Women Living into Hard and Holy Calls

March 8 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST

“Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.”

Just as we learn from the stories recorded in scripture, we can learn from the stories of how God is moving in our lives today.

On International Women’s Day, New Church Ministry will feature two fascinating female ministers, change-makers, and leaders in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as guests on its latest New Church Hacks episode. Throughout their journey, these women have been faced with adversity and defeat, but have led with empowerment and liberation. Come and join us as we listen to these two amazing stories of how God ordained both of these women into hard and holy calls.

Guests

Rev. Christy Jo Harber was born and raised in West Tennessee and received a Bachelors in Nonprofit Leadership from Murray State University. She graduated from Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, TN, in 2017 with a Master of Divinity. She served as Associate Pastor at Eastwood Christian Church (2017-2020) in Nashville TN.

Christy Jo began a wild and holy adventure serving as Woodland Christian Church’s Lead Pastor in Lexington, KY at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. She is excited to share what God has been up to since her church learned it couldn’t return from virtual worship to the sanctuary and would need over a million dollars for building repair.

Christy Jo is always looking and listening for the new thing God is doing. She is passionate about sharing the message of the liberating love of God and the intersectionality of race, gender, and sexuality. For fun she enjoys learning about the enneagram, going hiking, and exploring waterfalls!

Reverend Erin Edwards is the lead pastor and founder of LOP( Live on Purpose) Community Church, in Davis/Vacaville, CA. Married in 2017 to her wife Chelsea, they welcomed twin daughters, Erilee and Evagrae, in January 2019. Erin also became ordained in the Disciples of Christ during the pandemic and is co-pastor at the Christian Church of Woodland, CA (Disciples of Christ).

Erin graduated with a Master’s degree in Ministry and Theology and is currently attending the Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley for her Doctorate in Ministry.

As a gay, African-American woman in ministry, Erin is no stranger to opposition. Because of this, Erin has been equipped with an understanding of the marginalized and has used it as a platform to combat injustice. With a passion for what God has for His people in the here and now, Pastor Erin promotes a life lived not only with purpose but on purpose. Her voice and story speak directly to the soul, waking people up to encounter and live out their God-given dreams.

Pastor Erin and Chelsea strive to build a community in which all people are free to experience the love of God, regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race, etc.

View Recording

2022 Leadership Academy

October 18, 2022 @ 8:00 am – October 20, 2022 @ 5:00 pm EDT

At its annual Leadership Academy, New Church Ministry gathers leaders all across regions in the United States and Canada. Our team invites pastors, church planters, chaplains, and others who are interested in becoming empowered to join us. You do not need to be a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to attend.

This virtual event includes:

Track Sessions

Start Track – this cohort is designed for core teams who have yet to launch a community of faith
Sustain Track – this cohort is designed for teams that have recently started a faith community
Multiply Track – this cohort is designed for leaders of established congregations
New this year is our Discerners Track, which is for those who have ever considered what it would take to start a faith community or who have ever felt called by God to start a place of worship, but don’t know where to even begin. If you are in this discerning process, then consider attending this track, which allows you to audio the Start track. In this cohort, participants will discern their missional purpose, develop their future stories, and prepare for launch. This track is ideal for those in undergraduate institutions who may feel the call to ministry, for our seminarians who are discerning what path God may be taking them down, or our ecumenical partners who may want to imagine how their ministries might be shaped by this unique training.

DOCTalks

Rev. Sandhya Jha (they/them) will be our keynote speaker this year. They will address missional transformation inclusive of every stage of leadership and congregational vitality.

LEADLabs

These (Learn.Explore.Actuate.Discover.Laboratories) are designed to help participants imagine, ideate, innovate, and implement missional concepts. This year they include interactive practical workshops from Pension Fund, Green Chalice, and the Disciples LGBTQ+ Alliance.

Accommodations for Spanish-speaking participants will be available.

Learn more

October 14, 2021April 22, 2023 wadmin News

Leadership Academy expands its reach but keeps God’s work as its focus

150 registrants. 16 workshop leaders. 15 vendors. Seven denominations. All coming together for three days!

Despite being held online for a second year running, this didn’t stop church planters, regional representatives, and lay leaders from taking part in New Church Ministry’s Leadership Academy. In fact, registration was almost double what it was in 2020, with attendees reflecting age and racial diversity.

Continue reading →

2021 Leadership Academy

September 21, 2021 @ 11:00 am – September 23, 2021 @ 6:00 pm EDT

This virtual event includes three separate track sessions for core teams who have yet to launch a community of faith, teams that have recently started one, and leaders of established congregations, DOCTalks facilitated by thought leaders 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, innovate, and implement missional concepts through interactive, practical workshops.

Accommodations for Spanish-speaking participants will be available.

Schedule

All times are in Eastern Standard Time.

Tuesday, September 21

11 – 11:30a	:30	Opening	Welcome Introduction of Staff and Trainers Overview of platforms and schedule
11:30 – 12:30p	:60	DOCTalk	Disciple-Making with Eun Strawser
12:30 – 1p	:30	BREAK
1 – 2:30p	:90	Track Sessions
2:30 – 3p	:30	BREAK
3 – 4p	:60	LEADLabs	1. Church Planting Process with Terrell 2. Relationships with Joy and Heidi 3. Self-Care with Joselyn 4. Facilities with Craig 5. Sabbath with Eun
4 – 4:30p	:30	BREAK
4:30 – 6p	:90	Track Sessions

Wednesday, September 22

11 – 11:10a	:10	Opening
11:10 – 11:30a	:20	Breakout & Breakfast
11:30 – 12:30p	:60	DOCTalk	Innovation with Lorenzo Lebrija
12:30 – 1p	:30	BREAK
1 – 2:30p	:90	Track Sessions
2:30 – 3p	:30	BREAK
3 – 4p	:60	LEADLabs	1. Foresight and Futuring with Lorenzo 2. Financial Wellness with Cynthia 3. Trauma-informed Church Development with Christie 4. Rebuilding with Joey 5. Soul-care with Tim
4 – 4:30p	:30	BREAK
4:30 – 6p	:90	Track Sessions

Thursday, September 23

11 – 11:10a	:10	Opening
11:10 – 12:30p	:80	DOCTalk
12:30 – 1p	:30	BREAK
1 – 2:30p	:90	Track Sessions
2:30 – 3p	:30	BREAK
3 – 4p	:60	LEADLabs	1. Missional and Social Action with Brandon 2. Communication with Nadine 3. Church Growth with Rebekah 4. Disciple-making with John 5. Digital Church with Mark
4 – 4:30p	:30	BREAK
4:30 – 6p	:90		Commissioning Service

Registration

Each registration is limited to five individuals. If your faith community is only signing up one individual, the cost is the same. There is a limit of one place of worship/church per registration. Please do not mix members from different churches in an attempt to avoid multiple registration costs per collective. There is financial assistance available for new churches at the discretion of the region. Registration is now closed.

$500

Leadership Academy

September 29, 2020 @ 11:00 am – October 1, 2020 @ 6:00 pm EDT

Registration is now closed.

This interactive learning experience features two track sessions: the Start Track, which is designed to empower leaders whose church/projects have not yet launched, and the Sustain Track, which is geared to empower leaders whose projects have recently launched and leaders of congregations newly affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Leadership Academy also features DOCTalks, joint sessions that address missional transformation inclusive of every stage of leadership and congregational vitality, and LEADLabs, interactive, practical trainings designed to help leaders imagine, ideate, innovate, and implement missional concepts.

New Church Ministry

http://newchurchministry.solutions4ebiz.com/

Learn more