26-28 March 2025

In a world where the toxicity of the contemporary Western church is regularly, and often justifiably highlighted, THE HOPE Conference explores how contemporary churches can and should be places of transformation and healing.

It is our strong contention that God’s specific plan and design for churches is that they are places of hope and restoration, both as overarching communities, as well as for the individuals within these communities. This conference will undertake a multidisciplinary and practical exploration of how, guided by the Spirit of God, we can positively create and sustain flourishing communities that heal and empower the individuals within them.

The Hope Conference will gather the voices of practitioners, biblical scholars, systematic theologians, practical and interdisciplinary theologians, counsellors, and sociologists. In the gathering and through the resulting book, we will discuss, explore, and draw some conclusions about how contemporary churches are and can become flourishing communities, which provide health and healing to the wider community, the local church body and to the individuals of which both are comprised.

We invite submissions for presentations at the parallel sessions of this conference. Presented papers should be 20 minutes long and focus on the theme of hope, exploring positive ways in which we can grow flourishing church communities that transform and heal people.

For example, papers could provide reflections on ‘green shoots’ – positive instances of transformation and growth from those in church ministry. Papers could also include academic exploration from practical, interdisciplinary, biblical, and systematic scholars of conditions in which flourishing and growth occurs.

SUBMISSION DETAILS
Paper titles with up to 500 words of abstract and brief biographical details are to be submitted to:

[email protected] and
[email protected]

by 30 June 2024.

Notification of accepted papers will be communicated by 31 July 2024.

Hope: Growing Flourishing Church Communities that Transform and Heal People
26-28 March 2025

12:30pm Wed - 1pm Fri  
3 Smythe Road, Henderson
Henderson Campus

INVITED SPEAKERS INCLUDE
Rev. Dr MaryKate Morse
Rev. Dr Brian Harris
Ps Jonathan Dove
Dr Christa McKirland
The Ven Dr Lyndon Drake
Dr Lynne Taylor