I’ve been to many a church leadership conference in my time. Usually they are encouraging and enjoyable, but I sometimes come away struggling to know how to implement what I’ve learnt, frustrated with my context, or even with a nagging sense that what I need to do is just try harder and do better.
And so, when it’s come to planning our own church leadership conference, Abide, I have been wrestling with the question of whether we really need another church leadership conference. What’s distinctive about Abide? And is that enough for church leaders to justify investing our limited time and resources? You might have similar questions yourself.
So let us share with you a little of the heart and the thinking behind Abide 2024.
Jesus says:
Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
— John 15:4-5 (NRSV)
John 15 is Jesus’ generous invitation to organic connection and intimacy. It is a beautiful invitation to all disciples; but it is especially poignant for pastors and church leaders. It’s so easy for the pressures and stresses of leadership to draw us away from abiding in Christ and into a life of frenetic striving in our own strength.
Abide 2024 is an invitation to come aside to explore together how we might cultivate and protect that organic connection and intimacy with Christ, without our efforts slipping into rigid performativity. This is a time to re-centre our life in Christ, and reconnect with the ground of our being in the world so we can produce the fruit that we desire.
My hope and prayer is that, together, we would learn to live and lead in ways that are good for our souls, good for our relationships, good for our churches, and good for the sake of the Gospel in Aotearoa – to experience the incredible thrill and privilege of being used by the Spirit in ‘bearing much fruit’.
It has been amazing to witness God’s hand at work drawing things together as we have prayed and planned. Over 40 collaborators are coming together to bring you Abide 2024. The programme is rich and expansive; so much so that you’ll have to bring your entire team so you can glean from all the different offerings!
Here’s some of what’s shaped the design of Abide 2024:
- A spacious schedule that allows for meaningful connection with others, and opportunities to linger in worship and prayer.
- A gathering designed by Aotearoa’s church leaders for Aotearoa’s church leaders. We love to learn from our sisters and brothers overseas but are intentionally tapping into the deep well already present in our land.
- A national gathering that goes beyond our own regional, denominational, or church networks for the sake of learning with and from each other. One of the strengths and opportunities of being a small nation is our ability to be connected with each other in a growing sense of Gospel camaraderie.
- A moveable feast beginning in Auckland this year, relocating to Ōtautahi Christchurch in 2025, and on to different centres in future years so it’s not always the same people having to travel.
Abide 2024 is for pastors and church leadership teams who want to live and lead out of the overflow of their life in Christ. A time for leaders to be inspired, refreshed, and equipped. This is a unique opportunity for leaders to come together – across contexts, traditions, generations, and cultures – to gather as one, encounter Jesus, and be restored, refreshed, and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. We believe that Christ-centred leadership in the church has the power to change lives and transform Aotearoa.
Abide 2024 was designed for those who want to move beyond ideas into implementation in the spirit of Gospel camaraderie. Join us in person as a team to learn alongside leaders from a variety of church contexts.
