The Gathering - what's it all about?
Booking for The Gathering in May is now open! We asked Mike Betts to tell us more about what The Gathering is all about and why you should come to it.
PLEASE NOTE: The dates of the May Gathering are different from what was first advertised. The event will be held on 15-16 MAY.
RM: What is 'The Gathering' all about?
MB: Having attended many conferences over the years I have often reflected and thought ‘I wish we could embed what we have heard and not lose it’. I felt our Courage conference last year carried such an important message for us all, and I wanted to find a way to keep digging into that message across our family of churches.
Courage is required for where we are headed: personally, collectively as RM and in each local church family. The Gathering is a learning community-style event where leaders can come and explore and apply the issues raised by the conference.
My hope is that through The Gathering we will see a fresh wave of leaders feeling invited and involved in the mission and stepping up saying, ‘We are ready to go and serve, we’ve got courage to go on an adventure….’
RM: Who is it for? Why should I come?
MB: All leaders are welcome, whether leading in the workplace or in the local church. Additionally we welcome emerging leaders and those with little leadership experience so they can come alongside existing leaders and learn together.
I would especially urge senior leaders to come along with teams from their church to use the time to invest in and disciple people in their own churches for future fruitfulness in leadership. It is a great opportunity for senior leaders to impart wisdom and perspective to emerging leaders and for peer-level leaders to learn from one another.
In the May Gathering (booking open now!) we aim also to have discussion tables in some languages other than English to enable folk from other nations to engage in that part of the program more easily.
RM: So it is just about discussing things together? What about the teaching and prayer we used to have?
MB: We still have those, too. We’re deeply committed to the continued importance of preaching apostolic doctrine, casting vision and facilitating powerful prayer sessions. The Gathering is an event for a season to apply the message of a conference to our culture hopefully. But it’s not either-or; it’s both-and.
When we first started ENOUGH many people said to me, “It does not often feel like a really meaty prayer gathering”. I hear that, and I love the spirit (if you’re feeling burdened to pray more fervently and deeply, why not consider joining our prayer warriors team?). But I want to help everyone participate and that means lowering the bar of experience so seasoned prayer warriors can encourage and stand with those who are learning how to pray.
The same dynamic exists with The Gathering. It is not intended for the senior leaders alone, but is an important opportunity to mix all leadership gifts together to help each other grow and learn. It is an investment in raising up a wave of new leaders who have been trained in our ways by those currently carrying considerable responsibility.
RM: What is the theme of The Gathering in May?
MB: It is Courage in Multiplication. We will be looking at what is, what could be, and what will be in the whole area of expanding our mission as RM.
RM: I haven't been to one yet, is it too late?
Not at all. Please come to the next one. They flow as a series, with each topic building on the last, but each one does stand alone on its own merits.
The only thing we say is that they only work if you attend for both days. The reason being the program follows an intended course that only makes full sense over the two-day period.
Convinced? Intrigued? Book in now to join us in Ipswich on 15 and 16 May.