It was sold out … again

Only for a tribe of 200

Investing in the XP-Seminar was a catalytic decision for our organization. The value of an expanded network and broadened perspective helped us take major steps forward.

As a leader, learning to develop both the business brain and pastoral heart, and having the self-awareness of which to lean on in various situations, is crucial for anyone in the Executive Pastor role. It’s a gift to have a community like this to provide support, insight, and education through the ministry journey.

McKenzie Schreck, Executive Pastor
Capital Church, Salt Lake City

Carey Nieuwhof

Spiritual Leadership

Carey Nieuwhof is a former lawyer and founding pastor of Connexus Church. He’s the author of several best-selling books, including his latest, Didn’t See It Coming: Overcoming the Seven Greatest Challenges That No One Expects But Everyone Experiences. He holds degrees in law, theology and history.

Carey speaks to leaders around the world about leadership, change and personal growth. He writes one of today’s most widely read Christian leadership blogs at CareyNieuwhof.com and hosts the top-rated Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast where he interviews some of today’s best leaders. His podcasts and blogs are accessed by millions of leaders each year. 

Carey’s previous books include Lasting Impact: 7 Powerful Conversations That Will Help Your Church Grow, Leading Change Without Losing It and Parenting Beyond Your Capacity, co-authored with Reggie Joiner.

He is passionate about helping people thrive in life and leadership, both personally and within their organizations. He and his wife Toni live north of Toronto, Ontario and have two grown sons. In his spare time, you’ll catch him barbecuing on his Big Green Egg, cycling or boating.

Mike Batts

Uncommon Financial Sense

Mike Batts is the managing partner of Batts Morrison Wales and Lee. He has more than 30 years of experience serving nonprofit organizations in a variety of ways. He advises nonprofit organizations on matters related to board governance, financial reporting, tax compliance and strategy, risk management, corporate structure, international activities, and related topics. Mike actively engages in nonprofit legislative matters at the federal and state levels. He has served on and chaired the boards of nonprofit organizations, both nationally and locally.

Mike currently serves as the chairman of the board of ECFA, a national organization that accredits religious nonprofit organizations in the areas of board governance and financial integrity. He served as chairman of the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations, a national commission convened by ECFA upon the request of the then-chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, to provide policy advice to Congress, the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service, and the nonprofit sector related to federal tax policy affecting religious and other nonprofit organizations. In 2013, Mike was inducted into the National Association of Church Business Administration Hall of Fame for his significant contributions to the church community.

Mike is co-author, together with attorney and CPA Richard Hammar, of the book Church Finance, a “go-to” reference that provides practical guidance for church and nonprofit financial administration. Recently, Mike also authored the book, Nonprofit Financial Oversight—The Concise and Complete Guide for Boards and Finance Committees. Mike is also author of the book, Board Member Orientation—The Concise and Complete Guide to Nonprofit Board Service, and he continues to create and provide other practical resources to serve the nonprofit community.

It goes well for the one who generously lends money,
and conducts his business honestly.
Psalm 112:5

merciful ★ compassionate ★ just ★ generous ★ honest
Psalm 112

More Great Speakers

Kathleen Turpin

Shining Light on …
Sexual Harassment and Misconduct

Kathleen Turpin (JD, CPCU, AIM) is the Vice President of Human Resources with Brotherhood Mutual. She joined Brotherhood Mutual in 1996 as a litigation specialist in the claims department. She became associate corporate counsel in 1998 and assumed her current position in November 2003.

Kathleen holds a degree in speech and psychology from Greenville University in Greenville, Illinois, and earned her law degree at the Indiana University School of Law. In 1999, she received designations as an Associate in Management and a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter. Turpin is a member of the Christian Legal Society, Indiana Bar Association, Association of Corporate Counsel, Society of Human Resources, and Northern Indiana Human Resources Association. She also serves on the board of directors of Greenville University. She attends Grace Point Church of the Nazarene, where she serves on the day care center board and is a junior high youth leader and past church board member.

Eric Rojas

Shining Light on …
The ABC’s of Campus Expansion, Adoption and Development—Done with Compassion

Eric is the Executive Pastor of Rolling Hills Community Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a coach, developer and overseer of the staff and ministries with 14 years of experience as an XP. During his 25+ years of ministry, Eric has served in churches in various pastoral roles.

He has written for publications such as Group Publishing’s Men’s Ministry in the 21st Century, Church Executive, Rev!, XPastor.org and had a monthly column in Church Solutions magazine. He also serves the church at large through consulting and seminars.

A man of faith, he never had a doubt (well maybe a little doubt) that the Cubs would one day win the World Series. Now that that day has come, he is now believing for five or six more World Series’ victories over the next decade.

Steven Goodspeed

Shining Light on …
Church Security | Let it Bang!?

Steven is a shareholder in Middlebrook & Goodspeed PLLC, The Church Lawyers and has practiced law for eighteen years. He regularly represents clients nationwide in the area of nonprofit and for-profit transactional law, focusing primarily on churches, religious organizations, camps, outdoor recreational organizations, colleges and universities.

Because of the breadth of Steven’s experience, he regularly engages in a broad range of projects, including general corporate matters, tax, exempt securities transactions, risk management, mergers and acquisitions and negotiating and drafting complex intellectual property, real property and employment agreements.

He earned his dual-degree Juris Doctor and Masters in Business Administration from The University of Oklahoma College of Law and Price College of Business in Norman, Oklahoma in 1999. Steven has been a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys since 2008, specializing in the legal needs of private Christian schools and colleges. He served as in-house General Counsel and Director of Human Resources for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas for over three years. Steven was selected by his peers in Fort Worth, Texas Magazine, as a 2012-2017 Top Attorney in the area of Religious/Nonprofit Law and was selected by 360West Magazine as a 2017 Top Attorney.

The 2017 & 2018 XP-Seminars were sold out
… enroll early for 2019

Our mantra from 2018

He has filled him with the Spirit of God—with skill, with understanding, with knowledge, and in all kinds of work … every skilled person in whom the Lord has put skill and ability to know how to do all the work for the service of the sanctuary are to do the work according to all that the Lord has commanded. Exodus 35:31-36:1

We limit attendance to 200 people. We are a tribe not a town. This enables everyone to talk to our distinguished speakers and sense the XPastor Community.

Why Come?

Gene Getz, Pastor and Author of 60+ Books

David Fletcher has been helping Executive Pastors for over a decade through XPastor.org. I love what he is doing through the keynotes and workshops—and I had a great time a couple of years ago when I was a speaker. To learn and grow, this is a fantastic place.

I’ve also seen first hand the results of his own leadership where he serves at the local church level and in helping train leaders in cross-cultural situations—which has added to his ability to structure a dynamic learning environment regardless of the societal factors. Don’t miss this opportunity!!

Clint Smith, XP of NORTH Church

The XP-Seminar has had a huge impact on my leadership and development as a person, as well as an executive pastor. Years ago, when I began the journey as an XP in my late twenties, it provided the networking, mentoring and insight that I needed to grow in this demanding role. I continue to attend the Seminar to increase my knowledge in church law, HR, staff development, budgeting and so much more. The relationships I have built through XPastor grow every time I attend. I believe in this seminar and what it represents and would love to give back any way I can.

Tim Samuel, CFO of Bridgeway Church

The Seminar enables me to create future opportunities. Daniel Rolfe’s talk last year helped shape my year. It connects me with church leaders from around the country so that I can innovate and save money for my local church.

Eddie Park, Church Planter

At the seminar, I was exposed to some of the most experienced church leaders from all over the nation. I never thought I would ever be prepared for senior leadership until I came to the seminar and received the invaluable wisdom and resources provided by David Fletcher, the speakers, and participants. 

A LinkedIn Post after the 2017 XP-Seminar …

I’ve attended four XP-Seminars and can vouch for its Christ-centered, ministry-minded approach. I highly recommend the good work David Fletcher is doing!”

Matthew Branaugh, Editor, Church Law & Tax Team, Christianity Today

A Tweet after the 2017 XP-Seminar …

Blessed to interact personally today with gurus @drfletcher, @DanReiland, @Mike_Bonem, and @philtaylorxp. Each is the real deal. #XPSeminar

Dan Brubacher

From a first time attender …

We are off-the-hook impressed with the XP-Seminar … no wonder you have such a strong following!
Mike Batts, Managing Partner Batts Morrison Wales & Lee, P.A., Certified Public Accountants

From a Senior Pastor …

I loved the entire XP conference. Probably the best overall conference I’ve attended in 21 years of Senior Pastor ministry.
Rod MacIlvaine, Senior Pastor, Grace Community Church, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

The Annual Event

XPastor’s unique format combines nationally-known authors, the most current thinking in church leadership and pastors from cutting-edge churches. No one has the mix of thought and practice that XPastor offers.

Now in its 14th year, the XP-Seminar brings together Executive Pastors, Senior Pastors and other church leaders from around North America. We have pertinent and penetrating sessions together.

Why XPastor?

XPastor is the market leader with proven capacity in reaching church leaders. XPastor brings together influential decision-makers from churches, both coast-to-coast and around the world.

XPastor.org has hundreds of free, insightful online articles and annually receives hundreds of thousands of visits.

XPastor’s online courses provide training to grow as a church leader. Learn from peers who are in cutting-edge churches around the globe.

Grow with Friends

Meet peers from similarly-sized churches. You are a key decision maker in your church, so grow with others like you. We have a wide assortment of denominations and church polity.

Get cognitive input in the large group presentations and your questions answered in the small group discussions. We always bring in outstanding national leaders. Just to name a few of our past speakers: Sam Chand, Gene Getz, Will Mancini, Reggie McNeal, Larry Osborne, Ken Sande, Jim Tomberlin, Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Thom Rainer.

Short Ride

The short ride is our live case study on church leadership issues. To the point. Clear. Impactful. In the XP role, there are the executive and pastoral functions. This year we will examine some of the vital aspects of pastoring a congregation. This first-person story will show you how one pastor is doing just that. Tap into some power here.
Horse not provided.

Workshops

On each day, we have three sets of workshops led by some of the best church leaders from North America—people who are coming up with innovative solutions to practical ministry. Hear from your peers! The workshop leaders speak from their amazing areas of expertise. They talk to you as “one skilled leader to another.”

Location

Our 13th year at the Hilton Dallas/Park Cities! Enjoy a special rate at the Hilton. The special rate will be available until January 30, or until the group block is sold out, whichever comes first. Guests wishing to arrive early or stay late may do so, based on availability.

What Attendees Say

“The most important part to me is the ability to ‘network.’ I loved being able to ask questions, probe and encourage the other folks I spent time with outside of the scheduled events.”

“Thank you for continuing to offer this most wonderful vehicle for growing, learning and stretching in service to Him!”

“A few of the beneficial things for me: The structure of the conference. The speakers are accessible. The large room is comfortable. The free material is amazing. Chatting between speakers.”

“I love that the conference is small. I liked the clarity I received regarding, What I should do as a new XP?” —attendance limited to 200 people—

“Thank you so much for the obvious work that was put into the conference. It was my first time attending and it was very beneficial. The Open Forum Workshop was great. It’s so helpful to dialogue and process out loud with other XPs.”

“On our flight home, my XP said to me, ‘So was the conference worth it for you?’ I answered, ‘Yes it was.’ He agreed as well.”

“I appreciated hearing from two Senior Pastors regarding their partnerships with their XPs. And, it was great to hear from David, Mike and Paul about navigating challenges. Those kinds of stories are unique in seminars where typically it’s all success.”

Enrich your life and ministry

Check out more photos and video of past XP-Seminars

Attendees

Tuesday—February 19, 2019

1:00-4:00 Pre-Seminar Coaching Workshop with Dr. Nathan Baxter—special enrollment needed.
1:00-4:00 Pre-Seminar Workshop for New XPs with Rich Birch–special enrollment needed.
2:00-4:30 Pre-Seminar Generosity Workshop with Brad Leeper—special enrollment needed.
7:30-8:30 XP-Seminar Registration and Dessert. We like to begin with an evening welcome and social in the Beverly Ballroom. Join us for this informal time to pick up your materials, get your free books from the huge selection, talk to old friends and meet some new ones. Coffee and a cookie dessert is open to all (spouses are welcome to join you for this dessert time!)

Wednesday—February 20, 2019

7:30 Full breakfast with Fletch and Troy Pollock … this will get the XP-Seminar kicked off with a focus on doing ministry that is merciful, compassionate, just, generous and honest. Fletch will also give an orientation to the Seminar.
8:30-8:40 Orientation by Fletch.
8:40-9:20 Shining Light on Church Security | Let it Bang!? by Steven Goodspeed. Steven is a shareholder in Middlebrook & Goodspeed PLLC, The Church Lawyers and has practiced law for eighteen years. He regularly represents clients nationwide in the area of nonprofit and for-profit transactional law, focusing primarily on churches, religious organizations, camps, outdoor recreational organizations, colleges and universities.
9:20-9:40 Follow-up discussion with Fletch and Rob Faulk of CapinCrouse on Church Financial Security and Fraud Prevention.
9:45-10:20 Shining Light on The ABC’s of Campus Expansion, Adoption and Development—Done with Compassion by Eric Rojas. Eric is the XP of Rolling Hills Community Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a coach, developer and overseer of the staff and ministries with 14 years of experience as an XP.
10:20-10:40 Follow-up discussion with Fletch and Dave Milam of Visioneering Studios on Expansion, Selecting a Site for Maximum Impact and Renovation Issues.
10:45-11:20 Shining Light on Uncommon Financial Sense by Mike Batts. Mike is the managing partner of Batts Morrison Wales and Lee. He has more than 30 years of experience serving nonprofit organizations in a variety of ways. He advises nonprofit organizations on matters related to board governance, finanal reporting, tax compliance and strategy, risk management, corporate structure, international activities, and related topics.
11:20-11:40 Follow-up discussion with Fletch and Dan Busby, President of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, on Financial Standards for Your Church.
12:00 short-rideLunch with A Short Ride on a Hot Topic. As we eat, it is a time to hear a different perspective on church–innovative, creative, Jesus focused. Bruce Woody will be speaking on “Buildings and Church Security.” Be challenged to continue on in life and ministry in this lunch.
1:15-2:15 Workshops: Session 1
2:15 Afternoon snack on first floor
2:30-3:30 Workshops: Session 2
3:45-4:45 Workshops: Session 3
Take an XP/SP friend to dinner! Schedule it early with someone from your state or similar-sized church. We saw scores of people do this last year.

Thursday—February 21, 2019

7:45 Full breakfast with a talk on ministry with David Fletcher and two leaders of Thrivent: Kari Boyce, Business Development Director and Chris Lewis, Senior Relationship Manager.
8:30-8:45 Time with Fletch
8:45-9:20 Keynote Session by Kathleen Turpin (JD, CPCU, AIM). Shining Light on Sexual Harassment and Misconduct. Kathleen is the vice president of Human Resources with Brotherhood Mutual. She joined Brotherhood Mutual as a litigation specialist in the claims department, became associate corporate counsel and now is VP for HR.
9:50-10:40 Keynote by Carey Nieuwhof. Shining Light on Spiritual Leadership. Carey is the founding pastor of Connexus Church, a growing multi-campus church north of Toronto and strategic partner of North Point Community Church.
10:40-11:00 Shining Light on Hiring: Behind the Scenes Lessons in Interviewing with William Vanderbloemen.
11:00 Break for Lunch—Pick up lunch outside the Ballroom and take it to a workshop
11:30-12:30 Lunch Workshops: Session 4
12:45-1:45 Workshops: Session 5
2:00-3:00 Workshops: Session 6
Have a safe trip home

“I’m truly excited about the excellence of this seminar.”

Platinum Sponsors

We want to thank Generis for their fifteenth year as a sponsor. Brad Leeper has served in church leadership roles and has real-life experience to offer far beyond that of most industry consultants. We welcome Generis’ Principal and President, Brad Leeper.

Generis is a church consulting firm passionate about helping ministries of all sizes bridge the gap between vision and resources by engaging the hearts of givers and accelerating generosity. Generis has served over 13,500 churches, helping them raise more than $13.5 billion for Kingdom expansion.

For the ninth year as a sponsor, we welcome HH Architects. For 45 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 and schools 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.

For the second year, we welcome Vanderbloemen Search Group. Vanderbloemen helps churches and ministries build great teams by finding their key staff. Vanderbloemen is an industry leader in executive search for the church, having worked with ministries in nearly every state and several countries. God has uniquely called and positioned your church to do what only you can do, and having the right team members in the right roles is vital to fulfilling that calling. From finding the right worship leaders to children’s ministers and senior pastors, Vanderbloemen helps discover your church’s DNA and then conducts a nationwide search for whom God is calling to your church. Whether you’re planning your next hire, reorganizing your staff, analyzing your compensation structure, or need help with succession planning, build your best ministry team with Vanderbloemen.

For the second year, we welcome Visioneering Studios. They are the only nationally-licensed, faith-based design-build firm that specializes in commercial, nonprofit and worship environments. Visioneering is not just developers, designers, architects, and builders—they are storytellers. They come alongside partners, who lead movements and organizations that have unique stories crafted by a unique people, place, and passion, to be trusted stewards of their story and space.

Visioneering’s beliefs positively impact the relational nature and integrity of their work. Visioneering Studios’ “look to launch” services include: Real Estate and Development Advisory Services (Visioneering Studios Real Estate), Master Planning, Architecture and Interior Design (Visioneering Studios Architecture), National Construction and Construction Services (Visioneering Studios Construction).

For the first year, we welcome Thrivent Church Financing. Thrivent is a not-for-profit financial services organization that helps Christians on their wise-with-money journey. Thrivent Church Financing has been working nationally with growing ministries for over 100 years by providing flexible financing solutions. Currently serving more than 1,300 church clients, Thrivent offers flexible solutions, expertise and competitive terms to the financing needs of growing churches. Understanding the unique needs of each church, they offer a variety of loan features including long-term fixed rates and fully amortizing loans up to 30 years in duration. In turn, ministries can live out their wise-with-money journey.

For the first year, we welcome Pushpay. Pushpay exists to bring people together by strengthening community, connection, and belonging. As the leading provider of mobile app experiences and giving technology to churches, schools, and nonprofits, Pushpay helps organizations and their communities stay connected anytime, anywhere. Engagement is the key to community. In today’s world, “online” or “digital” is no longer cutting edge. Phones have evolved into smartphones, and these personal devices are linking people everywhere to the outside world on their own terms. Now you can harness this cultural shift to connect people with your organization, driving engagement and participation.

Gold Sponsors

For the thirteenth year, we welcome FellowshipOne, the industry’s premier church management software. FellowshipOne streamlines ministry details with the simple approach of aligning people, processes, and technology to maximize ministry efficiency and growth.

With the launch of FellowshipOne Insights, church leaders can have instant visibility into the attendance and giving trends in your church. This analytics tool offers unparalleled visibility into the effectiveness of your ministries. Lead your church into greater accountability based on data-driven analysis of where you are using your resources.

For the eighth year, we welcome CapinCrouse. As a national full-service CPA and consulting firm devoted to serving nonprofit organizations, CapinCrouse provides professional solutions to organizations whose outcomes are measured in lives changed.

Since 1972, the firm has served domestic and international outreach organizations, universities and seminaries, foundations, media ministries, rescue missions, relief and development organizations, churches and denominations, and many others by providing support in the key areas of financial integrity and security.

With a network of offices across the nation, CapinCrouse has the resources of a large firm and the personal touch of a local firm. CapinCrouse is an independent member of the BDO Alliance USA. Learn more at CapinCrouse.com

For the fifth year, we welcome the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. With its mission of Enhancing Trust, ECFA now certifies nearly 2,300 Christ-centered churches and ministries based on its high standards in financial management, governance and gift administration.

ECFA is also a leading provider of church resources, including the free ChurchEXCEL subscription at ECFA.church.

Check out the XPastor page and free items at ECFA.

Silver Sponsors

We welcome GuideStone as a sponsor for the thirteenth year. GuideStone® is one of the leading providers for retirement, medical, life and disability coverage, investment management and executive planning services to the evangelical Christian community. For more than 100 years, they have worked to enhance the security of more than 200,000 individuals and oversee $12.1 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2018. GuideStone offers its clients access to Christian-screened investment funds for retirement, endowment and operational assets.

For the ninth year, we welcome Middlebrook | Goodspeed, The Church Lawyers. They are dedicated to providing outstanding and practical legal services to churches, ministries, and schools of all sizes across the nation with their Church Lawyers Team program. Their team of attorneys and paralegals have transactional, tax and litigation experience and are attuned to the unique legal needs specific to religious nonprofits. They handle everything from a new church-plant to complex and contested litigation matters, and provide services to organizations of all sizes. “Whether you are just starting out and want the proper foundation, need to stay on track and legally compliant or require an advocate in the courtroom, we are on your legal team.”

For the eighth year, we welcome Clark. Clark is the leading provider of custom audio, video, lighting (AVL) solutions for churches. Clark’s mission is to help you communicate your story, personally connect with your audience and inspire change.

Twenty years of experience enables Clark to partner with your organization, transforming your environment into a space that uniquely reflects your core values.

For the sixth year, we welcome Slingshot. Slingshot Group partners with the local church and ministry-minded non-profits to find and develop next level people through relational search and coaching services. Founded in 2007 by Stan Endicott and Monty Kelso, Slingshot Group has 40 associates nationwide that serve in the following divisions: Senior Leadership, Students, Childrens, Worship Arts, and Communications. What sets Slingshot Group apart is their winsome and relational team who provide innovative solutions that facilitate the work of God on the journey of finding and developing the people you need.

For the fifth year, we welcome Church Community Builder. Church Community Builder is a technology company focused on equipping the church for more effective ministry. They exist to provide the church tools in technology to better know, grow, and keep your people—through comprehensive cloud-based software and apps. They focus on the tools, so you can focus on reaching, discipling, and empowering your people. Their 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).

For the fifth year, we welcome Worlds of Wow. They create ridiculously cool, fun environments for kids and families! They assist with stage design, theming for various ages and stages, indoor play and any other design idea you may have. They provide original artwork and graphics to bring your ideas to life! With over 13 years experience and more than 600 completed projects, they are the experts when it comes to theming and play. Whether you are a multisite, a mobile church or just giving your space a whole new look, they know what it takes from the very first conversation as we dream together to the very last nail put into place. WOW loves the creative process of working with you through the development of concepts, characters, elements and stories. It’s just their role to bring your vision to life. Themes are always original, never borrowed—from check in, to hallways, to large group rooms, our themes are designed to tell a story and create destinations where kids want to be! 

We welcome for the fourth year, Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, one of the nation’s leading insurers of churches, Christian schools, and related ministries. Its comprehensive property and liability coverage for ministries fills gaps left by standard insurance policies.

Brotherhood’s travel service, Faith Ventures®, helps missionaries reach the world without fear of being sidelined by illness, injuries, or lawsuits. And its payroll service, MinistryWorks®, takes the pain out of payroll administration. More than 50,000 ministries across America trust Brotherhood Mutual, so they can focus on ministry.

We welcome for the third year, Batts Morrison Wales & Lee. BMWL is a national CPA firm dedicated exclusively to helping churches, Christian ministries, and nonprofit organizations cover their financial bases through professional audit and assurance, tax, and advisory services.  BMWL has a highly experienced and motivated team of professionals, all of whom share a common passion for serving organizations that make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of people.  The BMWL team helps organizations maintain strong donor trust and confidence, produce highly effective financial reports, strengthen internal controls and financial oversight, improve overall risk management, maximize tax exemptions, protect exempt status, provide board member governance orientation and training, and simplify financial administration.  BMWL is honored to serve clients across the United States.  Please visit nonprofitcpa.com to learn more.

We welcome Cass Bank. The Word says, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall. But in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). We at Cass Bank counsel with churches and ministries in the area of finance.

Cass Bank is a financially solid, 112-year-old bank that serves ministries across the country. If you are looking for someone to assist you with your next construction project, acquire property or refinance current debt, Cass Bank invites you to the opportunity to counsel with them.

Media Sponsors

We are thrilled to welcome Leadership Network as a sponsor for the fourteenth year!

Leadership Network has been a trusted resource for XP’s and lead pastors of some of the world’s largest, fastest growing churches since 1984. Leadership Network provides you and your team with connections to peers, access to leaders, and an introduction to tools and processes that will propel you beyond your greatest strategic challenges.

The Leadership Network approach engages multiple models and voices across a variety of domains over time to help you move from ideas to implementation to impact. From multisite to generosity and stewardship, leadership development to leveraging data and analytics, Leadership Network helps you maximize your resources and effort.

To learn more or connect with Leadership Network.

We welcome Christianity Today for the sixth year.  Christianity Today’s Church Law & Tax Team publishes the award-winning Church Law & Tax Report and Church Finance Today newsletters, the award-winning 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 Team 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 2018 Compensation Handbook for Church Staff, and Church Finance, a book co-authored with Michael Batts. The Church Law & Tax Team is led by an esteemed group of Editorial Advisors that include attorneys Chip Grange, David Middlebrook, and Frank Sommerville, and CPAs Michael Batts, Dan Busby, and Elaine Sommerville.

For the fourth year, we welcome the Historic Agency as a sponsor. Historic doesn’t call itself a marketing agency because they want to do more than just move product and grow numbers. They want to tell lasting stories.

With over five decades of experience, their team provides a suite of expert services fit to meet your unique needs. Whether you’re investing in brand & identity, communication strategy, assessments & coaching, or all things creative, they’ll align your short-term solutions with long-term strategy. “Let’s create something Historic together.”

Special thanks to the Historic Agency for their design and production of the XP-Seminar notebook—their excellence, creative design and attention to detail is readily apparent!

New XPs

Pre-Seminar Special with Rich Birch

New Executive Pastor OnRamp!

Tuesday, February 19, 2019
1:00-4:00 pm
Limited to 20 participants.

Are you a new Executive Pastor wondering where you should focus your time? Have you wanted to maximize your efforts and energy in this role, in a desire to help your church soar? Are you looking for an edge on how your role can create the biggest difference in the life of your church?

This afternoon workshop session is designed for new Executive Pastors who are looking for help with best practices in this role. We’ll dive deep into seven systems that every successful executive pastor must see thrive in order for their church to move forward. As well, the session will be packed with practical insights from a wide variety of executive pastors from across the country. 

Rich has served on the senior leadership teams of three innovative and fast-growing churches. He brings his signature “uber practical” style to this workshop. Also, he has interviewed over 200 church leaders through his podcast, unSeminary, which gives him a unique vantage point when offering help to new Executive Pastors. 

Learn Key Leverage Points to Focus Your Leadership

  • Outreach—How can we attract people to your church through the use of social media, marketing, and communications?
  • Weekend Services—How do we plan, implement and evaluate your music, preaching, transitions, offertory, etc. so it connects with your community?
  • Connection—How can we take people from their first visit to feeling fully at home in your church?
  • Service—How do we mobilize people for volunteering and service with the church?
  • Giving—How do we develop people to give to the vision of the church without begging?
  • Leadership—How do we move people from places of serving into volunteer leadership within the church?
  • Planning—How do we evaluate the above systems for constant improvement and growth?

Practical Help with Lots of Q&A

We’ll dive deep into best practices for developing the people and processes that drive your church forward—but also leave lots of time to answer your specific questions. Come ready to grow and be challenged in your current role!

About Rich

Rich has been involved in church leadership for over 20 years. He led in one of the first multisite churches in North America, The Meeting House in Toronto, which became the leading multisite church in Canada with over 4,500 people in six locations (today they are seventeen locations with somewhere over 6,000 people attending). In addition, he served on the leadership team of Connexus Community Church in Ontario, a North Point Community Church Strategic Partner.

For seven years he served as a part of the four member Lead Team at Liquid Church in the Manhattan-facing communities of New Jersey. In his time with the church, it grew from one campus to six and attendance grew to over 3,500 people.

He has a dual vocational background that uniquely positions him for serving churches to multiply impact. While in the marketplace, Rich founded a dot-com with two partners in the late 90’s that worked to increase value for media firms and internet service providers. He speaks at conferences like Orange, WFX and various regional multisite church events—and is a featured writer on Auxano’s Vision Room, ChurchLeaders.com and MinistryBriefing.

Rich’s first book, Unreasonable Churches: 10 Churches Who Zagged When Others Zigged and Saw More Impact Because of It, is an Amazon bestseller in the Church Leadership category. It’s designed to help church leaders think a new thought and take new risks in impacting their community. His second book is Church Growth Flywheel, where he pulled together his own hard-fought experience leading within one of the fastest growing churches in the country, as well as over 200 interviews with church leaders from prevailing churches.

Generosity

Pre-Seminar Event with Brad Leeper

Unveiling the Mystery of Your Church’s Donors

Tuesday, February 19, 2019
2:00-4:30 pm
Hilton Dallas/Park Cities

Get a rare and unique insight into your giving world. Using a new data analytic platform, we will capture your giving data in advance of the workshop.

Your data will then be available at the workshop where you can explore your giving reality and trends in a way that cannot be unearthed through most church management software platforms. The insights will help you see often-hidden trends and help you proactively navigate giving growth.

Not only will you see the reality of your giving but you will understand what it means and what to do about it.

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.

Most of us have assumptions about giving and generosity …

Brad Leeper is the President and Principal at Generis, a team of coaches that accelerates generosity toward God-inspired vision. Brad works with churches across the country, and now internationally, to increase everyday church giving, project giving and legacy giving.

Imagine seeing a new perspective on your church’s financial health. See your church in a readable, understandable and helpful format. This is a must for your next steps of your church.

The Generosity Workshop will be held on Thursday, February 20 from 2:00-4:30 pm., right before the XP-Seminar. This is the place to get a handle on your church’s financial health.

This workshop will give you plenty of data to work with, in an eminently understandable format. Generis is just releasing a diagnostic tool and is offering free use of it for the workshop. This includes a 3-page summary report. Plus, you can talk through your report at the workshop and receive more personalized discussion in person or by phone.

Get a numerical analysis of:

    • People giving above a strategic amount
    • Lapsed donors
    • Banding of key donation levels … and much more.

Requirements:

    • Must have Church Community Builder (other software platforms to follow).
    • Attend the Coaching Workshop before the XP-Seminar.
    • Data analysis needs to be begun 14 days before the XP-Seminar.

Get expert advice from national leaders! Enroll today!

Suppose you see that giving is up ten percent. Is that more donations per attendee or more donors?

Knowing your metrics tells you where you are, where you are going and measures how you are doing getting there.

With a ten percent increase in donations, how many of those were new donors? Are you attracting new donors?

Increase your giving without requiring a capital campaign.

Even with a ten percent increase in donations, how many donors stopped giving? Are they still attending? When do people stop giving and how much later do they typically leave your church?

  • Why did donors leave you last year? Job transfer? Did they leave mad?
  • How do you shut the back door and how can you 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.

Ministry Fund

Are giving increases a result of a growing donor constituent base or are you pressing into a small portion of donors to make budget growth? Learn why one is sustainable while the other is short lived.

Connecting and Growing First Time Donors

First time visitors are great!  However, are you able to on-board them as donors? Are you able to assimilate them into the fabric of the ministry? If not, learn why weekend attendance growth can be a false positive for healthy ministry growth.

Donor Churn

New faces in church are great, but what is the financial impact of losing the old ones? Minimizing donor churn can supercharge weekend attendance and annual giving growth. Monitoring donor trends is one way to surface ministry opportunities. Rule based push reporting can increase your ministry efficiency and connect with those that need pastoral care.

A Church Coaching Culture

Pre-Seminar Special with Dr. Nathan Baxter

How to Build a Coaching Culture for your Staff and Volunteer Leaders

Tuesday, February 19, 2019
1:00-4:00 pm
Hilton Dallas/Park Cities

Churches that coach their leaders and volunteers discover that their investment pays off. Research continues to show that people want coaching. Your staff wants to know how to be more effective in their jobs and ministries.

Here’s a fantastic opportunity to be with a gifted and national-level coach. XPastor has partnered with Dr. Nathan Baxter to bring this coaching resource to the 2019 XP-Seminar.

What you will learn

  • Key components that must be in your church culture for coaching success.
  • How to create a strategic rollout plan for introducing coaching.
  • Top five reasons why organizations fail at creating a coaching culture.
  • How to create customized coaching templates to fit your ministry culture.
  • The latest research that identifies the key components for healthy leadership cultures.
  • Practical tips for using assessments to develop your leaders.

And

  • How to use ‘Win-Plan Conversations’
  • Importance of calibrating your coaching
  • Best practices for holding leaders accountable.

Before the workshop

A reading list will be provided as an option for those that want to take a deeper look into leadership coaching.

About Dr. Baxter

Nathan is a former XP and SP and now is an executive leadership coach. Every month, both corporate and ministry leaders from around the country fly to Tulsa for a two-day private coaching session with him.

In 2008, Dr. Baxter founded Lead Self Lead Others and has coached with over 3,300 people—from CEOs to pastors to physicians. Also, he has recruited and trained eight Leadership Coaches who work with him to meet the demand for his services.

Nathan and his coaches work with leaders to help them create a personal and professional growth strategy. He loves to follow up with each person to help keep them on track.

Executives

  • Bob Skaggs, Northwestern Mutual Insurance Agency, Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Dustin Parker, President, Box Insurance Agency, Grapevine, Texas
  • Aaron Shelby, Executive Vice President, Legacy Texas Bank, Plano, Texas
  • Paul Fredette, President, Legacy Texas Insurance Services, Plano, Texas
  • Brandt Hamby, Managing Partner, Six Pillars Partners, Addison, Texas
  • Chris Cadeiux, Board Member, QuikTrip, Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Chuck McDaniel, President, Lockton Insurance, Denver, Colorado
  • Dwight Mankin, President, NCN, Dallas, Texas
  • Mike Greer, Owner/Director, Ironman Buffalo Springs Lake, Lubbock, Texas
  • Mike Loomis, Owner, Loomis Consulting, Winter Park, Colorado
  • Ron Decker, Founder/President, Innovative Health Care Systems, Edmond, Oklahoma
  • Ronnie Dunn, Client Partner, MicroStrategy, Dallas, Texas
  • Sean Kouplen, President, Regent Bank, Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Hank Coleman, President, TriggerPoint, Austin, Texas
  • Dan Peckenpaugh, MD, President, HEB Emergicare, P.A., Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
  • Rob Kenagy, MD, Senior Vice President, St. John Health Network, Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Tom Ellis, Vice President/Partner, MHBT (Commercial Insurance), Dallas, Texas
  • 32 National Sales Directors, 25 Top Sales Directors, Mary Kay Cosmetics

Ministry Leaders

  • Micah Davidson, Lead Pastor, Real Life Fellowship, Corpus Christi/Austin, Texas
  • Toby Slough, Lead Pastor, Crosstimbers Church, Argyle, Texas
  • Daniel Rolfe, Lead Pastor, Mountain Springs Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • Dwight Yoder, Executive Pastor, Asbury Methodist Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Eric Bryan, Senior Pastor, Fellowship Bible Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Fred Neal, Executive Pastor, Harvest Community Church, Kittanning, Pennsylvania
  • Marc Evanger, Elder, Crossroads Bible Church, Bellevue, Washington
  • Keith Duff, Elder, Village Bible Church, Chicago, Illinois
  • Matt Roberson, Campus Pastor, The Met, Houston, Texas
  • Rob Curry, Executive Pastor, Cypress Bible Church, Cypress, Texas
  • Terry Langenberg, Executive Pastor, New Beginnings Church, Bixby, Oklahoma
  • Thomas Thompson, Lead Pastor, Pulpit Rock Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • Tom Messer, Senior Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida

Nathan knows what he is doing and does it well. He has good insight and recommends realistic behaviors to improve performance.

John Urbin, Business Unit Manager, Linde Process Plants, Inc.

Non Profit Organizations

  • John Sharp, Regional Director, Young Life, Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Dave Jewitt, Founder/Director, Your One Degree, Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Adam Donyes, Founder/Director, LinkYear Kanakuk, Branson, Missouri
  • Dr. David Fletcher, Founder/Director, XPastor, Fullerton, California
  • Chris King, Founder, GPS Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Dr. Scott Barfoot, Director of DMin Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas
  • Eric Hill, Founder/Director, Withyou, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Jeff Anderson, Founder, Acceptable Gift, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Dr. Baxter cares genuinely about helping people. He does what it takes to help folks understand and use the tools to find their way. As a result I have more focus in my life. The tools he uses and the approach he takes are better than many other similar consultants.

Randy Welsch, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Dr. Baxter’s coaching has allowed me to take my strengths, understand them and ultimately begin to incorporate them into my ever changing role as CEO. Working with Dr. Baxter is worth the investment because we have seen results in effectiveness in communication, efficiency in decision making.

Ron Decker, CEO, Innovative Healthcare Systems, Inc., Edmond, Oklahoma

Seminar Workshops

Leading Me: Five Ways to Maintain Your Spiritual Health and Enjoy Longevity in Ministry

A church is only as healthy as its leaders. It is critical that you build routines, habits and guardrails into your life that protect you from burnout, lead to growth, and create longevity in ministry.  Join Todd Clark as he helps you discover ways you can remain a healthy, effective and motivated leader. Learning to “lead you” is what allows you to continue to lead others.

Todd Clark has 28 years of ministry experience in churches sized between 200 and 25,000. Todd is a passionate, creative, team-focused, leader with a unique blend of ministry experience. He served as a youth pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky and a founding and lead pastor at Discovery Church in Simi Valley, California. Todd has recently been a teaching pastor at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Arizona. He is the Vice President of Senior Search at Slingshot Group and an adjunct Teaching Pastor at Parkview Christian Church in Chicago where he teaches 15-18 weekends each year.

Todd is the founder of “Eat Art,” a nonprofit photography organization committed to artfully ending hunger. You can connect with Todd on Twitter (@toddclark) or on his blog, www.livecurious.ly.

Strategic Shifts Every Leader Needs to Make

Why do some leaders scale and grow with their organizations while others flounder or flame out? How can some leaders grow from managing a small team to overseeing hundreds of employees and volunteers? What do these leaders do differently at critical moments? In an era of urgency and expediency there is little room for leaders to develop the wisdom that is only gleaned through time and experience. Today’s leaders are plagued by urgency and unrealistic expectations for immediate impact. This session will equip you with the critical perspective shifts you must embrace to think differently and continually be lifting the lid on your leadership capacity.

Jenni Catron is a leadership coach and founder of The 4Sight Group, an organization that consults on leadership, team culture and organizational health. Her passion is to lead well and to inspire, equip and encourage others to do the same. Jenni is the author of several books including Clout: Discover and Unleash Your God-Given Influence and The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership. She loves a fabulous cup of tea, great books, learning the game of tennis and hiking with her husband.

Know Before You Go: Is My Church Ready for a Big Project?

Is it time for you to take the first step? Your gut churns with anticipation—you’ve envisioned this trek a thousand times. But now you’re here, and it’s a bit more intimidating than you imagined. Determining whether your church is ready for a big project, such as buying property, expanding or renovating your existing facilities, or building your very first permanent location, can be one of the best, or worst, experiences in your ministry career.

You’ve heard horror stories from your fellow pastors who rushed in unprepared and now have lost credibility with their congregation because they paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for a set of plans that are rolled up on a shelf collecting dust because they couldn’t afford to build it. This workshop will reveal some key indicators that will help you determine if you’re ready to take the plunge, and will provide insight into the process of determining how much you can afford (budget), what you should build (scope), and when you should build it (schedule).

Jody Forehand, MBA, LEED AP, DBIA, is President of Visioneering Studios Real Estate. Jody has been working with churches nationwide since 2003 helping them with development advisory services, real estate consulting, and coordinating the design and construction of everything from multi-site tenant improvement projects in repurposed retail locations to new ground-up campuses on greenfield sites. Jody also holds general contractor’s licenses in several states and a real estate brokers license in North Carolina.

Unleashing Your Church Board’s Potential: How Your Board Compares to Others

What are ten of the best practices of a healthy church board? How do they compare with boards at other Christ-centered ministries? The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) conducted several major surveys on this issue, including one now in process. From that survey, the “first findings” will be revealed in this workshop. For example: “Roughly what percent of a typical board meeting is spent on the future, as opposed to reviewing the present or past?” The workshop will show how church boards and other nonprofits replied and propose a good benchmark for your board to shoot toward.

Dan Busby, President of ECFA, is co-author of the just-released Lessons from the Church Boardroom. He has written or co-authored 10 titles in over 60 editions including Zondervan 2018 Church and Nonprofit Tax and Financial Guide, and also Zondervan 2018 Minister’s Tax and Financial Guide. He has over 40 years of experience serving the Christ-centered church and nonprofit community and frequently speaks nationally on related issues.

Warren Bird, Ph.D., ECFA Vice President of Research and Equipping, is a bestselling author and nationally recognized authority on church trends. He has authored or co-authored 31 books including Hero Maker and How to Break Church Growth Barriers.

Leveraging Your Facility for a Remarkable Guest Experience

Learn how to maximize your facility to create the most remarkable guest experience. Pastoring the newcomer begins when they first come on your property. There is no reason why your guests can’t have a terrific first impression of your church. This workshop will reveal seven practical tips to leverage the facility that God has already given you. You church can become a warm and welcoming place for guests.

Dave Milam is a visioneer, strategist and visual storyteller whose right brained style of delivery helps his listener connect in a uniquely immersive way. As a member of the Visioneering Studios team, Dave equips leaders by leveraging art and science to launch inspired vision into reality. Dave is the founding Pastor of One Life Church in Concord, North Carolina and in 2016 released a book entitled “Ten Count: True Stories of Defeat and Triumph Among Today’s Christian Leaders.”

Christianity Today Forum

This invitation-only forum will discuss key topics of church ministry. Rob is a Publisher at Christianity Today, overseeing its Church Law & Tax, Small Groups and Christian Bible Studies brands. He has 15 years of experience in brand strategy and content development and 8 years of pastoral roles at Park Community Church and MissioDei in Chicago.

Maximizing Member Data

Ministry and data go hand-in-hand. Every ministry generates data and data can benefit every ministry. Data is readily available to leaders in every church and is useful for evaluating and improving your church’s ministries. In this interactive session we will discuss casting vision for the value of gathering and using data, gathering data in sustainable ways, and using data to inform decision-making.

Dr. PJ Dunn is Director of Serve Ministry & IT at First Euless (soon to be Cross City Church) in Euless, Texas. He also leads Table for One Ministries, which exists to build community for single adults through discipleship. Jeff Otero leads the Product Team at Church Community Builder, a church management software company in Colorado Springs. Jeff’s team is responsible for product management, product design, and product marketing.

Hidden Money—Financing Strategies in Uncertain Economic Times

Join this conversation to learn tricks of financial professionals. Share your successful practices about current economic conditions and expectations. Understand how these factors impact your ministry’s plans for the future. How are the Fed’s actions impacting your budget and planning? What actions can you take now that will increase your cash flow even without increasing income? How do you plan to fund future initiatives and what can you do now to maximize the value of each dollar?

Kari Boyce is Business Development Director of Thrivent. She began her career in fixed income capital markets working as an institutional sales and trading assistant, working her way to Managing Director for FI Institutional Sales Administration. Bringing this experience and passion to the church world, she has been working with churches and faith-based nonprofits in lending and leadership consulting since 2006.

Chris Lewis is Senior Relationship Manager of Thrivent. Born in Brazil, where his parents served as missionaries, he learned 3 languages: Spanish, Portuguese and English. In 2006, after assisting the church he was attending with a capital campaign, Chris discovered that there was a need for lenders to work with growing ministries. Over the years, Chris has worked with growing ministries by providing sustainable financing solutions for construction, acquisition and refinancing. Chris obtained his undergraduate degree in Business Management from Harding University in 1996.

The New XP

What is needed in the first 90 days, the first six months and the first year of being an XP? There are special challenges when entering the role.

Are you preparing to make the transition or already in the midst of it? Many new XPs have been in their church for years before entering the role. Others move to the city and become the XP in a new environment. Still others transition from business to ministry life.

This breakout session will help you identify and overcome potential challenges and leverage your “rookie smarts” and “fresh eyes” as you begin your new season of ministry leadership.

Jon Wright has worked as an entrepreneur, founding and leading a product development company for 15 years and served for 7 years as Executive Pastor of Grace Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He and his wife, Julie, also led a Missionary Training Center in Germany for several years. He has 30 years experience in innovation, execution and entrepreneurial creativity in multiple settings; corporate, non-profit, church and global missions.

Jon has been part of the XPastor conferences since 2009 and has led breakout sessions and XPastor Online Course webinars. Jon joined XPastor+Generis as a consultant in 2018. Talk to Jon about “The Collective.”

Church Analytics

This workshop will focus on what your giving data says about you and your church. Let’s examine what that data means and what to do about it. Like a properly designed medical test, understanding what to look for in your church giving patterns can reveal hidden insights into how your giving flows and does not flow. Using real data from churches, we will examine data points rarely looked at by church leaders. Good news: whatever that data might be, you can take steps to elevate the giving direction by year’s end.

Brad Leeper is the President and Principal of Generis Partners. Based on experience and affinity, he is drawn to innovative, growing churches and the challenges of helping them expand practically and spiritually.

Mentoring Your Staff

Mentor your staff and help them move their lives and leadership forward—helping them strengthen their gifts, talents and abilities while keeping balance in their lives.

Dr. Nathan Baxter, founder of Lead-Self Lead-Others, has been leading teams and helping people move their stories forward for over twenty years. 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.

What Does Your Kid’s Ministry Space Say to Your Visitors?

This workshop will examine check-in centers, hallways, classrooms and multi-functional rooms. What do these areas of your kid’s ministry say to your visitors? Does it welcome them, provide comfort and ease of navigation? Check-in centers should be safe, simple and fun. Check-in centers provide wonderful opportunities for a great first impression, as they are one of the first things your visitors will see. In the hallways, it’s great to have wayfinding signs so that visitors can easily navigate your facility. Classrooms and group rooms can become adventurous destinations where kids come ready to learn and explore.

We know you want to reach families in your community with your unique message and vision. One of the most effective ways to draw families to your church is by providing a welcoming environment for parents and their children. In this workshop we’ll cover ways to make your environment just as friendly and welcoming as your church family! Open your doors for visitors with love, comfort and excitement!

Todd Parks has over 21 years of ministry experience. He is a visionary servant leader who sees not only what is but what can be. Prior to joining Worlds of Wow, Todd served as an Executive Ministry Consultant where he helped over one hundred churches build incredible teams through church staffing, consulting, compensation analysis, and succession planning. Todd is a Business Development Manager with Worlds of Wow, a company that creates cool and fun environments for kids and families.

Hidden Money—Tactical Action that Can Uncover Unknown Funding Sources

What does a lender think when they look at your giving statistics? What can you do to improve those stats without asking for more money? Let’s discuss how you can increase the generosity of your congregation through process and intentionality in your regular work flow. Thrivent’s mission is to help Christians be wise with money and live more generously. We’ll look at practical tools, trends and resources for ministries and hear your success stories.

Kari Boyce is Business Development Director of Thrivent. She began her career in fixed income capital markets working as an institutional sales and trading assistant, working her way to Managing Director for FI Institutional Sales Administration. Bringing this experience and passion to the church world, she has been working with churches and faith-based nonprofits in lending and leadership consulting since 2006.

Chris Lewis is Senior Relationship Manager of Thrivent. Born in Brazil, where his parents served as missionaries, he learned 3 languages: Spanish, Portuguese and English. In 2006, after assisting the church he was attending with a capital campaign, Chris discovered that there was a need for lenders to work with growing ministries. Over the years, Chris has worked with growing ministries by providing sustainable financing solutions for construction, acquisition and refinancing. Chris obtained his undergraduate degree in Business Management from Harding University in 1996.

The XP-SP Relationship … and all those other people on staff

Are you spinning lots of plates? Juggling lots of balls? Never a boring day? If you could master one thing that would make the biggest ministry impact in your church, what would that be? There are budgets, and policies, and security, and strategy, and vision, and programs, and buildings, discipleship and all of the other things that fill the days of the Executive Pastor. What about the relationship between the Senior Pastor and Executive Pastor? Join us as we talk through the breakthroughs, set-backs and keys to a vibrant and healthy XP-SP relationship. In addition, we’ll dig into the keys to good staff relations between the Executive Pastor and student ministry, facilities, creative/worship arts, kids ministry and more.

Eric Rojas is the XP of Rolling Hills Community Church in Nashville. He is a coach, developer and overseer of the staff and ministries with 14 years of experience as an XP. During his 25+ years of ministry, Eric has served in churches in various pastoral roles.

Eric Ferris is the Executive Teaching Pastor of the 5,000+ member Vineyard Cincinnati Church. Eric earned a Biblical Studies Degree at Wheaton Graduate School. Eric is known for bringing clarity in complexity, love for the local church, and a straightforward approach to life and ministry.

How Churches Can Leverage the Coming Big Data Revolution

Big Data tools are being used in retail, healthcare, education and other fields. They are just entering the realm of affordability and usefulness for churches. How should we understand the tools available now? How are forward thinking churches using the tools NOW? Which tools are coming this year and how do you need to prepare your team and church to leverage them for kingdom use?

Dave Travis is the Director of Strategic Counsel for Pastors and Church Boards at Generis. He also serves as a Senior Consultant at Leadership Network where he has worked with large churches for almost 25 years. For the past four years he has tracked with Leadership Network’s involvement with Big Data tools and their real-life applications for churches. A former engineer, pastor and denominational official, he now works primarily to help churches and pastors make plans for “What’s Next?”

The Seven Deadly Sins of Interviewing

How do you determine if a candidate is the right fit for the job and your team’s culture during an interview? After 10 years of helping churches find their key staff and over 10,000 face-to-face interviews, William Vanderbloemen, founder and CEO of Vanderbloemen, will teach you how to avoid the common mistakes pastors make when interviewing as well as set up a successful interview process for hiring the right team members for your church.

William is an entrepreneur, pastor, speaker, author, and CEO/Founder of Vanderbloemen Search Group. He is a regular contributor to both Forbes and Fortune. William has combined over 15 years of ministry experience as a Senior Pastor with the best practices of executive search to provide churches with a unique offering: a deep understanding of local church work with the very best knowledge and practices of professional executive search. Vanderbloemen has completed over 1,000 staffing assignments since its founding nine years ago, has grown to nearly forty full-time employees, and has won several company culture awards from Forbes, Entrepreneur, Houston Business Journal, and Houstonia Magazine.

William has written: Next: Pastoral Succession That Works (2014), Search : The Pastor Search Committee Handbook (2016) and Culture Wins: The Roadmap to an Irresistible Workplace (2018).

Nine Key Lessons for Leading Millennials

There’s a growing generation gap in churches, and church leadership best practices are evolving in the midst of the changing workforce. Church leaders who understand and cultivate the value millennials bring to church staffs have a higher likelihood of experiencing long-term growth.

In this session led by Sarah Robins, Vice President of Sales & Client Relations at Vanderbloemen, you’ll learn practical steps to leading and motivating millennials so you can take your church staff to the next level.

Church Budgeting When Resources are Scarce

Many churches are experiencing financial pressures that are causing them to reduce their budgets. The challenge becomes ensuring leadership and the board understand what expenses can be cut while still maximizing ministry. This workshop will show the participants how to: 1) Prepare a clear and compelling analysis of fixed, semi-fixed, and variable budgeted expenses; 2) Clearly explain to church leadership and the board which areas of the budget can be easily reduced, and which cannot; 3) Execute a strategy to effectively reduce budgeted expenses while maximizing ministry effectiveness. Rob Faulk, a CPA, former Executive Pastor and church CFO will show that, while challenging, these objectives can both be achieved.

Rob Faulk serves as Partner and Church and Denomination Services Director at CapinCrouse. He has more than 35 years of financial leadership experience in serving both for-profit and nonprofit entities, as well as more than eight years of direct ministry experience as Executive Pastor and CFO of large churches. He previously served with a Big Six accounting firm, where he was the lead manager on the project that developed the COSO Internal Control framework. Rob holds a MA in Ministry Management from Azusa Pacific University Graduate School of Theology.

Preparing for a Faith-Based Loan

Is your church growing? Looking to expand facilities? Looking to go multi-site? If you potentially need a loan to accomplish these objectives, this workshop will provide a great summary on areas you can focus on as an XP to prepare for a faith-based loan. We will discuss interest rates, evaluate the current lending environment, explain certain bank ratios that apply to ministry and suggest ways to make your lending request stand out to a bank. Our discussion will be centered around a hypothetical church case study that may just look a little bit like your church!

This workshop is brought to you by Steve Hron, Vice President of Lending at Cass Bank. Steve has been serving churches and other nonprofits for over 27 years with their financing needs. Cass Bank began in 1906 and is a long time provider of banking services to religious organizations and non-profits, including financing for churches. Cass Bank loans help build, acquire, and renovate ministry facilities or refinance current debt.

Handling Challenging Counseling Situations

Counseling isn’t an area that many senior leaders signed up for. The challenge of bearing the burdens for others is a task at times. Nicholas Smith brings best practices and discussion about how to deal with difficult people and situations, whether it’s a church member, another leader or someone off the street. We all need the safety of a counselor on this life journey. Nicholas gives ideas on some of the harder situations in counseling. It might be someone who drops by the church and you are the only pastor there. It might be a friend or relative. It might be with a fellow pastor in the community or even a fellow staff member.

Pastor Nicholas Smith is the Executive Assistant Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church, working hand-in-hand and assisting pastor-teacher Bishop David G. Evans. He is a long-time friend of XPastor, with some outstanding articles on the site.

Dream Bigger—
From Maintenance to Multiplication

Throughout history, every move of God has required men and women to grow dramatically and step out in great faith. We need to continually elevate the standards of our faith, evaluate the expectations of ourselves and deepen our belief in the goodness of God. It’s time to reimagine the capacity of the local church, not only in your specific content but around the world! Yes, we have accomplished much in ministry but what are we dreaming about next? Leaders, we won’t lead well or last long without great faith! Join me for a discussion around ten leadership questions that we must all resolve in order to take our churches to the next level.

Daniel Rolfe is the Senior Pastor at Mountain Springs Church. Born in Suffolk, England, Daniel has the coolest accent at the XP-Seminar.

Designing a Strong Retirement Plan–Preparing Employees Today for Retirement Tomorrow

The retirement landscape is changing as it relates to helping your employees prepare well for retirement. In this session, we’ll discuss how effective retirement plan design can optimize retirement outcomes. Additionally, we’ll tackle the many challenges and disruptive trends facing the retirement and investment services industries.

This workshop will be led by Greg Love. He serve as Senior Manager for Retirement Solutions for GuideStone Financial Resources and specializes in retirement plan design and employee education. He graduated from the University of West Alabama and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing the Master of Business Administration degree from Dallas Baptist University. Greg holds the Chartered Retirement Plan Counselor professional designation, as well as, Series 6 and 63 security licenses. Greg has vast experience within the local church and maintains a passion to see local churches thrive, make disciples and impact the globe for Christ.

5 Keys to Church Growth They Didn’t Teach You in Seminary

Are you ready to see your church impact more people than you have ever before? Are you tired of workshops that are long on theory but short on practical help? Have you wanted to reach more people in your community but you weren’t sure where to start?

In this workshop, Rich breaks down some practical help for Executive Pastors wanting to see their church grow not only from his own experience leading within fast-growing churches but also from over 300 interviews with leaders from within prevailing churches.

Rich has served on the senior leadership teams of three innovative and fast-growing churches. He brings his signature “uber practical” style to this workshop. Also, he has interviewed over 200 church leaders through his podcast, unSeminary, which gives him a unique vantage point when offering help to new Executive Pastors.

Architecture that Works

Ministry is about creating connections … connections between people and connections with the Lord. How does architecture influence how those connections are formed? We will discover how to shape the user experience through the design of space and open pathways to those connections. Learn how to focus your ministry with architecture that works.

Bruce Woody is the President and CEO of HH Architects. Bruce will share from HH Architects’s credo, “We Believe, We Serve, We Create.” Based in Dallas, this architecture and planning firm has done work around the country. This award winning firm has a commitment to quality and thorough understanding of planning for growth. It has attracted a wide range of clients with needs on both a small and large scale. For 48 years, they have provided Architectural, Interior Design, Strategic Positioning and Master Planning services to clients ranging from churches to municipal entities to schools to corporate buildings. They approach projects from the client’s perspective. Building upon your image and identity, they strive for creative solutions that meet the project’s scope, schedule, and budget. They have developed an expertise in designing to a highly complex set of requirements and constraints, and through this process, they provide the facility that meets and exceeds all of the owner’s expectations.

Mark R Ashcraft, is a senior associate of HH Architects. He serves as the Creative Director for the firm and has been blessed to work with many ministries during his 18 year tenure.

Engaging Millennials and Gen Z in the Church

For years now, Millennials have been joked about and dismissed as being noncommittal, lazy and entitled. But God has raised up a generation with high expectations and a longing to experience authentic community and cultural impact. Shaping the future of the church, through the future of the church, must be a strategic priority for every church leadership team in 2019. In this session we will practically explore the engagement of Millennials and Gen Z in discipleship, leadership development, community, serving, generosity and mission.

Darren Young is the Director of Executive Pastor Leader Groups with Leadership Network. He will facilitate a panel discussion with Grant Skeldon and Monica Zuniga. Grant is the Director of the Initiative Network. He is a sought after speaker and the author of #1 hit book, The Passion Generation. Under Grant’s leadership, the Initiative Network seeks to unite and train millennials to be Christ-loving, city-changing, church-investing, disciple-making local missionaries. Monica is the founder of We Are Unveiled—an organization that exists to transform women’s ministry in the body of Christ. Through her organization, as well as the several non-profits that she consults with, her prayer is to awaken a generation of individuals to the full life found only in Jesus Christ.

Perspectives From The Pew: Consumer Expectations In Church Tech

This workshop will take a look at the church-tech industry from the end-users perspective. Along the way, we’ll look at some of the major changes in consumer tech over the past two decades and will assess how those changes have impacted – for good and ill – the perception of technology in the church space.

Troy Pollock is the Vice President of Community at Pushpay. As the first U.S. employee, Troy helped shape Pushpay to be one of the fastest growing SaaS companies today. Troy pioneered the Customer Success Department from humble beginnings to an Award Winning team that partners with churches and non-profits internationally. After studying Communication & Sociology at SDSU and Theology at ORU, Troy helped pioneer a healthy church in Southern California, where he served as an Executive for 6 years. These experiences allowed Troy’s transition to Pushpay to facilitate his calling and desire to help faith organizations ignite generosity and drive engagement within their communities.

The Disruption of Church Technology

Giving, either monetarily or simply your name, is important. It’s also vulnerable. The most important thing to your church and ministry is trust and that your technology works as advertised. Data breaches and downtime of your solutions can be costly for your church, both in terms of your reputation, as well as the high fees associated with data breaches. Learn how to evaluate your tech stack to make sure you’re making the right decisions before you sign that next contract.

Clare Hegg is the Director of Product Marketing for Pushpay. She has worked in the high tech world for the better part a decade. She spent that time building expertise in mobile apps, donor development, big data and analytics, artificial intelligence and digital transformation at companies like Oracle, Microsoft, T-Mobile, and Socrata. Clare now leads product marketing at Pushpay, enabling churches to bring people together by strengthening community, connection, and belonging.

Use Ministry Information to Care for Your Church and Lead Effectively

Spiritual development is a process. In this workshop, we’ll discuss how to bring clarity, map out your unique approach to creating disciples and gauge your progress. You’re surrounded by data, but what story is your data telling you? Are you using that story to make informed strategic ministry decisions? Does it help your team care for and meet the needs of your church family? Does it help you coach and develop your staff and ministry leaders? You can! Begin creating a culture that empowers you to view the information you need, when you need it. Define what’s important. Build the systems. Act on the information.

This workshop will be led by Mark DeMoss. Mark has 20 years of church staff experience leading in various roles of guest experience, volunteer development, business administration, campus development, and executive pastor in dynamic churches. Mark is the author of the XPastor article entitled, Strategic Alignment Unleashes the Church. He is passionate about the church and seeing lives changed by Jesus. Mark has seven years of experience in church consulting with the team at FellowshipOne.com. He and his wife, Debra, reside near Dallas, Texas.