Preaching and Worship Summit to develop ‘courageous, compassionate, compelling public voices’

The acts of preaching and worship hold a unique power to address the challenges and opportunities of the current moment.  

An upcoming Preaching and Worship Summit, “For Such a Time as This,” aims to empower people with resources to craft messages and worshipful responses amid global occurrences of war, genocide, climate crisis, and the nation’s highest office perpetuating racism, misogyny, and transphobia.

“This spring, we’re turning our attention to a question that feels urgent and essential: ‘What does it mean to speak faithfully and boldly in public spaces as authoritarianism rises and democracy is under threat?’” said the Rev. Cameron Trimble, CEO of Convergence, an organization that offers congregational supports based in values of inclusivity, collaboration, and innovation.

Each day from Monday, May 19, through Thursday, May 22, the Summit will offer a collection of videos that focus on preaching, leading worship, and digital ministry and online church. These can be watched for free during the Summit.

Featured preachers, worship leaders, and ministry experts include the Rev. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister of Middle Collegiate Church in New York City; the Rev. John Dorhauer, former UCC General Minister and President and current senior pastor of First Congregational UCC in DeKalb, Illinois; and the Rev. Jo Nygard-Owens, pastor for digital ministry at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., among others.

Each day of the Summit will include a live Zoom conversation at noon.

“Over four days, we’ll learn from some of today’s most gifted public theologians – leaders who are shaping the moral narrative of our time,” Trimble said. “This is a rare chance to learn from the artists of our movement – those who know that how we speak is just as important as what we say.”

‘Pulpit, public square, kitchen table’

Participants will be invited to watch and reflect on powerful sermons, speeches, and presentations, pausing to examine how the messages were crafted and communicated.

The summit is not limited to preachers, Trimble added. It’s for “anyone who feels the call to become a more courageous, compassionate, and compelling public voice – whether from the pulpit, in the public square, or around the kitchen table.”

Participants can register to join live for free or purchase lifetime access.

“This summit is designed to strengthen your voice, deepen your courage, and equip you to speak into this moment with prophetic imagination and faithful hope – building, together, a more just and generous world,” Trimble said.

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