After more than three hours of podcasting in one day, I did the smartest thing a host can do: I handed the mic to our camp director, Josh Patterson. This is nearly the whole Theology Beer Camp planning team on one call (Tony Jones was out burning a forest so it can be replanted, which is a sentence I have now said out loud). We pulled back the curtain on how a team that doesn't live in the same state put on the ninth camp. Kansas City, 700 people, five stages, two breakout rooms, 1,600 pounds of ice, and a polka band that played the SpongeBob song. You'll hear about the camp beer that arrived at 5:59 and 57 seconds, the livestream that ran all weekend off Josh Gilbert's phone hotspot, and Ben the Beer Guy's "so it begins" moment of pouring 500 beers in 30 minutes. There's also the Westboro Baptist protest and the airport teenager who was certain I was Jack Black. Mostly, though, it's the team naming why we do this. A first-timer felt welcome before he got in the door. A woman made sure a hard-of-hearing man could follow every session. And Pastor Chris at Pine Ridge Presbyterian told everyone there's a difference between being welcomed and being wanted. Ninety-seven percent of you gave camp the top score. Next year is the 10th camp, and I have some odd ideas. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube. Join us for TBC 2027 Camp number ten is coming. Sign up at theologybeer.camp for announcements and early access to the cheapest tickets for TBC 2027. And if you gave us four stars because two sessions you wanted overlapped, come volunteer. You'll get it. The team Josh Patterson (camp director, Rethinking Faith), Ben Price (beer coordinator), Bren Newlin (volunteers), Josh Gilbert (AV and livestream), Emily Arnold (marketing, design, photography, and sponsors), Sarah Heath (main stage co-host), Tony Jones (in absentia), and Davey, the team's youngest and most cuddled member. Join me in Berlin for the Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Trip In June 2027, Andy Root and I are leading two Rise of Bonhoeffer travel-learning weeks. The Seminar (June 12–17) reads Bonhoeffer’s sources where they were fought over — Luther in Wittenberg, Schleiermacher and Barth in Berlin, the prison letters in his own house. The Pilgrimage (June 17–22) is for pastors and faith leaders, built around Bonhoeffer as a working minister in a time of resistance. Twenty-two seats each, back to back so you can do one or both. Early bird pricing through January 31. Details and registration at www.BonhoefferTrip.com UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS: Tear Open the Heavens: Advent for Indifferent Strangers Most of us are running faster just to stay in place, and the one season that asks us to wait gets swallowed by the busiest month of the year. Meanwhile, the neighbors have changed: fewer people argue with the church, and more have simply never heard the story. This Advent, Andy Root and Tripp Fuller take up Isaiah’s prayer, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,” and ask what it means to pray it now. One lectionary text a week, timed to land before Sunday, with Taylor, Rosa, Han, Bonhoeffer, Luther, and Schleiermacher brought into the conversation. For pastors who need sermon fuel, readers who want to go deeper, and anyone who never learned the words.Pre-recorded lectures, live conversations based on your questions, a short weekly reading packet, and an online community. Free to join; give if you’re able. Join at homebrewedclasses.com. Homebrewed Christianity, Theology Nerd Throwdown, & The Rise of Bonhoeffer podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 75,000 other people by joining our Substack - Process This! Get instant access to over 50 classes at www.TheologyClass.com Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices