A convention attended by local church leaders in New Zealand focused on how to stay connected to Jesus and continue serving in a busy, stressful, and distracted world.

The three-day Anchored Leadership Convention was a new event designed to equip and inspire church leaders and members. Held at Pascoe Park in Christchurch, it was run by the South New Zealand Conference and pastoral team and attended by more than 100 local church leaders, with one-third of participants aged between 16 and 29.

“It was an amazing time of connection, equipping and fellowship,” an attendee said. “I feel refreshed, encouraged and have taken away a number of practical tools that will help me in my ministry moving forward.”

The weekend featured 20 workshops spread across five sessions, with participants having the choice of four workshops per session. The workshops covered a variety of topics including dealing with burnout, conflict resolution, successful member engagement, practical discipleship and accurate Bible interpretation. There was an under 30s option in each session, providing a stream of workshops designed specifically for young leaders.

There were also five plenary sessions that brought everyone together for collective worship and reflection. The sessions for the weekend addressed the current “great exhaustion” many people are experiencing and contrasted this with Jesus’ invitation to find peace through a close relationship with Him.

The messages emphasized the importance of rest and quiet time with God as an essential component of personal, spiritual, and ministerial effectiveness. Ben Martin, South New Zealand Conference president, emphasized that Jesus, despite leading a full and busy life, regularly sought time apart in a place of quiet for prayer and rest.

On Sabbath morning, Dr Sven Östring, South Pacific Division ministry and strategy director, echoed this message by sharing the “Back to the Altar” initiative. This initiative encourages everyone to set aside time to have worship with God, as many are neglecting this due to their busy lives. It invites everyone to have a closer, deeper and more meaningful relationship with God.

“It was one not to miss. It was a spiritual weekend that left me with enough to ponder on and consider as I am discipled and disciple others,” a participant said.

The original article was published on the South Pacific Division news site, Adventist Record.