20th Annual XP-Seminar

A ChurchLaw&Tax Top Conference

Limited to 200 people                           2017-24 Seminars were sold out

Unsolicited Comments from Prior Attendees

Words can’t express the gratitude I have for you.

TS

I grew so much by listening to the speakers and talking with fellow XPs. The whole experience is a gold mine of knowledge, wisdom and experience. Totally worth it!

JD

Thank you for the uniquely profound ministry of the XPastor Seminar. There is something beautiful and enriching about the design and format of the conference that fosters connection and shared learning. The size, the meals, the round tables, etc. all make it very special and meaningful. I had a great experience listening, learning and making connections. Fletch has a unique gift of interacting with the presenters and the audience in a remarkable way that engages people in conversation and reflection.

GL

Working on my trip report … up to 18 pages with several charts.

DP

Again, the XP-Seminar both met and exceeded expectations. What continues to impress me about is that each presenter brings forth fresh and creative approaches to ministry with humility and conviction. Everything is actionable. There’s never empty hype. Each presentation is rooted in reality, and it’s an encouraging reality that God is good, and the body of Christ has avenues for flourishing. Well done!

Senior Pastor

That was a great conference. Definitely one of my favorite ones that I’ve ever attended!

SK

This was a good reminder of how much we don’t know that we don’t know. I’ve been working through my notes and creating key takeaways for the past few hours. Much to think through to boil it down to 2-3 actionable items that could help us move our mission forward.

JS

The XP-Seminar was just magnificent. My big mystery is that I don’t know when you eat–since you’re up there interviewing during most meals for 48 hours! 

Sponsor

As usual, it was well worth the time and done with excellence. There was much to learn, much to experience, and relationships were built.

BT

Thank you for all the work that you put into XPastor this week. Over these last 12+ yrs, your ministry has been so instrumental in helping shape me as a husband, as a dad and as an XP. This year I had the opportunity to speak with several new XPs. It was great hearing their stories and being able to provide them input and insight!

BM

Thanks again for a great XP event! It was informative and inspiring.

BH

Already have plans to come back next year Lord willing. My trip report is 4 pages for just my top 3 takeaways. Without a doubt, this was the most beneficial conference I’ve attended to date. In all I took 18 pages of notes for my 13th XP-Seminar.

DP

The seminar was extremely beneficial. 100% relevant and applicable to my role. Tons of takeaways. Looking forward to the keynote videos being posted. Glad I attended!

DW

The XP Seminar is always my favorite conference for so many reasons.

Sponsor

Thank you for such an amazing conference. I have been to a lot of conferences over the last 20 years and most are not worth the time, but this one was.

JS

The conference was another home run. As much as I enjoyed and learned in prior years, this round I walked away with more actionable ideas.  This was both good for my soul and a great investment for my church.

MW

I am watching online and am so glad to have found a place and a people that I can relate to and be encouraged by. I pray to be able to attend in person next year and participate in the workshop discussions.

JD

It was another excellent conference.

SB

Am grateful for the conference last week.  God has used your ministry to XPs to help me greatly.  Glad to have now attended for three years.

MW

You two are the poster children for how to run a conference well … and how to communicate well … and how to be timely in all you do.

WB

You guys are doing an incredible work in gathering and resourcing XPs. I heard story after story of the hope and insight your events have provided to leaders over the years.

SB

You did a magnificent job organizing the XP-Seminar. It was my first time there and I’m sure you’ve evolved your protocols over the years—and it shows. Every time I asked a question of you, and there were several, you had the answer and you were so very helpful. God bless you on your path as you fulfill God’s calling on your life.

KD

Loved the seminar! Well done!

MG

I don’t of anyone that is doing what David Fletcher is doing with the XP Seminar! It’s such a unique, niche gathering of like-minded professionals that get equipped with immediately helpful information from some of the best leaders in this field from around the country. It’s an absolutely don’t-miss-this seminar every year.

AH

This was the best XP-Seminar ever.

Sponsor

This is my favorite conference of the year.

Sponsor

Thank you for another power-packed conference.  Your ministry is needed more than ever as XPs are getting bombarded by the enemy from all sides regardless of church size.  The relationships you have with all the keynote and workshop speakers and their willingness to share ideas to strength the body of Christ is so much appreciated.

DM

Its the major leagues, not A or AA ball.

TS

Wow, what a week—I don’t think I’ve ever stayed up past my bedtime in such a professional way. There was so much that I learned from the incredible speakers and more that I learned in my conversations with all of you. I have a renewed sense of encouragement in how the Lord is working in the Church as you advance the kingdom.

BG

Thanks for a great conference. It was my first and I was very glad I attended.

JM

I attended my second XP -Seminar this year. I am a CPA that has had to meet CPE requirements my entire career, therefore lots of conferences. This conference was the finest I have ever attended. So many times conference titles are engaging and timely, but the context is a bust. Every single session met and exceeded expectations. From my seat it is a labor of love, and a true gift to people like me for the benefit of our church

TH

Your ministry and yearly seminar have been an incredible lifeline for me. Grateful for you and all you do to minister to XPs in the trenches.

MW

Our team had a great time. I can’t believe it will be 20 years next year! What an amazing ministry have built. We love encouraging and equipping leaders with you! 

Sponsor

The information, networking, and interaction was great! I learned a lot from each speaker. Still going through material and trying to digest it. I look forward to next year!  Already suggested to our SP and Elders that they should come.

WD

You guys are amazing. Thank you for an awesome event last week. It really is a tribe and not a town. The chance to connect with so many church leaders and run into them repeatedly over three days was amazing. I can tell you that it was an amazing event and I was thrilled to be a part of it.

Sponsor

I wanted to say how excellent the live stream was! I was so thankful to still be able to glean a lot from so much helpful content (while missing the in person connection that makes this my favorite conference of the year). I was super bummed to not be able to be in person this year, pesky flight cancellations!

JB

Featured Speakers

The Future of Theological Education

David Hogg is the President of Phoenix Seminary. Prior to joining the seminary, he taught at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina, and Beeson Divinity School in Alabama, where he also served as the Academic Dean. For more than a decade, Dr. Hogg has also served as a visiting professor at Biblický Teologický Semináři in the Czech Republic. As one of a few conservative evangelicals in medieval theology and history, his work has been published by, among others, Oxford University Press, NYU Press and Crossway. Dr. Hogg also presents his work in various contexts including conferences hosted across the United States and the UK.
In addition to his academic pursuits, Dr. Hogg was an Associate Pastor and then Senior Pastor over an 11-year period. Outside of these commitments, he has also preached in numerous locations throughout the southern United States, Canada, Britain, and the Czech Republic. Dr. Hogg and his wife Sarah have three boys and, as a family, represent three different nationalities.

David Hogg, President, Phoenix Seminary

Preventing Child Abuse

Kimberlee D. Norris is a sexual abuse trial attorney: representing victims of abuse, serving as a consulting expert in abuse cases, and providing crisis management and allegation response counsel to child-serving organizations of all sizes. She is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court and the United States District Courts for the Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas. An acknowledged authority in screening practices, Kimberlee has trained over 500,000 ministry staff members and volunteers since 2005. She earned a B.S. in Journalism from Texas A&M University and a Juris Doctor in Law from Baylor School of Law, where she served on the law review.

Kimberlee D. Norris, Attorney at Love & Norris, Founder of MinistrySafe

Soul Shepherding

Bill is a psychologist and ordained pastor, specializing in ministry to pastors. He and Kristi are the authors of Journey of the Soul, which was #1 on Amazon in Christian Counseling. He was personally mentored for many years by Dallas Willard and Ray Ortlund Sr. His earlier book Your Best Life in Jesus’ Easy Yoke tells the story of his spiritual renewal from anxious living and burnout and introduces the message and way of Soul Shepherding.

As a Spiritual Formation Pastor, he’s served in a mega-church and a church plant. He’s also trained over 1,000 lay counselors and taught courses in Christian psychology and spirituality at the graduate school level. He and Kristi train pastors and other men and women in ministry in their Soul Shepherding Institute and Spiritual Direction certificate program. Bill has been speaking in churches and conferences since 1987 and especially enjoys speaking with Kristi. You can listen to their weekly Soul Talks podcast or read their Soul Shepherding blog.

Bill Gaultiere
Co-Founder, Soul Shepherding

Kristi is a psychotherapist and spiritual director for women in ministry and pastors’ wives. She co-leads Soul Shepherding with Bill. She was personally mentored by Jane Willard and Dr. Jan Stoop. As a pastor’s wife, mother, and ministry professional, Kristi offers empathy and wisdom from her experience personally and as a therapist who has spent many thousands of hours caring for people. Kristi enjoys speaking, training, teaching, consulting, counseling, and retreat leading with Bill. You can listen to their weekly Soul Talks podcast or read their Soul Shepherding blog.

Kristi Gaultiere
Co-Founder, Soul Shepherding

Launching a New Church Vision

Pastor David Hsu is the Senior Pastor of West Houston Chinese Church. He received his Master of Theology (Th.M.) and Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary. He joined WHCC as the English pastor in 1993. He was appointed as senior pastor in July 2002. He is married to Cheryl and has two children, Nathan and Hannah.

David Hsu, Senior Pastor, West Houston Christian Church

From Youth Pastor to Award Winning Filmmaker

Kurt Neale is an independent filmmaker, photographer and storyteller. He is the founder and President of Compelling Light, a non profit ministry. Kurt works to build relationships while unveiling the complexities of sensitive subjects, provoking self-reflection and focusing on the mysterious collision of love. He earned a BFA in Broadcast Film from SMU in 1974. Kurt married Julie in 1979, they have two grown children and one grandchild.

Some of his award winning films are, Ask: Can Love Survive Addition and Codependency and Normie: The Illusion of Normal. See his interview with Dr. Phil.

Kurt will share his journey from youth pastor to independent filmmaker. This is a compelling story for all who rotate off of church staff and find new avenues to use God given gifts.

Kurt Neale, Independent filmmaker, Founder and President of Compelling Light

Keynote Speakers

Mike Batts
Managing Partner, BMWL

Rob Faulk
Partner, CapinCrouse

Ryan Fitzgerald
Director of Marketing, BELAY

Ally Haefner
Senior Associate Attorney, The Church Lawyers

Jason Hamrock
CEO, Missional Marketing

Kurt Hetherington
President, James Greene and Associates

Wendi Hodges
Senior Attorney, The Church Lawyers

David Lee
Senior Relationship Manager, Thrivent Church Financing

Brad Leeper
Executive Vice-President, Generis Partners

Dave Milam
Vice President of Strategic Design, Visioneering Studios

William Vanderbloemen
CEO & Founder, Vanderbloemen

Bruce Woody
President, HH Architects

Short Rides

  • Warren Bird—SVP of Research and Equipping, ECFA
  • JB Bowling—Vice President, Clark
  • Jenni Catron—Founder, 4Sight Group
  • Matt Davis—President, Pastoral Transitions
  • Dave Hess—Vice President, Financial Planning Ministry

Highlights

XP Leadership and Stewardship with Brad Leeper. Few know more about generosity and church culture than Brad. He and the Generis team were key movers in instigating a “culture of generosity” in the church landscape. Brad earned a Masters in Theology degree from Dallas Seminary and a B.S. in Economics from West Virginia University. He has diverse experience in church risk management, human resources, financial analysis, adult education, cross-cultural missions and strategic planning.

Short Ride with JB Bowling. Listen to a fresh interview on some tough questions with JB and Fletch. JB is the Vice President of Clark and leads the Design & Business Development teams. George and Houston Clark first met JB 25 years ago, while working at his home church. JB went on to work for a few large churches, including Shadow Mountain Community Church as Production Director and Turning Point’s television broadcast. He was the Global Arts Director at LibertyLive.Church, leading the worship, production, and creative teams across three campuses.

Sexual Abuse Risk—Learning from the Mistakes of Others with Kimberlee Norris, JD. As a national leader in sexual abuse crisis management, Kimberlee works non-stop to help ministry organizations navigate child sexual abuse issues. She explains predictable patterns in sexual abuse crises: ministry leaders cannot commit the same errors and expect different outcomes. Kimberlee describes frequent legal obstacles, how ministry leaders are stumbling, and offers guidance to avoid the most common mistakes.

Documents To Die For a Short Ride with Dave Hess. Dave is a 22-year veteran of the United States Air Force, then served as an executive pastor. Now as Vice-President of Consultant Development with Financial Planning Ministry, his role is to help train and manage a team of 40 professionals who provide education on estate planning processes while assisting individuals and families with their specific planning needs.

Busy ≠ Productive: 5 Productivity Hacks To Accomplish More & Juggle Less with Ryan Fitzgerald. Productivity isn’t just about task completion; it’s about optimizing all your resources. If you’re feeling lost or overwhelmed trying to grow your ministry’s impact while keeping up with the demands of church leadership, pastoral care, and your personal life, it may be time for a productivity overhaul. During this keynote, learn how to identify some of your roadblocks and explore strategies that harness—and maximize—productivity for your church. Before becoming the Director of Marketing at BELAY, a modern staffing company, Ryan Fitzgerald worked for North Point Ministries in Atlanta for 15 years. He also helped launch Decatur City Church, North Point’s sixth Atlanta-area location. While there, Ryan built the creative, communications, and operations teams and served as the lead pastor’s chief advisor and strategist.

Breakfast on Healthy Pastor Care with Bill & Kristi Gaultiere. The co-founders of Soul Shepherding will begin a special two-part keynote presentation on the pastoral heart. The Full breakfast is sponsored by Thrivent Church Financing. Thrivent has been serving churches for over 100 years with over 6,000 churches served, and many lessons learned.

Implementing a Church Vision with David Hsu. David is the Senior Pastor of West Houston Christian Church. He received his Master of Theology (Th.M.) and Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary. He joined WHCC as the English pastor in 1993. He was appointed as senior pastor in July 2002. He is married to Cheryl and has two children, Nathan and Hannah.

Why Your Accounting Department May Be the Highest Risk Part of Your Church Right Now and What You Can Do About It with Mike Batts. Mike Batts is the managing partner of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee (BMWL) and has more than 30 years of experience serving nonprofit organizations in a variety of ways. He has served on and chaired the boards of nonprofit organizations—both nationally and locally.  Mike is a member and former chairman of the board of ECFA, an organization that accredits Christian organizations in the areas of board governance and financial integrity. Mike regularly advises nonprofit organizations on matters related to board governance, financial oversight, tax compliance and strategy, risk management, corporate structure, international activities, and other related topics. He has also actively engaged in nonprofit legislative matters at the federal and state levels. Mike has authored several books, his most recent being Nonprofit Finance: The Field Guide for Financial Operations of Ministries, Schools, and Other Public Charities (Accountability Press, 2023). Mike is licensed or authorized to practice as a CPA in multiple states across the U.S.

Short Ride with Warren Bird. Warren is the SVP of Research and Equipping at the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Warren is an award-winning writer and researcher. His background includes pastoring and seminary teaching, and a 13-year run as research director at Leadership Network. Warren has authored or co-authored over 30 books including Hero Maker with Dave Ferguson, How to Break Growth Barriers with Carl George and Unleashing the Word with Max McLean.

The Changing Marketplace of Church Insurance—Trends You Need to Know! by Kurt Hetherington. Huge verdicts from juries, increased construction costs, public adjustors, cultural shifts and a history of four years of the worst catastrophic claims … These are some of the critical causes that has put the insurance market on its head. Your church feels the impact. Be informed and understand how to mitigate, insulate and enhance your risk portfolio. Kurt is the President of James Greene and Associates an agency partner with Brotherhood Mutual, who is a national property and casualty insurance company with a heart for helping Christian ministries thrive. As a leader in the industry, Brotherhood Mutual provides innovative insurance coverage and risk management resources, specifically designed for ministries, to help them operate safely and effectively.

Banking and Budgeting: Key Considerations in an Uncertain Economy with Rob Faulk & David Lee. Join us for a look at the current banking and economic environment and how that may impact church budgets over the next few years, with insight and updates from a CPA and a banker. We’ll discuss practical steps to help you create margin in your church budget for increased interest costs, inflation, pastoral transitions, and other risks that will impact churches of all sizes. Rob serves as Partner and Church and Denomination Services Director at CapinCrouse LLP and David is a Senior Relationship Manager at Thrivent Church Financing.

Legal Cornerstones: The Essentials for All Churches with Wendi Hodges & Ally Haefner. Wendi is a Senior Attorney and Ally a Senior Associate Attorney, both with the Church Lawyers. The firm has been a sponsor of the XP-Seminar for many years and always brings the best in penetrating legal insights. Let’s discover what is essential for all churches!

Architecture and Design with Bruce Woody. Bruce is President & CEO for HH Architects and a frequent speaker on both large and small-scale church/faith-based campus planning projects. Since joining the firm in 1990, he has served as Design Lead or Principal-in-Charge on the vast majority of the firm’s large-scale projects, many of which are award winning. Bruce is best known for his creative problem-solving skills and the passion he has for design, which is evident in each long-standing partnership he has developed through his 33 years with the firm.

Networking Lunch. Use this time to meet new colleagues and network with friends.

The Top 10 List to Enhance Church Communications, Marketing, and AI with Jason Hamrock. These days so much has changed in a church communications department, especially with the deployment of AI, and when any of those issues arise, it disrupts forward momentum and can cause major issues throughout the whole church staff. As CEO of Missional Marketing, Jason guides the vision for how Missional Marketing best serves church partners and strives to help churches digitally to capture attention, engage, educate, and persuade people to take action. He was a Communications Director for 11 years at Central Christian Church of Arizona. He hosts the Missional Marketing podcast, which just passed 100 episodes and has thousands of downloads.

Short Ride with Jenni Catron. Jenni is the founder of The 4Sight Group, a consulting group focused on developing healthy leaders and thriving organizations. Jenni’s 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 has served on the executive leadership teams of Menlo Church in Menlo Park, California and Cross Point Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

Kingdom Outplacement: A New Paradigm In Letting Staff Go with Matt Davis. Many churches fit the profile of onboarding new leaders as being a transparent, elder-run, prayerful deliberation. Unfortunately letting leaders go in many ministry settings can feel obscure, dominated by legal and HR procedure, and we’re all usually left with more questions than clarity. Lessons learned during his own triage experience out of vocational ministry helped build the foundation for the services Pastoral Transitions offers to outgoing leaders. Co-hosting the Life After Ministry podcast, Matt and his wife Marilee talk about best practices in discovering what’s next for outgoing leaders.

From Youth Pastor to Award Winning Filmmaker with Kurt Neale. Kurt is an independent filmmaker, photographer and storyteller. He is the founder and President of Compelling Light, a non profit ministry. Kurt works to build relationships while unveiling the complexities of sensitive subjects, provoking self-reflection and focusing on the mysterious collision of love. He earned a BFA in Broadcast Film from SMU in 1974. Kurt married Julie in 1979, they have two grown children and one grandchild. Some of his award winning films are, Ask: Can Love Survive Addition and Codependency and Normie: The Illusion of Normal. See his interview with Dr. Phil.

Seeing Around the Corner: 2024 Design Trends, Breakfast with Dave Milam. Every year brings a parade of design trends that often create an avalanche of expense requests to upgrade your site. In this short session, Dave will reveal which trends matter and which trends should be ignored. Don’t miss this inspiring breakfast with Dave. He is the Vice President of Strategic Design at Visioneering Studios. Dave stands firmly at the intersection of ministry, design, and visual storytelling. Having served in the church for over 20 years, Dave has a heart for guiding pastors through unique challenges of ministry to awaken the beauty that God has placed within them and their facilities. His writing has been featured in LifeWay, Outreach Magazine, Influence, Christian Standard and other national periodicals.

Soul Shepherding to Get Through the Wall with Bill & Kristi Gaultiere, Co-Founders, Soul Shepherding, which is a ministry to help pastors and churches go deeper with Jesus in emotional health and loving leadership. Bill is a psychologist (Ph.D.), ordained pastor, and spiritual director. Kristi is a marriage and family therapist (Psy.D.) and spiritual director. They co-lead the Soul Shepherding Institute which features four 5-day retreats on Spiritual Formation, Spiritual and Psychological Development, Soul Care Ministry, and Relationally Healthy Leadership and includes an option to earn certificates in spiritual direction and coaching. They have trained over 200 spiritual directors and coaches with over 40 serving on their staff as Sr. Spiritual Directors that offer spiritual direction, leadership coaching, Enneagram coaching, and Sabbatical coaching. They are authors of a number of books, including Journey of the Soul, which was #1 on Amazon in Christian Counseling, Your Best Life in Jesus’ Easy Yoke, and their latest book, Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith.

2024 Church Tech Trends, a Short Ride with Cary Yocum. Pushpay builds world-class giving and engagement solutions to help organizations grow their communities. We deliver a donor management system, including donor tools, finance tools and a custom community app, to help the faith sector connect with their congregation. Pushpay acquired Church Community Builder, the industry-leading church management software. Together, they serve more than 10,000 customers.

The Future of Theological Education with Dr. David Hogg. David is the President of Phoenix Seminary. He taught at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Beeson Divinity School, where he also served as the Academic Dean. David has also served as a visiting professor at Biblický Teologický Semináři in the Czech Republic. As one of a few conservative evangelicals in medieval theology and history, his work has been published by, among others, Oxford University Press, NYU Press and Crossway. David was an Associate Pastor and then Senior Pastor over an 11-year period.

Be The Unicorn with William Vanderbloemen. William started Vanderbloemen because he understands that when your team isn’t whole it disrupts your mission. He has written: Next: Pastoral Succession That Works, Search: The Pastor Search Committee Handbook, Culture Wins: The Roadmap to an Irresistible Workplace and his latest blockbuster Be the Unicorn (2023).

6 Workshop Sessions

Platinum Sponsors

We want to thank Generis for their twentieth 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. 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 fourteenth year as a sponsor, we welcome HH Architects. For 51 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 fourteenth year, we welcome Middlebrook | Group, 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 thirteenth 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. For over 50 years, the firm has served churches and denominations, domestic and international outreach organizations, universities and seminaries, foundations, media ministries, rescue missions, 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.

We welcome for the ninth year, Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company. Brotherhood Mutual is a national property and casualty insurance company with a heart for helping Christian ministries thrive. As a leader in the industry, Brotherhood Mutual provides innovative insurance coverage and risk management resources, specifically designed for ministries, to help them operate safely and effectively. The company looks toward the future, working with and anticipating the unique needs of more than 65,000 churches, Christian schools, colleges, camps, missions, non-profits, and related ministries. Additionally, Brotherhood Mutual provides access to payroll and tax filing services, employee health benefits, commercial auto insurance, worker’s compensation insurance, and mission travel insurance.

We welcome for the eighth year, Batts Morrison Wales & Lee. Batts Morrison Wales & Lee (BMWL) is a national CPA firm exclusively serving churches, ministries, and other nonprofit organizations through audit & assurance, tax, and strategic advisory services. BMWL understands that you want to protect the financial health and reputation of your church. Their service model is built around that very idea. BMWL will help your church protect your mission, maintain strong donor trust and confidence, produce highly effective financial reports, strategically budget for improved financial condition, improve overall risk management, maximize tax exemption, protect your exempt status, provide board member governance orientation and training, simplify your financial administration, and be better informed. Please visit nonprofitcpa.com to learn more.

For the seventh 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 seventh 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 sixth year, we welcome Thrivent Church Financing. For more than 115 years, Thrivent Church Financing has provided ministries with flexible financing solutions coupled with dedicated service. In our history, we have helped over 6,000 Christian churches achieve their missions, grow their ministries and meet their financial stewardship through mortgage loans for refinancing, new construction, renovation or capital improvement. Thrivent Church Financing is part of Thrivent, a membership-owned fraternal benefit society of Christians and a holistic financial services organization that helps guide individuals, churches and non-profits to make the most of all God has given them. Known for our financial strength and stability, as well as our approach to helping Christians connect their financial decisions with their faith, Thrivent blends faith, finances and generosity to improve lives and build stronger families and communities.

We welcome Missional Marketing for the fifth year. Missional Marketing is a church-focused agency that brings a variety of communications solutions. Our ultimate goal is to help every church we partner with bring people to the church so they may hear the Good News. The strategy we use is to leverage content to capture attention, engage, educate, and persuade people to take action. The solutions we bring revolve around offering: Communications consulting and outsourcing (yes, we get hired to be your Communications Director); Communications Project Management; Social Media strategy and management; Digital advertising with Google, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube; Website building and SEO for websites, Local (your church building), and YouTube; Leveraging the content that you create and the content we have created; Implement our sermon flywheel to connect with more people.

For the fourth year, we welcome BELAY, the incredible organization revolutionizing productivity with their virtual assistant, bookkeeping and social media manager for growing churches. Their first client was a pastor, so their ministry-minded, servant-hearted team knows how to help busy pastors and their growing churches with modern staffing that grows their teams without having to do everything on their own. Get the right help for your church so you can focus on your Kingdom work—and let BELAY handle the rest.

Gold Sponsors

For the thirteenth 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 tenth year, we welcome the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. With its mission of Enhancing Trust, ECFA now accredits over 2,700 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 churchexcel.org.

For the sixth year, we welcome Pushpay. Pushpay builds world-class giving and engagement solutions to help organizations grow their communities. We deliver a donor management system, including donor tools, finance tools and a custom community app, to help the faith sector connect with their congregation. Pushpay recently acquired Church Community Builder, the industry-leading church management software. Together, they serve more than 10,000 customers.

We welcome Financial Planning Ministry for the fourth year. FPM is a trusted name in estate planning and strategic planned giving. Since 1982 more than 47,000 families and individuals have benefitted from their unique ministry efforts. They provide turnkey solutions for planned giving to over 160 ministry partners across the country. Through the promotion of Christ-centered stewardship and estate planning, millions of dollars have been saved from probate while directing over $2.5 billion to Christian charities worldwide.

For the second year, we are excited to welcome The 4Sight Group. 4Sight is committed to and passionate about cultivating healthy leaders to lead thriving organizations. Their mission is to come alongside you and your team to provide the tools and resources you need to accomplish your purpose with clarity and confidence. Culture matters and The 4Sight Group brings the culture conversation to a practical level while providing a pathway and process to help leaders and their teams succeed together. 4Sight will provide you with their proven LeadCulture framework to take your leadership and the culture of your organization to the next level.

For the first year, we welcome Soul Shepherding. They equip pastors and leaders to thrive with Jesus in life and leadership. Their in-depth training and practical tools for soul care and ministry will help you grow in intimacy with Jesus, emotional health, and loving relationships with people you care for and lead.

For the first year, we welcome Pastoral Transitions. When a church faces the difficult decision to let a pastor or ministry leader go, the risk of hurt and misunderstanding can escalate significantly. Pastoral Transitions serves ministry leadership by offering compassionate care for departing leaders and their families. They provide a comprehensive roadmap to navigate ministry terminations and transitions gracefully, focusing on career guidance, coaching, and counseling. Their mission is to help outgoing leaders find their next path, upholding the church’s core mission to multiply unity, not divide, even in times of change.

Silver Sponsors

We welcome GuideStone as a sponsor for the eighteenth year. Guidestone® is one of the leading providers of retirement, property and casualty, 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 financial security of those they serve—which today includes more than 200,000 individuals and 36,000 churches, mission-sending agencies, hospitals, educational institutions and related ministries across the globe.

For the eleventh year, we welcome Slingshot Group. Slingshot Group builds remarkable teams through staffing and coaching. Founded in 2007, Slingshot’s team of ministry practitioners is what sets them apart. Every one of Slingshot Group’s 60+ nationwide associates has ministry experience. They know exactly what it takes to hire and develop great staff for the local church and ministry-minded nonprofits.

We welcome for the seventh year Portable Church®. For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. We design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church—an experiential worship space, engaging kids ministry areas, inviting welcome spaces, timesaving storage cases, etc.—all in a system refined to make it fast and easy for the weekly volunteer teams.

We welcome Cass Bank for the sixth year. The Word says, Where there is no counsel, the people fall. But in the multitude of counselors there is safety (Proverbs 11:14). Cass Bank provides counsel to churches and ministries nationwide in the realm of financing and day-to-day banking needs. Our Kingdom-oriented services also include ministry credit cards, an online generosity platform called TouchPoint Giving and a best-in-class church management software solution called Touchpoint. At Cass, our great desire is to help churches thrive through sound counsel and tailored financial solutions in a highly relational context.

Media Sponsor

We welcome Christianity Today’s ChurchLaw&Tax for the eleventh year. ChurchLaw&Tax, founded in the late 1980s by attorney Richard Hammar and James Cobble, publishes award-winning print and digital content, plus provides webinars, training, and a podcast that help church leaders lead their ministries with confidence. Hammar, ChurchLaw&Tax’s senior editor, is a Harvard Law School graduate, CPA, and author of more than 100 books (including the annual Church & Clergy Tax Guide; Pastor, Church & Law, Fifth Edition; and Church Governance). He is joined by Matthew Branaugh, who has served as ChurchLaw&Tax’s content editor since 2008 and became an attorney in 2020. ChurchLaw&Tax is also led by an esteemed group of senior editorial advisors, including CPA Michael Batts, attorney and CPA Frank Sommerville, attorney Erika Cole, and CPAs Elaine Sommerville and Vonna Laue, as well as several distinguished advisors-at-large, including attorneys Sally Wagenmaker and Theresa Sidebotham, executive pastors Nicholas Smith and Tim Samuel, and XPastor’s founder, David Fletcher.

“A wild herd of wolves and other critters could not keep us from partnering with the XP-Seminar!”

Brad Leeper, President, Generis

Workshops

4 Unexpected Trust-Building Behaviors of Extraordinary Teams

In today’s volatile workplace, how do you attract and retain a great team? While creating a great team culture often feels elusive and frustrating, Culture Consultant Jenni Catron has found that a lack of trust is often at the heart of culture erosion. The good news is that there are some simple things we can do as leaders to begin rebuilding that trust or reinforcing it before it erodes. In this talk, Jenni addresses those behaviors and gives you suggestions to foster trust that builds healthy teams.

Jenni Catron is a leadership coach, author and speaker. Her passion is to cultivate healthy leaders to lead thriving organizations. She speaks at conferences and events nationwide, seeking to help leaders develop the clarity and confidence to lead well. As Founder and CEO of The 4Sight Group, she consults organizations on leadership, team culture and organizational health. With over 20 years experience in corporate and non-profit organizations, Jenni has a passion for helping leaders “put feet to their vision”.

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. Jenni can be found on social media at @jennicatron and at get4sight.com.

Jenni Catron, Founder and CEO, The 4Sight Group

5 Building Barriers that Kill Church Growth

Have you ever wondered why people may or may not be attending your church? It could easily be that your building is full of barriers killing the ability of your church to maximize growth. In this breakout, you will learn how to break through those barriers and discover creative ways to build bridges for more people to find community.

With over 20 years of experience serving rural to mega-churches, Nathan understands the struggles facing churches today. He has an extensive background in creative arts as well as executive pastoral leadership. As the Director of Strategic Design at Visioneering Studios, Nathan serves churches across the country, helping them bridge the gap between ministry and building design.

Nathan Elder, Director of Strategic Design, Visioneering Studios

Basics of Church Financing (in a Higher Rate Environment)

Navigating church financing can be a challenge. This is especially true when construction costs and interest rates are high. Come discover how lenders are assessing these factors as part of the underwriting process.

Chris Lewis is a Senior Relationship Manager at Thrivent Church Financing. Born in Brazil, where his parents served as missionaries, Chris 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 Lewis, Senior Relationship Manager, Thrivent Church Financing

David Lee is a Senior Relationship Manager at Thrivent Church Financing. David has over 30 years of banking experience in serving non-profit ministries (churches, Christian schools and parachurch ministries) with a focus on financing and treasury services. He’s served 25 years on pastoral staff at churches as well as on boards of non-profit organizations, seeing the unique challenges and needs of balancing ministry and business. Prior to joining Thrivent, he served 5 years as Director with Bank of the West in their Religious Institution Lending Division and 25 years with Evangelical Christian Credit Union in their Ministry Lending Division.

David Lee, Senior Relationship Manager, Thrivent Church Financing

Be the Unicorn: 12 Data Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest

William will talk with you about aspects of Be the Unicorn. It is a fascinating book and Fletch has reviewed it on Amazon: William Vanderbloemen’s latest book, Be the Unicorn: Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest, is a goldmine of information. He gets right at what the best leaders do and how they think. With a plethora of examples from business, non-profits and church life, he illustrates twelve traits and habits.

William Vanderbloemen was a pastor for 15 years and is now CEO & Founder of Vanderbloemen, an executive search firm. William started Vanderbloemen because he understands that when your team isn’t whole it disrupts your mission. He has combined his 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 to complete your team. Vanderbloemen has staffed over 2,500 missions of faith.

William is the author of Next: Pastoral Succession That Works, Search: The Pastoral Search Committee Handbook, and Culture Wins: The Roadmap to an Irresistible Workplace. He is also a regular contributor to several major publications including Forbes where he covers topics about having a strong faith and building a business, Fortune, and Outreach Magazine. He has also been published through Fast Company, Entrepreneur, and Inc.

William Vanderbloemen, CEO & Founder, Vanderbloemen

Brace Yourself: How to Address the Shifting Church Giving Demographics for 2024

Brad always brings the latest and visionary thoughts about your financial future. Giving demographics are always changing and you need to stay on top of them. The pivotal question that you want to ask yourself is, “What should we do now to ensure healthy church finances for 2024?” As the title says, brace yourself for what you will hear in the workshop, changing church giving demographics and the emerging economy.

Brad Leeper is the Executive Vice-President of Generis Partners. His unique approach allows him to serve larger and growing churches with significant funding requirements. Brad has a strong understanding of the multisite church strategy and other pioneering church movements. He is drawn to larger, innovative, growing churches and the challenges of helping them expand in the area of generosity practically and spiritually.

Brad Leeper, Executive Vice-President, Generis Partners

Building the Foundation: Structuring a Production Department

We will explore the essential elements of establishing a robust production department within the context of a local church. The production department is pivotal in enhancing worship experiences, congregational engagement, and outreach efforts. We’ll delve into the core principles of structuring this department, including team roles, equipment, and workflow. We’ll also discuss the significance of a flexible and adaptable structure catering to the diverse needs of your production team. Join us as we uncover the key strategies for leading your team well.

JB Bowling is Vice President at Clark. He leads the Design & Business Development teams at Clark. JB has a background in church production and leadership. George and Houston Clark first met JB over 25 years ago, while working at his home church. JB went on to work for a few large churches, including Shadow Mountain Community Church, where he was the Production Director, overseeing the in-house production needs for Turning Point’s television broadcast. He was most recently the Global Arts Director at LibertyLive.Church, where he led the worship, production, and creative teams across three campuses. JB also has an established career in freelance audio.

JB Bowling, Vice President, Clark

ChurchLaw&Tax Roundtable Forum
Invitation only

Christianity Today’s ChurchLaw&Tax again joins the XP-Seminar for a series of invitation-only roundtable forums with executive pastors and business administrators. The forums spur great conversations regarding legal, tax, financial, and risk management issues confronting churches in 2023, and help identify topic ideas and trends for ChurchLaw&Tax to cover in the future. The forums also offer networking and fellowship among the participants, including helpful tips and ideas for solving ministry-related problems.

Attorney Matthew Branaugh is editor of Christianity Today’s ChurchLaw&Tax.com, an award-winning website devoted to helping pastors and church leaders with their legal, tax, financial, and risk management needs.

Matthew Branaugh, attorney and editor of Christianity Today’s ChurchLaw&Tax

Church Finance 101

In this session, we will discuss the essentials for overseeing and managing the finances of a healthy church. Our discussion will include measurements for church financial health, sound budgeting practices, managing debt, and strategies for improving your church’s financial health. Attendees will receive copies of Mike Batts’s Amazon best-selling books, Church Finance and Nonprofit Financial Oversight.

Danny Johnson is a partner and the assistant national director of quality assurance for BMWL. Danny manages and personally oversees multiple audits, including our largest and most complex client engagements. Danny is a contributing author of BMWL’s Nonprofit Feature Articles and Special Alerts, which provide news related to current developments and perspective on issues impacting nonprofits and their leaders. He has been a conference speaker on nonprofit accounting and auditing issues at both the local and national levels.

Danny Johnson, Partner and Assistant National Director of Quality Assurance, Batts, Morrison, Wales & Lee

Steve Cardwell is a senior manager for BMWL. As a senior manager, Steve serves as a supervisor or in‐charge auditor on numerous engagements. Steve is a contributing author of BMWL’s Nonprofit Feature Articles and Special Alerts, which provide news related to current developments and perspective on issues impacting nonprofits and their leaders. He has been a conference speaker on nonprofit accounting and auditing issues at both the local and national levels.

Steve Cardwell, Senior Manager, Batts, Morrison, Wales & Lee

Church Tax & Regulatory Update—Big Things that Need to be on Your Radar

Get the latest federal and state tax and regulatory updates for churches, including key changes, implications, and matters that could impact your ministry. In this session, Mike Batts will provide important updates in his well-known briefing format.

Mike Batts is the managing partner of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee (BMWL) and has more than 30 years of experience serving nonprofit organizations in a variety of ways. He has served on and chaired the boards of nonprofit organizations—both nationally and locally. Mike is a member and former chairman of the board of ECFA, an organization that accredits Christian organizations in the areas of board governance and financial integrity. Mike regularly advises nonprofit organizations on matters related to board governance, financial oversight, tax compliance and strategy, risk management, corporate structure, international activities, and other related topics. He has also actively engaged in nonprofit legislative matters at the federal and state levels. Mike has authored several books, his most recent being Nonprofit Finance: The Field Guide for Financial Operations of Ministries, Schools, and Other Public Charities (Accountability Press, 2023). Mike is licensed or authorized to practice as a CPA in multiple states across the U.S.

Mike Batts, Managing Partner, Batts Morrison Wales & Lee

Creating a Successful Project: 7 Common Mistakes Churches Make When Planning Facilities

This session will provide key tips involved with planning church facilities and discussions on avoiding 7 common mistakes made when planning. We will explore the importance of understanding the design process/role of decision makers, creating a vision to promote the project, trends in buildings, significance of various unique spaces, and other building design items to consider.

Bruce Woody is President & CEO for HH Architects and a frequent speaker on both large and small-scale church/faith-based campus planning projects. Since joining the firm in 1990, he has served as Design Lead or Principal-in-Charge on the vast majority of the firm’s large-scale projects, many of which are award winning. Bruce is best known for his creative problem-solving skills and the passion he has for design, which is evident in each long-standing partnership he has developed through his 33 years with the firm. He currently serves on the boards of Sunny Glen Children’s Home and the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design Dean’s Advisory Council. He is an active member of Texas Society of Architects, American Institute of Architects Dallas Chapter, and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.

Bruce Woody, President & CEO, HH Architects

Delegate to Elevate: How Learning to Let Go Can Expand Your Impact and Help You Avoid Burnout

As Executive Pastors, it’s easy to become the “catch-all” of every miscellaneous project, last-minute crisis, or new initiative in your church. It’s tempting to feel like you have to be your team’s own personal superhero—handling everything on your own. But that’s no way to work, or live, and it’s a recipe for burnout.

As a leader, unlocking the power of effective delegation, it will not only transform your life, but it will transform your organization. Because sometimes the secret to getting more done is actually all about doing less.

Before becoming the Director of Marketing at BELAY, a modern staffing company, Ryan Fitzgerald worked for North Point Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia, for nearly 15 years. After six years advising and developing pastors around the world, he helped launch Decatur City Church, North Point’s sixth Atlanta-area location. While there, Ryan built the creative, communications, and operations teams and served as the lead pastor’s chief advisor and strategist. His experience at North Point has positioned him perfectly to help churches find the modern staffing solutions that help them go further faster with BELAY.

Ryan Fitzgerald, Director of Marketing, BELAY

As a Solutions Consultant at BELAY, Shelby Carr brings her background as an educator and nonprofit advocate to the table. She specializes in helping church leaders optimize their time through BELAY’s virtual staffing services. Married for six years to her husband Dave Carr, a pastor at 12Stone Church, Shelby is actively involved in student ministry alongside him. Shelby has a passion for others and loves to assist leaders as they climb higher toward their personal and professional goals.

Shelby Carr, Solutions Consultant, BELAY

A Field Guide for Commercial Development for Your Site

For years you’ve imagined that irresistible coffee hot-spot on the corner of your property that lures the community to your campus and increases the bottom line. But you’re not sure how to pull that off without losing your focus, your non-profit status, or your mind. In this workshop, Dave Milam, Vice President of Strategic Design of Visioneering Studios, will walk you through the nuts and bolts of commercially developing your site while protecting your mission.

Dave Milam is the Vice President of Strategic Design at Visioneering Studios. He stands firmly at the intersection of ministry, design, and visual storytelling. Dave served in the church for over 20 years. Dave has a heart for guiding pastors through unique challenges of ministry to awaken the beauty that God has placed within them and their facilities. His writing has been featured in LifeWay, Outreach Magazine, Influence, Christian Standard and other national periodicals.

Dave Milam, Vice President of Strategic Design, Visioneering Studios

Financial Fraud—A Banking Perspective

Cybercrime is more sophisticated than ever. Consider email compromise and takeover; check fraud of all types; credit card compromise. All have seen a dramatic increase in recent years. Now, the bad guys are even utilizing Artificial Intelligence to gain unprecedented access to your information. What can be done from a banking perspective to protect your organization from these threats? Join us for this workshop to learn more about financial fraud and how to protect yourself.

Steve Hron is a Vice President in the Faith and Ministry Financial Services division of Cass Commercial Bank. He has been serving churches, schools, and other nonprofits on a national basis for over 30 years. Cass Commercial Bank is headquartered in St. Louis. Steve offices out of the bank’s Colorado Springs location.

Steve Hron, Vice President in the Faith and Ministry Financial Services, Cass Commercial Bank

Vanessa has been with Cass Bank for 25 years and has extensive experience behind the scenes in bank operations. Her perspective will be enlightening with examples and best practice suggestions. Vanessa passionately serves the Church and Ministry community, providing counsel every day to those serving in a financial ministry capacity.

Vanessa McKinnis, Manager, Treasury Sales & Services, A.V.P., Cass Bank

Hiring and Firing

In this workshop we’ll discuss:

  • The values that help create an award winning staff team.
  • The keys to a successful hiring process.
  • How to ensure protection of your culture with your next hire.
  • How to best execute the critical reference calls.
  • The process of evaluation and coaching.
  • How to coach someone off of your team.
  • The keys to knowing the different types of firing.

A coach and developer at heart, Eric felt the call into ministry when he was in college and had the desire to use his gifts and abilities in God’s church. Having worked in ministry for over 35 years, Eric has been blessed with working as a youth pastor, adult ministries pastor, small groups pastor, associate pastor, worship pastor, men’s pastor, and sports pastor throughout those years—which has led him to his now-role of Executive Pastor at Rolling Hills Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee. Named #24 in Outreach 100’s fastest growing churches for 2023, the role is challenging, yet very rewarding as more and more people come to know Jesus and are changed by Him. In addition to working in the local church, Eric loves serving the church at large through speaking, consulting and writing. His bi-weekly blog, Essential Godly Leadership, encourages and coaches all Christ-following leaders.

When he’s not working, you can likely find Eric spending time doing two things: being with his family or watching baseball! Originally from the Chicago area, he’s a dedicated (crazed you might say) Chicago Cubs baseball fan – and he was overjoyed when they won the World Series in 2016! He has been married to his wife, Rachel, for over 30 years and is a father to Luke (& his wife, Megan), Adam (& his wife, Sierra), and Chloe (& her husband Jacob). Rachel and Eric are also Mimi and Pops to 4 grandchildren. More can be found at erictoddrojas.com and essentialGodlyleadership.com.

Eric Rojas, Executive Pastor, Rolling Hills Community Church

How to Create a Strategy-Driven Budget

Effective budgeting is an ongoing process. Churches face a changing economic environment as well as shifting challenges, opportunities, and priorities. That means making sure your budget is aligned with your church’s strategic plan. We’ll examine how budget management is evolving. We’ll also discuss ways to assess and respond to current and coming realities and use practical strategies to set priorities and prepare for what’s ahead.

Rob Faulk serves as Partner and Church and Denomination Services Director at CapinCrouse LLP, a national CPA and consulting firm exclusively serving churches and other nonprofit entities. Rob has more than 40 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 serves some of the largest churches in the United States as well as colleges, universities and seminaries, rescue missions, and other nonprofits. Rob holds an MA in Ministry Management from Azusa Pacific University Graduate School of Theology and is a frequent conference speaker and author of articles on nonprofit financial matters.

Rob Faulk, Partner and Church and Denomination Services Director, CapinCrouse

How to Keep Staff in a Culture of Quitting

Do you ever feel like your team is one resignation away from disaster? Statistically, nearly 50% of pastoral leaders have considered quitting in the past year. We are facing a season where your top leaders could be looking outside of your church to fulfill their calling, and our greatest asset is our enduring team. How do you proactively spend more time quit-proofing your staff and less energy on open positions?

For over 20 years, Matt has served in local churches in roles ranging from Worship/Creative Arts Pastor, Executive Pastor, and Lead Pastor. After working in the marketplace, Matt began vocational ministry in church leadership with a natural passion for focusing every effort of the church on the Great Commission with intentional leadership, careful shepherding, and effective strategic planning. Most recently, Matt served as the Executive Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. Before his role as XP, he launched and was the Lead Pastor for Willow Creek’s South Lake Campus and the Executive Pastor for Willow Creek’s North Shore campus. In addition, he has coached many churches and nonprofits across multiple denominations, both in the US and abroad. These combine to give Matt a broad experience base that he loves to utilize to help individuals and churches find their sweet spot between the way God created them and the work He is calling them to do (Eph. 2:10). He relishes every opportunity to help build remarkable teams that move churches forward. Matt brings all this passion, excitement, and experience to his role as Vice President of Slingshot’s Senior Leadership division. This world-class team serves churches across the country in all areas of senior leadership, including Lead Pastors, Executives, Campus Pastors, Teaching Pastors, Discipleship Pastors, and more.

Matt Wright, VP Senior Leadership, Slingshot Group

How To Start a Coaching Ministry in Your Church

During this workshop you will learn how the practice of coaching can add additional resources to your church’s discipleship ministry. Topics include the following: detailed explanation of coaching; the steps to launching a coaching ministry; and the recommended resources to support the ministry. Also, you will be introduced to Real Coaching Success which is an organization dedicated to encouraging and equipping coaches. Led by Dr. Nathan Baxter, Founder of LeadSelfLeadOthers and RealCoachingSuccess.

All participants will receive a free copy of Real Coaching Success by Nathan and Dianne Baxter.

Dr. Baxter has been coaching leaders for over 30 years—as a youth pastor, Executive Pastor, Senior Pastor, and, for the past twelve years as a coach and founder of Lead Self Lead Others and Real Coaching Success. Nathan and his wife Dianne have successfully coached over 3,500 leaders, issued over two thousand Birkman® assessments and 360 performance evaluations, and designed and conducted hundreds of individual, church, and corporate surveys.  www.RealCoachingSuccess.com Nathan earned a M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from Dallas Theological Seminary. He served for 28 years as a Youth Pastor, Senior Pastor, and Executive Pastor.

Dr. Nathan Baxter, Founder of LeadSelfLeadOthers.com and RealCoachingSuccess.com

How to Successfully Build a Communications Team Using Outside Help

When your communications team is in disarray or you do not have a clear and structured communications strategy, everybody feels that pain. In this workshop, we will unpack a helpful approach to building a communications team that is aligned with your church goals without being overwhelmed or frustrated. We will share real examples of what other churches, large and small, have done to shore up their communications team to thrive, stay healthy, and be successful. You will walk away with a strategy you can implement.

Jason is the CEO of Missional Marketing. Jason guides the vision for how Missional Marketing can best serve their church partners as they strive to help churches digitally capture attention, engage, educate, and persuade people to take action. He leads their coaching team and has met with and consulted hundreds of churches all over the country. He was a Communications Director for 11 years at Central Christian Church of Arizona. He speaks at conferences throughout the year and hosts the Missional Marketing podcast, which just passed 100 episodes and has thousands of downloads. He joined Missional Marketing in 2015 and was named CEO in July 2017.

Jason Hamrock, CEO, Missional Marketing

How Would Givers Rate Your Church on Trust–and How Could ECFA Help Increase It?

“In the twenty-first century, trust has become the world’s most precious resource,” one business writer observes. If so, how would your church rate on various trust standards, especially with its givers? What are the trends on trust building (and trust diminishing) that you need to be aware of, especially with younger generations? The mission of ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) is “enhancing trust,” and Warren Bird, their Senior Vice President of Research and Equipping, will help you identify specific ways to assess how well you’re doing, and where you might improve.

Warren Bird is the SVP of Research and Equipping at the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Warren is an award-winning writer and researcher. His background includes pastoring and seminary teaching, and a 13-year run as research director at Leadership Network. Warren has authored or co-authored more than 30 books including Hero Maker with Dave Ferguson, How to Break Growth Barriers with Carl George and Unleashing the Word with Max McLean.

Warren Bird, SVP of Research and Equipping, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability

Leveraging Google and AI to Facilitate Better Communications and Church Growth

Your church is on a mission to make and grow disciples. In this workshop, we will provide a practical flywheel strategy for how you can leverage Google and the power of AI to reach more people in your community resulting in more disciples and a growing church.

Bart is the Lead Coach with Missional Marketing.

Bart Blair, Lead Coach, Missional Marketing

Measuring Church Engagement: Metrics that Matter

The church is evolving, and so is the way we measure engagement. Understand what metrics truly matter in assessing the vitality of your church and learn about practical ways to enhance your church’s health. Explore how the metrics you measure—such as attendance, giving, serving, app activity, and more— can not only help determine the health of your church, but can surface outreach opportunities and foster meaningful connections with your congregation.

Over the past 15 years Cary Yocum has been helping organizations build a complete and scalable customer journey to support growth. After 5 years as a Youth Pastor and 25 years as a worship pastor, Cary knows exactly what you’re going through. And as Pushpay’s VP of Sales, he knows how to guide growth for ministries at any stage.

Cary Yocum, VP of Sales, Pushpay

Merging Visions: Legal Strategies for Church Growth

Church growth can take a lot of different forms, but one form we are seeing more and more of is growth through Church Mergers. As Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird said in their book, Better Together, “mergers are another example of God doing a ‘new thing’ (Isa. 43:19), helping existing congregations to reach new levels of unity, maturity, and fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13).” Join us as we discuss strategies for Church mergers, questions to consider in evaluating a potential merger, and common roadblocks to successful mergers
.

Ally Haefner is an associate attorney at Middlebrook | Group, PLLC.  Before joining our firm, Ally’s main practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, including negotiating, drafting, and reviewing transaction contracts. In addition, Ally assisted clients with forming new businesses, advised employment-related matters, and drafted contracts for employment, statements of work, and service agreements. Ally also assisted clients with civil litigation matters, including drafting court pleadings and drafting and responding to discovery.

Before becoming an attorney, Ally worked in student ministries for a church in Arkansas overseeing adult volunteers, coordinating small groups, and planning retreat weekends. With this experience layered under her legal experience, Ally brings a unique understanding to assist our clients’ needs and challenges.

Ally Haefner, Senior Associate Attorney, The Church Lawyers

Wendi Hodges practices in a wide variety of areas, but focuses primarily on those of corporate, transactional, and nonprofit law. Wendi works with many organizations across the country and internationally, assisting with the incorporation process in multiple jurisdictions. She regularly assists clients in various commercial real estate matters, such as drafting conveyance deeds, loan documents, and negotiating commercial lease agreements. Wendi also has experience in employment law, drafting employee handbooks, at-will employment, and separation agreements. She has counseled a wide variety of for-profit and nonprofit entities and tax-exempt organizations, including public charities, private schools, churches, and religious organizations.

Wendi Hodges, Senior Attorney, The Church Lawyers

Minimizing Aftershocks: Understanding the True Cost of Poor Pastoral Transitions

Letting go of anyone on staff is likely one of the hardest parts of any XP’s job. Most of us would rather sit through a four hour budget review with the elders than to navigate a bad staff transition. Add in difficult circumstances surrounding this transition and you have the recipe for devastation in your community. The good news is: it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, as the body of Christ, we should do this differently—better. This workshop will help you understand not just the financial costs associated with poor pastoral transitions, but the fallout that takes place on the spiritual, emotional, and communal fronts. You’ll leave with a tactical roadmap for doing transitions better and strategies for best possible outcomes.

Matt Davis is the President of Pastoral Transitions. He served as a Teaching and Executive Pastor for more than two decades in Orange County, California. After going through his own pastoral transition out of ministry, Matt learned the difficulty of this season. He helped start Pastoral Transitions, a ministry committed to helping ministry leaders navigate pastoral transitions with grace. He also launched a nonprofit called The Jewish Road with his dad, where they help Christians make sense of the roots of their faith and help the Jewish people make sense of Jesus. Matt is thankful for the opportunity to help others tell their story—something that has been so instrumental in his own life journey. He is grateful to be doing life with his wife of more than 20 years, Marilee, and their amazing three teenagers, Noah, Jed, and Karis. They now live in Lexington, Kentucky, where they are surrounded by horses, beauty, and a connected community.

Matt Davis, President, Pastoral Transitions

The Ministry Marathon: Enduring the Grind, Avoiding Burnout and Finishing Well

The number of pastors exiting the ministry is staggering. Jesus said that the harvest is ready but the laborers are few and since the pandemic, more pastors than ever are exiting the harvest field. Too many pastors and ministry leaders are weary, hurting, lonely, and on their way to burn out. Ministry is exhausting but is there anything we can do to help prepare ourselves to endure and finish well? In this breakout we will discuss enduring the ministry marathon and finishing our race well.

Will Klotz serves as a Senior Client Relations Manager on the Client Relations Team at Vanderbloemen. Prior to joining Vanderbloemen, Will served as a church planter and lead pastor in the Washington DC area. Will also worked in business development in the energy industry earlier in his career. On the side, Will and his family started and ran a local BBQ company called Pastor’s Pig BBQ. Will grew up in Northern Virginia and holds a Masters of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary. Will, his wife Chelsea, and their 4 kids Caleb, Emilee, Anna, and Ava, live in the Houston area. They enjoy working out and exploring nature together. Will is especially passionate about helping churches and nonprofits build their teams and more effectively carry out their mission.

Will Klotz, Senior Client Relations Manager, Vanderbloemen

The Paces, the Faces, and the Places: Launching New Expressions of Your Church

Starting with the bottom line: The numbers of the unchurched living next to your church members are relentless and staggering! The Kingdom depends on your church to multiply! As a decision-maker, your church depends on you to be able to make well-informed decisions on strategy.

Putting your church through the paces—is it healthy enough to stand the rigors of launching new expressions of itself in new communities?

Because of your specific Kingdom-minded culture, DNA, and branding, what model might be best for you to launch with?

Do you know the places where each new expression in each new community would give you the best shot at success?

In this session you will go away confident about:

  • 5 Marks that your church is ready to launch new expressions of itself into new communities
  • 5 Models that your church might embrace to launch new campuses (multisite or plants)
  • 5 Places you can launch in any community leveraging now and next!

Jeffrey Beachum, in his role with Portable Church Industries as the Multiplication Specialist, comes alongside church leaders who are engaged in launching new expressions of their church (plants and multisites) in new communities and neighborhoods. His primary purpose is to help decision makers in the church determine strategies for choosing new communities, appropriate property and facilities, preparing a timeline for launching, and developing a balanced affordable portfolio of real estate. Jeff has been married to Aleta for 37+ years and enjoys hanging out with their 3 adult children, their spouses, and their grand-twins … and  of course Parker, their English Cream Golden Retriever!

Jeffrey Beachum, Church Multiplication Specialist, Portable Church® Industries

Planned Giving–The Missing Piece of Church Funding

As church leaders and pastors, we’ve all dealt with budget battles, fiscal fallouts, and donor downtrends. Too often we are forced to lean on weekly tithes, special offerings, and capital campaigns to meet the goals and vision of our church leadership. According to leading financial publications, approximately $84 trillion will transfer from Baby Boomers to Gen X and Millennials over the next 12 years. Planned giving offers the church an opportunity to tap into these resources to provide Kingdom funding for the future. Are you prepared to leverage this opportunity?

Dave Hess is a 22-year veteran of the United States Air Force. Following his retirement from the Air Force, Dave served two different congregations over a 12-year period as pastor of education, pastor of worship, and executive pastor.

For the past eleven years Dave has served with Financial Planning Ministry. As Vice President of Training & Development, his role is to assist in the training and management of a team of 40 professionals who provide education on estate planning processes while assisting individuals and families with their specific planning needs.

Dave Hess, Vice President of Training & Development, Financial Planning Ministry

Practical Steps to Protect Your Church Against Fraud

All organizations, including churches, are at risk for fraud. Fortunately, there are practical steps you can take to reduce that risk at your church. Learn about current fraud issues affecting churches, including adjustments you may need to make in response to changes in your operational environment, plus how to identify areas in your church that may be susceptible to fraud and apply best practices to reduce your risk.

Ken Tan serves as a Partner at CapinCrouse LLP, a national CPA and consulting firm exclusively serving churches and other nonprofit entities. Ken has more than 14 years of public accounting and large nonprofit experience, providing both advisory and assurance services to various nonprofit entities, churches, and mission organizations. Prior to joining the firm, he managed the audits of public Fortune 100 and private multi-billion-dollar companies for a Big 4 accounting firm, provided advisory and strategic planning for churches, nonprofits, and small to medium-sized businesses, and served as the controller and corporate officer for a large faith-based multi-national mission agency.

Ken Tan, Partner, CapinCrouse LLP

Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in Ministry

Child sexual abuse risk is not intuitive. In this session, Greg addresses common errors and misconceptions that lead to sexual abuse risk, followed by an overview of the abuser’s grooming process and common grooming behaviors. The session concludes with a description of the MinistrySafe 5-Part Safety System (Sexual Abuse Awareness Training, Skillful Screening Processes, Appropriate Criminal Background Checks, Tailored Policies and Procedures, and Monitoring and Oversight) and how to access Safety System resources.

Gregory Love and Kimberlee Norris have a nationwide sexual abuse litigation practice representing victims of sexual abuse throughout the country. In addition, Love & Norris provide consulting services to secular and ministry organizations providing services to children. Representative clients include the United States Olympic Committee, Awana International, Church of the Nazarene, the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, Gladney Center for Adoption, and many church and para-church schools, camps and ministries.

Gregory Love, Attorney with Love & Norris

Retirement and Health Care Strategies to Set Up Your Ministry for Long-Term Wellness

When faced with a multitude of benefits choices and challenges, it can be hard to find the strategy that best serves your ministry. Learn from industry experts on how to apply benefit strategies to steward your resources and help your ministry team stay physically and financially well.

Dixie Beard has been employed with GuideStone Financial Resources for over 30 years. She is a daughter of a Southern Baptist Minister and truly understands the work as well as the ministry involved with churches. Mrs. Beard’s work and ministry at GuideStone allows her to work with churches, para-church ministries, Christian schools and other Christian institutions to establish employee benefits primarily focusing on retirement planning. Her passion and desire are to help employees of evangelical organizations prepare financially for their retirement years. She has spoken at several women’s conferences, state convention meetings as well as state and local associational meetings. Dixie attended Howard Payne University and Dallas Baptist University and has her Series 6 & 63 Investment license along with the Charted Planning Retirement Counselor, CRPC®, certification.

Dixie Beard, Senior Business Development Manager, GuideStone Financial Resources

Rob Rudd is an experienced insurance professional who is dedicated to serving your organization’s employee benefit needs and building a lasting relationship with your ministry team. Rob came to GuideStone® in 2014 and served as a senior customer solutions specialist before transitioning onto the Relationship Management team. He is a graduate of Dallas Baptist University, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in management and a Master of Arts in worship leadership. In addition to helping clients, Rob and his wife, Alisa, serve as deacons over men’s and women’s Bible Studies at Mosaic church in Richardson, Texas. Rob also serves on the Worship team and Alisa is on staff as Minister to Women. They have two sons and a daughter, Colt, Jude and Lyla.

Rob Rudd, Team Lead, Insurance Relationship Management, GuideStone Financial Resources

Soul Care Practices for Thriving Churches

As a pastor and church leader you know that stress, conflict, and discouragement are part of church ministry and that prioritizing soul care is important to improving your staff’s health, unity, and fruitfulness. But what are some practical and affordable ways to do this? Dr’s Bill and Kristi Gaultiere started the ministry of Soul Shepherding in 2009 to meet this need.

This workshop includes rich content and time to ask your questions on:

  • 5 unhealthy leadership rhythms to avoid.
  • Using the CHRIST stages map of spiritual growth for your church.
  • 7 essential (yet uncommon) soul care practices for healthy leaders and churches.

Bill is a psychologist and ordained pastor, specializing in ministry to pastors. He and Kristi are the authors of Journey of the Soul, which was #1 on Amazon in Christian Counseling. He was personally mentored for many years by Dallas Willard and Ray Ortlund Sr. His earlier book Your Best Life in Jesus’ Easy Yoke tells the story of his spiritual renewal from anxious living and burnout and introduces the message and way of Soul Shepherding.

Bill and Kristi Gaultiere founded Soul Shepherding in 2009, which is a ministry to help pastors and churches go deeper with Jesus in emotional health and loving leadership. Bill serves as CEO and Kristi as Chief Culture Officer. They oversee 20 operations staff and over 40 independent contractors. Bill is a psychologist (Ph.D.), ordained pastor, and spiritual director. Kristi is a marriage and family therapist (Psy.D.) and spiritual director.

Bill Gaultiere, Co-Founder, Soul Shepherding

Kristi is a psychotherapist and spiritual director for women in ministry and pastors’ wives. She co-leads Soul Shepherding with Bill. She was mentored by Jane Willard and Dr. Jan Stoop. As a pastor’s wife, mother, and ministry professional, Kristi offers empathy and wisdom from her experience personally and as a therapist who has spent many thousands of hours caring for people. Kristi enjoys speaking, training, teaching, consulting, counseling, and retreat leading with Bill.

Bill and Kristi Gaultiere founded Soul Shepherding in 2009, which is a ministry to help pastors and churches go deeper with Jesus in emotional health and loving leadership. Bill serves as CEO and Kristi as Chief Culture Officer. They oversee 20 operations staff and over 40 independent contractors. Bill is a psychologist (Ph.D.), ordained pastor, and spiritual director. Kristi is a marriage and family therapist (Psy.D.) and spiritual director.

Kristi Gaultiere, Co-Founder, Soul Shepherding

The Wholistic Model of Senior Pastor Succession and Transition Your Church Needs to Know

Dave Travis started working on large church pastor succession in 1995 when he joined Leadership Network. After almost 30 years of working on the issues with over 400 churches, he has some approaches and models to share.

This workshop will address:

  • How a church can multiply its ministry momentum in this season.
  • The three biggest questions and issues that any approach to pastor succession must address.
  • The latest trends from churches over the past two years.

Since 2018, Dave has been the Director of Strategic Counsel to Pastors and Church Boards at Generis. After being mentored by Lyle Schaller, Peter Drucker, and Bob Buford, plus getting counsel from people like Jim Collins and William Bridges, Dave has learned a few things about Senior Pastor Succession. After retiring from Leadership Network in 2018 he has given himself full-time to helping his friends and churches with this process. He is a graduate of Georgia Tech, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, with additional courses from Harvard Business School, The Project Management Institute, Wicked Problem Solving, and others.
His real education has been the thousands of large church pastors he has served, including the other 400 he has counseled in pastor succession.

Dave Travis, Director of Strategic Counsel to Pastors and Church Boards, Generis

Thanks again for the conference. Thanks for the privilege (and I mean that, privilege) of sharing a slice of life experiences with the conference participants. You continue to provide a necessary, stimulating, and exciting energy to many of us in ministry—Paul Utnage, XP

Pre-Seminar Workshops

Multisite 4.0 Ministry: How to Launch, Grow, and Sustain 4+ Sites with Keith Duff, Tim Badal & Jeff Beachum. Are you ready to take your multi-site ministry to the next level? Join us for this pre-seminar workshop, where you will learn from some leading churches in this field. You will hear from pastors who have been leading 4+ site churches for years, as well as an industry consultant who helps churches expand their reach by adding sites. This workshop is for anyone interested in the multi-site model, whether you are already multi-site, planning to go multi-site, or just curious about it.

Building Healthy People Systems with Jenni Catron. Building a system that fosters employee engagement, protects alignment, and accelerates growth is the secret weapon of successful organizations. Jenni will guide you through building a plan for engagement of your staff.

The Art of Culture with Bobby McGraw. The Middle Way is an ancient paradigm that has powerful modern-day applications. Aristotle asserted that the Middle Way was, Where human beings are the happiest.

New XP Workshop with David Fletcher. Fletch leads this time on the critical first year for an XP. Some XPs had prior roles at the church for many years and others are new to that culture. The key is learning your new role and responding to the dynamics of that role: Working with the Senior Pastor, working with staff leaders and the entire staff and working with the congregation.

What If Financial Giving Drops? with Brad Leeper. Brad walks you through key questions: What if your board and team have ministry goals that cannot be funded either at budget or to handle a capital investment that accelerates mission? What if there is a giving resignation trend from economic conditions or giver fatigue?