The Church of the Nazarene, through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, is hosting a global Compassion Conference July 14-16, 2016. Compassion Conference is a global event designed to bring together church and regional leaders alongside learners and practitioners to equip churches for holistic, transformational ministry.

The conference, which will be held at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, USA, will feature speakers, theological reflection, working group collaboration, and in-depth capacity building workshops.

 “Compassion is at the heart of who the church was a hundred years ago,” said Larry Bollinger, international director of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. “This conference will inspire the church and help Nazarenes build capacity for the next hundred years.”

The conference theme, “Living in the Margins,” recognizes the local church’s role to acknowledge and address the needs in its community in Jesus’ name.

 “‘Living in the Margins’ is about going into the places where we meet Jesus among the least of these,” Bollinger said.

The three-day conference will address topics such as holistic child development, community development, disaster preparedness and response, conflict mitigation, and human trafficking. Workshops will delve into issues in ways that equip churches to address needs in a variety of cultural contexts in all six Church of the Nazarene world regions.

Pre-conference sessions will also be available, and any group within the church is encouraged to take advantage of the conference space to host meetings for their leaders or create their own pre-conference workshops.

Compassion Conference is designed for anyone interested in mobilizing the church to live out Christ’s compassion and create change in a local context — church and regional leaders, compassionate ministry leaders and practitioners, Christian nonprofit leaders and practitioners, pastors, scholars, theologians, and students. 

Early bird pricing is available through December 31, 2015. Student pricing is offered, and group rates are available.

For more information or to register for the conference, visit compassionconference.com.

Questions regarding the conference, including group rates and pre-conference space, can be sent to info@ncm.org.

--Nazarene Compassionate Ministries