Highlights

Full Breakfast sponsored by ECCU—5 Steps to Improving Your Chances of Qualifying for a Loan—Randy Marsh, Senior Relationship Manager of ECCU

Keynote on Legal Issues. David Middlebrook and Matt Anthony are nationally-noted attorneys with the Church Law Group in Dallas, Texas. What needs a copyright or trademark?  Are you legal in the use of your music copyright?  Are you legal in the use of images of members/attenders on your website? Who owns the sermon, the video clip, the worship song?  What options from church ownership to employee ownership are out there? Podcasting sermons, websites & enews, any legal issues here?

Keynote on Boundaries in Ministry. Dr. John Townsend has written or co-written 25 books, selling 5 million copies—including the 2 million best-seller Boundaries, along with Leadership Beyond Reason, Handling Difficult People, and his newest book, Beyond Boundaries.  He will be speaking to us about having clear boundaries in ministry—an essential for a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Lunch & The Short Rides on Hot Topics sponsored by GuideStone. 7 people. 7 topics. 7 minutes each. Scott Barfoot, The Book.  Justin Beadles, The Return.  Scott Cougil, The Change.  Tom Ellis, The Log.  Bob Vander Plaats, The Need.  Jon Wright, The Class.  Harry Nelson, The Lunch. Terse. Clear. Impactful.

Full Breakfast sponsored by Active Network—FellowshipOne & ServiceU.  Mark DeMoss on The Swings and Roundabouts of Church Management Systems

Keynote on Every Problem is a Leadership Problem

Kevin is the Lead Pastor of Austin Stone in Austin, Texas.  ”As Lead Pastor, my role is to lead and develop our elders, deacons and other leaders so that God’s church would be led toward the vision of making Christ known in our city and throughout the nations. Day to day I plan, write, teach and lead our teams to strive with all of God’s energy to accomplish the mission He has set before us. My life’s focus, and the focus of my role, is for God’s people to be equipped and God’s church to flourish.”

Keynote on Lightning in a Bottle. Mike is the Senior Pastor of EvFree Fullerton.  He has served as the teaching pastor at Rock Harbor Church and Mariners Church.  Since coming to Fullerton, there has been tremendous growth under his dynamic leadership.  Mike is “Lightning in a Bottle.” How did the staff and congregation respond to his catalytic actions in the first six months? How did David analyze whether to be his XP or not?

4 Workshop Sessions

Workshops

Dr. Warren Bird—Ten Commandments of Succession Planning

Warren is the Research Director for Leadership Network, co-author of 26 books and former pastor. He always brings the very latest of research in church ministry. In the long run, every pastor is an interim pastor. Whether you’re looking way ahead or into next year, whether it’s you or someone you coach, this session will offer practical advice— uncovered from over 100 interviews—about what can be done NOW to prepare for a successful transition ahead. The material is from a forthcoming book by William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird.

Dr. Nathan Baxter—Mentoring

Nathan is a former SP/XP and now serves as the founder of Lead Self Lead Others. He has been leading teams and helping other leaders move their stories forward for over twenty years. He has developed a unique coaching practice and resources that help leaders and executives break out and prevent the leadership plateau. In his work with Lead Self Lead Others, he has had the privilege of working with entrepreneurs and leaders from around the world including executives from industries as diverse as manufacturing, real estate, banking, non-profit, direct sales, legal, and energy. This workshop will provide training on best practices for mentoring both paid staff and volunteers using ministry performance evaluations.  Nathan will provide templates, tools, and training that can immediately be put to use in your unique ministry setting.  Through his research and consulting, he has become more convinced that leaders and workers do best if they are clear on what is expected of them and receive feedback on their performance.  These practices will help you improve your leadership culture.

Steve Caton & Dave Bair—Leveraging Software for Greater Productivity

Rob Cizek—Church Alignment: Can Your Ship Take You Where You Need To Go?

Rob Cizek is Executive Pastor at Northshore Christian Church, a non-denominational church of 1,500 and Christian academy of 1,000 in the Seattle area. He oversees daily operation of the organization and its ministries. He also organizes a networking group for executive pastors in the Puget Sound area. We all have big things we want to accomplish. Is your organizational structure working for or against you? This session will explore the good and bad ways churches structure themselves. It will offer practical tips to ensure the way you are organized is helping, not hurting, your mission.

Houston Clark—Missional Spaces & Missional Leaders: the Journey of the Rock Church, San Diego

Houston is a co-founder and Principal of Clark. Houston and his team design and implement some of the most innovative audio, video, theatrical lighting and streaming solutions.  After more than fifteen years of experience, they continue to shape the evolution of contemporary and modern worship by transforming venues of every shape and size into highly relevant communication platforms for the Gospel. The conversation is directly connected to fostering innovative creativity in Worship and Church spaces but using the approach we’ve seen at The Rock.

Scott Cougill and Kevin Jones—The Best Practices of Mobile Churches

Scott is the CEO of Portable Church® Industries and Kevin is the Sales Director. Scott is an experienced business executive with involvement spanning 26 years in the fields of sales, marketing, consulting and ministry. Prior to his role at Portable Church® Industries, he spent ten years as a ministry advocate—first as the Asia Pacific Director for YFC International; then as an Executive Pastor at Pacific Crossroads Church, a portable church, in West Los Angeles, California. Kevin Jones is an experienced leader and has had the privilege of helping more than 1,000 churches launch through Portable Church® Industries. Prior to his role at there, Kevin worked in sales and management for several national companies.

Bryan Eck— “Yikes … Our Team Structure Needs To Change!”

Bryan Eck is the Lead Team Pastor (that is a fancy, hip, cool name for Executive Pastor—trademarked, of course!) at Irving Bible Church—located just outside of Dallas in a fast growing and widely diversified community.  The church has over 5,000 people that call it home.  Bryan has been on staff at IBC for over 6 years and has led a wide variety of ministries, including counseling ministries, recovery, and local/global missions.  His background is in not-for-profit management and was previously in New York City leading a homeless ministry and shelter, literacy programs for at-risk children and other ministries. This workshop will take a honest and open look at a church when they realized that the Leadership Team and staff structure needed to change.  Find out what they should have done differently, when they realized they had a problem, and how they went through changing the organizational structure to fit with where God was leading them.  Come ready to share your structure and discuss some of the positives and negatives of different structural models of church leadership.

David Fletcher—People Patterns^® and Growing Your Staff

David has been a pastor for over 30 years in churches of various sizes—from small to large, to one of the largest in the US. He is also the founder of XPastor. His first book, People Patterns, has just been published. People Patterns explores the way that we lead in our relationships. Everyone leads others—Moms in the workplace or with their kids, Dads on the baseball field or on the job. We need balance in our leadership, knowing our strengths and limitations. How are you leading your staff? How are you growing them? Does each person on your staff know their strengths and limitations? David will show you how to better understand, motivate and grow your staff.

Dr. Ryan Hartwig & Dr. Warren Bird—Take Your Leadership Team to the Next Level: Six Moves to Create Exceptional Leadership Teams

Over the past two years, Dr. Ryan Hartwig, a professor from Azusa Pacific University, and Dr. Warren Bird, research director at the Leadership Network, have studied leadership teams from over 200 churches around the world. Combing through a rich data set, they’ve identified those team practices that differentiate the best teams from all the rest. In this workshop, Ryan and Warren offer a sneak peek into their Thriving Together team model, which addresses key team communication, purpose, decision-making, membership, leadership, and meeting practices. Come learn practical tips you can implement right away to take your senior leadership team to the next level of health and effectiveness.

Reagan Hillier—5 Steps To Family-Friendly Environments

Reagan Hillier from Worlds of Wow, a leading provider of original themed environments and indoor playgrounds in churches, will share how to make your space attractive and engaging for families and kids. Creating a destination for kids at your church can lead to double-digit growth in your children’s ministry and church attendance overall. We’ll talk about how to accomplish this at your church in five simple (and not necessarily expensive) steps:  Security, Colors, Smiles, Energy and Sundays/Weekdays.

Brad Leeper & Gerald Farley—Don’t Accept Ceilings in Generosity

Brad is the President and Principal of Generis Partners and Gerald has been a Strategist with Generis for many years. Based on experience and affinity, they are drawn to innovative, growing churches and the challenges of helping them expand practically and spiritually. With Generis, Brad is well served by his experience as a consultant to churches across the nation, a staff leader in resource development for local ministries, a Campus Director for Campus Crusade for Christ, and his role as church elder in his own 4,000-member home church, Perimeter Church in Atlanta. Gerald brings a similarly rich experience, having been an XP for many years. This workshop will explore how to have a culture of generosity in a local church. What are the markers for it? How you can get a culture of generosity and how can you keep it?

David Lyons—Hiring To New Levels

David is the Founder and President of MinisterSearch. While placing hundreds of people into ministry positions, David has seen the centrality of fit and gifting. Is one more important than the other? Can we compromise because “we know that person,” or “he or she is an insider” or “their gifts are just so strong that we …?” If you are going to hire staff in the next 12 months, then this workshop with David will help you. He has led workshops at each of the previous XP-Seminars, to rave reviews. Bring your questions for the discussion portion of the workshop as well.

Scott Nelson & Bruce Woody—Community Focused: Developing Spaces to Serve the Community Rather than the Congregation

Bruce is the President & CEO of HH Architects and Scott is a Principal. The missional focus of many churches is evolving from serving “outside” the four walls of the church to developing the “four walls” to better serve their local communities. As a result of this new mind set, churches are evaluating and identifying the community needs prior to developing new facilities. Following this presentation, participants will be able to: (1) review approaches for creating multi-purpose spaces to serve both the community and the church, (2) understand the challenges of “sharing” space with the community, and (3) develop effective Ministry Plans based on People, Space, Time, and Money—in order to meet church needs while utilizing space designed for the community.

Stan Reiff—Audits

Stan is a Partner with CapinCrouse and his professional experience includes over 20 years in ministry operations, public accounting, government accounting, and missions. Learn to better understand how to read and interpret your financial statements. Learn how to take financial statement information and use it to make informed and wise decisions for your church’s ministry planning and future. You will also understand the differences between independent auditors’ processes and reports, as well as when and how to select the right service/product.

Daniel Rolfe—What Could Happen If Your Church Created a Leadership Development Culture?

Daniel is Acting Senior Pastor of Mountain Springs Church of Colorado Springs, Colorado.  One of the most important things you can do for your church this year is to craft a leadership development culture. In many of our churches, we don’t have a leadership problem, we have a leadership development problem. Leadership development is an intentional process where an experienced leader infuses their heart, skill and passion into the lives of others. For a leadership development culture to be created, this passion for development must be systematized and then modeled from the highest levels within your team. You as the XP and all on your directional leadership team must embody the value of development. Consider joining us at this workshop as we outline the 8 formational steps that we followed in forming our leadership development process. We’ll share terms, titles, timelines and more. Come with your own insights and questions.

Tim Samuel & Dave Michener—Money & Ministry: Two Sides to the “Coin”

Dave is the Executive Pastor of Bridgeway Community Church and Tim works closely with him as the Chief Financial Officer. This workshop will be facilitated by an XP with a ministerial background and a business mind, as well as a CPA/CFO with a business background and a ministerial mind. They have found a way to make the marriage of money and ministry a happy one (most of the time.) This topic will include ministry evaluation that leads to excellent audit preparation, strategic decisions that lead to strategic spending and savings, and simple changes that can lead to big “cha-ching” for improved cash-flow.

Nicholas Smith—Implementing a Strategic Focus in Your Church

Nick is the Executive Assistant Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church, Lindenwold, New Jersey, where he assists pastor/teacher Bishop David G. Evans. His responsibilities include overseeing the ministry aspect of the church, which includes Evangelism, Business, Family, Youth, Hope, Volunteer, Outreach and Education departments. Does your church feel like it’s becoming a jack-of-all-trades? Do you need proven tips to implement a focused vision or idea? This session will share methods to implement ideas and vision in a strategic and effective manner. A focused church is an effective church.

Tim Snow—Best Practices for Board Leadership

Tim is the XP of University Presbyterian Church in Seattle, Washington and has overseen the development of Union Church, a satellite congregation of UPC. Successfully working with boards is crucial to the health and mission of our churches.   Their wise stewardship of the mission and partnership with senior staff is essential. How do we engage boards in appropriate leadership and discernment?  What are best practices that can serve well in the variety of ways our boards are structured?  How do we appropriately engage our boards rather than just perform decisions in front of them?  How do you build trust, empower high level engagement and help them stay out of the weeds?  In this workshop, we will explore best practices for board leadership and governance.

Jon Wright—From Ideation to Innovation

Jon serves as the XP of Grace Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.  A member of his church since 1988,  the Senior Pastor and Elder Board asked him in 2009 to step out of the Marketplace—where he owned and operated a product development company—to serve the church in a full time capacity.  He and his wife are also involved in an international orphan ministry, leading teams to serve orphan children in Ghana, Liberia, Myanmar and Ukraine. We all have a Mission Statement, a vision path and  a strategic plan.  Most of us could quote them on command. But are we executing?  Are we actually reaching the lost, making disciples and impacting our communities for Christ … or are we just talking about it? Through stories of accidental success and colossal failure, this breakout will provide simple, practical and tactical steps to move your leadership team, staff and congregation from apathy to action, from clutter to clarity.

“All the workshops I attended were very relevant and applicable.”

The workshop leaders are a stunning collection of executives who speak from their areas of expertise. They talk to you as “one skilled leader to another.” This is your opportunity to discuss vital areas of ministry with seasoned leaders. The workshop leaders are both practical and skilled—they are “in the trenches” doing ministry.

Sponsors

For the tenth year as a sponsor, thanks to our friends at Generis Partners. True giving is a deeply transformative act. Generis believes it’s less about raising capital and more about raising the spiritual consciousness of people. It’s about meeting churches where they are and helping them achieve their own true vision according to their unique culture. Whether that entails a video venue, multi-campus site, or raising a daunting amount of capital, Generis consultants are ready to share the Leadership’s risk—because they understand it.  Brad Leeper and his counterpart, Gerald Farley have both served in church leadership roles and have real-life experiences to offer far beyond that of most industry consultants.

We welcome MinisterSearch for the tenth year. Many have met David Lyons, their founder and president, at previous XP-Seminars and XPastor events. MinisterSearch is the most experienced and most successful pastoral search firm in the country. Leading close to 400 pastoral searches, they have developed a process like no other that helps churches identify their specific needs, find candidates they couldn’t find on their own, and clearly discern who the right candidate is. David Lyons says, “As church leaders, it is critical to utilize all available resources as quickly as possible when filling a pastoral staff position. I have talked with countless pastors and lay leaders who, after months of searching for one or multiple positions, recognize that there must be a better way.” Whether you desire to fill a ministry position or find a new place of ministry, MinisterSearch can help. We welcome the founder, David Lyons.

For the eighth year as a sponsor, we welcome the Evangelical Christian Credit Union. ECCU is an alliance of Christian people and organizations committed to fueling Christ-centered ministry worldwide. While our mission extends far beyond banking, we have been providing ministry-centric financial services and resources for nearly five decades … to Christian churches, parachurch ministries, schools, missionaries and other Christian workers.

For the eighth year, we welcome ACTIVE Network’s Fellowship One, www.fellowshipone.com and ServiceU, www.serviceu.com. They’re back for the 8th year, but with a new name and an improved suite of products and services. ACTIVE Faith, the company that brought the industry’s premier church management software, Fellowship One, is changing the church market with more technology offerings, church management expertise, and educational opportunities, through their union with ACTIVE Network, an international technology leader, and ServiceU, a provider of stand-alone point-solutions for churches and other organizations.

We welcome GuideStone as a sponsor for the eighth year. GuideStone Financial Resources is one of the leading providers of retirement, medical, life and disability coverage, investment management and executive planning services to the evangelical Christian community. Since 1918, the organization has enhanced the financial security of more than 200,000 individuals and reported $11.8 billion in assets as of March 31, 2013. GuideStone offers its clients access to Christian-based, socially screened investment funds for retirement, endowment and operational assets. GuideStone’s medical programs offer rate stability, the largest network of healthcare providers in the U.S. and a comprehensive suite of plan options providing quality care and protection for our participants and their families. GuideStone’s insurance agency affiliate, GuideStone Agency Services, makes available full lines of property and casualty coverage as well as risk management education and tools designed with the ministry in mind. For more information about GuideStone, visit the organization’s website at www.GuideStone.org.

For the fifth year, we welcome The Church Law Group. The Church Law Group focuses on the specific legal needs of nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, including numerous churches, ministries, faith-based organizations, and clergy throughout the United States. The Church Law Group is comprised of a talented and diverse group of acclaimed professionals sharing a singular calling and dedication to work with and further the successes of their clients. One member of the team is a former Assistant District Attorney. Several of the attorneys hold certifications from Cambridge University in Risk Management for Churches and Schools. We welcome David Middlebrook and Matt Anthony.

For the fourth year as a sponsor, we welcome HH Architects. For nearly 40 years, HH Architects has had the privilege of working with and planning campuses for many of the fastest-growing and top-attended churches and private Christian schools across America. HH Architects has worked with a broad range of churches on a wide variety of facilities, from first-unit buildings to 7,000+ seat Worship Centers, providing Strategic Positioning, Master Planning, Architectural, and Interior Design services for nearly all aspects of religious facility projects. HH Architects offers a unique skill set of experience and expertise from having served as a ministry partner on a wide variety of projects which includes: Master Plans, Church Relocations, Worship Centers & Sanctuaries, Education Facilities, Dining Facilities, Sports & Recreation Facilities and Parking Garages. We welcome Scott Nelson and Bruce Woody.

For the third year, we welcome CapinCrouse. With more than 1,000 not-for-profit clients, CapinCrouse is the country’s leading accounting and advisory firm primarily serving the Christian not-for-profit community. Since 1972, CapinCrouse has been serving not-for-profit entities including mega-churches, institutions of higher education and secondary schools, and international missions agencies by providing a full range of audit, review, tax, and advisory services. CapinCrouse is dedicated to helping our clients operate with financial integrity so they can dedicate themselves to fulfilling their mission.  We welcome Stan Reiff, Partner with CapinCrouse.

For the third year, we welcome Clark. Sixteen years ago, Clark (formerly Clark ProMedia) began focusing on Audio, Video and Lighting systems for churches. Today, its offerings go beyond Technology and include Strategic Facilities Planning and Project Management. More than 20% of Outreach Magazine’s top 50 churches have relied on Clark to turn their visions into realities. We welcome co-founder Houston Clark.

For the third year, we welcome Gdirect as a sponsor! Gdirect serves God’s kingdom by helping the local church Identify its business community.  They Connect and Engage Business Owners & Leaders with the church in reaching the unchurched in the Marketplace to grow the Kingdom. We welcome Chuck Donnels.

For the second year, we welcome Worlds of Wow as a sponsor! Worlds of Wow creates ridiculously cool, fun environments that impact kids and families of all ages. “Since 2004, we’ve been using indoor playgrounds and themed environments to assist churches in reaching families and growing membership. Our spiritually focused team will partner with you to maximize budget and wow factor.”  We welcome Reagan Hillier, President of WOW.

For the first year, we welcome Portable Church Industries as a sponsor. Portable Church redefines the possibilities for mobile churches worldwide through their creative, functional and portable transportation and equipment solutions. They are a collective of Designers, Consultants, Project Managers, Producers, Builders and Experts. Together, they create customized, all-inclusive solutions for church plants and multi-site churches. Their unique solutions ensure that set-up and tear-down aren’t the biggest experience mobile churches have on a Sunday. We welcome Scott Cougill, CEO of Portable Church.

Promotional Sponsors

For the tenth year as a sponsor, thanks to our friends at ChurchExecutive magazine. ChurchExecutive is a monthly how-to business information resource for 20,000 readers, reaching pastors, executive pastors and business administrators of larger and megachurches—throughout the United States.

We welcome Leadership Network for the ninth year. Leadership Network is a Dallas-based nonprofit that seeks to accelerate the impact of 100X leaders.  Leadership Network brings together innovative church leaders, creating an environment for collaborative discovery, dialogue and sharing.  Leadership Network further enhances this process through the development and distribution of highly targeted ministry tools and resources—including video, podcasts, concept papers, special research reports, and e-publications.

We welcome Christianity Today for the first year.  Christianity Today’s Church Law & Tax Group publishes the Church Law & Tax Report and Church Finance Today newsletters, the ChurchLawAndTax.com and  ManagingYourChurch.com websites, and numerous print and digital resources that help church leaders keep their congregations safe, legal, and financially sound. The Church Law & Tax Group is led by senior editor Richard R. Hammar, a Harvard Law School graduate, CPA, and author of more than 100 books (including the annual Church & Clergy Tax Guide Pastor, Church & Law, the biannual Compensation Handbook for Church Staff, the Essential Guide to Copyright Law for Churches, and several eBooks) as well as an esteemed group of Editorial Advisors that includes attorneys Chip Grange, David Middlebrook, and Frank Sommerville, and CPAs Michael Batts, Dan Busby, and Elaine Sommerville.