Beyond The City Limits

Any congregation can expand their ministsry in spite of their perceived limitations. The location of your congregation is the least significant factor in sharing the good news.

There is a need today for people who are aware of many different ways to connect with our world.  Let's move out of the mindset of the attractional model for church growth - waiting for the community to find us - and move into a more missional model of church growth.

Chris Johnson, Keynote Speaker

Chris Johnson is the founder and lead pastor of Divine Unity Community Church based in Harrisonburg, VA. He is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite Seminary with a Master of Divinity and received ordination credentials through New Branch Baptist Church. Currently, he is pursuing his Doctorate of Ministry from Asbury Theological Seminary. Having experience of preaching the Word domestically and internationally, Pastor Chris holds great passion for seeing the spiritually dead alive, revived, and actively serving.

Being centrally based between varying university campuses, Pastor Chris possesses a strong vision for the next generation of believers and commits himself to involving this community through church efforts. Seeking to grow effective leaders within the body of Christ, Pastor Chris pursues an atmosphere of discipleship. He and his wife, Cherelle, live in the Shenandoah Valley with their daughter, Chloe, and son Chris Jr.

Divine Unity Community Church is a growing multicultural, multiethnic and multigenerational church located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. They work to offer the community quality ministry of Word, worship, service, discipleship, and a home away from home. This is not about making one individual church grow, but the kingdom of God. DUCC strives to live out God’s calling, connected to the people of God, committed to the work of God. DUCC does this in order to fulfill the vision God has given them to see revived lives active to glorify God.

 

Workshop Leaders

Belita Mitchell lead pastor Harrisburg First. Pastor Belita is a seasoned revivalist, workshop presenter and retreat leader. She has preached in pulpits across the United States and also in Puerto Rico and Nigeria.  Her vision is for a church that is more spiritually alive, more ethnically diverse & fully devoted to sharing the good news

Joel Peña is senior pastor of Alpha & Omega Church and Executive Director of Alpha & Omega Community Center serving since October 2005. In recent months he has been reaching out to and working with pastors in Venezuela to encourage them to become a part of the Church of the Brethren with some success. At this time Iglesia de los Hermanos de Venezuela has 64 churches in less than a year.  

Ron Tilley is the Executive Director of bcmPEACE, formerly known as Brethren Community Ministries the outreach ministry established by Harrisburg First Church of the Brethren. Ron is a candidate at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary's D.Min. track in Urban Ministry

Brian Messler is the Senior Pastor of the Ephrata Church of the Brethren. Brian has served on a number of district and denominational teams, including the COB Ministry and Mission Board.  Brian’s passions include church vitality and evangelism, worship, and seeing people invite others to a relationship with Jesus.  In his spare time, Brian likes to hang out with his daughter Cayden, coach soccer, and play golf and softball.

Cherelle Johnson is a double alumna of James Madison University.  Cherelle, affectionately known as Lady J. assists her husband on the Pastoral Team at Divine Unity Community Church (DUCC).  She is a Certified Life and Leadership Coash, as well as an Adjunct Instructor at Jams Madison University. In 2013 she author her first book title IronDresses: Strength in Feminity