Two-day conference at York University brings together leaders from the Midwest, the Plains and the Rocky Mountain states.
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
YORK, NEB. — To prepare for a panel discussion on challenges and opportunities facing small-town and rural Churches of Christ, minister Jason Zaiger reached out to more than 20 congregations and individuals in his home state of Iowa.
Zaiger, who with his wife, Ann, has served Hawkeye State churches for 25 years, wanted to know more about his fellow Christians’ experiences.
“I’ll be honest: I received more info on challenges maybe than opportunities,” he said last week at York University’s Equip Conference, which drew about 230 church leaders from 18 states and Canada to this Nebraska farming town.
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But before detailing those challenges, Zaiger offered a glimpse into the hearts of Iowa’s Christians.
“In visiting with all of these people, something that I did hear was a love for God, a love for the truth and a love for the church,” he said. “I also heard in their voices a huge burden that they felt to share the Word and to help the church and to grow. … I heard passion, and I heard love.”
Ministers Zeboriah Carter from Kansas, Rick Eldred from Nebraska and Calvin Chapman from South Dakota joined Zaiger on the hourlong panel. Mike Cope, director of ministry outreach for Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., moderated the discussion.
Both York and Pepperdine are associated with Churches of Christ.
This story appears in the online edition of The Christian Chronicle.
Photo by Eryn Conyers
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