Featured Guest, Will Mancini on Church Unique
What’s after “strategic planning,” “church growth” and “missional”?
Will Mancini wants you and your ministry to experience the benefits of stunning, God-given clarity. As a pastor turned vision coach, Will has worked with an unprecedented variety of churches from growing megachurches and missional communities, to mainline revitalization and church plants. He is the founder of Auxano, creator of VisionRoom.com and the author of Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision and Create Movement.
Will’s pastoral experience includes leadership development responsibilities at Clear Creek Community Church and Faithbridge UMC. Both churches have experienced dramatic impact in the same city but represent very different church cultures and unique ministry models. Will’s style blends the best of three worlds: process thinking from the discipline of engineering, communications savvy as an ad agency executive, and practical theology as a pastoral leader. His education includes a ThM in Pastoral Leadership from Dallas Theological Seminary and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Penn State.
Seminar Highlights
Special Keynote and Track for Lead Pastors. You asked for Mike to return! We heard from him, Mr. “Lightning in a Bottle,” at the 2014 XP-Seminar on his transition to EvFree Fullerton and the growth of 2,000 worshippers in a year. But you wanted more of Mike—speaking about being a catalyst, directional leadership and renewing a historic church. Both XPs and SPs should enjoy! Mike will bring a keynote on Thursday morning on setting vision and implementation. That afternoon, he will lead a workshop only for Senior Pastors/Lead Pastors. Before becoming the Lead Pastor of EvFree Fullerton, he served as the teaching pastor at Rock Harbor Church and Mariners Church. XPs, this is the year to bring your SP!
Keynote on Leadership, Change and God’s Audacity Daniel has been an XP for many years and a long-time presenter at XPastor. Now, God has given an enormous challenge to Daniel as a lead pastor of Mountain Springs Church in Colorado Springs. How do you respond to God when He brings audacious events and ministry assignments into your life? God is working and has invited you into it, but we all wonder if we can keep up with His work. Leaders are those people who are following God’s direction, sensing His will about change, and then taking others with them on the path.
Legal Issues. For many years, the XP-Seminar has presented the outstanding legal perspectives of attorneys Matt Anthony and David Middlebrook. David and Matt are nationally-noted attorneys who have helped thousands of churches across America. When Matt and David present at the XP-Seminar, it is “shock and awe.” Society is litigious and the law is complicated. This year we will be covering Employment Law: General and Executive Level Employee Contracts, Worker Classification (Employee vs. Independent Contractor). Structuring and Compliance of Internship Programs. Termination of Employment. Wrongful Discharge Claims. Separation Agreements. Confidentiality Agreements. Yee-haw, that’s a mouthful of big words!
New Short Rides—This year we will feature a financial update on retirement assets with Matt Peden, Director of Portfolio Management at GuideStone Capital Management and a short ride with a case study on church leadership issues. To the point. Clear. Impactful. Horse not provided.
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. Tim was the XP, Executive Elder, Board Member, and organizational strategist at Mars Hill from 2007-2011. He will share in a positive and meaningful way the collective takeaways from the vantage points of organizational, pastoral, leadership, and multisite matters. Personal reflections and “so what does this means to my church?” will provide closure to this tragic situation. Mars Hill has just updated their site with a great history of the church. Be sure to click on “2015” to see all the churches launched, “with her final breath, Mars Hill gave birth to 11 newly independent churches where, by God’s grace, the gospel will continue to be preached, his name will be glorified, and thousands will be saved by Jesus.”
Highlights
Full Breakfast sponsored by ECCU—always a fantastic time to start the Seminar and learn the latest. What’s happening nationally on the church building scene? Are people building again? What types of buildings are they doing? Large boxes, renovations, inner-city spaces? As churches get ready for a building project, what do they need to consider with regards to their bank? What does a banking relationship look like in 2015 and beyond? How should churches prepare with financial data—external audits, generosity analyses, donor capabilities?
Keynote on Legal Issues: Employment Law. David Middlebrook and Matt Anthony are nationally-noted attorneys with the Church Law Group and present our annual “shock & awe.” Society is litigious and the law is complicated. We will look at Employment Law: General and Executive Level Employee Contracts, Worker Classification (Employee vs. Independent Contractor). Structuring and Compliance of Internship Programs. Termination of Employment. Wrongful Discharge Claims. Separation & Confidentiality Agreements. Yee-haw, that’s hard hitting!
Keynote on Uniqueness in Ministry: What’s after “strategic planning,” “church growth” and “missional”? Will Mancini–pastor, author, thinker, strategist. He’s in the trenches every day. As a “clarity evangelist,” Will has served as vision architect for hundreds of churches across the country—Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran and non-denominational and many more. His clients include notable organizations like Leadership Network and Upward Unlimited and pastors like Chuck Swindoll and Max Lucado. Will’s style blends the best of three worlds: the process thinking from the discipline of engineering, the communications savvy as an ad agency executive, and the practical theology as a pastoral leader. Will is the author of Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture and Create Movement and Building Leaders.
Lunch & The Short Ride on a Hot Topic, sponsored by GuideStone. This year we will feature a financial update on retirement assets and one short ride with a case study on church leadership issues. To the point. Clear. Impactful. Horse not provided. Financial Investment Update with Matt Peden, Director of Portfolio Management at GuideStone Capital Management. Tim Beltz—The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill with Tim Beltz. Tim was the XP, Executive Elder, Board Member, and organizational strategist at Mars Hill from 2007-2011. He will share in a positive and meaningful way the collective takeaways from the vantage points of organizational, pastoral, leadership, and multisite matters. Personal reflections and “so what does this means to my church?” will provide closure to this tragic situation.
Full Breakfast sponsored by Church Community Builder. What were the origins of church databases and their growth. As the Harvard Business School asks in Question Zero, “What exactly are we trying to accomplish here?” Where are church databases going? What are the current obstacles that you are trying to overcome? What will churches want in 3, 5 or 10 years?
Keynote on Leadership, Change and God’s Audacity. Daniel has been an XP for many years and a long-time presenter at XPastor. Now, God given an enormous challenge to Daniel as a lead pastor of Mountain Springs Church in Colorado Springs.
Keynote on re>knew: Candid Thoughts on the American Church and Your Role In It. 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. Restoring a historic church is both exciting and challenging. Where is your church in this dynamic tension in the America today?
Sponsors
For the eleventh 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 eleventh 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 over 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, the team at MinisterSearch can help. We welcome the founder, David Lyons.
For the ninth year, we welcome ACTIVE Network’s Fellowship One. The industry’s premier church management software, Fellowship One, provides churches with technology offerings and church management expertise that enable you to offer exceptional member care and engage your community. ACTIVE Network partners with more than 4,000 churches and 83% of the largest and fastest growing churches in the U.S. benefit from their connection to the ACTIVE Network.
For the ninth 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 churches and their members, missionaries, and many others.
We welcome GuideStone as a sponsor for the ninth 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 the sixth 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 fifth 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 fourth 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 fourth 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 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 second 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.
For the first year, we welcome the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. ECFA enhances trust in Christ-centered churches and ministries by establishing and applying Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship™ to accredited organizations. Founded in 1979, ECFA provides accreditation to leading churches that faithfully demonstrate compliance with established standards for financial accountability, transparency, stewardship, and board governance. We welcome Dan Busby, President of ECFA.
For the first year, we welcome Church Community Builder. CCB is a technology and services company focused on equipping church leaders for better ministry. The Church is called to equip God’s people to do His work, and Church Community Builder exists to support you with a better how—through practical coaching, software, and ‘tribe’-based learning. We focus on the tools and processes so that you can focus on empowering people. Our inspiration is “the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11b-12).
Promotional Sponsors
For the eleventh 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 tenth year. Leadership Network is a Dallas-based nonprofit that seeks to help leaders move from ideas, to implementation, to impact. 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 second year. Christianity Today’s Church Law & Tax Group publishes the award-winning Church Law & Tax Report and Church Finance Today newsletters, the award-winning ChurchLawAndTax.com and 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.
Workshops Level 1—Operations: Staffing, Facilities, Finances, Communications
Missional Spaces and 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. Ted is a strategic partner with Clark; David is in Business Development with Clark, and Mingo Palacios is the Microsite Pastor of The Rock. The conversation is directly connected to fostering innovative creativity in Worship and Church spaces but using the approach we’ve seen at The Rock.
Knowing When to Build or Expand
Scott is a Principal with HH Architects and is blessed to serve as a ministry-partner/problem-solver with many of the fastest-growing and top-attended churches and private Christian schools across America. With a passion for helping churches succeed, Scott leads HH Architects Strategic Positioning services, helping clients to create solutions to their growth, facility, and financial questions. Bruce is the President and CEO of HH Architects. The excitement of seeing new faces walking through your church’s door each week can soon elicit a different emotion for church leadership … we are out of space, what should we do next? Add more services, start/add a satellite campus, build bigger. Often, more than one option appears viable; however, the question remains, “Which option is the best stewardship of the church’s resources?”
Minister’s Housing Allowance
Don is the Eastern Regional Director for Retirement Relationship Management at GuideStone Financial Resources. He joined GuideStone in 1994 and serves as a Principal for the organization. He holds the Series 6, 26, and 63 securities licenses, is a Certified Financial PlannerTM licensee, and is a member of the Financial Planning Association. Don is a graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before his work at GuideStone, he served as a minister on the staff of several large churches. No other area of staff salaries is as complicated as the Ministerial Housing Allowance. Though recently challenged in court, it seems this exemption will be with us for the foreseeable future. What do the IRS regulations require regarding who can receive this allowance? Are there guidelines for acceptable use and regular church board acceptance of the allowances? Problem cases have arisen over the years; Rick Warren had a major news-breaking case a number of years ago and another pastor wanted the allowance for a vacation home. Pastors also want this allowance to be carried forward for their retirement income. What is acceptable in this confluence of law, rules and policy?
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 twelve 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.
What Counts? Measuring the Financial Performance of Your Church
Stan is a Partner with CapinCrouse and his professional experience includes over thirty years in ministry operations, public accounting, government accounting, and missionary work. Understanding the church’s financial information better can help prevent a future crisis by making better decisions today. This session will introduce you to some ratios and reporting that help identify potential areas of financial weakness in your congregation.
Five 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.
Launching Portable Campuses Well
Scott Cougill is CEO of Portable Church Industries, a collective of subject matter experts who have been assisting the portable church—church plants and multisites—effectively open more seats for the Gospel in thousands of communities over the past twenty years. Prior to Portable Church Industries, Scott was an Executive Pastor of Pacific Crossroads Church in Los Angeles with approximately 2,000 attendees across two portable campuses. Scott brings much leadership experience to this area having served on the World Leadership Team of Youth for Christ International for eight years, overseeing their Asia Pacific Area from Chiang Mai, Thailand, and working in leadership roles in corporate America for fifteen years. This workshop will focus on the best practices to launch a new campus in a rented facility. There are many challenges pastors face to secure, prepare, launch, sustain, and thrive in a rented facility such as a school or community center. With over twenty years of experience assisting churches, Portable Church Industries has identified the primary keys and primary mistakes pastors make when they launch in rented spaces.
Effective Ways to Release a Staff Member
Dr. Nathan Baxter, founder of Lead Self Lead Others, has been leading teams and helping people move their stories forward for over twenty years. He has developed a unique coaching practice and resources that help people break out of plateaus. He has had the privilege of working with executives from fields as diverse as manufacturing, real estate, medical, banking, non-profit, direct sales, church, legal, insurance and energy. Nathan has also provided training for leaders around the world including Ukraine, Mali West Africa, South America, India and Mexico. As a certified consultant with Birkman International, Lead Self Lead Others also provides personalized leadership coaching using the Birkman Feedback Tool. Nathan earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Organizational Administration from Oklahoma State University, a Masters of Divinity Degree with Biblical Languages from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry and Leadership Degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. Before starting his Executive Coaching career, he served for 28 years in full time ministry, filling the roles of Youth Pastor, Senior Pastor, and Executive Pastor. Nobody lasts forever—sometimes it is a job transition that brings that concept to a staff member’s attention. How do you release someone from your employment professionally and with grace? This workshop will give you best practices for effective transitions and help you avoid the most common mistakes.
Workshops Level 2—Ministry Strategy
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. Rusty is the Vice-President of Generis. 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?
Master the Key Processes for Church Health and Growth
Allen served as a lead pastor of fast growing churches for over twenty years. In 2002 he founded ConnectionPower.com, using lessons learned from working with thousands of churches. With its unique ministry tool sets, the firm grew into a market leader in web-based Church Management Systems. In 2011 Allen and ConnectionPower joined the Active Network along with Fellowship Technologies and ServiceU. This workshop is based on Allen’s new widely acclaimed book, The Optimized Church. We will unfold an innovative process map that has no boards or committees or chains of command. Learn about an innovative way to lead your church. Discover the power of processes and key performance indicators to revolutionize the way you do ministry. See how many churches are structured for key areas of mission failure. Align and energize your team around its core purposes and processes.
The Secret to Leadership Team Membership: Differences That Make A Difference
Ryan Hartwig is an Associate Dean and Assistant Professor of Communications at Azusa Pacific University. He, along with Warren Bird, co-authored Teams that Thrive: Five Disciplines of Collaborative Church Leadership. No matter what kind of team you lead, figuring out who should be on the team and who shouldn’t be on the team is crucially important but terribly challenging. Out of ease, some teams succumb to populating the team with people just like the leader. Other teams fight so hard for diversity they can’t find any common ground. What’s the answer? In this practical workshop, Ryan will guide you to discern who you need on your team, identify how to find those people, strategize how to remove people gracefully from the team, and learn how to coach your team to be able to effectively work together.
Workshops Level 3–Governance and Executive Functions
Two Organizational Models Every XP Should Own
Tim Beltz is the Executive Pastor of Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He previously served as the Executive Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, from 2007-2010. Tim brings extensive leadership, management, and executive experience to the church. He served 25 years as a career Coast Guard officer holding key command and staff positions. He commanded two units, served as the special assistant to the US Secretary of Transportation, and finished his career as the Resource Director for the western part of the world. He earned an MBA from Arizona State University and has led multiple businesses and nonprofit organizations. Often XPs and senior church leadership teams repeatedly face the fundamental questions of: 1) How do we address recurring issues which seemingly have no solutions, and 2) In the face of no apparent solutions, how do we move forward? All too often, we use the same lens, year after year, in which to address these nagging matters. This workshop addresses these questions and offers two fresh organizational models in which to view and address ministry’s realities, issues, and problems.
Five Ways a Church Can Increase Trust With Wise Governance
Dan Busby is the president of ECFA, an organization that accredits Christ-centered ministries in the areas of governance, financial management and stewardship/fundraising. ECFA’s seal enhances trust of givers, which increases generosity, providing greater resources to help fulfill the Great Commission. ECFA accredits nearly 1,900 churches and nonprofits. These organizations have annual revenue in excess of $22 billion. He is a prolific writer with 48 volumes of five book titles published. Dan served as a member of the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations, a national legislative advisory commission convened to address legislative proposals for the nonprofit sector. Nonprofit Times named him as one of the 50 Most Powerful Nonprofit Leaders in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. This workshop will focus on the importance of retaining TRUST of a large church’s constituents. Trust is often a missing ingredient in today’s world. The impact of the trust deficit is impacting large churches. The tone for trust is set at the governance levels and flows down through the church’s organization chart. This workshop will include the following elements: Understand the six elements of a trusted church from a governance perspective: truth-telling, accountability, managing risks, appropriate transparency, understanding church finances, and Christ-centered governance.
Senior Pastor Forum
When Mike Erre came to EvFree Fullerton as the Lead Pastor, the church had about 2,000 in worship. The church had been without a Lead Pastor or Executive Pastor for two years. The tenure of the two prior pastors was long, leaving a deep sense of history and culture. Chuck Swindoll has been the pastor for 23 years, followed by Dale Burke for 14 years. Both men were national leaders and authors. Yet, years later, the congregation was aging. They were great folks but needed a new sense of empowerment from their directional leader. The SP track will be on the afternoon of Thursday, February 19. The discussion will be open—meaning that the participants will bring questions and issues. The discussion will be on “all of those topics raised that we can get to!” Interact with other Senior Pastors. Senior Pastors are visionary leaders, preaching to change lives. Here is an opportunity for you to sit around a table with others like you to talk about ministry: How do others handle the non-stop tension of ministry? How do you stay fresh with God? What is success in preaching? How do I measure it? How do others handle the joy and pain of staff and volunteers? Be with other Senior Pastors who have been in the role for 10, 20 and 30 years.
The Life and Work of the Executive Pastor
Michael is a writer, speaker, and executive pastor. He is currently the Executive Pastor at FBC Midlothian, a church of 2,000 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Michael is the author of Creating Your Business Vision and the soon-to-be-released book, One-on-One Meetings That Work. As a facilitator of organizational growth and strategic planning, he has led growth in churches, businesses, colleges and universities, and non-profits for more than 25 years. Michael actively coaches individuals and teams to develop personal and organizational vision and plans and to effectively manage priorities and decisions. Healthy organizations are the by-product of healthy leadership. This workshop will address how the LIFE of the Executive Pastor fits within the WORK of the Executive Pastor. You’ll receive simple tools and resources to help you and your team with vision, planning, priority management, decision-making, time away, personal growth, and challenges.
Forum for Churches over 2,000 in Worship
This forum will be for XPs in churches with over 2,000 people in worship. Gather with your peers to talk through an open agenda. We will identify specific issues to the church in this size range and then “have at it.” The discussion will be open to all, rapid and exciting! Bring your questions, issues and thorny problems! Meet people who serve in the same size churches. This is a great way to form friendships with other XPs. David is the founder of XPastor and the XP of EvFree Fullerton. Chris is the XP of Hope Lutheran Church in West Des Moines.
Have What and How trumped your Why?
Jon serves as the Executive Pastor of Grace Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. A member of Grace since 1988, the Senior Pastor and Elder Board asked him to step out of the Marketplace in 2009, where he owned and operated a product development company, to serve the church in a full-time capacity. He enjoys developing and mentoring the next generation and is always on the lookout for new and creative ideas for “doing church” more effectively. With the gifts of ideation and execution, Jon always seems to extend the limits of what is possible. When is the last time you actually took the time to ensure that your organizational structure is aligned around the “why” of your ministry, not just the “what” and “how”? In this session we’ll look at Biblical and business models to rediscover the “why” behind the mission, vision and strategies of our churches. We’ll then ask some hard questions to help determine whether or not our churches are organized to effectively execute on it.
Forum for Churches under 2,000 in Worship
This forum will be for XPs in churches with under 2,000 people in worship. Gather with your peers to talk through an open agenda. We will identify specific issues to the church in this size range and then “have at it.” The discussion will be open to all, rapid and exciting! Bring your questions, issues and thorny problems! Meet people who serve in the same size churches. This is a great way to form friendships with other XPs. David is the founder of XPastor and the XP of EvFree Fullerton. Kent is the XP of Grace Bible Church of Dallas.
Special Pre-Seminar Session
Unveiling the Mystery of Your Church’s Donors
A special pre-seminar event on Tuesday, February 17
We will examine these pivotal concepts: Why did donors leave you last year? Job transfer? Getting mad? How do you shut the back door and how do we emphasize the front door? Are you attracting new donors? This session will give a different slant on your church’s data. It will tell you many things that are different than what is readily apparent. There are at least five different kinds of audits. In particular, I want to introduce you to what I call a generosity audit. This kind of audit examines your donations, new donors, the fall off by a donor, and many other factors. To get started, let’s review different types of church audits.
Generosity Audits: What do you really know about your donors? If giving is up ten percent, that could be due to more donors or more donations per attendee. Most of us don’t know how many donors left the church and/or how many new donors began to give. That would be great to know, whether your giving is up ten percent or down ten percent.
