Convention Commemorates Triumph of ‘The Chosen,’ TV Series Centered on Jesus

Thousands of fans from around the world gathered over the October 14-15 weekend for a conference in Dallas, Texas, to celebrate The Chosen, the wildly popular television show depicting the life and era of Jesus Christ and his followers. 

Dubbed “ChosenCon”—short for Chosen Insiders Conference—the two-day event took place at the Hilton Anatole hotel. The celebration was hosted by Dallas Jenkins, the creator of the film series that is billed as the largest crowd-funded media project in history.

While virtual participants from around the world joined in to engage in the first-ever ChosenCon, those present in person had the opportunity to meet and greet Jenkins as well as the show’s cast members, including actor Jonathan Roumie, renowned for portraying Jesus in the crowdfunded TV sensation. 

As it embarks on its fourth season out of a total of seven planned, the series boasts an impressive record of over 600 million episode views across various streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Peacock, in addition to its weekly broadcast on The CW. The show is available in more than 50 languages, testifying to its worldwide appeal. 

“The uniqueness of what we’re doing at The Chosen goes far past just the content creation,” Katherine Warnock, the series’ vice president of original content, told The Dallas Morning News. “Not only does the community element literally fund the series, but it also is the entire heartbeat of how we’ve organically grown into a global phenomenon.”

“It was overwhelming and beautiful to see over 3,000 people in one room cheering and laughing and celebrating our show,” Religion News Service quoted Jenkins as saying in a statement to the online platform. “But even better were the countless stories of impact viewers were able to tell us personally.”  

Throughout the conference, a recurring theme was the show’s decision to portray Jesus and his disciples in a more humanized manner, with particular emphasis on the women in his life. 

The convention’s first night featured a live podcast recording in which female actors from the TV series engaged in discussions about their various roles.  

The conference also showcased several prominent Christian musicians and influencers, including the nine-time Grammy-nominated songwriter Matt Maher, Dan Haseltine, lead vocalist of the Christian rock band Jars of Clay, and Ruby Amanfu, a Ghana-born songwriter and recording artist based in Nashville, Tennessee.