2024 Workshops
Pre-registration is not needed. Get to the room as soon as possible—some rooms fill quickly.
The XP-Seminar was a significant milestone for us. We decided to initiate my succession over the next seven years. I would never have started this process had I not attended the conference.
The outstanding workshops made me realize that the best way I can ensure the legacy of the church I planted is to skillfully and intentionally pass the baton to those who will lead in the next generation.
—A Senior Pastor
4 Unexpected Trust-Building Behaviors of Extraordinary Teams
In today’s volatile workplace, how do you attract and retain a great team? While creating a great team culture often feels elusive and frustrating, Culture Consultant Jenni Catron has found that a lack of trust is often at the heart of culture erosion. The good news is that there are some simple things we can do as leaders to begin rebuilding that trust or reinforcing it before it erodes. In this talk, Jenni addresses those behaviors and gives you suggestions to foster trust that builds healthy teams.
Jenni Catron, Founder and CEO, The 4Sight Group
5 Building Barriers that Kill Church Growth
Have you ever wondered why people may or may not be attending your church? It could easily be that your building is full of barriers killing the ability of your church to maximize growth. In this breakout, you will learn how to break through those barriers and discover creative ways to build bridges for more people to find community.
Nathan Elder, Director of Strategic Design, Visioneering Studios
Basics of Church Financing (in a Higher Rate Environment)
Navigating church financing can be a challenge. This is especially true when construction costs and interest rates are high. Come discover how lenders are assessing these factors as part of the underwriting process.
Chris Lewis, Senior Relationship Manager, Thrivent Church Financing
David Lee, Senior Relationship Manager, Thrivent Church Financing
Be the Unicorn: 12 Data Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest
William will talk with you about aspects of Be the Unicorn. It is a fascinating book and Fletch has reviewed it on Amazon:
William Vanderbloemen’s latest book, Be the Unicorn: Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest, is a goldmine of information. He gets right at what the best leaders do and how they think. With a plethora of examples from business, non-profits and church life, he illustrates twelve traits and habits.
What turns my crank is that his observations are based on 30,000 interviews with leaders. This gives the book a razor-sharp edge on seeing things that effective leaders do well. William’s quotes and short case studies illustrate his twelve points with great clarity. Here is how I applied two of the habits and traits. Read the book to get the other ten.
William Vanderbloemen, CEO & Founder, Vanderbloemen
Brace Yourself: How to Address the Shifting Church Giving Demographics for 2024
Brad always brings the latest and visionary thoughts about your financial future. Giving demographics are always changing and you need to stay on top of them. The pivotal question that you want to ask yourself is, “What should we do now to ensure healthy church finances for 2024?” As the title says, brace yourself for what you will hear in the workshop, changing church giving demographics and the emerging economy.
Brad Leeper, Executive Vice-President, Generis Partners
Building the Foundation: Structuring a Production Department
We will explore the essential elements of establishing a robust production department within the context of a local church. The production department is pivotal in enhancing worship experiences, congregational engagement, and outreach efforts. We’ll delve into the core principles of structuring this department, including team roles, equipment, and workflow. We’ll also discuss the significance of a flexible and adaptable structure catering to the diverse needs of your production team. Join us as we uncover the key strategies for leading your team well.
JB Bowling, Vice President, Clark
ChurchLaw&Tax Roundtable Forum
Invitation only
Christianity Today’s ChurchLaw&Tax again joins the XP-Seminar for a series of invitation-only roundtable forums with executive pastors and business administrators. The forums spur great conversations regarding legal, tax, financial, and risk management issues confronting churches in 2023, and help identify topic ideas and trends for ChurchLaw&Tax to cover in the future. The forums also offer networking and fellowship among the participants, including helpful tips and ideas for solving ministry-related problems.
Matthew Branaugh, attorney and editor of Christianity Today’s ChurchLaw&Tax
Church Finance 101
In this session, we will discuss the essentials for overseeing and managing the finances of a healthy church. Our discussion will include measurements for church financial health, sound budgeting practices, managing debt, and strategies for improving your church’s financial health. Attendees will receive copies of Mike Batts’s Amazon best-selling books, Church Finance and Nonprofit Financial Oversight.
Danny Johnson, Partner and Assistant National Director of Quality Assurance, Batts, Morrison, Wales & Lee
Steve Cardwell, Senior Manager, Batts, Morrison, Wales & Lee
Church Tax & Regulatory Update—Big Things that Need to be on Your Radar
Get the latest federal and state tax and regulatory updates for churches, including key changes, implications, and matters that could impact your ministry. In this session, Mike Batts will provide important updates in his well-known briefing format.
Mike Batts, Managing Partner, Batts Morrison Wales & Lee
Creating a Successful Project: 7 Common Mistakes Churches Make When Planning Facilities
This session will provide key tips involved with planning church facilities and discussions on avoiding 7 common mistakes made when planning. We will explore the importance of understanding the design process/role of decision makers, creating a vision to promote the project, trends in buildings, significance of various unique spaces, and other building design items to consider.
Bruce Woody, President & CEO, HH Architects
Delegate to Elevate: How Learning to Let Go Can Expand Your Impact and Help You Avoid Burnout
As Executive Pastors, it’s easy to become the “catch-all” of every miscellaneous project, last-minute crisis, or new initiative in your church. It’s tempting to feel like you have to be your team’s own personal superhero—handling everything on your own. But that’s no way to work, or live, and it’s a recipe for burnout.
As a leader, unlocking the power of effective delegation, it will not only transform your life, but it will transform your organization. Because sometimes the secret to getting more done is actually all about doing less.
Ryan Fitzgerald, Director of Marketing, BELAY
Shelby Carr, Solutions Consultant, BELAY
A Field Guide for Commercial Development for Your Site
For years you’ve imagined that irresistible coffee hot-spot on the corner of your property that lures the community to your campus and increases the bottom line. But you’re not sure how to pull that off without losing your focus, your non-profit status, or your mind. In this workshop, Dave Milam, Vice President of Strategic Design of Visioneering Studios, will walk you through the nuts and bolts of commercially developing your site while protecting your mission.
Dave Milam, Vice President of Strategic Design, Visioneering Studios
Financial Fraud—A Banking Perspective
Cybercrime is more sophisticated than ever. Consider email compromise and takeover; check fraud of all types; credit card compromise. All have seen a dramatic increase in recent years. Now, the bad guys are even utilizing Artificial Intelligence to gain unprecedented access to your information. What can be done from a banking perspective to protect your organization from these threats? Join us for this workshop to learn more about financial fraud and how to protect yourself.
Steve Hron, Vice President in the Faith and Ministry Financial Services, Cass Commercial Bank
Vanessa McKinnis, Manager, Treasury Sales & Services, A.V.P., Cass Bank
Hiring and Firing
In this workshop we’ll discuss:
- The values that help create an award winning staff team.
- The keys to a successful hiring process.
- How to ensure protection of your culture with your next hire.
- How to best execute the critical reference calls.
- The process of evaluation and coaching.
- How to coach someone off of your team.
- The keys to knowing the different types of firing.
Eric Rojas, Executive Pastor, Rolling Hills Community Church
How to Create a Strategy-Driven Budget
Effective budgeting is an ongoing process. Churches face a changing economic environment as well as shifting challenges, opportunities, and priorities. That means making sure your budget is aligned with your church’s strategic plan. We’ll examine how budget management is evolving. We’ll also discuss ways to assess and respond to current and coming realities and use practical strategies to set priorities and prepare for what’s ahead.
Rob Faulk, Partner and Church and Denomination Services Director, CapinCrouse
How to Keep Staff in a Culture of Quitting
Do you ever feel like your team is one resignation away from disaster? Statistically, nearly 50% of pastoral leaders have considered quitting in the past year. We are facing a season where your top leaders could be looking outside of your church to fulfill their calling, and our greatest asset is our enduring team. How do you proactively spend more time quit-proofing your staff and less energy on open positions?
Matt Wright, VP Senior Leadership, Slingshot Group
How To Start a Coaching Ministry in Your Church
During this workshop you will learn how the practice of coaching can add additional resources to your church’s discipleship ministry. Topics include the following: detailed explanation of coaching; the steps to launching a coaching ministry; and the recommended resources to support the ministry. Also, you will be introduced to Real Coaching Success which is an organization dedicated to encouraging and equipping coaches. Led by Dr. Nathan Baxter, Founder of LeadSelfLeadOthers and RealCoachingSuccess.
All participants will receive a free copy of Real Coaching Success by Nathan and Dianne Baxter.
Dr. Nathan Baxter, Founder of LeadSelfLeadOthers.com and RealCoachingSuccess.com
How to Successfully Build a Communications Team Using Outside Help
When your communications team is in disarray or you do not have a clear and structured communications strategy, everybody feels that pain. In this workshop, we will unpack a helpful approach to building a communications team that is aligned with your church goals without being overwhelmed or frustrated. We will share real examples of what other churches, large and small, have done to shore up their communications team to thrive, stay healthy, and be successful. You will walk away with a strategy you can implement.
Jason Hamrock, CEO, Missional Marketing
How Would Givers Rate Your Church on Trust–and How Could ECFA Help Increase It?
“In the twenty-first century, trust has become the world’s most precious resource,” one business writer observes. If so, how would your church rate on various trust standards, especially with its givers? What are the trends on trust building (and trust diminishing) that you need to be aware of, especially with younger generations? The mission of ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) is “enhancing trust,” and Warren Bird, their Senior Vice President of Research and Equipping, will help you identify specific ways to assess how well you’re doing, and where you might improve.
Warren Bird, SVP of Research and Equipping, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
Leveraging Google and AI to Facilitate Better Communications and Church Growth
Your church is on a mission to make and grow disciples. In this workshop, we will provide a practical flywheel strategy for how you can leverage Google and the power of AI to reach more people in your community resulting in more disciples and a growing church.
Bart Blair, Lead Coach, Missional Marketing
Measuring Church Engagement: Metrics that Matter
The church is evolving, and so is the way we measure engagement. Understand what metrics truly matter in assessing the vitality of your church and learn about practical ways to enhance your church’s health. Explore how the metrics you measure—such as attendance, giving, serving, app activity, and more— can not only help determine the health of your church, but can surface outreach opportunities and foster meaningful connections with your congregation.
Cary Yocum, VP of Sales, Pushpay
Merging Visions: Legal Strategies for Church Growth
Church growth can take a lot of different forms, but one form we are seeing more and more of is growth through Church Mergers. As Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird said in their book, Better Together, “mergers are another example of God doing a ‘new thing’ (Isa. 43:19), helping existing congregations to reach new levels of unity, maturity, and fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13).” Join us as we discuss strategies for Church mergers, questions to consider in evaluating a potential merger, and common roadblocks to successful mergers .
Ally Haefner, Senior Associate Attorney, The Church Lawyers
Wendi Hodges, Senior Attorney, The Church Lawyers
Minimizing Aftershocks: Understanding the True Cost of Poor Pastoral Transitions
Letting go of anyone on staff is likely one of the hardest parts of any XP’s job. Most of us would rather sit through a four hour budget review with the elders than to navigate a bad staff transition. Add in difficult circumstances surrounding this transition and you have the recipe for devastation in your community. The good news is: it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, as the body of Christ, we should do this differently—better. This workshop will help you understand not just the financial costs associated with poor pastoral transitions, but the fallout that takes place on the spiritual, emotional, and communal fronts. You’ll leave with a tactical roadmap for doing transitions better and strategies for best possible outcomes.
Matt Davis, President, Pastoral Transitions
The Ministry Marathon: Enduring the Grind, Avoiding Burnout and Finishing Well
The number of pastors exiting the ministry is staggering. Jesus said that the harvest is ready but the laborers are few and since the pandemic, more pastors than ever are exiting the harvest field. Too many pastors and ministry leaders are weary, hurting, lonely, and on their way to burn out. Ministry is exhausting but is there anything we can do to help prepare ourselves to endure and finish well? In this breakout we will discuss enduring the ministry marathon and finishing our race well.
Will Klotz, Senior Client Relations Manager, Vanderbloemen
The Paces, the Faces, and the Places: Launching New Expressions of Your Church
Starting with the bottom line: The numbers of the unchurched living next to your church members are relentless and staggering! The Kingdom depends on your church to multiply! As a decision-maker, your church depends on you to be able to make well-informed decisions on strategy.
Putting your church through the paces—is it healthy enough to stand the rigors of launching new expressions of itself in new communities?
Because of your specific Kingdom-minded culture, DNA, and branding, what model might be best for you to launch with?
Do you know the places where each new expression in each new community would give you the best shot at success?
In this session you will go away confident about:
- 5 Marks that your church is ready to launch new expressions of itself into new communities
- 5 Models that your church might embrace to launch new campuses (multisite or plants)
- 5 Places you can launch in any community leveraging now and next!
Jeffrey Beachum, Church Multiplication Specialist, Portable Church® Industries
Planned Giving–The Missing Piece of Church Funding
As church leaders and pastors, we’ve all dealt with budget battles, fiscal fallouts, and donor downtrends. Too often we are forced to lean on weekly tithes, special offerings, and capital campaigns to meet the goals and vision of our church leadership. According to leading financial publications, approximately $84 trillion will transfer from Baby Boomers to Gen X and Millennials over the next 12 years. Planned giving offers the church an opportunity to tap into these resources to provide Kingdom funding for the future. Are you prepared to leverage this opportunity?
Dave Hess, Vice President of Training & Development, Financial Planning Ministry
Practical Steps to Protect Your Church Against Fraud
All organizations, including churches, are at risk for fraud. Fortunately, there are practical steps you can take to reduce that risk at your church. Learn about current fraud issues affecting churches, including adjustments you may need to make in response to changes in your operational environment, plus how to identify areas in your church that may be susceptible to fraud and apply best practices to reduce your risk.
Ken Tan, Partner, CapinCrouse LLP
Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in Ministry
Child sexual abuse risk is not intuitive. In this session, Greg addresses common errors and misconceptions that lead to sexual abuse risk, followed by an overview of the abuser’s grooming process and common grooming behaviors. The session concludes with a description of the MinistrySafe 5-Part Safety System (Sexual Abuse Awareness Training, Skillful Screening Processes, Appropriate Criminal Background Checks, Tailored Policies and Procedures, and Monitoring and Oversight) and how to access Safety System resources.
Gregory Love, Attorney with Love & Norris
Retirement and Health Care Strategies to Set Up Your Ministry for Long-Term Wellness
When faced with a multitude of benefits choices and challenges, it can be hard to find the strategy that best serves your ministry. Learn from industry experts on how to apply benefit strategies to steward your resources and help your ministry team stay physically and financially well.
Dixie Beard, Senior Business Development Manager, GuideStone Financial Resources
Rob Rudd, Team Lead, Insurance Relationship Management, GuideStone Financial Resources
Soul Care Practices for Thriving Churches
As a pastor and church leader you know that stress, conflict, and discouragement are part of church ministry and that prioritizing soul care is important to improving your staff’s health, unity, and fruitfulness. But what are some practical and affordable ways to do this? Dr’s Bill and Kristi Gaultiere started the ministry of Soul Shepherding in 2009 to meet this need.
This workshop includes rich content and time to ask your questions on:
- 5 unhealthy leadership rhythms to avoid.
- Using the CHRIST stages map of spiritual growth for your church.
- 7 essential (yet uncommon) soul care practices for healthy leaders and churches.
Bill Gaultiere, Co-Founder, Soul Shepherding
Kristi Gaultiere, Co-Founder, Soul Shepherding
The Wholistic Model of Senior Pastor Succession and Transition Your Church Needs to Know
Dave Travis started working on large church pastor succession in 1995 when he joined Leadership Network. After almost 30 years of working on the issues with over 400 churches, he has some approaches and models to share.
This workshop will address:
- How a church can multiply its ministry momentum in this season.
- The three biggest questions and issues that any approach to pastor succession must address.
- The latest trends from churches over the past two years.
Dave Travis, Director of Strategic Counsel to Pastors and Church Boards, Generis