Reflections on a Two-Day Gospel Infusion in the Heart of Manhattan

By Shawn Brace

I had the privilege of attending the second annual “Gospel-Centered Preaching Conference,” organized by the GTHR Urban Ministry Network, hosted by Church of the Advent Hope in Manhattan, and sponsored by the Adventist Church’s North American Division and Southern California Conference, from October 27-28, 2025.

I am not exaggerating when I say that I loved everything about it. I loved the setting, in the heart of Manhattan, the stimulating presentations by all the presenters who re-focused us on the gospel, the worship music, led by Nicholas Zork and his talented and amazing team, and the extended time for conversation with fellow pastors and church leaders who are looking to nudge their congregations into greater alignment with the principles of God’s kingdom of love.

I think the setting and the topic complemented each other perfectly, reminding attendees that as we seek to step into and proclaim the gospel to greater degrees, this gospel invites us to move towards people, inhabiting the spaces that they inhabit so that we might embody and proclaim that beautiful gospel in ways that are relevant, relatable, and effective.

After all, Church of the Advent Hope, led by Lead Pastor Todd Stout, is in the heart of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, surrounded by skyscrapers and some of the world’s most influential institutions. The church building itself, with its neo-Gothic architecture, provides a place of quiet reflection for those who are wearied from the busyness of city life, while also serving as a transcendent testimony to the God who inhabits the world—and its cities—through His people.

The presentations themselves were inspiring and reorienting. I especially enjoyed the talks by Susan Zork, Emerita Professor of Religion at Andrews University, and Iki Tolu Taimi, Lead Pastor of the La Sierra University Church. They both reminded us of the high calling of submission to Jesus and His ways.

Of course, Ty Gibson’s presentations, which have received wider attention beyond the Conference, were thought-provoking and convicting. It was, in many ways, Ty unfiltered. He didn’t pull any punches as he offered a sober assessment of where the Seventh-day Adventist Church finds itself in relation to the gospel, providing a historical overview of how we’ve found ourselves in a position of greater and greater irrelevance.

As always, Ty appealed to us to recapture the heart of the gospel and to step into a posture of humility as we seek to be pursue God’s mission.

As wonderful as the presentations were, however, what I enjoyed the most was the opportunity to meet or reconnect with fellow ministers whose souls are thirsty for the gospel and whose hearts and hands desperately want to practically embody that gospel in the real world. I was thrilled that the audience pulled from a wide variety of geographical areas—New York, Maine, North Carolina, California, to name a few—reflecting the fact that there is a deep hunger for greater gospel alignment and fellowship among Adventist ministers.

The time we spent talking, discussing, analyzing, and praying about the gospel was extremely inspiring. That we were able to do so at times around tables that featured New York’s diverse culinary scene, just outside and down the street from the Church, was an added bonus.

For me personally, I needed to be re-centered on the gospel. Fortunately, I was raised in a context that made much of the gospel, so it has always been a part of my ministerial and preaching DNA. However, I’d say that prior to the Conference, with a lot of turbulence in the world, I had perhaps minimized the power and potency of the gospel to some degree as of late, choosing to focus and preach on other social matters.

This Conference, though, reminded me where true power resides—and that has been reflected once again in my preaching. Through the influence of the various speakers, I’ve been inspired afresh to make much of Jesus and the gospel. This doesn’t mean I have discontinued to focus on other pressing matters and issues, but I have recommitted to framing everything I preach about within the context of the gospel.

Now, for example, I’m not just preaching about what our social responsibility is, encouraging people to be better citizens of God’s kingdom. I am couching that within the framework of God’s unmerited favor and love, encouraging people not simply to “love thy neighbor,” but reminding them that we can only love our neighbors with reckless abandon because we have first been loved by God with reckless abandon. Indeed, as the Apostle John says, “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

This Conference did a great job of reminding me of that gospel framing and motivation.

Overall, I cannot recommend this Conference enough. I know there is talk about potentially changing the venue in future years. But wherever it ends up happening down the road, I’d highly recommend attending.

Not only did it provide me with a much-needed gospel infusion, which I needed personally as much as professionally, but it also offered a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow travelers on the Jesus-way who want to participate in God’s mission in the world.