Amos Disasa – Tuesday Closing Worship (Charlotte 2013)

Amos Disasa preaching at the closing worship service on Tuesday afternoon [Part of the 2013 NEXT Church National Gathering in Charlotte, NC.]

Theresa Cho – Tuesday morning worship (Charlotte 2013)

Theresa Cho preaching in worship Tuesday morning

[Part of the 2013 NEXT Church National Gathering in Charlotte, NC.]

Steve Eason – Monday evening worship (Charlotte 2013)

Steve Eason preaching in worship Monday evening

[Part of the 2013 NEXT Church National Gathering in Charlotte, NC.]

Jessica Tate and Casey Fitzgerald – Opening Worship (Charlotte 2013)

Jessica Tate (preacher) and Casey Fitzgerald (biblical storyteller) in the opening worship on Monday. [Part of the 2013 NEXT Church National Gathering in Charlotte, NC.]

A Sermon on NEXT Church

By Tom Are

preached at Village Presbyterian Church on April 28, 2013

“The church that is becoming is going to matter to the world, not just because of what we think, but because of how we live…. I think that’s how Jesus always intended it.”

Grounded in Philippians 2, Tom examines the cultural change in which we find ourselves and how NEXT Church has come to exist as a response to that change.

2012 National Gathering Sermon: Stacy Johnson

“We can live as though we are perishing, or live as though we are saved.” — Stacy Johnson

https://youtu.be/5vyDSqKPmyY

In his keynote address at the 2012 NEXT National Gathering, Stacy notes that the church faces an adaptive challenge in the wake of a cultural tsunami. He encourages us to re-imagine the gospel through a ministry of poetry, prayer and prophetic witness.

Stacy Johnson is Arthur M. Adams Professor of Systematic Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Indianapolis 2011 — Tuesday Closing Worship

Lewis Galloway preaching

In a sermon full of stories and memories, Lewis Galloway, proclaims that despite anxiety, the lightning speed of change, uncertainty of the church’s message, that hope never gives up.

Lewis Galloway is the pastor of Second Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis and member of the NEXT Church Advisory Team.

Indianapolis 2011 — Tuesday Morning Worship and Testimony on Connection

Pen Peery preaching

[Worship begins: 18:16; Sermon by Pen Peery begins: 24:35.]

In this post-Constantinian, post-modern, post-denominational, post-Christian world, the structured connection the Presbyterian church has depended upon no longer serves us well. In this sermon Pen Peery suggests these uncertain times are similar to the uncertainty the disciples faced in the book of Acts. Our temptation is to control rather than to trust the guidance of the Spirit. Pen offers a vision of connectionalism based on trust, that does not speak in one voice but celebrates the chorus of witnesses that make up Christ’s body.

Pen Peery is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte, NC and member of the NEXT Church Strategy Team.

Testimony from Chris Chakoian on Relational Culture and Connection

[Introduction begins: 52:45; Chris Chakoian testimony begins: 59:32]

We live in a time of rapid change and no one has charted this territory before. However, our ancestors in the early followers of Jesus and in the Protestant Reformation also lived in times of tremendous change. In this astute testimony, Chris Chakoian lifts up three ways in which our forebears responded to change and suggests these three practices are our work today. John Wilkinson introduces her.

Chris Chakoian is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Lake Forest, IL and member of the NEXT Church Advisory Team. John Wilkinson is pastor of Third Presbyterian Church, Rochester, NY and a member of the NEXT Church Advisory Team.

Indianapolis 2011 — Monday Afternoon Worship

Shannon Johnson Kershner preaching.

[Worship begins at 4:07; Sermon begins at 8:33]

In this honest, funny sermon, Shannon Johnson Kershner reflects on the gift of being given the powerful message of God in the imperfect, cracked pots of ourselves and the church. Rather than forcing us to prove ourselves worthy of God’s message, we are free to live it as best we can.

Shannon Johnson Kershner is pastor of Black Mountain Presbyterian Church in Black Mountain, NC and Co-Chair of the NEXT Church Strategy Team.

Indianapolis 2011 — Intro to NEXT and Monday Morning Worship

Intro to NEXT Church by Tom Are

[Begins at: 33:56]  The church isn’t dying; it’s changing. God isn’t done with the church. At the first NEXT Church National Gathering, Tom Are identifies theological convictions that ground the NEXT Church movement and calls on the church to find its voice to bring good news in an age of anxiety and transition.

Tom Are is the pastor of Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village Kansas and serves as the Co-Chair of the NEXT Church Strategy Team.

Scott Black Johnston, preaching

[Worship begins at: 47:30; Sermon begins at 58:26]  There is much conventional wisdom about why North American Protestant churches are in decline. Scott Black Johnston, reflecting on the prophet Jeremiah, suggests that the church has been sent into exile because we’ve been corrupted by political power. In this powerful sermon, Scott names the gifts of exile and calls us to follow God’s command to the ancient exiles: seek the welfare of the city in which I have placed you in exile.

Scott Black Johnston is the pastor of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City, New York and served on the initial steering committee of NEXT Church.