On Feb 25-26th ACTS/North West Baptist Seminary was pleased to host Dr. Jim Belcher, of Deep Church fame (IVP, 2010) for an excellent conference on “ReSourcing Church”. The idea was to call the church back to some original sources as well as providing some contemporary resources for navigating church practice in our own time. Jim was the perfect speaker to help us do this in that he offered what he calls a mediating or third way between traditional church models and so-called emerging models of church. The sessions can be viewed on the Northwest website, if you want details and videos of the lectures. The one factor that stood out to me was the need for dialog on issues like preaching, missions, worship, authority and other matters that were open to cultural concerns while rooted, and re-rooted if need be, in the tradition of the church.
We also had six break-out sessions that were excellent and offered responses to Jim’s book based on issues like preaching, the Gospel, deep exegesis, deep mission and the Holy Spirit in the church. Well over 100 pastors and church leaders were in attendance and the feedback has been very affirmative. The event was sponsored, primarily by the Pickford Chair of Theology, in conjunction with Northwest Baptist Seminary, Canadian Baptist Seminary and Canadian Pentecostal Seminary. We are already in the planning stages for our next conference, this time on the general theme: Christian Authority: Scripture and Tradition in Dialogue. It will take place the last weekend of Feb. 2013. Keep your eyes peeled for this! It should be interesting. We will be making an announcement on the keynote speaker very soon!
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