MinistryLift 2014 Leadership Conference
Get $20 off your onsite registration with the promo code SPECIAL
The MinistryLift 2014 Leadership Conference on May 31 is designed to help you take your leadership to the next level. This year's leadership conference features four leadership tracks: 1) Leadership Coaching, 2) Engaging Conflict for Good, 3) Building Healthy Ministry Teams, 4) Missional Governance: Strategic Leadership in the Local Church (please note that Ministry Leadership Sustainability is no longer being offered). When you register for a particular track, you register for the four workshops in that track (the workshops often build on each other, so it's important to take all of them together). We are pleased to be able to live-stream all of the tracks, so that people all over North America and beyond can participate in the conference.
You can participate onsite at ACTS Seminaries at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia, Canada or over the internet via live-streaming. Here are the registration costs:
Onsite registration - $85 ($75 for students and TWU/ACTS alumni or staff/faculty, $65 for those in groups of five or more). You can purchase a lunch add-on for $10 and a parking pass for $4 (we've done this to keep the cost down for those who don't want to purchase a lunch and/or don't need a parking pass). Rembember that you can save $20 on your onsite reigstation with the promo code SPECIAL.
Live-streaming registration - $45/person, $180/church or $750+/denomination depending on the number of churches in the denomination. For those who would like to register their entire denomination for live-streaming, you can also do a discount registration where you pay part of the denominational registration resulting in a discount for denominational members (you can contact us if you would like to discuss this option). You can check out our live-streaming tips page to see how you might improve your live-streaming exerience.
Regarding payment, you can pay with a major credit card, through a PayPal account, or by cheque.
All conference participants will have access to recorded versions of two of the live-streamed tracks (Building Healthy Ministry Teams and Leadership Coaching) for one month once the recordings are uploaded on the MinistryLift website (we will have these ready about a week after the conference).
As a special offer to those who register for the Leadership Conference, you can purchase a 2014 MinistryLift membership for half price ($30 instead of $60 for individuals and $120 instead of $240 for churches). The membership gives you unlimited access to almost 50 unedited teaching videos in the MinistryLift Resource Library from past MinistryLift conferences (until December 31, 2014). Topic categories include adult ministry, apologetics/evangelism, Bible/theology, children's ministry, leadership, marriage and family/interpersonal helping skills, multicultural ministry, and small group ministry. You will also be able to access the recordings from the Leadership Conference and Fall Equipping Conference until the end of the year.
Track and Presenter Descriptions
Building Healthy Ministry Teams - Don Page
Track Description - While those in Christian ministry always talk about leading the way Jesus did as servant leaders, the reality is that surveys show that very few actually do so. The primary reasons are that they have never been trained to lead as Jesus led and they do not know how to put his leadership principles into practice so that the goal of a strong team-based ministry can be reached. This workshop will show you how with plenty of practical examples and tools for both staff ministry teams and teams made up of volunteers.
Presenter Info - Don Page is the former Academic Vice President at Trinity Western University and on the Executive Team at his church. He has conducted experiential learning workshops on building healthy ministerial teams for denominational conferences, local churches, the President's Council of the Evangelical Free Church, and dozens of para-church Christian ministries
Session 1 (9:00 – 10:15 am) - What is Jesus’ model for healthy team-based ministry and why do we find it so hard to follow?
Session 2 (10:45 am – noon) - What does a healthy ministry team look like?
Session 3 (1:30 – 2:45 pm) - The Role of the Serving Team Leader
Session 4 (3:15 – 4:30 pm) - Creating and sustaining an enthusiastic and healthy ministry team.
Engaging Conflict for Good – Alan Simpson
Track Description - Conflict is an inescapable part of everyday life and that includes congregational life. In general, the church culture has not trained itself to respond to conflict in constructive ways. However, we have the ability to change the way we think about conflict, respond in conflict and encourage others in similar conflict situations. We also have the counsel and empowerment of the Holy Spirit to apply the teachings of Jesus Christ in conflict situations. We can engage in conflict for good. We understand that there are different levels, types and sources of conflict. This material deals primary with interpersonal conflict that has the potential of being resolved through healthy communication, effective resolution processes and biblical pathways for peace between persons with differences.
Presenter Info - Alan Simpson, BTh., MA (Conflict Management), Certificate of Conflict Resolution, is a facilitator, instructor, conflict coach and mediator for individuals and groups. He provides engagement processes and training seminars for leaders and their organizations nationally and internationally. He has 30 years of experience in pastoring, coaching and training adults, families and organizations in communication skills, change management and conflict engagement. He has worked with businesses, Christian schools, government staff, church boards and congregations. He has conducted 30 deep congregational health and conflict assessments and provided leadership and church coaching in over 100 churches. His offerings include leadership development, conflict and board management, team building, and retreat facilitation. Alan is also a skills coach and instructor for the Justice Institute of BC in the Okanagan in the area of conflict resolution and leadership development. He is currently an associate staff member at Outreach Canada and has a private mediation practice in Armstrong, BC.
Session 1 (9:00 – 10:15 am) - THINK - What we think about conflict influences how we engage in conflict
This session will cover the following topics: defining conflict, conflict and the bible narratives, understanding my lenses in conflict, and thinking differently about conflict.
Session 2 (10:45 am – noon) - ENGAGE - How we engage in conflict influences how we connect with others
In this session, Alan will look at what's my conflict style/preference, what did Jesus do in conflict, and the conflict belief cycle.
Session 3 (1:30 – 2:45 pm) - CONNECT - How we connect with others in conflict influences our collective peace
This session will cover the following topics: power in conflict, high conflict individuals, and pathways to peace.
Session 4 (3:15 – 4:30 pm) - Assessing and Addressing Congregational Conflict
In this fourth session, Alan will address dynamics of church conflict, conflict management in the church, assessment and managing congregational conflict as an intervenor, and a collaborative approach to conflict resolution.
Leadership Coaching – Dr. Randy Wollf
Track Description – In this track, you will learn the Leader Breakthru approach to Leadership Coaching based on Keith Webb’s book, The COACH Model for Christian Leaders. During the training sessions, you will learn how to better connect with another person, determine the objective of a coaching conversation, build awareness of the key issues in the coachee’s life, work with the coachee to determine next steps, and review the highlights of the session. You will also have an opportunity to learn and practice four essential coaching skills: listening, expanding, focusing and empowering. By the end of the leadership coaching training, participants will be able to use the model to coach others. This leadership coaching approach is an excellent way of helping staff, volunteers, team members, co-workers and family members take next steps in their development as leaders.
Presenter Info – Randy has been a mentor and coach to many individuals over the last 25 years. During his 20 years as a pastor, church planter and missionary, Randy thoroughly enjoyed coming alongside people to help them take next steps in their leadership journey. In his current role as an Assistant Professor of Practical Theology and Leadership Studies at ACTS Seminaries. Randy continues to mentor and coach students on a regular basis. Randy is a certified Leadership Coach Trainer with Leader Breakthru.
Session 1 (9:00 – 10:15 am) - Leadership Coaching Overview and Active Listening
In this session, we will take a big picture look at the COACH Model for developing Christian leaders and explore the first essential skill of effective coaching: listening. In addition, we will look at the differences between coaching and mentoring. One of the challenges of coaching is not allowing our personal biases to dictate the coaching process. We will look at ways of raising awareness about our own beliefs and assumptions, and how to keep them in check during a coaching conversation.
Session 2 (10:45 am – noon) - Determining the Session Outcome and Expanding Awareness
In a coaching session, it is important to determine a clear outcome for the time together and to explore the issues surrounding that session objective. In session two, Randy will guide participants in several learning and coaching activities to develop the skill of expanding (the second key coaching skill) by asking excellent questions.
Session 3 (1:30 – 2:45 pm) – Hearing the Holy Spirit and Pinpointing the Key Issue
As leadership coaches, it is imperative that we position ourselves to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and respond in obedience. In this session, we will look at ways that we can hear the Spirit during a coaching conversation and to ask questions that help to focus (the third essential coaching skill) on the key issue in the coachee’s life.
Session 4 (3:15 – 4:30 pm) – Developing Action Steps and Empowering the Coachee to Take Action
The final two stages of a coaching session focus on developing a course of action and empowering (the fourth key coaching skill) the coachee to take the necessary steps. In this session, Randy will help participants grow in their ability to help coachee’s articulate and own action steps that will help address the identified key issue.
Missional Governance: Strategic Leadership for the Local Church – Dr. Larry Perkins
Track Description - Anyone conversant with "governance" issues and practice within faith-based agencies knows full well the tensions and debates this term generates. These workshops seek to build out of the New Testament concepts of “missional governance” that church boards can follow so that they can lead with excellence and cope with the many challenges which church board’s face today. Specific cases will be used to illustrate these principles, as well as some templates will be provided. The primary point is that the church board in a congregation is the strategic leadership team.
Presenter Info – Dr. Perkins developed and presents the “Best Practices for Church Boards” workshops – 55 church boards have taken advantage of this training. He is a governance mentor with InTrust and hosts and writes for the Churchboardchair.ca website (over 200 articles and resources). Dr. Perkins is the author of the Church Board Chair Leadership Manual (2013). He is a church board consultant and has served as a member or chairperson of church boards for 25 years (he is currently a church board chairperson). Dr. Perkins has a Master of Education in Higher Education and Administration from UBC and a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. In addition, he is President Emeritus of Northwest Baptist Seminary and a Professor of Biblical Studies at Northwest Baptist Seminary and ACTS/TWU.
Session 1 (9:00 – 10:15 am) - Foundations of Missional Governance – the Role of the Board in a faith-based agency
"Missional governance" provides strategic ministry leadership within faith-based agencies so that they effectively accomplish their God-given mission in full conformity with their biblical character and values. New Testament materials indicate that missional governance found expression in plurality or team contexts, was accountable to the “body”, provided strategic ministry leadership for advancing the mission, and represented the interests of the congregation in the larger community.
Session 2 (10:45 am – noon) - Structuring Board-Management relations for Success – issues of authority, planning, evaluation, accountability. Who’s in charge and why? Articulating these relationships and responsibilities in a board policy manual
Discerning the type of board which a faith-based agency has is not too difficult. It could be an advisory board, or a management board, or a policy-based governance board. We will define that primary character of each of these boards – their limitations and benefits. We will suggest that as faith-based agencies mature and develop, their boards will also have to grow and develop, moving towards a policy-based governance model.
The primary question for a board in a faith-based agency is this – how does the board use its authority to ensure that the agency’s resources are focused on accomplishing its mission?
Session 3 (1:30 – 2:45 pm) - Decision-making as a Critical Board Competence – Discerning the Will of God Together
The primary work that the board of a faith-based agency engages expresses itself in decision-making. Rarely is there a board meeting where decisions are not made. Usually these find expression in motions and they articulate the “voice” of the board. Decision-making within a faith-based context essentially requires the discernment of God’s direction. What can boards do to develop the competence to make good, mission-centred decisions? And once the decisions are taken, how does the board monitor implementation?
Session 4 (3:15 – 4:30 pm) - The Role of the Board Chair – Key to Effective Governance
Within faith-based agencies, the role of the board chair should be considered a critical leadership function. The board creates this role and manages all aspects of its operation. The chair serves the board and is the board’s voice. The board chair leads the strategic ministry leadership team of a faith-based agency.