“Jesus is Lord” will be the theme of the 30^th General Assembly and Conventions, the Board of General Superintendents announced this week. The General Assembly, which will be attended by Nazarenes from across the globe, is scheduled 9-16 June 2023, in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

The theme “Jesus is Lord” is the “foundation for our unity,” General Superintendent David Busic said. “Jesus is not a way; He is the Way. Jesus is not a truth; He is the Truth. Jesus is not a life, He is the Life.”

The inspiration for the theme arose from the Quadrennial Address delivered by Busic at the 2017 General Assembly. The emphasis is grounded in Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body, and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

In his address, Busic reminded the church from Ephesians 4:6 that, “one Lord is the foundation for all oneness.”

“ . . . who you say is ‘lord’ declares your ultimate allegiance,” Busic said. “If you say Caesar is lord, that means something. If we say culture is lord, government is lord, even the church is lord, all of those are statements. But when you say ‘Jesus is Lord,’ that means that He is the pinnacle, the ultimate authority.”

The BGS believed the message was especially powerful in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and determined to designate it the 2023 General Assembly theme.

“If we try to unify around political ideologies or cultural mores, there are just too many,” Busic said. “None of them — no matter how good or bad they may be — none of them come to the ultimate reality, which is that Jesus is Lord. Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

During the Assembly’s five corporate worship services, members of the BGS will examine how the concept ‘Jesus is Lord’ interfaces with the various aspects of the mission of the Church of the Nazarene: “To make Christlike disciples in the nations.”

“How do we think about Jesus as Lord in our discipleship, worship, evangelism, missions?” Busic said. “Those are the various sermon topics that the general superintendents will focus on.”

General Assembly is the "supreme doctrine-formulating, lawmaking, and elective authority of the Church of the Nazarene" (Manual, 300). The assembly, conventions (Nazarene Discipleship International, Nazarene Missions International, Nazarene Youth International), and additional activities bring Nazarenes from every world region together for a time of business, celebration, and worship.

For more information on the 30^th General Assembly and Conventions, click here.