Abide 2026

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

John Ortberg is a pastor, author, and speaker. He has served in senior leadership and senior pastor roles at influential churches in the United States. He’s been in ministry for over 40 years and teaches around a central theme of spiritual formation.

He has written many books including the award winning “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get out of the Boat” and “When the Game is Over, it All Goes Back in the Box.” John is a deep believer that the main thing God gets out of your life is the person you become. He desires for people to know God in an interactive, life-transforming way.

Presently, John leads the ministry Become New, focused on helping you grow spiritually one day at a time.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Nancy Ortberg is a respected Christian leader, speaker, leadership consultant, and author with decades of experience in pastoral ministry and organizational leadership. Known for her wisdom, clarity and pastoral depth, Nancy has been a trusted voice on leadership, spiritual formation, and leading through change.

Nancy is also the author of several books, including “Looking for God,” “Unfolding God’s Story,” and “Spirituality and Leadership.” She speaks widely to churches, conferences, and leadership gatherings, helping leaders cultivate resilient faith and healthy communities. She lives in California with her husband John Ortberg, and is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of leaders.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Strahan Coleman is a writer, teacher, pray-er, and musician with a deep passion for helping the church to know and behold Christ. The author of five books on prayer, his heart is to help individuals unearth the ancient paths of prayer that lead to deeper communion with God.

Strahan is on the teaching team for Practicing the Way and is the founder of the Centre for Communion, a ministry for leading retreats, resourcing churches, running prayer schools and training pastors and leaders in spiritual growth.

Through the Centre he also disciples and teaches people in healthy, biblical, prophetic ministry. Strahan lives in Tairua with his wife and three sons where they’re involved in a local community church plant.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Dallas Harema (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pākehā) is a coach, supervisor, facilitator, counsellor, and formation & discipleship practitioner with 20 years experience in and alongside churches, various ministries, organisations, individuals and partnerships supporting them to grow in emotional, spiritual, relational and team health. He is the Director of the School of Emotionally Healthy Leadership Aotearoa with a wider background in organisational culture & development, social work, lecturing and cultural capability. Dallas brings a holistic approach to leadership and enjoys weaving together theology and formation, reflective practice, practically rooted wisdom and real talk.

Mā te whakarongo, ka mōhio; mā te mōhio, ka mārama; mā te mārama, ka mātauranga; mā te mātauranga, ka ora

Through listening comes knowledge; through knowledge comes understanding; through understanding comes wisdom; through wisdom comes wellbeing.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Rev. Dr Maja Whitaker is the Academic Dean and lecturer in Practical Theology at Laidlaw College, based at the Christchurch campus, and a pastor in the Equippers network of churches. Among other works, her most recent publication is Perfect in Weakness: Disability and Human Flourishing in the New Creation with Baylor University Press (2023). She is passionate about spiritual formation and helping others understand how to follow the way of Jesus in contemporary cultural contexts.

ELECTIVE SPEAKER

Dean and Fiona have been in ministry for over 30 years, and are the Senior Leaders of C3 Church in Auckland since 2005. 
They have been involved in planting many churches and church locations across New Zealand, the Pacific and South East Asia. They are passionate about raising up the next generation, and building radical disciples that will live for the cause of Christ. 

ELECTIVE SPEAKER

Poet, community educator, and whānau advocate, Te Karere Scarborough has spent the last 15 years working in the community-wellbeing and arts sector. During this time, he was largely based at Parenting Place. He held a variety of roles there that included leading the Attitude Programme for Schools, National Young Leaders’ Day, Toolbox, Building Awesome Whānau and Space programmes. An appointed trustee of his hapū board, Whatitiri Māori Reserves Trust, he has also held governance positions at Maxim Institute, the Mihinare social service provider Te Whare Ruruhau o Meri, and the youth development organisation Zeal. Te Karere holds qualifications from Te Wānanga Takiura, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Unitec, and is concurrently completing his Masters in Chaplaincy through the University of Otago. He was the founding CEO of Te Wānanga Ihorangi and is principal alongside Anameka Paenga.

ELECTIVE SPEAKER

Miriam Jessie is an interdisciplinary Lecturer in the School of Theology and School of Education at Laidlaw College. She lectures in Reading the Bible, our Postgraduate Certificate in Theology for educators, Formation, and Tūmanako. Miriam Jessie’s first qualifications are in teaching and she has taught in Aotearoa, Australia, and the UK, in state, Christian and Māori contexts. Miriam Jessie is also a textile artist, poet and performer and her research work and outputs reflect these intersections. In teaching Miriam Jessie has taught and offered professional development in the Arts and is an advocate for how the Arts can transform and enhance creativity and classroom practices. She has led and written programmes for schools and churches as well as creating professional development for teachers. Miriam Jessie regularly speaks in a variety of churches and runs leadership and spirituality retreats. She has a passion for the use of te reo me ona tikanga Māori in education and church spaces. Miriam Jessie also helps with signing for worship for the Deaf community at her church.

ELECTIVE SPEAKER

Sam Harvey is the lead pastor of Bay Vineyard Church and the National Coordinator for 24-7 Prayer NZ. He has been in full-time ministry since graduating from BCNZ (now Laidlaw) in 2003. He is passionate about developing strong prayer cultures in churches, and in his spare time, he is a bit of an audiophile. 

ELECTIVE SPEAKER

Rev. Dr Greg Liston is a Senior Lecturer in Theology at Laidlaw College in Auckland, New Zealand, and a pastor at Mt Albert Baptist Church. Previous roles include being the senior pastor of a suburban Baptist church and business management consulting. Greg holds PhDs in quantum physics and ecclesiology. He is the author of several books including Kingdom Come: An Eschatological Third Article Ecclesiology (T&T Clark, 2022) and The Anointed Church (Fortress Press, 2015). He is married to Diane and has two adult children.