Conferences &amp; Gatherings

Youth Advance Evolving

By Jennifer Johnson Youth Advance began as a way to build student leaders and recruit them for Christian college. In 1982, representatives from Northeastern Christian Junior College in Villanova, PA, developed the event””with speakers, workshops, worship, and more””as a way to identify and encourage promising high school students in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. “It wasn”t a youth rally,” says Bill McGee, the vice president. “The idea wasn”t to send your entire youth group. It was for church leaders to handpick a few kids with potential and for the church to pay their way.” Northeastern eventually merged with another college and

May 26, 2015

Scholars, Students Gather for SCJ Conference

Biblical scholars and students representing 36 colleges and universities from 16 states and two foreign countries assembled in Indianapolis April 10, 11Â for the 14th-annualÂ Stone-Campbell Journal (SCJ) Conference, this year sponsored by Hope International University. The conference, held at East 91 Street Christian Church, featured three plenary speakers exploring the 2015 theme, “New Testament Explorations: Septuagint, Acts and Paul,” along with parallel sessions, study groups, and a student paper competition. Nationally recognized scholars Dr. Karen Jobes, Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament at Wheaton (IL) College; Dr. Carl Holladay, Charles Howard Candler Professor of New Testament Exegesis at Emory University,

January 5, 2015

Going Strong

By Jennifer Johnson “I am the least likely person to lead a trip of women,” Gayla Congdon said during our interview. “I grew up with brothers and I”m not a “˜woman”s retreat” kind of person. I want to do something that matters.” Apparently she”s not alone””the Women of Strength trips she started in 2012 have had to be capped at 65 people, and dozens of ladies have attended more than one. A significant number of the participants aren”t even Christians, but find the experience more than worth the investment of money and vacation time. Actually, Congdon does think “women”s events”

January 5, 2015

Showing Their Strength and Connecting as Women

By Jennifer Johnson In 2009, Gayla Congdon attended a planning meeting for the International Conference on Missions and realized she was one of only three women in the group of more than 60 people. “Our guest speaker, a man from Wycliffe Bible Translators, pointed out the discrepancy,” she says. “Then he said one of the biggest demographic groups in developed countries, and especially in the United States, is educated women age 55 and older who have discretionary income and are looking for meaningful experiences. I was reminded of the Barna study reporting that, for the first time in U.S. history,

January 2, 2015

ICOM Relaunches “˜Light the Fire”

By Kim Butts With ICOM”s “Vertical” theme this year, hundreds of people, young and old, had the opportunity to be a part of something that had never been done at the conference. Two interactive, station-based prayer rooms were set up as sacred spaces for people to engage with God in compellingly creative ways, day and night, from the first hour of ICOM to the last. The largest prayer space was located in the middle of the exhibit hall. The area, graciously designed and set up by the prayer and missions teams of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, was open

January 1, 2015

2014 ICOM: Nothing Like It!

By Reggie Hundley The 2014 International Conference On Missions (ICOM) was an outstanding gathering.Â Dave Butts, president of Harvest Prayer Ministries and the 2014 ICOM, selected “Vertical” as the theme for the 2014 gathering, and it permeated every level of activity. Butts wrote, “So much of missions is horizontally focused and rightly so. But if we want maximum impact horizontally we need to start with a vertical focus. It”s all about Jesus.” Scripture repeatedly emphasizes the need for a vertical focus. For example, Hebrews 12:1, 2: “Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do

December 19, 2014

ICOM Interview with Paul Covert

Christian Standard Editor Mark A. Taylor talks with Paul Covert, one of only three full-time prayer ministers in the U.S., at the 2014 International Conference on Missions. Hear their conversation here.

December 18, 2014

ICOM Interview with Dick Eastman

At the 2014 International Conference on Missions, Dick Eastman talks about how to reach every home for Christ in this exclusive interview with Christian Standard Editor Mark A. Taylor.

November 21, 2014

ICOM Interview with Mike Schrage

Mike Schrage, president of the 2016 International Conference on MissionsÂ to be held in Lexington, Kentucky, talked about the work of Good News Productions, the impact through the decades of the missionary conference, and his plans for 2016. See the video interview with Editor Mark Taylor, from the exhibit floor of the 2014 ICOM, here.

November 20, 2014

ICOM Interview with Dave Empson and Gary Holloway

Editor Mark Taylor talked with Dave Empson, executive director of International Conference on Missions, and Gary Holloway, executive director of World Convention, about their joint venture in India in 2017. See the video interview, from on the exhibit floor of the 2014 ICOM, here.

November 19, 2014

Journeying Together

By Jennifer Johnson I”m really excited about the 2015 International Conference on Missions. One reason is the president, Jim Tune, asked me to speak. My first sermon was to 1,800 Indian teenagers in a building that could seat 600, the second was for a group of jaded New Yorkers, and now my third will be to a convention hall of a few thousand. I like to focus on easy audiences. But I”m especially looking forward to the convention after talking to Tim Cole at the Virginia Evangelizing Fellowship and learning more about both the church planting emphasis at next year”s

November 13, 2014

One Convention, Seven New Churches

By Jennifer Johnson “You know, if we”re going to spend all this time and effort in planning a convention, it would be great for it to have a long-term impact,” remarked Tim Cole in a planning meeting for the 2015 International Conference on Missions. Cole, director of church planting at Virginia Evangelizing Fellowship (VEF), says he can”t take credit for what happened next; some members of the team suggested the churches in Virginia plant a church, then some others suggested they plant one on every continent, then someone else mentioned Antarctica might be a challenge. Today the plan is

April 3, 2014

New Conference for Associate Ministers

By Jennifer Johnson There are conferences for senior pastors, executive pastors, youth ministers, worship pastors, and even administrative assistants. Now Tim Anderson, associate director at CrossRoads Missions (Louisville, KY), is creating a conference for associate ministers. “I”ve been an associate minister for 26 years, in three churches””everything from the small church where I had a hand in everything to a large megachurch where I had more focused responsibilities,” he says. “It”s a unique role with unique challenges, and I wanted to do something that could help this group.” He “pitched” the idea to Bob Russell more than a year ago

December 9, 2013

ICOM Calls Christians Everywhere to Glorify God Globally

By Doug Lucas It was a global gathering with a distinctly Latino flavor. From the free chips and salsa in the exhibit hall to the mariachi band on the main platform, the International Conference on Missions (ICOM) reminded us of opportunities among Spanish-speaking friends in our country and all over the world. Much of this was due to the influence of 2013 President Jair Castillo who extended his life of influence in Mexico to ICOM. But the convention”s impact extended far beyond the Americas. Meeting November 14-17, 2013, at the Kansas City Convention Center, ICOM hosted church leaders, missions advocates,

December 1, 2012

ICOM 2012: Radical . . . Again

By Dave Butts “Radical . . . Again.” The theme for the 2012 International Conference on Missions (ICOM) November 15-18, was more than a clever title pulled from a popular Christian book. It was an apt description of a conference committed to challenging Christians to meet the needs of an increasingly desperate world in every way possible. Preaching, workshops, worship, exhibits, and service projects combined to call those thousands who attended to deeper levels of global impacting discipleship. It was appropriate the inaugural meeting of ICOM, formerly the National Missionary Convention, was in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Convention Center is always

November 23, 2012

Reporting on Restoration Revolution

By David Empson In November 2010, Restoration Revolution was started at the former National Missionary Convention””now the International Conference On Missions (ICOM)””in Lexington, Kentucky. For almost 18 months prior to its launch, more than 100 leaders representing all kinds of ministries among Christian churches and churches of Christ had been meeting to consider what could be done for the kingdom of God over the next 10 years. Here is a report on progress with these goals so far. Restoration Revolution”s vision statement calls it “a 10-year collaboration that desires to share Jesus with all people.” The four points of Restoration

November 22, 2012

A People to Be Thankful for

By Mark A. Taylor For several years now the National Missionary Convention, recently renamed International Conference on Missions (ICOM), has met the weekend before Thanksgiving. This morning I”m struck by how good it is for the convention and the holiday to be so close together. ICOM reminds us how thankful we can be for our fellowship of Christian churches. Our movement (variously called the Restoration Movement, Stone-Campbell Movement, and more recently the Christian Church Movement) is thriving and well. The throngs of teenagers and young adults crowding the Indianapolis Convention Center November 15-18 bear testimony to that. And so do

August 11, 2012

Thousands Meet in Brazil for World Convention

Almost 4,000 Christians from around the world met in Goiania, Brazil, for fellowship, worship, preaching, and learning at the 18th Global Gathering of the World Convention, July 25-28. Plenary speakers from Brazil, the United States, Australia, Ghana, and Portugal gave challenging lessons focused on the theme of “Sharing the Love that Unites.” Ken Young, along with singers and musicians from the United States and Brazil, led heartfelt praise to God in song. Teachers from eight countries led workshops on the Bible, Christian history, and worldwide ministries. This was the first gathering to be held in what is called the Global

February 28, 2012

“˜Commissioned”: NMC Becomes ICOM

By Chris DeWelt The National Missionary Convention became the International Conference on Missions at its gathering last fall. The conference seems set to continue what it does best: challenging thousands with the opportunity and needs for world missions. From the moment I heard that Wing Wong of China was the 2011 National Missionary Convention president, I knew it would be a great gathering. My anticipation grew when Wing visited Ozark Christian College a few months before the convention and immediately endeared himself to hundreds of students. Wing”s unique combination of humor, passion for Christ, and humble spirit connected with more

November 30, 2011