Hospitality is learning to be a grateful guest, not just the host. It is giving to the most vulnerable, with no hope of reciprocity. It’s being a true friend to the lowly, never seeking to climb the social ladder. Contrary to an individualistic protection of our own personal privacy and space, and the loving of others based upon our own convenience and schedule, the tradition of hospitality was an expression of the words of Jesus, who taught us that to find our lives, we must lose them. Reimagine Hospitality through Triennial 2021.
Whether you were able to join us live or this is your first time seeing the talks from our esteemed speakers, we believe you will find the Triennial 2021 main session talks, Breakouts, and Walkabouts to be encouraging and engaging.
Triennial 2021 Session Videos
Main Session 1 – God as Host and Guest
Julie Canlis’s Talk
James Choung’s Talk
Main Session 2 – God’s Image as Guest and Servant
Efrem Smith’s Talk
James Choung’s Talk
Main Session 3 – God’s Image Bearers on Mission
Efrem Smith’s Talk
Main Session 4 – A Reimagined People
Julie Canlis’s Talk
Harry Kelm’s Talk
Walkabout Videos
Doug & Meg Kempton, Pastor of Grace Community Church
Darren and Juanita Platt & Jamal and Noella Kimbanga
Adam Buyer & Bob and Beth Humphreys
International Missions Compilation
Breakout Session Videos – All Videos
Engaging Your Community – with Aaron Brockmeier and Chris Gorman
In the midst of racial tension, Gospel partnerships can flourish. Chris and Wayne talk with Aaron about his experiences ministering in Minnesota in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd. We will hear what Aaron has been learning and be challenged to expand our own boundaries for the sake of the Gospel.
An Hour with the Executive Director – with Harry Kelm
Harry, the new NAB executive director, shares his story, his hopes around the future direction of the NAB, and some of the challenges we face. He shares specifically on issues of the vision for working with emerging leaders, ethnic partnerships, and regional structures, and he encourages us to solidify our identity as the NAB.
Church Planting: Why Bother? – with Roger and Carrie Liegmann
Roger and Carrie tell the story of their second church plant and how they have inspired their people to join God on mission. Their stories will inspire you to equip the people in your own church to be transformed into local missionaries.
A Biblical Perspective on Racial Justice – with Dr. Chris Brooks
This Breakout, done interview style, explores the issues of biblical justice through the telling of Chris’s own personal story. This story will both awaken you to the realities that many face and inspire you to live in the way of Jesus for the sake of the world.
Starting from Scratch – with Jake and Alison McGregor
This Breakout highlights the wonderful story of the McGregors as they have sought to be the hands and feet of Jesus, within a community of God’s people, in a neighborhood that was – and still is – deeply in need of transformation.
WCLT: Open Door Living – with Jen Schmidt
What if we are overlooking the single most effective tool for the Kingdom? After decades of rethinking hospitality, Jen Schmidt is convinced that open door living has the power to radically impact our culture, to make an impact on our immediate community, and to literally change a generation.
Reframation – with Mark Nelson
Mark shares insights from a book he co-authored with Alan Hirsch around changing the way we see God, the church, and the world by reframing the picture.
NAB Mission Horizon – with Randy Schmor and Pierre Houssney
Join Randy Schmor, the director of Gateway Ministries for the NAB, and Pierre Houssney, the director of Horizons International, as they discuss the newest NAB mission field in Beirut, Lebanon. This exciting new field opened as a sister-church partnership program between Horizons International and NAB Gateway.
Partnering to Plant – with Paul Nather
Paul tells the story of Century Baptist Church and their journey toward planting other congregations, and he highlights a number of principles that will inspire other leaders and congregations to look toward multiplying.
Sister-Church Partnerships – with Paul Gericke and Bryan Hochhalter
This conversation is facilitated by Paul Gericke, NAB missionary in Romania, between one of our NAB pastors, Bryan Hochhalter, and a Romanian pastor, Zsolt Albert. They discuss the mutual blessing that sister-church partnerships are as they reflect on their budding partnership.
Missional Living at Home and Abroad – with Nick Thiessen and Lyndell Campbell Réquia
This Breakout explores the importance missional theology as the individual Christian and Christian communities live missionally, both at home and abroad. Join us for this conversation between one of our NAB pastors, Nick Thiessen; one of our NAB missionaries, Lyndell Campbell Réquia; and the NAB vice president of Missional Initiatives, Cam Roxburgh.
An Indigenous Pastor’s Perspective – with Nathan Gullion
In light of the ongoing story about the residential schools that are part of Canadian history, we hear of their impact on a personal life. Nathan is a pastor and the grandson of someone who lived in a residential school. He shares his personal story, as well as his experience doing cross-cultural ministry as a First Nations pastor at a predominantly White Canadian church.
The Backyard Pilgrim – with Matt Canlis
This Breakout explores what it looks like to journey with Jesus into a fresh identity through walking at Godspeed through your neighborhood for 40 days. This Breakout will invite people into a 40-day journey in the year ahead that many in the NAB family have undertaken and been transformed through.
CIF: Personal Finances – with Igor Mokhov and Bob Glim
This Breakout is for those who are in good financial shape and simply looking for confirmation, in decent financial shape but could use a little fine tuning, or struggling mightily and are ready to make changes. We look at what society teaches us versus what the Bible teaches us and look at important steps that can be taken to get on track and stay on track.
Keynote Speaker Bios
Efrem Smith
A well-known author, speaker, and pastor, Efrem Smith has long been an outspoken advocate for racial righteousness, urban ministry, and serving the marginalized in our communities – issues that lie at the heart of Christian hospitality. He is the former president and CEO of World Impact, a ministry that empowers urban leaders and partners with local churches to reach their cities for the Gospel. The founding pastor of a multiethnic church in Minneapolis, he is currently the co-lead campus pastor at Bayside Midtown in Sacramento, California. His most recent book is Killing Us Softly: Reborn in the Upside-Down Image of God, a reflection on the countercultural Kingdom of God in our midst and what it means to die to self.
Julie Canlis
Julie Canlis teaches at Whitworth University, a private Christian university in Spokane, Washington. She is the author of two books, Calvin’s Ladder: A Spiritual Theology of Ascent and Ascension, which won a Templeton Prize and a Christianity Today Award of Merit, and her newest release, A Theology of the Ordinary, a brief theological meditation on ordinary life as the only place where faith can be lived. Canlis earned a doctorate from St. Andrews while she and her husband, Matt, ministered in the Church of Scotland for thirteen years. She currently resides in central Washington.
James Choung
James Choung currently serves as the vice president of Strategy and Innovation at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA. He has spent the past twenty years involved in college campus ministry of some kind. He has served on the pastoral staff of churches ranging in size from megachurch to house church and in locations as varied as Boston, Massachusetts; Seoul, South Korea; and the Los Angeles area. Choung is the author of four books, the most recent of which is Longing for Revival, written with Ryan Pfeiffer. As a dynamic and thoughtful speaker, Choung’s passion for evangelism and love for God’s Word come through when he teaches.
Dr. Harry Kelm
Dr. Harry Kelm is the newly appointed executive director of the NAB, where his roots run deep. He attended both the North American Baptist College (now Taylor Seminary) in Edmonton, Alberta, and Sioux Falls Seminary, where he earned a doctor of ministry degree. In addition to serving as a pastor in the NAB for thirty-seven years, he has served on the Governing Board in a number of roles. He was instrumental in the drafting of the present NAB constitution. Dr. Kelm currently resides in Edmonton with his wife, Cindy.