Christianity21_MediaRelease.pdf

Event’s Line-Up Challenges Perceptions of Church
Conferences

JoPa Productions presents an event featuring more
than 20 women speaking into the state of Christianity in the 21^st
Century–but it’s not a women’s conference

Minneapolis, MN

August 20, 2009 – Christianity21 [http://www.Christianity21.com] is
poised as an event that offers an innovative, holistic, and communal
experience. It’s also featuring more than 20 women as the speakers–and no
men–which has led people to ask if it’s an event solely for women.

“If you show up at an event with all male speakers, do
you automatically assume it’s an event for men?” asks Tony Jones, co-founder of
JoPa Productions [http://www.JoPaProductions.com]. “We
wanted to give the mic to women who have something to say about the future of
Christianity, and we found strong women with a wide array of thoughts and
opinions to really challenge our participants to think broadly about the future
of Christianity.”

Attendees, referred to by Jones and Doug Pagitt
(co-founder of JoPa Productions) as “participants,” will consist of both women
and men, church leaders and pastors, volunteers, and everyday people seeking a
deeper experience with faith.

Participants will have the opportunity to listen to
and engage with presenters who range from mainline Protestant liberals to conservatives
with backgrounds at evangelical mega-churches. “While we have voices coming
from every angle of Christian faith (and even the voices of women wrestling
with faith and church), Christianity21 will not be a place where the speakers are arguing about gays
or the other contentious issues of our day,” Jones said. “This event, by
its very nature, will be hopeful and constructive,” he added.

Jones and Pagitt have been known to do things that go
against the “norms.” Unconventional by nature, Jones and Pagitt launched JoPa
Productions with the Church Basement Roadshow, which Publisher’s Weekly said, “reinvented the book tour.” They
followed that up with The Great Emergence National Event, which celebrated the
release of Phyllis Tickle’s eponymous book.

Unlike events where speakers merely speak, the
presenters at Christianity21 will use unique presentation styles that will
engage a variety of learning styles. Christianity21 will further challenge
perceptions of church conferences by offering holistic opportunities such as
yoga classes, natural health coaching, sex and intimacy counseling, spiritual
direction, job search counseling, an interactive guerrilla art project, and
much more.

For additional information on Christianity21 or JoPa
Productions, contact Jen Howver or visit http://www.JoPaProductions.com. In
addition to producing events, JoPa Productions offers consulting services in
the area of social media marketing and communications for authors, publishers,
pastors, and non-profit organizations.

About JoPa Productions: JoPa Productions, LLC, was
founded in 2007 by Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt. Jones and Pagitt, both prolific
authors, bloggers, and public speakers, founded JoPa to serve the publishing,
church, and non-profit industries with innovative events and social media
consulting.

Contact: Jen Howver, Owner VOD Communications, Inc.,
847-665-9863 http://www.vodcommunications.com