BIG EVENT 2007 KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Brian McLaren
Brian's Workshops

Brian McLaren is a pastor, author, speaker, and networker among innovative Christian leaders, thinkers, and activists. A frequent guest on TV and radio programs, he was listed as one of America’s 25 most influential evangelicals by Time Magazine. Brian McLaren helped form Cedar Ridge Community Church, an innovative, nondenominational church in the Baltimore-Washington region. His recent book The Secret Message of Jesus serves as a source of inspiration for our event and emphasizes the theme of the kingdom of God in the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus invited believers to embrace a new worldview and new way of living, available here and now, not just after we die. Our “stepping into the kingdom” will enable it to grow and become more visible to others, even though we know that it will only be truly complete in God’s time. Our keynoter will help us see that this hidden “way of being” actually can be seen as we live out our faith in the context of urban life, environmental stewardship, mutual relationships, meaningful worship, and a deep spiritual journey.

Spend the day with us imagining… imagining a world where a celebratory presence is found in worship, art, and music, where a nurturing environment enables people to learn more and search for meaning, and where relationships are radically transformed – a place where the church is enriched by all age groups, moving beyond a building and out into the world!

Learn more about Brian. Visit his website: www.brianmclaren.net

Brian's Workshops at the Big Event 2007:

Morning Workshop:

     Public Worship as Spiritual Formation: A Fresh Way of Seeing our Public Gatherings as Group Spiritual Practices for Spiritual Formation This presentation explores such concepts as "ancient-future worship," the meaning of ritual, liturgy as group spiritual formation, and leadership as exposure to "masters of practice," to help leaders plan and lead public worship more effectively - with the goal of authentic spiritual formation in mind.

Afternoon Workshop:

      What are the World's Greatest Problems? An Encounter between Jesus' Message of the Kingdom and Today's Global Issues What Are the World's Greatest Problems? Brian will present material from his upcoming book, "Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope." We'll consider how Jesus' message of the kingdom of God relates to our world's top problems today.