What is Gathering.
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Gathering started in 2017 and we've run it every year since (except 2020 due to COVID). Each year we sponsor 150 emerging industry & marketplace Christian leaders aged 25-40 to come together on the Gold Coast for two days. We invest into them through an incredible group of mentors and by connecting them with one another. Our goal is to help them understand God's purpose for their lives and to make a difference in the world. It's been our joy to sponsor 360 delegates to date. |
Although each year has been a complete leap of faith for our team, God has provided the resources, people and opportunities to make Gathering possible. We continue to be blown away by the stories of impact and we are super excited for what God has in store in 2021. Our prayer is that God uses the time and opportunities at Gathering to affirm, encourage and clarify the calling of each and every delegate and that they will know that their faith and work do not have to be separate from one another.
Nominations are now closed for 2021. |
Who is it for.
Gathering is for 25-40 year old emerging industry/marketplace Christian leaders. In the past, we’ve welcomed leaders from fields such as;
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● Charity
● Communications & Strategy ● Banking & Finance ● Law ● Health |
● Government & Politics
● Accounting ● Property ● Professional Sport ● Education |
● Engineering
● IT ● Fashion ● Business ● Arts |
Our inspiration.
Gathering came out of the work of the William Wilberforce Foundation and its vision for social transformation. Many of the great social reformers of history, including Wilberforce, made the significant difference in the world that they did because of their Christian faith and out of their desire to follow God's purpose for their lives.
In the late 1700s, William Wilberforce came to faith and found himself at a crossroads in discovering God’s purpose for his life, to step away from politics and become a pastor or continue to serve God through politics. Wilberforce sought the wise counsel of his friend William Pitt (future Prime Minister of Britain) and pastor John Newton (composer of Amazing Grace). They saw the clear call of God upon his life in politics and wholeheartedly encouraged him to continue to serve God's purpose for his life in this way.
Their guidance, as well as Wilberforce’s own conviction, meant he went on to become one of the most pivotal Christian leaders in British society, bringing about the abolition of the slave trade, among a number of other incredible things. God used him in powerful ways as one of the great social reformers of the 1800’s and not just in his own society but also throughout the world. A truly amazing legacy!
It is this very moment in history that continues to inspire and motivate us in the knowledge that God calls Christians to serve him in the workplace, for His divine purposes and uses the skills he has gifted us with. Living a life of service to God can absolutely align with pursuing your career, if you faithfully seek the purpose that God has placed on you life, wherever that may be.
Through Gathering we are seeking to mobilise a whole generation of world changers who live out the purpose of God in their lives and impact others as they do so.
In the late 1700s, William Wilberforce came to faith and found himself at a crossroads in discovering God’s purpose for his life, to step away from politics and become a pastor or continue to serve God through politics. Wilberforce sought the wise counsel of his friend William Pitt (future Prime Minister of Britain) and pastor John Newton (composer of Amazing Grace). They saw the clear call of God upon his life in politics and wholeheartedly encouraged him to continue to serve God's purpose for his life in this way.
Their guidance, as well as Wilberforce’s own conviction, meant he went on to become one of the most pivotal Christian leaders in British society, bringing about the abolition of the slave trade, among a number of other incredible things. God used him in powerful ways as one of the great social reformers of the 1800’s and not just in his own society but also throughout the world. A truly amazing legacy!
It is this very moment in history that continues to inspire and motivate us in the knowledge that God calls Christians to serve him in the workplace, for His divine purposes and uses the skills he has gifted us with. Living a life of service to God can absolutely align with pursuing your career, if you faithfully seek the purpose that God has placed on you life, wherever that may be.
Through Gathering we are seeking to mobilise a whole generation of world changers who live out the purpose of God in their lives and impact others as they do so.
Our values.
Gathering is all about empowering emerging Christian leaders to live out their faith and purpose in their workplace and to have a significant impact in our world. We bring delegates together, connect them with mentors and provide the opportunity to hear from world class leaders who empower them. Everything we do at Gathering is geared towards empowering a generation of Christian leaders to be world changers.
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We want our delegates to be blown away by the generosity of Gathering and those involved in it. From our desire to sponsor each delegate to attend through to the generosity of our team, partners, friends and mentors who generously give of their time and resources to invest into Gathering, we want to display over the top generosity. We want to reflect even just a little of the generosity that God has shown in our lives.
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We get a very diverse group at Gathering. They come from different industries, denominations (Catholic through to most major Protestant denominations) and political leanings. The commonality is that we are unified as the Body of Christ to discover and live out God's purpose in our lives. To allow for this unity we seek to create a respectful environment where everyone has a chance to share, be listened to and feel valued.
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We always seek feedback from everyone who attends Gathering. Of course we love the warm fuzzy stuff but we also value the tough words that tell us how we can do better and make an even greater impact. We've put a lot of time into listening to the tough feedback and innovating Gathering to ensure that each year we do better than the last and continue to grow the impact of this for His purpose.
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Who makes it happen.
Gathering is brought together by a small dedicated volunteer team of Christian industry & marketplace leaders, who are all in the Gathering age group themselves. The team is supported by the William Wilberforce Foundation and a coalition of partner organisations.
Gathering was founded and is hosted by
Gathering was founded and is hosted by
Jonathan & Laura Green
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Ok, I’m keen. What now.
Gathering is all about investing into you. For this reason, we sponsor every new delegate who attends. This is a unique opportunity that you don’t want to miss. This year, there are 150 sponsored spots. To get one of those spots, the first thing you need to do is nominate yourself. Nominations are now closed for 2021.
If you are selected and invited to be a delegate, your accommodation, meals and conference costs will all be covered. All you need to do is get yourself to the Gold Coast.
We receive more nominations than there are sponsorships available each year. Unfortunately, this means that as much as it would be nice to, we can’t pick everyone.
If you are selected and invited to be a delegate, your accommodation, meals and conference costs will all be covered. All you need to do is get yourself to the Gold Coast.
We receive more nominations than there are sponsorships available each year. Unfortunately, this means that as much as it would be nice to, we can’t pick everyone.