An extended retreat to bathe your heart in the Father’s love
Join us for six days of spiritual renewal, transformative teaching, joyful worship, and genuine community in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for Sonship Week 2025.
Most of us may hear the term ‘gospel’ just about every Sunday, but how many of us grasp the meaning of this paradigm-shifting idea? Sonship Week is built upon the glorious gospel truths expressed in our classic Sonship curriculum, pioneered by Pastor Jack and Rose Marie Miller and faithfully carried forward by Serge’s Renewal Team.
When: Sunday, November 2, 2025 – Friday, November 7, 2025
Where: First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga
554 McCallie Ave., Chattanooga, TN, 37402
Here’s a snapshot of the week:
- Transformative Teaching: Sessions that unpack the core concepts of our identity as sons and daughters of King Jesus, focusing on the gospel’s implications, the necessity of repentance, and the beauty of being transformed by God’s grace in an ongoing way.
- Personal Mentoring: Work with a Serge mentor trained to help you apply the gospel to your life, ministry, and relationships. *(Please note—mentoring spaces are limited!)*
- Honest Community: Engage in small groups for open discussion and prayer, where you can share your journey and encourage one another.
- Worship and Reflection: Be refreshed through worship, curated exercises, and time for personal reflection.
Feeling burnt out? Sonship Week is designed for ministry leaders, lay leaders, and anyone seeking to revitalize their relationship with God. Expect to leave feeling renewed and refreshed, oriented in the gospel of Jesus, with a deeper sense of joy and readiness to share this good news with others.
What Others Are Saying
Speakers
Patric Knaak serves as Deputy Director of Mission, supporting the growth and effectiveness of Serge’s overall mission work. Previously he served as Serge's Area Director for Renewal from 2007-2023, stewarding and shepherding the teams that teach, write, train and mentor for Serge. He served for many years as the pastor for discipleship at Naperville Presbyterian Church and is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America. He is the author of "On Mission: Devotions for your Short Term Trip" and co-author of "Psalms: Real Prayers for Real Life". His studies have included theology and New Testament at Moody Bible Institute, Wheaton Graduate School, and New College, University of Edinburgh. He lives near Serge’s home office with his wife Jennifer and their son Parker. He enjoys travel, vintage fountain pens, dark chocolate and BBQ. You can reach him at: pknaak@serge.org.
Marc Davis is an Associate Area Director for Renewal, providing leadership for the larger Renewal team while serving himself as a Sonship mentor and Discipleship Lab facilitator, and writing and speaking for Renewal events and publications. Marc and his wife Susan met at the University of Virginia and married in 1992. After three years on Intervarsity staff, he completed an M.Div. from Westminster Seminary in 1997. Marc is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and served on the pastoral staff at New Life Church in Glenside, PA for 12 years before joining Serge in 2019. He is excited to see missionaries, pastors, and others involved in ministry empowered by the gospel to live lives of great freedom in dependence on Jesus for everything. Marc and Susan have three adult children: Nathaniel, Maggie, and Owen. You can reach him at: mdavis@serge.org.
Denine Blevins, provides leadership as the Executive Director of two distinct institutions: Parakaleo, a nonprofit that provides gospel-based support to women in church planting, and Uptown Community Church. She has a passion for applying organizational leadership to promote spiritual well-being and kingdom flourishing. Over the past two decades, she has helped launch various initiatives, including a substance abuse recovery home for women, a bilingual church in Manhattan, and a gospel renewal gathering for African American leaders. Denine lives in Washington Heights, NY, with her husband Robert and their dog, Sydney.
Howard Brown is the church-planting pastor of Kindred Hope Church in Atlanta's South Fulton area. He previously served as a pastor for over 20 years at Christ Central PCA in Charlotte, NC. Howard also held pastoral positions in Baltimore, MD, and Fayetteville, GA. He has a Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary and an English degree from Clemson University. Howard is the author of "Acts: The Power that Changes the World", and a contributing author in the books "Heal Us Emmanuel: A Call for Racial Reconciliation, Representation, and Unity in the Church" and "Keep Your Head Up: Black Lives Matter". A native of Charleston, SC, Howard enjoys Clemson football, fishing, and watching movies and TV with his wife, Kellie. They have two sons, Harrison and Clark.
Kellie Brown is the Program Leader for Kinship Initiatives on the Serge Renewal team. Originally from St. Louis, MO, she moved to the South to attend Valdosta State University, earning a BFA in Theater & Broadcasting in 1995. For over 25 years, Kellie has served in church ministry, including co-founding Christ Central Church in Charlotte, NC, where she held the roles of Worship & Arts Director and Women’s Shepherd. She has worked with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) as a Church Planting Assessor and Operations Director for African American Ministries (AAM). Kellie and her husband, Rev. Howard A. Brown, are now planting a church in Atlanta, GA. She consults on topics like women in leadership, multi-ethnic church planting, and music ministry. Kellie is a proud mom of two college-aged sons and enjoys music, sci-fi, theater, red wine, and cooking for friends and family. You can reach her at kbrown@serge.org.
Wy Plummer is a Teaching Elder with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) working as a Cross-Cultural Consultant for Mission to North America. Wy received his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Howard University and Master of Engineering degree from Johns Hopkins University. He worked as an electrical engineer for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and IBM. In 1990, Wy left his career as an engineer to pursue seminary training at the Chesapeake Theological Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, where he received his Master of Divinity degree. In 1995, he was called to be the co-pastor at New Song Church and later served as an assistant pastor at Faith Christian Fellowship, both in Baltimore. Currently, Wy and his wife Shirley reside in Rossville, GA, a city just outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee. They worship at New City Fellowship where Shirley is the church bookkeeper.
Ticket Information Coming Soon
Sonship Week
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sonship?
It was while doing cross-cultural, team-oriented ministry that Serge missionaries discovered how challenging it is to be grounded in a biblical identity as sons and daughters of God—even in the midst of missional work. So, Serge leaders developed the Sonship Curriculum to equip missionaries to live out the gospel in their daily lives and nurture a new boldness to share the love of Christ with others.
Over the years, we have taken the grace-based principles of Sonship and expanded it into various formats, including our one-on-one mentoring program, Mentored Sonship, and for multiple cultural contexts, religious backgrounds, and specific life applications.
Who is Sonship Week for?
If you are longing to experience spiritual renewal and are looking for new ways to reach your community for Jesus, this retreat is for you. While the content was originally designed for pastors, ministry leaders, and missionaries, along with their spouses, it can also rejuvenate lay people who desire to more deeply live out the gospel in their lives, relationships, and informal ministry.
Is there childcare available for this retreat?
Because this is an intensive conference, we encourage couples to arrange their own childcare so they can be together and focused for the week. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide childcare.
Are ticket refunds available if I need to cancel?
Cancellation requests received before Friday, October 31st, 2025, will be refunded, less a $50 processing charge (per registrant). Unfortunately, no refunds can be made after this date.
Please contact us for any refund requests.
What if I have problems registering?
Please contact us at renewalevents@serge.org.
Are there any scholarships for Sonship Week?
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer any scholarships for this retreat.
Can I still register if I can only attend some of the main sessions?
Sonship Week is an intensive retreat that is most powerfully experienced when you attend in its entirety. So, we kindly ask that you only register if you can attend all the sessions to ensure the best experience possible for you!
Will there be a shuttle service provided from the hotel to the event?
Unfortunately, there will not be a shuttle service. If you are not planning to rent a car, we recommend using Uber or Lyft.
