Reformation 500 Conference

September 29 - September 30, 2017
King's Community Church
Southampton
Registration Closed

On 31st October 1517 Martin Luther changed the world.

His nailing of the 95 Theses to the Church doors in Wittenberg ultimately called into question the authority of the Pope and therefore set him on a collision course with the Roman Catholic Church. At the same time, Luther was also rediscovering where true authority lies in Christian faith, not in an individual person or an office of the Church, but in Scripture as God’s inspired word. As he dug deeper and deeper into the Bible he also rediscovered the good news of the Gospel, that we are made righteous through what Christ accomplished on the Cross and, as we receive this imputed gift by faith, our sin is laid upon Him – what Luther called the “great exchange.” All of this came to revolutionize first Luther’s own thought, then his University, next Germany and, ultimately, much of Europe

The earliest supporters of Luther were not called“Lutherans” but “evangelicals”. Five hundred years later, those of us who would call ourselves evangelicals recognize the huge debt that we owe to the grace of God that was upon Martin Luther. At the same time, we also acknowledge that Europe is now decidedly post-Christian. If ever our continent needed a fresh discovery of the authority of Scripture and the power of the Gospel to change the human heart it is surely today 500 years after the original Lutheran Reformation. Europe needs a fresh move of God, not simply a nostalgic nod to a historical event.

It is for these reasons that we are holding the Reformation 500 Conference at Kings Community Church Southampton on 29th – 30th September 2017. The conference will start at 10am on the Friday and finish at 4pm on the Saturday. Terry Virgo has agreed to give us some Bible readings over the two days in which he will unpack parts of one of Luther’s favourite books, Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Other speakers will include Andrew Wilson, Joel Virgo, Glen Scrivener, Mike Reeves and myself. Those who have been invited to speak are not simply gifted preachers and communicators of the Gospel but they all have a particular interest in Luther, the Reformation and historical theology.

The price of the conference is £30 (£35 if bookings are made after 31st June 2017)and includes tea, coffee and biscuits but not lunches or overnight accommodation. KCC is an excellent modern facility with plenty of free car-parking and is within 300 yards of Junction 7 of the M27.

The delegate fee will also include beer and bratwurst on the Friday evening for a special event which we have called “Beer, bratwurst and Bible”. Whilst I was studying for my PhD on Luther’s influence outside Germany I had the privilege of leading a fellow postgraduate to Christ by the name of Stefan Smart. Stefan was doing his research on the early English Reformation and became particularly interested in how early evangelicals committed Scripture to memory. With this in mind, he has committed the whole of Mark’s Gospel to memory, which he will perform as a two act play – hence the “Beer, bratwurst and Bible” title! If the Reformation stands for anything, it stands surely for the power of the word of God. As Luther wrote in 1522, “While I sat and drank beer [with friends] the word of God dealt the papacy a mighty blow.” I can promise you that Stefan’s one man enactment of Mark’s Gospel will be a truly stunning performance.

Do join us for these two days of teaching, preaching, celebration and prayer for a fresh move of God in Europe.

Full session details will be released nearer the time. If you require any practical information regarding local places to stay or have queries relating to the conference, please contact info@kccconferencing.co.uk.

Andy Johnston

Schedule

Friday 29th

1000       Coffee

1030       Worship – Chris Johnston

1100       Session 1: Terry Virgo – Sons and heirs

1150       Coffee

1215       Session 2: Andy Johnston – New ground for the gospel

1300       Lunch

1400       Session 3: Andrew Wilson - Justification

1500       Break

1530       Session 4: Mike Reeves – Joy in God

1630       Worship & Prayer - Chris Johnston

1700       Session 5 & 6: Stefan Smart – Beer, Bratwurst and Bible (Including break for food)

1930       Stefan - Q & A

2000       Finish for the day

Saturday 30th

0930       Coffee

1000       Worship – Chris Allison

1030       Session 7: Terry Virgo – Free in Christ

1130       Break

1150       Session 8: Joel Virgo, Georgi Zafinov & Chris Allison – Contending for Europe testimony

1300       Lunch

1400       Session 9: Glen Scrivener – Christ, Scripture & Proclamation

1450       Break

1500       Session 10: Joel Virgo – The Cross

1600       End of Conference

When

September 29, 2017
10:00 a.m.
to
September 30, 2017
4:00 p.m.
Europe/London (0:00)

Where

King's Community Church
Southampton So30 4BZ

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Tickets

  • Earlybird Ticket
    £30.00
    Earlybird price available until midnight on 31st July.
  • Earlybird Day Ticket: Friday
    £15.00
    Earlybird price available until midnight on 31st July.
  • Earlybird Day Ticket: Saturday
    £15.00
    Earlybird price available until midnight on 31st July.
  • Standard Ticket
    £35.00
    Standard entry to the conference
  • Friday ticket
    £17.50
  • Saturday ticket
    £17.50

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