Workshops by Session

 

Workshops by Session

Session 1

Culture Making and the Local Church - Mark Batterson & Matt Chandler
Idea Camp presents an interactive interview with Mark Batterson and Matt Chandler. Come learn with two innovators who are taking a hard look at how the local church impacts our culture.

Designing a Church for the Future – Ron Sylvia
Church planting is ultimately what God and you make it. Our goal is to help you 'make it' as a church planter not just merely survive. Let us help you through the planning process of starting a new church. Whether you define your church plant as incarnational, missional or attractional, you've accepted God's call to reach others for Christ. Let us equip you to launch larger and reach more people than you originally planned.

Gathered AND Scattered: Moving Beyond the Missional/Attractional Divide – Hugh Halter & Matt Smay
In recent years a growing schism has emerged between those calling themselves Incarnational leaders and those leading the prevailing church models. What if we were able to incorporate the insights of both models into a cohesive understanding of church? After all, God is the one who builds the church and in Acts we see Him turn a network of house churches into a mega church AND allow a centralized Hebrew church to be scattered all over the world.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner: Church Planting in a Multi-Racial Context - Larry Grays
By and large most churches continue to struggle to reflect the diversity found in our ever changing neighborhoods. It has always been God’s plan for the church to build relational bridges between Him and others. Come hear the story of how God is building a multi-racial community of believers in the heart of Atlanta at Midtown Bridge Church. Also learn some practical principles that every church needs for reaching diverse communities.

Pop Goes the Church – Tim Stevens
It is crucial that we learn to leverage pop culture in the church. But it goes beyond theory. Based on his book by the same name, Tim will unload practical examples about how to convey your message in the language of the culture around you—without compromising the message.

Raising Disciples Who Live Life on Loan - Rick Rusaw
If Ephesians 2:8-9 is true for people then so is Eph 2:10. People want to be a part of changing the world and God is inviting them to do more than just sit and soak in some church. How can we help people discover the part of God’s story that he has prepared in advance for them to help write?

Social Media and Ministry - Kem Meyer
Do you have a love/hate relationship with Facebook? Are you looking for ways for the church and ministry leaders to effectively leverage blogs or Twitter? Do you fear virtual networks are a substitute for real relationships? New media can appear threatening at first, especially to any organization steeped in tradition like the church. Discover some tangible ways to channel social media to make authentic connections and present the gospel.

Strategic Relationships for Transforming Communities - Troy Jackson, Rich & Dori Gorman
Dave Gibbons says that to bring transformation in this era, “we don’t need more visionaries. We need more relationaries.” This workshop will help your new church think about critical relationships you can build with existing faith communities, local organizations, and the marginalized in your region to be a partner in significant kingdom transformation. Learn how coalition building for the sake of God’s Kingdom can help transform the daily lives of people in your community while building credibility for your new congregation. The workshop leaders will share practical examples and models from their own experiences to help get you started in relational community engagement.

The Checkpoints of Spiritual Vitality - Brian Bloye
“Do you have what it takes to stay in the game? Are you able to identify the warning signs that you’re being drained spiritually, physically and emotionally? You need a personal strategy in order to maintain your spiritual vitality during the rigors of church planting. This workshop will explore the 7 checkpoints of spiritual vitality that can help keep you on top of your game.”

The Culture of a Life-Giving Church - Rick Bezet
What is your church’s DNA, and does it really matter? There are unspoken assumptions that shape the vision of every church, but this unspoken “rule” behind the face of a church is often hard to define because it is invisible. The posture and DNA of a life giving church can be measured in a staff meeting, in the foyer, in a brochure, in a sermon, in youth ministry, in a handshake, etc. We will show you how to exude the particular qualities of a healthy culture as we discuss values and characteristics of a life giving church with DNA that attracts people instead of scaring them away.

Transformation of a Reproducing Leader - Efrem Smith
This workshop will focus on the importance of spiritual retreats and direction in the life of the church planter. Issues of the spirit-filled life, prioritzing family, ministry integrity, and over time management will be explored.

Transformational Leadership - Lisa Jones
As a support staff member you have the power to make a big impact. Being a transformational leader looks different throughout the stages of your church, as well as, your personal life. Discover the spiritual and emotional requirements for success from an experienced spouse and team member.

 

Session 2

Community Development & Social Justice: The Key to Church Planting in Under-resourced Communities – Kirsten Strand & Obe Arellano
Learn how a ministry of a large suburban, multi-site church has used compassion, partnerships, community development, and social justice work in an under-resourced, primarily Hispanic community to lay the groundwork for the launch of a bilingual congregation. The new church is part of a larger Micah 6:8 community development strategy of “acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God.”

Detox… for the Overly Religious – David Putman
Find out what it means to reset on your spiritual journey. Expanded description forthcoming!

Diversity and Church Planting - Efrem Smith, Janet McMahon & Mark DeYmaz
Idea Camp presents an interactive interview with Efrem Smith, Janet McMahon, & Mark DeYmaz. Take a look at how culture, gender, and ethnicity can impact your plant.

Ephesians Four and Church Planting: A Missional Ministry for a Missional Church – Alan Hirsch
Explore with Alan the vital importance of having a broader, more missional, ministry at the heart of the church. Using Eph 4 as a guide to biblical ministry, Alan will lead the group through the implications of APEST ministry (apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, shepherding, and teaching) for the overall health and sustainability of the church.

Helping Church Plants do Global Missions - Ed Stetzer, Larry McCrary & Caleb Crider
Ed Stetzer and The Upstream Collective are involved in taking many church planters overseas for vision trips so they might be engaged in global missions. Their goal is to see these new church plants engage in global missions at an early stage in their church life - helping to shape their missional development. This break out session will identify reasons why missional churches are not involved in missions and it will help the participants put together a realistic strategy to be involved in the Great Commission outside their community.

Less Clutter. Less Noise. - Kem Meyer
Every organization, especially the church, has to get over themselves and realize effective communications is really about “releasing the right response” not “sending the right message.” People are not looking for more information—they are looking for ways to survive too much information. The church should help people find those answers. Instead they end up adding to the confusion. This workshop goes beyond bulletins, brochures and bake sales and gets to the heart of smart communication systems that help people connect with Christ and each other. Learn new ways to encourage collaboration among ministry areas and minimize competitiveness, find out what guests need and want—and then craft communications to meet those felt needs, and how to organize information effectively using avenues that keeps an audience’s time, tastes and habits in mind. If you are a pastor, creative professional, ministry leader or volunteer this workshop is for you!

Servolution - Dino Rizzo
Servolution is not an event; it is a culture. Infusing this culture into the DNA of your church will change the view of the world and your perspective of the needs of those around you. What does it look like to actively pursue the lost, the forgotten, and the poor to show them a God who is passionately in love with them. We stand ready with one heart, saying, "I will serve others and show them the hope they can have in Jesus."

The Good Stuff - Dan & Shannon Smith
We’ve all heard war stories about staff families falling apart because of the stress of starting new churches…but let’s talk about the good stuff! What about how much fun the journey can be? We have an insatiable belief that God’s people can live missional lives, plant successful churches, AND have a blast while we’re doing it. Anyone who says different is full of it. The family can be a team. The kids can be healthy. The lead pastor and his wife can make out in public. Here are some battle-tested tips, down-to-earth stories, and lots of laughs about how to experience the good stuff in the middle of the battle.

The Jesus Adhesive: Disciples that Stick - Matt Chandler
What does it take to make a church that sticks with Jesus? What does it take to transform people who will never leave his side? A layout for your new church needs a clear plan for starting and ending with Jesus.

The 'Leader' in Leadership - Reggie McNeal
You are not incidental to your leadership. Take some time to retool!  This workshop highlights areas of self-awareness, self-management, and self-development.

Transforming a Generation: Capturing the Young Adult Dropouts - James King, Jr.
We all have a heart for reaching the next generation. We also know that the next generation has a heart that is searching for Jesus. What are we missing then? Let’s connect some of the dots and figure out what it will take for a church to reach young adults.

Unleash Your Reproducing Vision: How Shaping Culture Creates Movement - Will Mancini
Current models for visionary thinking and communicating need to be re-invented. Are you tired of photocopied vision in the church world? Are you stuck using a “lofty one-liner” or a “compelling page-dump” to define your DNA? Learn practical steps for distilling and delivering an organic vision that will impact the hearts and minds of your people, and channel redemptive momentum throughout your church.

 

Session 3

Avoiding Mission Drift: Gaining & Maintaining Mission Velocity – Shawn Lovejoy
In this practical breakout, Shawn Lovejoy, Lead Pastor of Mountain Lake Church, and co-founder of churchplanters.com will lead a discussion on how staffing, structure, communication, leadership, and other variables impact our ability to STAY TRUE to the mission God has given us.

Breakthrough Moments – Breaking Through the Barriers of Stagnation, Competency & Complexity - Larry Osborne
Sooner or later, every leader and organization hits a ceiling of competency and complexity. Those who break through move on to new heights. Those who don’t flounder or die. In this seminar you’ll learn why growth always increases complexity and what to do about it, how to recognize and deal with a genuine ceiling, why the old ways suddenly stop working and how to address it, and the two things that always need to change and why they are resisted so fiercely.

Church Based Community Transformation - Noel Castellanos and Mary Nelson
Church-based community transformation utilizing the principles of the Christian Community Development Association. These include developing indigenous leadership, involving youth in the very basics, incarnational presence and partnership in the community. This interactive workshop will be led by two leaders in the field.

Creating Church Movements & Networks - Dave Gibbons
Idea Camp presents an interactive interview with Dave Gibbons, author of Third Culture. Discuss the various types of planting networks and creating a support system that shapes it's culture.

The Five Vital Relationships for a Reproducing Movement – Billy Hornsby
Leaders don't like to be lead! What they want is for you as a leader to help them fulfill their vision. It is necessary that you find pastors with the same vision that you have for planting churches and show them how your organization can partner with them to realize their dreams of planting churches. Learn what it means for each pastor to receive a great return on their investment. When you help them win...church planting wins.

Missional Renaissance – Reggie McNeal
Take a look at three significant shifts in thinking and behavior that will allow leaders to chart a course toward being missional: (1) from an internal to an external focus, ending the church as exclusive social club model; (2) from running programs and ministries to developing people as its core activity; and (3) from professional leadership to leadership that is shared by everyone in the community. You won't want to miss it!

Redefining Church Environments in the Third Millennium - Mel McGowan
What are emerging strategies for creating “Saving Spaces” beyond renting a school for a few hours one day a week? How can effective new ministry environments be created given the budgetary, zoning, and cultural challenges of today? Church planters have been called “architects of community,” but may feel overwhelmed with limited options for facilities. Can you really create connecting spaces through “Design Interventions” which reflect the unique DNA of your ministry without spending more than you would on “vanilla?” Join Mel on a journey in which the concept of “Sacred Space” is being redefined and revolutionized from the streets of Cambodia to a retrofitted suburban mall near you.

The Core Team: Kingdom Laborship and Church Planting - Efrem Smith
This workshop will focus on building a culture of Kingdom Laborship within church planting based on Matthew 9. Special emphasis will be placed on the equipping and empowerment of the Core Team of the church plant for greater community engagement.

Transformation Groups: Organic Small Groups for Structured Churches - Neil Cole
So your church has been approaching “missional” with an attractional model. No problem. Release your small groups as an incarnational movement. There are some decentralized leadership approaches that will take some getting used to, but churches that rise to the challenge will experience a church that spreads beyond senior leadership.

Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers - Ed Stetzer
Based on a study that was commissioned by the Leadership Network, Ed reveals the best practices in church planting and uncovers the common threads among them. Be inspired to plant churches that create a multiplication movement. Discover what to do next in your church planting strategies, in light of research on what's actually working best.

Who Me? - Brenda Salter-McNeil
This powerful message from Esther, chapter 4 challenges unlikely people to become leaders of racial and ethnic reconciliation because the social conditions around us demand their leadership for such a time as this.

Worship Ministry from the Ground Up - Mark Deymaz & James Wafford III
How do you design the culture of your worship ministry, form a unified team, and lead your new congregation in experiencing Jesus. Talk with others who’ve worked through the challenges of worship ministry in a new church plant.

 

Session 4

Being Present with the City - Shane Claiborne, Neil Cole & Alan Hirsch 
Idea Camp presents an interactive interview with Shane Claiborne, Neil Cole, & Alan Hirsch. These guys have changed the way we look at "church". Come explore how that has impacted the cities around them.

Developing a Children’s Ministry
Churches that want to transform their city start with the children in mind. Developing a children’s ministry is much more than choosing a curriculum though, it’s about building and ethos. We’ll cover the nuts and bolts of getting a children’s ministry off the ground, as well as approaches that will make children’s ministry central to your churches mission.

Exponential: How You and Your Friends Can Start a Missional Church Movement - Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson
Details Coming Soon

Helping Leaders Recognize their Potential - Bill Easum
You need an extensive team to pull off a church plant, but sometimes those right for the job just don’t know it yet! Learn to recognize potential leaders and help THEM see their gifting as well.

LovePath: Keeping Marriages Healthy – Joe Beam
Church planting is not the only adventure you are a part of! Take the next step on your marital journey by discovering where you are on The LovePath. Joe will help you avoid potential hazards and help make your marriage a success. Come hear some straight talk on keeping your marriage headed in the right direction.

Multi-Generational Small Groups: Pros, Cons, and Hurdles to Overcome - Rick Howerton
When a small group is made up of people ages birth through death the group meeting must be very carefully designed. During this session we will reveal various models that are working as well as unveiling some new ideas that are floating around in small group world. If you attend this session you’ll walk away with multiple models you can take back to your church plant for consideration.

Planting in a Post Christian, Multi-ethnic World - Dave Olson
Learn from the research of the Church in Crisis as Dave uncovers what it means to plant a church in a diverse world.

Repurposing for Reproduction – Scott Hodge
The mental framework for maintaining a church is strikingly different than the framework of reproducing. There are many churches with the resources and gifting for reproduction, but we must gently walk these congregations into the exciting world of exponential growth! Learn how to repurpose your existing church to include the reproduction DNA.

Soul Change to Social Change – Brenda Salter McNeil
Racial and ethnic hostility is one of the most pervasive problems facing our world today. What should our response be in a world being torn apart by prejudice, hatred and fear? First, we must recognize that racism is ultimately a spiritual problem that must be solved using spiritual methods. In this seminar we will discover a new model of racial reconciliation, social justice and spiritual healing that creates both internal change and community transformation.

Sticky Teams - Larry Osborne
Discover what it takes to develop a healthy environment of teamwork, overcome the roadblocks to unity, and work together to lead the church. Tackle some tough questions including: What do you do when a member of the leadership team isn’t working out? How can a leadership team guide a congregation through controversial changes? And More!

The Pastor as the Chief Resource Raiser – Darrin Patrick
Whether it is adding staff or raising capital for your next project, you will always be in need of cash flow. Learn what it means to help your church and sponsors support your vision and create a sustainable ministry.

Third Culture – Dave Gibbons
Third culture is about the fusion of multiple cultures, the art of adaptation, dialogue rather than dictation, diplomacy over strong arm tactics, and the embrace of discomfort as part of the journey to real community. Third culture is the mindset and will to love, learn and serve in any culture even in the midst of pain and discomfort. In short, 3rdCulture is PAINFUL ADAPTATION.

Transforming the World: Planting Abroad – Scott Thomas
Acts 29 Network recently opened an official branch in Western Europe to identify, assess, equip, resource and encourage church planting from London to Hamburg to Paris to Glasgow to Dublin and beyond. In the last 3 years, Acts 29 has trained over 1,000 International leaders in India, South Africa, East and West Africa, Thailand and Eastern Europe. In this session, learn how we can influence the world with the gospel through the planting of indigenous churches.

 

Session 5

31 Kings - Winning the Battles Along the Way - Chris Hodges
When God calls you to plant, He gives you the vision to take territory and conquer the land. But anyone who accepts that call quickly discovers that there are many battles along the way to entering the “promised land.” In this heartfelt and honest teaching, Chris Hodges will share some of the real life struggles involved in planting Church of the Highlands and show you the keys to winning the battles along the way.

Beyond Church - Planting to Movement Planting – Alan Hirsch
If we aim to plant a church, then we will plant a church—we get what we aimed for. However if we want to plant a movement, we will go about the process differently and factor reproducibility in at every level, from the get-go. Explore the inner dynamics of movements and how to initiate and sustain them.

CHANGED - Sue Ferguson, Sarah Hatfield, & Vanessa Pugh
In 1989 Dave and Sue Ferguson and a few college friends moved to Naperville, IL and planted Community Christian Church. God has blessed their ministry and twenty years later Community Christian Church now has over 5000 people attending services at 9 campuses (soon to be 11 campuses). Come and hear Sue’s powerful testimony of how God has transformed her life and transformed their community through the ministry of Community Christian Church. There will also be a Q and A time including Vanessa Pugh (Cleveland, OH) and Sarah Hatfiled (Seattle, WA). As always the last session will be filled with surprises, so come ready to be challenged, inspired and encouraged!
For sure….you don’t want to miss this one!

Church 3.0: Upgrades for the Future of the Church - Neil Cole
An insider's look at the important considerations necessary to release spontaneous church multiplication movements. Addressing structural and leadership issues that must be understood if we are to see a movement in the west.

Coaching Planters – How it Works, Why it is Essential - Bob Harrington
Find out why coaching makes such a difference for planters and networks. Learn how coaching works. Find out how to join a coaching group, get an individual coach, or how to get training in coaching planters. Hear testimonies by planters.

Compassionate Justice: Ideation to Implementation - Dave Ferguson & Armando Fullwood
Idea Camp presents an interactive interview with Dave Ferguson & Armando Fullwood. Discuss what it takes to put God's plan for justice into action. Pose your questions and explore some new ideas.

Ethnic Blends: Overcoming the Obstacles in a Multi-ethnic Church – Mark DeYmaz
In a Christian culture where distinctions so often and otherwise divide, how can you and your congregation overcome the obstacles in order to become a healthy, fruitful multi-ethnic church of faith? And why should you even try? This workshop provides an up-close and personal look at seven common challenges to building a multi-ethnic church and the day-to-day obstacles that must be overcome in its pursuit.

Foster Age Appropriate Spiritual Formation through Small Groups - Rick Howerton
When working with communities primarily focused on a specific age group, it is important to understand their needs. Learn how to foster the spiritual formation of children, youth, young or mature adults.

How to Start a Regional Church Planting Network - Steve Childers
The strength of a network has been used throughout the country to provide exponential impact in the church planting world. Learn how to start, join, or grow a regional church planting network from leaders who have!

Plotting Goodness – Shane Claiborne
The Simple Way has transformed a community of poverty into one of hope. By living out the mission of Jesus in the most practical of ways, neighbors have joined forces with the local government to produce real change. Learn principles you can apply to your own circle of influence.

The Church for the City – Matt Carter & Darrin Patrick
Imagine if two mega-church pastors decide to buy property in the heart of the city instead of playing it safe in the suburbs. How does the church deal with poverty and racial tension. What does it look like for pastors to move their church toward brokenness and away from consumerism. How can large, attractional churches mobilize networks of house churches to reach marginalized peoples?