'Conspirators' Plot New Ways to Be Christian

By Michelle A. Vu, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, February 28, 2008

Cutting-edge leaders of the emerging, missional, mosaic and monastic streams are convening Thursday evening in Washington state to re-imagine ways to express the Christian faith.

Under the banner of "The New Conspirators Conference," attendees will contemplate what "God is conspiring" through the new generation of Christian leaders to make His kingdom relevant in a rapidly changing world.

"As far as we know, this is the first time that such a broad range of new conspirators have come together to communicate, connect and create with one another," conference organizers said on their Web site.

Speakers and participants at the Conspirators conference include Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution; Karen Ward from Fremont Abbey; Efrem Smith, co-author of The Hip Hop Church; Dwight Friesen from Mars Hill Graduate School; Julie Clawson, an emerging church planter; Mark Scandrette, author of Soul Graffiti; Christine Sine, author of Godspace; and Tom Sine, author of The New Conspirators.

Participating "conspirators" will seek to create new expressions of discipleship, community, church and mission in an environment described by the conference as a "festival of imagination." Discussions on tough questions concerning the church, community, and God's world will also be addressed.

"We are racing into an increasingly uncertain global future in which the middle class, our poorest neighbors and our planet will face daunting new challenges," organizers said. "In this festival of imagination, we will invite you to create innovative ways to engage these challenges in a way that reflects something of God's new order."

The three main goals of the conference are: to communicate creative models of what new conspirators are doing to address challenges such as poverty and global warming; to connect leaders from all four streams to share their lives, stories and concerns; and to create new ways to advance God's new order in the world – in personal lives and in churches – in response to the growing challenges facing the poor and the planet.

Workshop sessions include 2008: Do God and Politics Mix?; Emerging Women Find Their Voice; Creating Missional Congregations in Latin America; Rhythms of Grace for Everyday Life; Stop, Drove & Roll Redefined; Jesus for President; Established and Emerging Dancing Together; Holy Loitering: Rediscovering Spirituality for New Expressions and Traditional Communities; Creating Support Groups for Jesus Radicals; and Entering the Jesus Dojo.

The "New Conspirators: What in the World is God Doing?" conference is being held at Bethany Community Church in Seattle, Feb. 28-Mar. 1.