|
By Lloyd Mackey
TWO Kelowna churches were the focal point, October 23
– 25, for a new leadership development initiative – which drew
some 600 people from across western Canada.
Known as The Nova Experience, the event was designed to
bring church leaders and key participants together in “sharing the
same experience,” according to Brian McKenzie of the Kelowna-based
Leadership Centre Willow Creek Canada (LCWCC).
“In the past, the senior pastor, the worship
pastor, and so on, would go to a conference and get encouragement, but no
one else would be excited. God did not touch in the same way.”
The LCWCC began to work on a concept which could bring
an event, complete with live speakers and workshop leaders, to a region
– so churches could involve more of their leaders, from different
sectors of congregational activity.
McKenzie added: “We wanted to create a situation
that would put all the leaders in the church on the same page.”
The first Nova Experience took place in Toronto earlier
this year, and drew some 500 participants from 100 different churches.
While all the figures were not in at press time,
McKenzie was hoping that at least a similar number of congregations or more
will have been involved at Kelowna.
McKenzie said Kelowna was chosen as the site for the
first western-based event for several practical reasons: the fact that
LCWCC is headquartered in the Okanagan, the availability of conference
facilities in churches, and the interest already generated in a wide range
of Okanagan and other British Columbia churches.
Trinity Baptist and Evangel churches were the sites for
the Nova events. Participants came from most of the other ‘big
five’ churches in the area, as well as from a broad range of other
congregations, from various denominations.
The 48 speakers and presenters included: Futurist Erwin
McManus; recording artist Carolyn Arends; Wayne Alguire, senior pastor of
Trinity Baptist; Donald Miller of the Belmont Foundation; and Vernon
Alliance worship pastor Jon Buller.
Continue article >>
|
The various sessions focused on encouragement, as well
as directional, practical, teamwork and networking activities. Among the
topics explored were: leadership, social justice, spiritual formation,
evangelism and stewardship.
McKenzie pointed out that “we wanted to involve
the X and Y generation, rather than to keep it just boomer
focused.”
And, he added, one of the tracks included exploration
of Natural Church Development (NCD) concepts, which are being increasingly
utilized by mainstream Protestant churches anxious to reach out to their
communities.
As to the possibility of future Nova Experience events,
McKenzie suggested LCWCC is keeping an open mind.
So many things are changing in the church leadership
realm, he said, and LCWCC wants to work constructively with that change.
“There is a deep hunger to do the work of Christ
in Canada,” he said, adding that Christian leaders ‘“are
trying to seek the heart of Christ – and to take Canada back for
Christ.”
Information regarding followup activities can be
found at www.thenovaexperience.com.
November 2008
|
