Harbor, Pepperdine Bible Lectures

In Acts 15:28, James announces that the Gentiles have been included by God, including the line, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to Us. . . ." This epochal moment is central to Luke's understanding of the early church, and it should be for ours as well. What would it require for your church to be a 15:28 church? Teacher: Mark Love

Chris Goldman, NWChurch Worship Band A musical and spoken word worship experience built upon Isaiah 40 - 43, music by the NW Worship Band, and a desire to breathe spiritual energy into all who participate.

Teacher: Bobby Valentine  

Teachers: Scott Lambert, Jim Martin Spiritual leaders need encouragement to keep pressing forward in challenging Kingdom work. Approaches and tactics to wrestle with burnout, stress and anxiety will be accompanied by words of blessings, courage and prayers over each person in attendance. Both nights will offer practical insights as well as the feeding of each leader's soul. End the Harbor day with a time of encouragement to stay courageous in serving God and His people.

Teachers: Jason Locke, Tod Vogt Panelists: David Berry, Charles Kiser, Ryan Smith, Chale Wesson In this Reimagining Church workshop, the panelists will look at how to move beyond the tired and futile hamster wheel of worship improvements, revolving preachers, rebrandings, facility improvements, and the like. Instead of just rethinking how to improve the weekly hour of worship, what if we as churches rethought how to do life together? What if Christian communities both new and old could imagine and live into a new future of being the church in the world? This session will look at concrete ideas for how to break out of existing frameworks.

Teacher: Stanley Talbert This class explores theological perspectives on love, justice, and hope. If “God Loves Forever,” what are the implications of human love for God, the neighbor, and the self in the 21st century? The class will think with theologies of love, justice, and hope while constructing an ethic for the church’s engagement in our contemporary world.

Teacher: Esau McCaulley Words have meaning in context. What should the Christian mean when he or she speaks of justice? What are its foundations, aims, and purpose. Related to this question is the doctrine of sin. Is sin personal, corporate (systemic), or some combination of the two? This seminar will outline a Christian definition of justice rooted in the vision for the Kingdom of God that emerges across the canon.

Teacher: Rubel Shelley The message of Scripture is that same-sex activity is outside God's will, but our culture tells us that "authentic personhood" and "one's true identity" must not be denied. The role of the Holy Spirit is to empower virtue and to enable Christians -- whether heterosexual or homosexual by orientation -- to live in chastity and fidelity as we are transformed into Christ's likeness.

Teachers: Josh Ross, Chris Seidman Life and ministry is much richer when we’re not the only ones doing the talking. We’ll pull on the thread of the Lord’s voice that runs throughout Scripture and talk practically about the challenges of discerning and following His voice in our lives today. We’ll also enjoy a few testimonies, and laugh (or cringe) over a few misguided experiences along the way.

Teachers: John Barton, KIBO Group John will share experiences and lessons learned in his work with Kibo Group International, and his thirty years of involvement in cross-cultural church work and community development.