The Mental Health of the Missional Congregation
Steve Scoggin, President, Baptist CareNet
The mental and spiritual health of a congregation are inseparable. What is sometimes felt but not named are mental health problems that get in the way of congregations moving forward. All congregations have a mental health profile which impacts how plans and decisions are implemented. Come learn about the importance of mental health and its relationship to being a missional community.
How to Have a Difficult Conversation Without Breaking Your Congregation Apart
Chris Gambill, Manager, Congregational Health Services, The Center for Congregational Health
Congregations are finding it increasingly difficult to have civil conversations about important topics. How can that happen in a way that is both insightful and pleasing to God?
Marketing Your Congregation
Ben McDade, Coordinator of Fellowship Advancement, CBF
Learn how to tell your church’s story in compelling ways in the midst of an over-communicated, noisy and busy world.
Vanishing Appalachia
Bill Leonard, Professor of Church History, Wake Forest University School of Divinity
The Appalachian region is a social case study on the impact of mass culture on religious and community life. The discussion moves from traditional “mountain churches” to changes in ecclesiology, worship and ministry as shaped
by demographics, technology and economics.
The Care and Feeding of Kree-8-ive Ministry
Bo Prosser, Coordinator for Congregational Life, CBF
The creative spirit is within us all, ready to soar. This workshop will explore ways for you to turn loose of the voice of judgment and embrace the freedom to play, explore, and create.
The Ministry of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
Brent Walker, Executive Director, Baptist Joint Committee
J. Brent Walker will provide an overview of current religious liberty concerns, both nationally and in North Carolina.
Jeremiah - Patriotism of a Different Sort
Gerald Keown, Professor of Old Testament Interpretation, Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity
We will explore the relationship between religious conviction and national identity. Jeremiah offers a challenging portrait of one whose religious conviction led him to commit high treason. The “so what” question for modern American Christians may be one we would rather not address, but such an encounter may be more relevant than we might think.
Borrowed Language and Prayed Experience
Guy Sayles, Pastor, First, Asheville
Explore how to nourish imagination and improve preaching by listening to writers and mystics who journey to God in poetry and prayer.
The Moment of Witness
Kathy Naish, Pastor of Spiritual Formation, Viewmont, Hickory
Sometimes it seems that we have lost the unique voice of individual testimony in our congregations. Recapture the formative power of storytelling for your church.
Justice in the Cotton Patch - Clarence Jordan on Economic and Racial Justice
Kris Pratt, Professor of Religion, Spartanburg Methodist College, South Carolina
Clarence Jordan founded an inter-racial Christian community in Georgia, produced the Cotton Patch Version of the
New Testament, and inspired countless Baptists with his confrontation of racial and economic injustice.
Getting Started - Planting New Churches
Michial Lewis, Executive Director, Plantersville, Inc.
When it comes to planting churches, sometimes just getting started can be the hardest part. This session is designed to help you know what to do and to give you some practical ideas on how to do it.
Caring for Youth and Children in Stressful Times
Paul Raybon, Associate Pastor, Hominy, Candler
How can laity and ministers care for children and youth in crisis? What do they need? What can you say and do?
Trends in the Worldwide Baptist Community
Richard Pierard, Member, Baptist World Alliance History and Identity Commission
As North Carolinians, what should our response be to worldwide trends in the Baptist world? We will focus on the Baptist World Alliance and the various sorts of global concerns and issues it is dealing with to discover our local connections.
Teaching for a FIT Faith
Rick Jordan, Church Resources Coordinator, CBFNC
Learn how to adapt any curriculum, or to create your own, to meet the three objectives of every Bible teacher.
Doing Justice - Congregations and Community Organizing
Ryan Eller, Lead Organizer, Communities Helping All Neighbors Gain Empowerment
Learn how to cultivate the work of justice across the barriers of race, religious tradition, and ideology to bring about systemic, positive change for the common good.
Reaching Out to the Forgotten Students
Scot Davis, Minister of Students, Children, and Outreach, First, Black Mountain
Our communities are filled with students who have been forgotten by the church. These students don’t seemingly fit in and are overlooked because they don’t look or act like a “church kid.” This workshop will focus on how to reach these students.
The Bible and Sinbearing - New Questions about Old Answers
Sheri Adams, Professor of Theology and Church History, Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity
A brief look at the 2,000 year history of interpretations of the cross event. It is obvious that there are still questions to be asked and answered about Jesus’ saving work on the cross.
Scattered and Gathered
Terry Casino, Professor of Missiology, Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity
Terry will present some of the major factors behind why people move and their implications to world missions (strategies and applications). This presentation will discuss the trends that have taken place in worldwide missions that many missionary agencies and sending bodies either simply ignore or fail to notice.
Leadership Qualities for 21st Century Churches
Terry Hamrick, Coordinator of Misssional Leadership, CBF
Churches today are experiencing changes that put unprecedented pressure on their leaders. We’ve discovered five qualities that help congregations and leaders thrive. Discuss and discover how these qualities can impact your congregation.
What's So Different About Today
Matt Norman, Missiologist/Education Development Specialist, CBF Global Missions
This workshop addresses the significant cultural shift we are in, questions raised by the shift, and how the Holy Spirit forms us in spite of it all.
The Faith We Live: A Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Conversation
Jeffrey Vickery, Co-Pastor, Cullowhee, Cullowhee; Sumaya El-Attar; Charles Erde
Our American religious landscape today includes the greatest diversity of faith traditions we have ever known. Join us for a conversation between three people of faith, a Christian, a Muslim, and a Jew, as we discuss the basic ideals of our faith, and the hope we have for living that faith in our world today.