Conferences & Gatherings

Conferences & Gatherings brings together coverage of key events that encourage, equip, and connect church leaders and ministry teams. Explore previews, recaps, highlights, and interviews from conferences, conventions, workshops, and regional gatherings—along with updates on schedules, themes, speakers, and opportunities for training and networking. Whether you’re planning to attend, looking for takeaways, or tracking major developments across the church and the Restoration Movement, this hub helps you stay informed and engaged with the gatherings shaping ministry today.

July 28, 2011

Christian Standard

Florida Church Hosting Three-day ‘Jubilee’

Instead of a traditional Vacation Bible School, this weekend Journey Christian Church (Apopka, FL) will host “Journey Jubilee,” a three-day event designed for families and friends of all ages. In addition to times of teaching and worship, groups will enjoy a challenge course, a geo-scavenger hunt, live music, a prayer walk, and plenty of time to relax. Families are invited to camp on the church property and a nominal fee of $25 per group covers all activities.

January 26, 2011

Christian Standard

Go, You (Why You Should Attend the National Missionary Convention)

By Teresa Schantz Williams I thought it would be awkward, like showing up at a wedding rehearsal when you”re not in the wedding party. Attend the National Missionary Convention? I had no credentials: I”m not a missionary or a forwarding agent, I don”t serve on a mission committee, and I”ve never been on a mission trip outside the United States. “You should come,” my sister insisted. “Going there just . . . changes you.” I didn”t ask what about me needed changing (I”m pretty sure she”d tell me). Instead, I went. On November 18, we drove from Missouri to Lexington,

November 29, 2010

Christian Standard

Good Call

By Jennifer Taylor This month, Christ In Youth (Joplin, Missouri) launches THE CALL BOOK, a new online registry where generations of CIY conference attendees can share their stories of how a CIY conference changed their lives or prompted a call to vocational ministry. This past summer, “dozens of individuals eagerly shared stories of their calling to ministry after being challenged at a Christ In Youth event,” writes executive director Andy Hansen. “Their stories will be the first of what will be thousands in the years to come.” CIY is making plans now for its first CIY Alumni “CALL BOOK” event

July 18, 2010

Christian Standard

Solid “˜Rock”

By Jennifer Taylor “Story” is a big idea right now. In 2009, author Donald Miller released A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, a memoir of the lessons he learned about “living a good story” while developing a movie script based on his life. Ben Arment”s STORY conference includes not only traditional big-name personalities like Chuck Swindoll but also David McFadzean (creator of the TV show Home Improvement), Richard Walter (screenwriter and UCLA film professor), and novelist Andrew Klavan. The International Storytelling Center draws thousands to its annual festival and works with the Library of Congress to collect information on

July 18, 2010

Christian Standard

NACC “˜Beyond”: Beyond Words to Action””Holistic Global Impact

By Dick Alexander I”m a late in life convert. For many years I thought the best (and only) real good we could do in overseas mission work was to plant churches. Once the churches got up and running, the Christians there could take care of other needs in their societies. I used to worry that some mission work gave lots of cups of cold water but saved few souls and had little to show for decades of investment. Maybe I was just stupid. After all, Jesus healed and preached. And good missionaries for years have not truncated ministry. Food, medical

July 18, 2010

Christian Standard

NACC “˜Beyond”: Beyond the Misguided Spiritual Disciplines

By Brian Jones Whenever people talk about moving beyond facilitating conversions to making disciples, someone will inevitably say that teaching and practicing the spiritual disciplines will be vital to making this happen. I couldn”t disagree more. Years ago Richard Foster released a perennially best-selling book called Celebration of Discipline. In it he outlined 12 disciplines Christians have engaged in over the last 2,000 years to help them live more spiritually abundant lives””meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. The church should be profoundly grateful for that book, and profoundly ticked off. Someone said a person”s greatest

July 18, 2010

Christian Standard

NACC “˜Beyond”: Beyond the Desert of Ministry Fatigue

By George Ross OK, I have to be honest. When I told my wife this was the topic I”d been asked to speak on at the NACC this summer, her initial response was, “Oh boy! You”re gonna need some help with that one!” And she was right! Truth of the matter is, I have always been a subtle workaholic who struggles with boundaries and has a tendency to wear out more than rust out. Be that as it may, I am very aware of the desert and its dangers of depletion, depression, and derailment if we are left to ourselves.

July 18, 2010

Christian Standard

NACC “˜Beyond”: A Sermon Series and BEYOND

By Ethan Magness In our own congregation, the BEYOND theme has been a channel for change. When we see what has happened here, we have great hope for what God will do through our convention. All of us want to be a part of churches that are moving beyond. We want to be always following Jesus to a place we have never been before. Certainly this desire to move beyond is a central value of Mountain Christian Church, where I serve on staff and where NACC President Ben Cachiaras is senior minister. One of the reasons we are excited to be

May 12, 2010

Christian Standard

A New Reason to Register

By Mark A. Taylor Why register for the North American Christian Convention? Well, for all the same reasons you ought to attend the North American Christian Convention, July 6-9 in Indianapolis. This year”s program promises encouragement, information, new experiences, and the chance to be challenged by nationally known church leaders. And the registration fees are a fraction of the costs you”d pay to attend other similar conferences. Of course, you could say there”s nothing else quite like the NACC. Nowhere else will you find as many friends and influencers from other Christian churches and churches of Christ all together in one place.

February 28, 2010

Christian Standard

Honor Where It”s Due: A Report on the 2009 National Missionary Convention

By John Caldwell My first experience with the National Missionary Convention was when it came to Joplin, Missouri, in 1965 while I was a student at Ozark Bible College. A few hundred people met at Memorial Hall with Woodrow Phillips, Ozark”s missions professor, serving as president. The halls were lined with displays, mostly homemade. Quite honestly, there is little else I can remember except that I felt honored to be in the presence of missionaries from all around the world whom I considered to be heroes of the faith. It would be many years before I would attend the convention

February 24, 2010

Christian Standard

Interview with David Empson

By Brad Dupray While serving as director of the Teen Convention of the National Missionary Convention for 13 years, David Empson got a front-row seat to growth of the NMC under the leadership of Walter Birney. As Walter was experiencing the onset of Parkinson”s disease, he began to transition the practical functions of the executive director role to David as early as 2008. With that experience, David has “hit the ground running” as the convention”s new executive director and looks forward to the continued growth of the National Missionary Convention, beginning with the convention scheduled for this coming November in

February 14, 2010

Christian Standard

The Rest of the Story

By George Ross There”s a couple in our church named Brian and Amy. Since the spring of 2000 I”ve used their experience to help explain the joy of coming to faith in the Lord. Their story is moving to me and sometimes to others if I do it justice by telling it properly. But just two weeks ago their journey with Christ became even more special to me. Anxious to Dive In Brian and Amy”s baptism a decade ago wasn”t during a service; most everyone had already left the building, but the angels were celebrating. After our last service of

February 14, 2010

Christian Standard

NACC: BEYOND

By Ben Cachiaras When visiting Capernaum last summer, I paused on the rocky shoreline looking out at the Sea of Galilee. Knowing it could be the very stretch of beach Jesus walked when he called those first fishermen gave it a surreal sense of being holy ground. What struck me is that Jesus” call to them was abrupt and demanding: “Follow me!” Doing so would mean a life of perpetual movement and adventure, risk and change. It meant dropping familiar nets, leaving cherished family, and abandoning well-worn paths in pursuit of a leader who wanted to take them BEYOND any

February 14, 2010

Christian Standard

NACC: Jesus Calls Us to Go BEYOND

By Ben Cachiaras Here are some of the sessions planned for this summer’s North American Christian Convention in Indianapolis, July 6-9: “BEYOND the Great Omission” is about making more and better disciples””with Jesus-like passion for both. Instead of omitting one-half of the Great Commission, God wants to stir a passion in us for reaching those far from him””and an equal passion for growing mature disciples. “BEYOND Racial Zones” is about moving past our sectors of separation until our churches reflect the complexion we find in Christ”s church in Acts and Revelation. It is not about affirmative action or being politically

February 14, 2010

Christian Standard

NACC: A Blend of the Fresh and Familiar

By Ben Cachiaras Special Guests A trademark of the convention will be great preaching at our main sessions, anchored by some of our movement”s strong speakers, like Brian Jones, Dick Alexander with Mary Kamau, George Ross, and Gene Appel. In addition, we will welcome some special friends as guests; Christian brothers we have invited to share with us, and from whom we can benefit, include Efrem Smith, Francis Chan, Rick Warren, and others. Added to that will be rich worship experiences led by Eric Olson and the team from Mountain Christian Church of Joppa, Mary-land; Bible studies led by John-ny

February 14, 2010

Christian Standard

NACC: Hmmm . . . Let Us Think

By Rob Kastens Recently I was given a complete original set of The Millennial Harbinger. As I read through the discolored, fragile pages of several issues from the 1800s, I was struck by the discourse and exchange around all sorts of issues. Positions were stated and confronted by Alexander Campbell as he responded to writings published elsewhere and letters he received. This exchange of views through the Harbinger and other publications, in addition to public debates and discussions, helped shape and hone our movement in its early days. In these pages, I found Christians who were committed to Scripture and

February 14, 2010

Christian Standard

NACC: The Week’s Schedule

TUESDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 6 Exhibit Hall Standard Publishing Lunch LOGOS Bible Software Training “The Zone,” Student Area TUESDAY EVENING, JULY 6 Exhibit Hall Evening Main Session with Ben Cachiaras NACC President”s Reception College Fair (for students and parents) WEDNESDAY MORNING, JULY 7 Exhibit Hall Ministers” Networking Breakfast Bible Study Exhibitor Workshops Morning Main Session with Brian Jones Student Main Session with Todd Clark Featured Guest Speaker, Efrem Smith WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 7 Exhibit Hall Seniors” Luncheon with Ben Merold Workshops Bible Studies WEDNESDAY EVENING, JULY 7 Exhibit Hall President”s Banquet””Open to All Evening Main Session with Dick Alexander THURSDAY MORNING,

February 14, 2010

Christian Standard

The NACC Is for Students Too!

By Phyllis Fox Youth in Ministry (YiM) is excited to go BEYOND with the North American Christian Convention”s Student Convention in Indianapolis this summer. Our goal is to encourage students to go BEYOND ordinary worship and BEYOND radical discipleship. We have several familiar program elements plus new features that will excite students and their parents. What’s New We are encouraged by the many churches enjoying intergenerational worship, so we are trying something new in the 2010 Student Convention by having the students join the adults for the evening sessions. When students are in high school it is critical that they

February 14, 2010

Christian Standard

NACC: The Rock & The Rabbi

By Phyllis Fox So, you want to hear about the Rabbi. Good. You”ll get your chance at the Thursday-evening session of the North American Christian Convention. I should warn you, though, it”s challenging to find the right words that will take you BEYOND your imaginations and BEYOND your previous theater experiences, because The Rock & The Rabbi is so much more. Beyond the synagogues and shorelines, beyond the church walls and workplaces””the Rabbi says, “Follow Me. I”ll make you fishers of men.” It all begins with a name-changing encounter and a miraculous catch of fish for Peter, the Rock, when

February 14, 2010

Christian Standard

Testimony of an NACC Newcomer

By Daryl Reed I serve as lead minister of DC Regional Christian Church in metropolitan Washington. Our church was reorganized and relaunched as a congregation in 2003. For the past five years or so, our young congregation has been encouraged by new connections we”ve made with new ministry friends, especially our friendship with Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland. I have a rich history within the Restoration Movement. I consider myself blessed to have been raised in the mainline a cappella churches of Christ in Wisconsin. My grandparents on both sides and my parents are longtime church of Christ members

Help Keep Christian Standard Free & Accessible with a Tax Deductible Donation

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Does Your Church Want to Support Christian Standard?

Would your church consider including support for Christian Standard in its annual missions budget? Your support would help us not only continue the 160-year legacy of this unifying ministry, but also expand the free resources, cooperative opportunities, and practical guidance we provide to strengthen churches in the U.S. and around the world.

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Secret Link