stage in starting a place of worship
    • Emerge – Pre-launch track
    • Discern – created to allow those who have ever considered what it would take to start a church to audit Emerge at a discounted rate.
    • Converge – Post-launch track
  • NEXT Talk facilitated by a keynote speaker who will address missional transformation inclusive of every stage of leadership and congregational vitality, and
  • LEADLabs (Learn.Explore.Actuate.Discover.Laboratories) designed to help participants imagine, ideate, and innovate missional concepts through interactive, practical workshops.

The 2024 Leadership Academy is scheduled to take place from Tuesday, October 22 to Friday, October 25 at Meizon Church in Gainesville, FL.

You are responsible for your travel and lodging. We have certain rooms blocked at the Best  Western Gateway Grand, 4200 NW97TH BLVD, Gainesville, FL 32606, 5 minutes from  Meizon. Those blocked rooms are first-come, first-served. Room rate prices are US $139/night.

Schedule

Tuesday, October 22nd

1:00pm – Attendees begin to arrive in Gainesville, FL

3:00pm – Attendees begin to check into their hotel

4:15pm – Board shuttles to Meizon Church 

4:30pm – Attendees register at Meizon 

5:00pm – Dinner for Attendees and Team

6:15pm – Worship at Meizon Church

7:15pm – Board Shuttle(s) back to hotel

8:00pm – Mixer at Hotel Bar (optional)

Wednesday, October 23rd 

8:15am – Board shuttles for Meizon

9:00am – Keynote # 1

10:00am – Break

10:30am – Cohort Sessions (EMERGE & CONVERGE)

12:00pm – Lunch Break (provided)

1:30pm – LEADLab # 1

2:30pm – LEADLab # 2

3:30pm – Break

4:00pm – Cohort Sessions (EMERGE & CONVERGE)

5:30pm – Dismissal and board Shuttle(s) back to hotel

6:30pm – Dinner on your own. (Shuttles will drop off at an area with several food options. Instructions will be shared at event)

8:00pm – Shuttles depart for hotel

Thursday, October 24th 

8:15am – Board shuttles for Meizon

9:00am – Keynote # 2

10:00am – Break

10:30am – Cohort Sessions

12:00pm – Lunch Break (provided)

1:00pm – Board shuttles for off-site visit

1:30pm – Greenhouse Church (microchurch) visit

3:00pm – Board shuttles for Meizon

3:30pm – LEADLab #1

4:30pm – LEADLab #2

5:30pm – Board shuttles for hotel

6:30pm – Dinner on your own. (Shuttles will drop off at an area with several food options. Instructions will be shared at event.)

8:00pm – Shuttles depart for hotel

Friday, October 25th 

8:15am – Board shuttle(s) for Meizon

9:00am – Commissioning Service

10:00am – Dismissal and return to the hotel

11:00am – Shuttle(s) depart for the Gainesville Airport

Frequently Asked Questions

What is included in my registration? You will receive access to all the live sessions during the week of Oct. 22-25, year-long access to the DisciplesNEXT curriculum via CHURCHx, a New Church Ministry Swag bag, a MissionInsite report (you’ll learn more about this during the event), and 3 meals (see below). 

Will there be a virtual option? Yes and no. There will be no hybrid option for the week of Oct. 22-25 this year. However, we are working on an asynchronous option and more will be shared about that later this year.

Will Childcare be provided? No. Currently, we do not have the capacity to provide this for our participants. 

What meals are provided? Your registration covers dinner on Tuesday evening at Meizon, and lunch on Wednesday and Thursday at Meizon. It will likely be buffet-style with various options. If you have eating restrictions, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to alert Rev. Wesley King at wking@newchurchministry.org BEFORE October 8th. For meals outside of what is listed above, there will be coordinated shuttle drop-offs on Wednesday and Thursday nights in areas with a lot of food options. You may also wish to link up with someone with a car or Uber. 

Can my spouse join me? Your spouse or significant other is welcome to join us for worship but if they want to attend any sessions or NCM-provided meals, they will need to register for the event. 

How do I get there? We suggest you fly into the Gainesville airport. You’ll likely have a connecting flight. There will be no coordinated shuttle effort from the airport to the hotel upon your arrival, so please utilize Uber and/or Car-Rental. However, we will be shuttling you to and from the church and we will coordinate trips to the airport on Friday, Oct. 25th.

Will I receive a certificate? Yes! You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the week during our Commissioning Service.