Today was day one of the 2007 Ekklesia Project gathering. This is my third year attending the annual conference and it really has come to resemble something of an extended family of sorts. I’ve often been asked to describe what EP is or what EP does and it has been difficult to sum up in a short mission statement what we really are all about… but we know it when we see it. As Phil Kenneson said tonight, we’re not quite an academic conference and we’re not entirely a “church” conference although those both seem to characterize a lot of what we do. Perhaps, as Phil suggested, we’re more like a family reunion. These EP conferences are about friendships between pastors, theologians and laity who share convictions about a few core things. Among these are the conviction that as disciples we are first and foremost a people defined by Jesus (not America, not the Denver Broncos, not our Alma Matter, etc), also that real discipleship must take place within community and we share the conviction that we are a people formed and shaped by many things, so the church must be active in faithfully forming disciples in the way of Jesus. This was just a little bit of an introduction to tonight’s talk by Phil.

I’ll post more about Sharon Huey’s sermon from earlier in the afternoon. I’m posting a link to all three audio recordings from today here as well.

Brent’s Opening Comments.mp3

Afternoon Worship.mp3

What Are We Doing Here.mp3