Join us for Summit Connect in Auckland at Northcross Church on Saturday 1 August.
We've renamed this 'Summit Connect' because it captures what is at the heart of this annual event: connection, conversation and growing together.
Summit Connect is a gathering of a wide range of people from CCCNZ churches across the Auckland and Northland regions to build relationships and encourage gospel partnership.
Sermons, shared worship and topical breakout sessions spark conversation through quality biblical content.
Bring your eldership team, leaders and people you're developing—Summit Connect is an opportunity to identify and encourage current and future leaders in CCCNZ churches.
What to expect at Summit Connect?
Summit Connect runs from 9.30am - 4pm and is a day of theologically-grounded, conversation-rich learning.
Each session combines solid biblical teaching with generous discussion, real-life stories from local leaders, and practical insights you can take back and share in your own context.
PROGRAMME
9.30am | Check in & Morning Tea |
10am | Main Session |
11.15am | Breakout #1 |
12.30pm | Lunch & Conversation |
2pm | Breakout #2 |
3.15pm | Regional Session |
3.45pm | Afternoon Tea |
Main Session Preacher
Opening God's Word together is a key part of our time at Summit Connect. Aidan Shotbolt from Orewa Community Church will be opening up the Bible this year to teach from 2 Timothy 3:10-4:8.
Keen to do a deep dive into a hot topic, or grow in your ministry capacity?
Breakouts are 75-min sessions designed to get you talking, learning and growing together! With a range of topics and formats, there is something for everyone. Including:
Holistic Discipleship With Children
Effective, holistic discipleship with children involves three interconnected spaces: church, home, and community. Most ministries are stronger in some areas than others. This workshop offers a framework for exploring how these three dimensions are currently functioning in your setting and for reflecting on the strengths, connections, and gaps that emerge. Facilitated by Julie McKinnon, CCCNZ Children & Family Ministries.
Creating Leadership Development Maps
Leadership development has been recently identified as the most common challenge across our wider movement—how can we address this together? Several churches have plans in place, however, many do not have the resources for this. CCCNZ CEO Roger Osbaldiston will share some thoughts on what is already broadly available, and invite input on creating leadership development maps.
10 Myths/Misconceptions About Youth Mental Health
The latest NZ Health Survey shows 1 in 4–5 young people aged 15–24 is experiencing high or very high psychological distress, with half reporting anxiety or depression symptoms in the past year. Facilitator Caitlin Berkers (The Street Church) is an experienced professional working in this space as a Clinical Psychologist. In this breakout session, Caitlin will unpack 10 myths/misconceptions about youth mental health and what Scripture has to say about them.
Evangelism & Outreach
What outreach initiatives are making an impact? What challenges are churches facing in sharing the gospel today? This panel will explore practical experiences from local church communities and discuss how churches can develop a purposeful, sustained commitment to evangelism, and a culture of reaching out to share the gospel with those around them.
Supporting Leaders Well: Discover the new CCCNZ Resource Library
Healthy churches require vision and passion—supported by strong systems and wise governance. This session explores the refreshed CCCNZ resource library. Find practical tools to help support you with administration, legal compliance, governance and more. Facilitated by CCCNZ National Advisor Jan De Lange.
Connecting For Discipleship
Are you interested in exploring how building connections between church, home, and community can strengthen family discipleship? Join a panel of local leaders as they share their experiences of building these connections in practice—what worked, what challenged them, and what surprised them. Hear their stories and reflect on how these connections could grow in your own context.
Song Theology: Worship Song Selection that Cultivates Participation and Theological Depth
E. Y. Harburg famously said of songs, “Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought.” Every worship song conveys ideas about God, and these ideas are theological. In a world where song choice feels endless, let’s dive a bit deeper into meaningful song selection that fosters participation and nurtures theological depth. Facilitated by Pathways College Academic Director Rosie Devery (Oak Lane Community Church).
An Open Invite to an Exclusive Club? Biblical Sexuality in a Changing Culture
Navigating the subject of alternative sexualities has become one of the most fraught challenges for churches in New Zealand. One difficulty is that of offering an invitation to Christian faith that is genuinely welcoming while at the same time upholding the vision for sexuality that is pleasing to God. This session will show why churches must endeavour to do both and offer some suggestions and resources for doing so. Facilitated by Lincoln Road Bible Chapel Elder Chris Northcott.
Faith & Whakapapa
How do we understand our recent church history and the experience of churches who learnt to know and serve their local Māori communities? How do we walk together as tangata whenua and tangata tiriti? This session explores what it looks like to honour whakapapa — and why that honouring deepens rather than divides our shared faith. A breakout session for anyone wanting to build more honest relationships, deepen their discipleship, and serve their community well. Facilitated by Jerome Edwards, Tāmaki Community Church and Te Maru Christian Camps.
The biggest benefit of Summit Connect is... connecting! It's a chance to see old friends from like-minded churches, to meet others who are serving in similar ways in their local churches and talk about how we can be working together.
How much does it cost?
Register before Saturday 25 July and pay just $60 for the day. This covers all course costs, morning and afternoon tea, and lunch. We send out invoices after the event, so no need to pay up front. If your church registers early and comes as a team you'll be capped at $300 per church. Now is the time to register!
What if I miss the early bird?
If you miss early bird registration you'll pay $70 per ticket, no group discounts apply. And if you don't get around to registering in time you can walk-in on the day, we have EFTPOS available. Walk-in tickets increase to $85 per person.
Don't miss this opportunity to gather together with other CCCNZ churches and worship God together. We can't wait to see you there!
