GENERAL

Room 30 – Church Budgets

Rob Summerfield, Trinity Baptist Church

What does your budget communicate about your church? How do you communicate your budget to your church? This workshop will help people think about how to spend their money and plan to spend their money.

Room 34 – Let’s Talk About Politics

David Rodgers, Trinity

As we think about politics, we must remember that God is sovereign and holy, and man is limited and sinful.  An election does not change these facts at all.  How do we have conversations in our community and even in our churches that show these truths.  This workshop will NOT fix politics but it will show you ways to have political conversations that show where your hope is.

Room 38 – Ministry in a Mental Health Crisis World

Benjamin Rudolph, Lake Ann Camp

What is spiritual and what is psychological? As we attempt to make disciples and serve others, how do we do so with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues affecting so many people. It’s important to know how to navigate these issues with both understanding and compassion and to address them with a biblical lens.

Room 56 – How Do I Know the Bible Is True?

Robert Gillespie, Reasons for Hope

This talk is not How Can I Prove the Bible Is True?” Everyone starts out with a belief system, and proof of that believe system is always ‘in the eye of the beholder.’ Are there good reasons to be confident in the scriptures, or do we just have blind faith? This talk will explain why atheists are the ones who go by blind faith, while Christians have good reasons to believe the Bible.

DISCIPLESHIP

Room 50 – Starting &  Developing a Marriage Ministry

Stephanie TeSlaa, Crossroads Bible Church

God chose marriage to be a primary witness to the world and a foundational piece of His Kingdom. How is your church currently investing in the development and health of this vital relationship? Discover the value of starting a marriage ministry and developing a mentoring program for engaged couples or those who need coaching. Mentoring can tap into the gifts of your church body, create opportunities for different generations to build relationships, and assist your pastor who may carry the load of marriage care.

Pod C – Five Reasons Churches Shrink

Doug Burrier, Sustainable Discipleship
What do honeybees and beehives have to do with us reaching the world for Christ? Bees were on the decline but now they are thriving. Come discover the five things that solved the bee problem. Learn how to thrive and reach your community for Christ by using these five BE(e) fixes. You don’t want to miss this interactive talk!

LEADERSHIP

Room 64 – Leading Healthy, High Performing Teams

Nathanael Wagner, Actuator Group

Building and leading effective teams is an essential skill leaders must cultivate. Ill-equipped leaders will operate in silos or allow unhealthy conflict to stifle progress, unable to harness the power of a dynamic team. Identifying great team players, fostering a collaborative environment, and normalizing redemptive conflict are just a few of the keys to leading healthy, high performing teams in both ministry and the marketplace.

MEN’S MINISTRY

Room 31 – Meaningful Men’s Ministry

Gabe Hartfield, Crossroads Bible Church

Many people ask, “Why are so few men involved in church?”  This workshop will address research and reasons for the decline in the men’s church attendance.  It will also provide ideas and tools to help your church reach and build community among the men in our church.

WOMEN’S MINISTRY

Room 58 – Ready to Deepen Your Women’s Ministry?

Marya Jones, Calvary Baptist Church of Greenville

Let’s redefine success – not by how many show up at the annual Christmas party, but by how deeply we connect with the women in our church. From college students and stay-at-home moms to busy professionals and widows, each woman has unique needs and interests. Discover creative ways to meet them right where they are, even if it’s just a few at a time! Learn to foster growth that builds a deeper relationship with God, a stronger understanding of Scripture, and a desire for Christian fellowship. You’ll leave with practical tips and fresh ideas to enrich the lives of the women you serve.

Room 66 – Awareness is Step One

Darlene Larson, Hearts with a Purpose / Attend Magnify Church

Are you seeing numbers shrink with women desiring to know the Word of God? If so, why is this? Are they attending Bible studies as a check off their to-do-list?  Learn the struggle women are facing today with the gap of head knowledge to heart knowledge, which is pivotal for transformation. Learn how to merge the two to close the gap, so a woman can grow and become all He created her to be.

STUDENT MINISTRY

Room 126 – Shepherding the Hearts of Your Students

Ken Riley, Lake Ann Camp

Leading in ministry is both about you and your students. This workshop will help you understand what you are responsible for and what you are not when it comes to ministry. It will seek to give you the tools to get deep in the hearts of your students and assist them in the growth process.

Room 128 – How to Reach Gen Z

Wesley Crawford, West Cannon Baptist Church

Youth Ministry feels like an ever-changing ministry because of how fast culture changes. Generation Z is a generation that draws a lot of ire from older generations, but they are a generation that needs Jesus! This workshop will utilize some material from Kevin DeYoung’s small book titled, “The ‘Not So Secret’ Secret to Reaching the Next Generation” and seek to understand this generation of students and how best to reach them for the sake of the gospel!

CHILDREN

Room 122 – Effective Use of Visuals

Marrena Ralph, Regular Baptist Press / Kids4Truth Clubs Program Specialist

Object lessons, illustrations, and visual aids help capture and keep the attention of your audience and enhance your lesson. Learn ways of incorporating visuals into your lesson/service to capture attention and keep children engaged during the service.

Room 124 – Important Questions About Child & Youth Safety in Your Church

Jeff Dalrymple & Sally Wagenmaker, Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention

Jeff and Sally will be answering FAQ and your questions in this workshop designed to help you protect the children and youth in your church and ministries.

Room 129 – How to Combat Biblical Illiteracy

Rochelle Visser, Camp Michawana

Did you know that less than 1% of Gen Z has a Biblical worldview? Rochelle Visser, Director of Ministries at Camp Michawana, works with kids and adults integrating a program that brings deep, Bible-based teaching to young people who often aren’t regularly exposed to it. She knows firsthand that our kids can learn more than we realize when given the chance! This workshop will explore practical strategies for scripture memory, understanding the Bible’s big picture, and empowering young people to use their Bibles to feed themselves spiritually. Let’s move beyond spoon-feeding and train up the next generation with confidence in God’s Word.

MISSIONS & EVANGELISM

Room 32 – Developing and/or Assessing Your Missions Program

Kelly Fath, West Cannon Baptist Church

Whether you’re launching, re-launching, or simply evaluating your church’s missions program, we’ll discuss various strategies, philosophies, priorities, resources, and activities that may enhance your church’s global (and local) outreach.

Room 52 – Evangelism to Refugees and International Cultures in our Community

Scott Klooster, Georgetown Bible Church

There is no singular method of evangelism that can reach people of different religions and cultures. Today, in West MI, we are surrounded by the nations. The USA is like few other countries of the world where we see the world coming to us. We need to understand them in order to communicate the Gospel. We’ll look at insider catalysts, dynamic equivalents and other tools we have to fulfill the Great Commission, right in our backyards.

WORSHIP

Room 54 – Songs in the Key of Worship

Chad Vitarelli

Songs are important building blocks in our corporate worship gatherings, but there are a lot to choose from! In this seminar we’ll establish some musical, biblical, and community criteria for choosing the very best songs for worship in our individual local churches, and then we’ll practice analyzing some songs according to those criteria.