Thirty-four Nazarenes from the Eurasia Region will join Nazarenes from around the world later this month in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the denomination’s third global theology conference. The Board of General Superintendents (BGS) is calling on Nazarenes to join in a month of prayer for this historic and influential event.
The prayer emphasis precedes and continues throughout the conference, which takes place March 23–27, 2014.
Sponsored by the BGS and the International Board of Education, Global Theology Conference III offers opportunity for 300 invited leaders, representing the six world regions of the Church of the Nazarene, to be involved. Participants include clergy and laity who serve in various leadership roles throughout the international church. Conference papers and conversation will address the topic, “Critical Issues in Ecclesiology,” as we celebrate a shared vision of our understanding of the church and its faithful expression of the gospel message in today’s world.
“The GTC conferences are incredible opportunities for the leaders and theologians of the Church to gather and reason together about our past, present and future,” said Brower-Latz. “The conference sounds as if it’s about theology (and it is!) but it is much more than merely theology: it is about theology in service to the church, theology in action, learning more of the love of God in community and, as we worship together, eat alongside each other, pray and debate each other, we come to love each other more, and learn how to shape our thinking for God’s activity in and through us in faithful service to the Church of the Nazarene, for now and for the future.”
More than 45 papers were submitted from participants representing each of the denomination’s six world regions, as well as the global church; 22 of the papers were selected and made available to be read prior to the conference gathering, with the remaining papers published in the summer.
Six people from the Eurasia Region had papers accepted among the first 22: Dean Flemming, from European Nazarene College (and MidAmerica Nazarene University); as well as Dwight D. Swanson, T. A. Noble, Sarah Whittle, Deirdre Brower-Latz and David Rainey, from Nazarene Theological College in Manchester, U.K.
The papers were presented in the areas of context, theology, Bible and history and are available for download in multiple languages at http://didache.nazarene.org/.
The Board of General Superintendents asks Nazarenes to join them in prayer as leaders and theologians engage in this important time of dialogue and reflection regarding the nature and mission of the church. The prayers of Nazarenes worldwide will provide valuable support for this important event.
Previous global theology conferences took place in Guatemala (2002) and the Netherlands (2007).
