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Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Brainstorming Faith@Home With Sr. Pastors
This will be an open dialogue/discussion session where Mark Holmen, a former Sr. Pastor who now serves as a full time missionary and coach to the Faith@Home movement will answer any and all questions regarding the Faith@Home movement and methodology. Over the past year Mark has spoken to church leaders in Canada, Norway, Germany, Brazil and all across the US. He has also had a chance to work with churches of every size and affiliation so this is your chance for Sr. Pastors to spend time and learn from someone who has led this movement from the Sr. Pastor’s chair.
Lab # 2. Digging Into Take It Home Events
Most churches struggle to get parents to attend parenting or Faith@Home equipping events yet Pastor Mark Holmen was able to uncover an approach where over 98% of parents participated! Come and hear about the Take It Home strategy and go a step further as Pastor Mark Holmen will lead you through a series of Take It Home events that you can offer in your church.
Lab # 3. Extreme Family Makeover
We are great at building or remodeling homes today yet what happens inside the home spiritually is where the makeover is truly needed. Pastor Mark Holmen and Tim Smith of parentscoach.org will be teaming up to walk us through the makeover Christian families needs today.
Mark A. Holmen is a husband, father, pastor, consultant, speaker and author of Faith Begins At Home – The Family Makeover with Christ at the Center, and Building Faith At Home—Why Faith At Home Must Be A Church’s Top Priority. From October of 2002 through February of 2009 Mark served as the Sr. Pastor of Ventura Missionary Church and during those years he developed and implemented a model for becoming a Faith At Home Focused Church that gained so much attention and recognition that is has grown into a national and international Faith At Home movement supported by the Willow Creek Association and Focus on the Family. Mark, his wife Maria and daughter Malyn currently live in Ventura, California where they now serve as full-time Missionaries for the Faith At Home movement. www.faithathome.com.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. The Blessing: A biblical “picture” of where “Faith@Home” begins…
At the D6 Conference, you’ll learn about a number of outstanding models for helping parents live out Deut. 6, from Randall House’s D6 Model, to Faith Breakthroughs, to Legacy Milestones, to Mark Holman’s “faith@home” model. This workshop however will give you a “picture” of perhaps the earliest example in Scripture of “faith@home” by looking closely at the incredibly powerful concept of Passing on The Blessing to a child. You’ll learn about the five elements of the Blessing, it’s importance emotionally and spiritually in a child’s life concerning faith formation, how to do a “Blessing” event at your church, and how this concept is being applied in churches (and in other faith@home models) across the country!
Lab # 2. How to “capture” your “faith@home” idea or concept in a seminar, e-booklet or book
We are at the front edge of a wave of ministry regarding Deuteronomy 6 and faith@home that we believe God is pushing forward. If you have a concept, book idea, or faith@home seminar idea that’s been burning in your thoughts—- but you don’t know how to “flesh out” or move forward in developing it, this workshop is for you. Dr. John Trent, an award-winning author and speaker, will be teaching your how to “storyboard” your concept and move it from the idea to implementation stage, helping you your capture your concept in a seminar, digital or book format in order to inspire and help parents and others live out Deuteronomy 6!
Dr. John Trent is President and Founder of StrongFamilies.com and The Center for StrongFamilies in Scottsdale, Arizona. At the Center, Dr. Trent trains lay leaders from across the country to launch family ministries in their home churches. In addition to leading the Center, Dr. Trent is a best-selling author and a highly requested conference speaker. In addition to speaking at ministry events, Dr. Trent regularly speaks to corporate America on teambuilding, recruiting and retaining outstanding employees.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Visionary Parenting: Inspiring the Hearts of Parents to Disciple Their Children
You want to see the parents in your church taking the lead in passing faith to their children at home…but what can you say to them that will help them catch the vision and take steps of action? In this workshop, you will learn how to authentically share with parents the vital passages from God’s word that the Holy Spirit can use to turn their hearts toward the hearts and souls of their children.
Lab # 2. Visionary Marriage: Making Your Spouse Your Most Important Ministry
If you are married, you know the tension that exists between ministry and your marriage. But what if your main ministry was your marriage? What if God has more for you to do together than apart? In this workshop you will be encouraged and equipped to minister to and with your spouse - for the glory of God! Don’t let another year go by with the best of your heart going to your ministry at church, while your spouse gets the leftovers.
Lab # 3. Transforming Youth and Children’s Ministry
Do you want to see the teens in your church passionately follow after Christ? Then do everything you can to deepen their relationship with their parents! In this workshop, Rob Rienow will equip you with a biblical ministry strategy for turning the hearts of parents to their teens, and the hearts of teens back to their parents. This workshop will focus on practical ways you can shape and change the culture of your church toward home-centered discipleship.
Rob is the Family Pastor at Wheaton Bible Church in Wheaton, IL. Before becoming the Family Pastor, he served as a Youth Pastor at Wheaton Bible Church from 1993-2004. He is the author of the book God’s Grand Vision for the Home and his new book Visionary Parenting will be releasing in July of 2009. He and his wife Amy have founded a ministry called Visionary Parenting, which inspires parents and grandparents to disciple their children, and equips churches to build biblical family ministries. Rob, Amy, and their five children live in Wheaton, IL where he attended Wheaton College. After undergrad, Rob then completed an MA in theology at Wheaton College Graduate School, an MDiv from Trinity International Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry in Christian Leadership from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Family Ministry - Implications on Church Growth
Some have implied that a focus toward family ministry can lead the church away from its priority of evangelism. The opposite is actually true. Please consider the following—- If a Christian does not have a burden for the eternal condition of those within his own family, is it realistic to think that he would pray faithfully for the Muslim family living four houses down the street? If Christian parents have not shared their testimony with their own children then how willing will they be to share it with a stranger on the subway? This lab will consider the evangelistic strategy of a church that grew from 40 to 2,000 people in 14 years in a town with a total population of 74,000. The pastor of this church loved the lost, the gospel, and parents exhorting them never to delegate their God-given responsibility of discipling their children to anyone else. In this church, family ministry and evangelism were synonymous.
Lab # 2. The HERO Student Pastor: Winning in the Eyes of Middle School and High School Parents
This Lab will give you practical ideas to take home to encourage your middle and high school parents. Let’s admit it - Parental discipleship of middle school and high school students isn’t for the faint of heart. There are three very real issues that we ALL face: 1) How do I motivate parents that aren’t currently discipling their teenagers? 2) What creative, age-appropriate ideas can I take to the parents at my church? 3) How can we faithfully minister to those students whose parents do not attend or engage? Steve Wright has 25 years of student ministry experience, the last 11 spent in Raleigh, NC at Providence Baptist Church. He has passionately tested these ideas in his local church ministry. They are not philosophical ideas or mere theories but rather biblically based strategies that you will be able to use to equip your parents once you return home.
Steve has served in student ministry since 1988 and joined the team at Providence in May of 1999. He received a Master of Arts degree in Christian education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. His undergraduate degree is from Carson Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn. He is currently a PhD student at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. Steve and his wife, Tina, were married in 1989. They are blessed with three children - Sara, William and Tyler.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. “Using Milestones as a Comprehensive Spiritual Formation strategy connecting Church and Home”
Every church needs to make a strategic “shift” to most effectively equip families and generations. Discover the strategic path of legacy milestones as practiced at Kingsland Baptist Church in Katy, Texas. Discuss practical ways your church could develop a common path linking church and family to equip the generations. Explore ways to utilize what you are already doing to create a dynamic family ministry
Lab # 2. Our Newest Milestones Developments and Milestones FAQ’s
This seminar will focus on new developments in our milestones strategies after 5 years of implementation. Come learn how to give parents “easy wins” at home as they lead their children spiritually. We will also focus on 5 FAQ’s specific to the milestones strategy. If you are using milestones in any shape, form, or fashion to build faith at home you need to come check this one out.
Brian serves as Associate Pastor at Kingsland Baptist church in Katy, Texas overseeing spiritual formation. Brian is the creator of the Legacy Milestones strategy designed to inseparably link church and home to equip the generations. He is the author of the new book, Shift: What it Takes to finally reach families today. Brian is married to his high school sweetheart Angela and they have three daughters, Hailey, Madelyn, and Eden. Brian is a graduate of Baylor University, Southwestern Seminary, and Liberty Theological Seminary where he earned a Doctor of Ministry for his work in discipleship and family ministry.
Conference Focus - Lab #1. What Matters Most: D6 in 3D
“Hear, O Israel”—So begins Judaism’s great confession of allegiance to Yahweh, the one true God of the covenant. But Deuteronomy 6 offers more than just a confession. It engages every follower of the Lord in life’s primal loyalty. This lab explores the D6 Download, D6 DNA, and D6 Dynamics from the vantage point of the passage where it all begins.
Lab # 2. Caught Between Cultures: Reading Ted Dekker, Looking for Kat Von D
Caught between cultures—every believer lives in that dilemma. So, too, did Jeremiah and Ezekiel as they stayed true to God but served their generation. And they have instruction to help us do the same. Explore the ministries of these two prophets in exile as they served God in a secular culture.
Dr. Garnett Reid serves as the chairman of the Biblical and Ministry Studies Department at Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he teaches Old Testament. He has pastored churches in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky and is a frequent conference and seminar speaker. Garnett’s column “Intersect: Where the Bible Meets Life” appears regularly in One Magazine. He has also published articles in Bibliotheca Sacra, the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Integrity, and the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. He and his wife Carol have two married sons and two beautiful red-headed granddaughters. Garnett enjoys golf, baseball, and visiting Civil War battlefields.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Creating Faith Environments in Your Weekend Service
Children come to church every weekend. How do we know we are cultivating what is most import….Faith in God and dependence on Him? Come discover 10 helpful and practical environments you can create in your ministry that will allow kids’ faith to grow and be expressed.
Lab # 2. Transformational Teaching: Teaching to the Heart
The traditional approach to teaching assumes that we learn differently in the classroom that we do in real life. Why is this and how can we teach God’s Word in such a way that lives are transformed and God’s amazing story is replicated in those we teach?
Dr. Michelle Anthony is a native Californian and has lived in Southern Orange County for the past 20 years along with her husband, Michael, and her two children Chantel and Brendon. Michelle earned her B.A. from Biola University in Christian Education and her M.A. in Christian Education with an emphasis in Theology from Talbot Theological Seminary, and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Southern Seminary. She has written over a dozen resources in Children’s/Youth ministries and Christian education, and enjoys teaching, speaking, and serving in missions abroad. She has over 20 years of practical church ministry/leadership experience in Children’s/Family ministry and is currently serving in Family Ministries at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa, as well as the Family Ministry Architect for David C. Cook Publishing. In her free time, Michelle enjoys sailing, the beach, being with her family, and a good cup of coffee.
Conference Focus - Steve is one of the leading Sr. Pastors in the Faith at Home movement. He will be sharing in one of the three General Sessions (Opening Session, Lunch Session, Closing Session) on PreCon Lab day. He has a vast amount of experience in discipleship and spiritual formation, especially as it relates to the principles of Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Are you looking for a good session to encourage your Sr. Pastor as it relates to driving faith homeward? Bring your Sr. Pastor to the PreCon Labs to hear Steve Stroope for this landmark session.
Steve Stroope is Lead Pastor of Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, Texas. He was called to pastor Lake Pointe shortly after its founding. Church attendance under his leadership has grown from 53 at its inception to over 11,000 today. Steve provides coaching to partnership churches and pioneer missionaries in Africa, Australia, New Zealand, China, Cuba, Russia, Mexico, France, South Africa, and North America. He is a sought-after speaker, both nationally and internationally. Steve graduated from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, with a B.A. in Psychology and received the Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He co-authored the books Money Matters in the Church and It Starts at Home. He and Marsha have two grown daughters, three grandsons and one granddaughter.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. A Grace Based Strategy for Family Ministry
Learn how to raise your kids the same way God raises His - with grace! You’ll get an overview of this life changing strategy for parenting as well as an in-depth look at three of the four dimensions of this comprehensive plan. Grace based parenting is the antitheses of the two standard, but out of balance, strategies for parenting -legalistic parenting on the one side and license parenting on the other. You’ll learn a philosophy/theology of parenting that harnesses the power of God’s grace and truth in one complete plan. It is the antidote to one of the most pervasive forms of parenting in the Christian movement - fear based parenting.
Lab # 2. Unpacking the Grace Based Strategy, Part 1
Dr. Kimmel will give you a simple and transferable plan for raising kids through the power of God’s grace. We’ll address the standard push backs that parents (and church leaders) have to using grace as your primary dynamic for relating to and leading your children. You’ll see why parenting with grace automatically draws the best out of children and conditions their hearts to trust in God.
Lab # 3. Unpacking the Grace Based Strategy, Part 2
A grace-based home creates an accepting atmosphere in which children can work out their heart connection to God. You’ll see how maintaining an atmosphere of grace will give your children the freedom to be different, vulnerable, candid and to make mistakes.
Dr. Tim Kimmel is one of America’s top advocates speaking for the family today. He is the Executive Director of Family Matters, whose goal is to build strong families by equipping and encouraging them for every age and stage of life. Tim conducts conferences across the country on the unique pressures that confront today’s families. Not only is Tim a well-known speaker, he has authored many books including: Gold Medallion Winner Grace Based Parenting, Extreme Grandparenting, 50 Ways to Really Love your Kids, Raising Kids for True Greatness, Why Christian Kids Rebel, Homegrown Heroes, Little House on the Freeway, The High Cost of High Control, and Raising Kids Who Turn Out Right. He has also developed Grace Based Parenting DVD Series, The Hurried Family DVD Series, Raising Kids Who Turn Out Right DVD Series and Extreme Grandparenting DVD Study.
He married Darcy, his high school sweetheart, in 1972. They honeymooned at Dallas Theological Seminary where Tim earned his Masters of Theology, then moved to Phoenix to become a youth pastor until founding Family Matters in 1982. Tim graduated from Western Seminary in 1995 with a Doctorate of Ministry and is continually learning and applying his knowledge to help families. Tim and Darcy are the parents of four children and are enjoying the blessing of being the grandparents of two. They reside with their family in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. The “Why” of Family-Based Youth Ministry
This seminar will identify the peculiar crisis facing traditional Youth Ministry in our culture today, as well as offer a clear picture of the key components of the kinds of youth ministry most likely to develop life-long disciples of Christ.
Lab # 2. A Working Model for Family-Based Youth Ministry
Over the past twenty years, “family-based youth ministry” has become an often talked about, seldom understood (and sometimes maligned) term that often creates more confusion than solutions for youth leaders. This seminar will identify the key components of FBYM by giving participants an appreciation for the rapidly changing world in which today’s adolescents are growing up. Parents and youth workers will learn the incomparable leveraging power of “stacking the stands” for teenagers.
Lab # 3. Implementing Family-Based Youth Ministry
This seminar will invite participants to develop their own customizable process for implementing the principles of Family-Based Youth Ministry into their own unique ministry settings. It will also recommend specific, widely applicable steps for making Family-Based Youth Ministry work and overcoming (and preventing) many of the most common challenges and obstacles.
Mark is the founder of Youth Ministry Architects, a hands-on coaching service for churches whose youth ministries are in (intentional or unexpected) transition or churches who hope to see their youth ministries move to the next level. For over 22 years, Mark has served as the Associate Pastor for Youth and Their Families at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, where he continues to oversee the youth ministry on a part-time basis.
Mark is also the author of Family-Based Youth Ministry and Sustainable Youth Ministry.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Aligning Parents to a D6 Vision
You say you want to influence students for the kingdom of God. You want them to have an exceptional relationship with the Lord and not just live a mediocre life in Christ. That’s a marvelous thought except that without the parents connecting to the same biblical thought, you dramatically handicap your influence. To have the greatest impact on students, we must grasp the importance of connecting to parents in a personal, inspirational way. In this lab, experience a practical, proven way of empowering parents to be the main disciplers of their children.
Lab # 2. Internships that Break the Mold!
Most churches view internships as a way staff can release responsibility and tasks to get more off their plate. But what if we viewed internships as not only a way to see our church grow but also to multiply all that God is doing in us for the benefit of the Kingdom! An opportunity to pour into the next generation so that wherever they go, their ministry has blossomed in part because of the holistic D6 view we poured into them. This session is all about different styles of impactful internships and how to create a lifechanging, mold-breaking internship program at your church!
Tommy Swindol is the Student Ministries Pastor at Kirby Church just south of Detroit, Michigan and has been in student and college ministries for seven years. Tommy is married to his wonderful wife of six years, Jessica, and they have two beautiful daughters, Anna Claire and Emily. Tommy is a graduate of Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, TN and is currently doing masters work in Discipleship Ministries with Liberty University. He is the chairman of Youth Alive, working with 46 other churches to help them implement family-focused youth ministries. Since being at Kirby, Tommy has continued to cultivate his passion to mentor, implementing student and parent mentorships, as well as developing his main focus of raising up student leaders and parental heroes within the family unit. Tommy gets the opportunity to speak all over the country and is passionate about discipleship and sharing the truths of God’s Word in a relevant and challenging way.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Beyond Take-Home Papers
Do your take-home papers end up on automobile floors? Discover ideas and tools from Heritage Builders that motivate parents to launch and sustain a faith@home routine. (Based on the book It Starts At Home - presented by Kurt and Olivia Bruner)
Lab # 2. How to Mess Up a Child’s Life
Discover seven propensities that drive young people away from God and why parents inadvertently nurture vice over virtue in their children. (Based on the book How to Mess Up Your Child’s Life - presented by Kurt and Olivia Bruner)
Kurt is a graduate of Talbot Seminary who spends most of his time as Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, Texas. He and Olivia host the HomePointe ministry helping create a culture of intentional families. Kurt also serves as Executive Director for the Strong Families Innovation Alliance, a network of leading churches driving new strategies for impacting the home. The best-selling author of more than a dozen books, Kurt spent twenty years with Focus on the Family where he was Vice President over films, books, magazines, radio drama, broadcasting, internet and other media groups. He also co-founded the Heritage Builders Association - a ministry that motivates and equips parents to pass a strong spiritual legacy to the next generation.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Beyond Take-Home Papers
Do your take-home papers end up on automobile floors? Discover ideas and tools from Heritage Builders that motivate parents to launch and sustain a faith@home routine. (Based on the book It Starts At Home - presented by Kurt and Olivia Bruner)
Lab # 2. How to Mess Up a Child’s Life
Discover seven propensities that drive young people away from God and why parents inadvertently nurture vice over virtue in their children. (Based on the book How to Mess Up Your Child’s Life - presented by Kurt and Olivia Bruner)
Olivia is a former sixth grade teacher and mother of four children ages nine to nineteen. She is also on the faculty for the Heritage Builders Association and The Center for Strong Families. A frequent guest on Focus on the Family, Family Life and other radio programs, Olivia is author of several books including The Minivan Years: Celebrating the Hectic Joys of Motherhood.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. An Army of None: The Importance of Reaching Men
The family discipleship movement will not be effective unless we get husbands and fathers on board. Men are leaving the church but if we are strategic and tenacious, we can reach them. Learn rationale and strategies for motivating men in your ministry in this session.
Lab # 2. Where do Singles fit in the Faith at Home movement?
Much attention has been given to the family, but how do singles fit in with all of the family emphasis Come find out some theological principles and practical application for the place of singles in the family discipleship movement in the local church.
Randy Stinson is Dean of the School of Church Ministries, Vice President for Student Life and Institutional Improvement, and Assistant Professor of Leadership at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. He also serves as President of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW), an evangelical organization that seeks to promote the biblical teachings on the complementary differences between men and women, created equal in the image of God. In addition, he has served as a senior pastor and in various other church staff positions.
Randy received a B.A. from The University of South Florida, in Tampa, Florida, a M.Div. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a Th.M. and a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
Randy has been married to his wife Danna for nineteen years, and they are the parents of six children: Gunnar and Georgia (twin thirteen year-olds), Fisher (eleven years), Eden (ten years), Payton (eight years), and Willa (four years).
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Practical Ideas and Strategies for Building a D6 Focused Church
Jon Cannon, Senior Pastor of Victory Church in O’Fallon, Illinois, is building a D6 model church. Victory constantly evaluates every ministry through the “D6 Lens” and is strategically driving faith back into the home. Have you ever gone to a conference and felt extremely overwhelmed with all the great content you received? Have you ever left a conference and wondered how to implement what you have learned? If so, then this lab is for you! Jon will be sharing some very practical ways for the small and medium size church to become D6 churches and strategically drive faith back into the home.
Lab # 2. Priorities Matter When Building a D6 Family or a D6 Church
Deuteronomy 6:6 says, “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.” In this lab Jon will speak on the top four priorities, which must be in place in your life in order to build a D6 family and a D6 church. Jon Cannon is a Christ follower of 33 years, a husband of 26 years, father of two, pastor of Victory Church, and founder of Priorities Matter Ministries (PMM). Jon is passionate about equipping husbands, wives, parents and pastors in prioritizing their lives and ministries, thus enabling them to build D6 families and churches.
Jon Cannon is the founder and Senior Pastor of Victory Free Will Baptist Church in O’Fallon, Illinois, which he and his family planted in 1999. Victory is a D6 Church and has become intentional in building families who drive faith at home. He is also the founder of Priorities Matter Ministries (PrioritiesMatterMinistries.org), which focuses on “prioritizing your life and walking in God’s favor”. Jon has been in ministry for 23 years. He attended Trinity Baptist Bible College in NC and earned his Master’s Degree in Pastoral Counseling from Andersonville Theological Seminary. Jon has been married for 26 years to his high school sweetheart Debbie, and has two children Tyler 20, and Kristen 17. He also enjoys writing on his blog at JonCannon.org.
Conference Focus - Lab #1. The Parent Factor: Leveraging influence when you have their attention
With all the discipleship tools available through your church, the local Christian bookstore and all-mighty Google… how is it that parents continue to feel ill-equipped to lead their kids spiritually? “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained” Proverbs 29:18. Many parents’ goals for their kids amounts to a solid education & great athletic skills hopefully leading to a fulfilling career. Yet this is not the vision laid out in Deuteronomy 6. In order to change the activity of the family, we have to change the vision of the parents. Yet we’re hard-pressed to find a family that isn’t busy today. How do we gain parents’ attention long enough to infuse the Deuteronomy 6 vision? There are a handful of key moments in the life of a family when parents are looking for help. You don’t have to work to get their attention, they’re looking for you. In this workshop we’ll work to identify those moments and how to capitalize on the opportunity to refocus mom & dad on the vision of Deuteronomy 6.
Lab # 2. Volunteers: Developing a Relationship Driven Culture
It isn’t your variety of crayons & assortment of scissors that keeps volunteers in your ministry. It’s the relationships. Relational investment is the hook that keeps volunteers engaged. Investment with the kids & each other. Join the conversation on how to establish a culture where ministry to kids extends beyond Sunday and infiltrates every other day of the week.
Gina McClain is a speaker, teacher, writer and Children’s Ministry Director at Faithpromise Church in Knoxville, TN. Her marriage to Kyle McClain keeps her marginally sane while their 3 kids (Keegan, Josie and Connor) keep her from taking herself too seriously. Her driving motivator is to lead Christ-followers to embrace and foster ministry in their home. Married or single, young or old, if the living room is the hub of ministry, the neighborhood is different. If the neighborhood is different, the city is different. If the city is different, the world is different.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matt 5:13
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Orchestrating a Sunday Morning Gathering to Impact Parents (Including the Weakest Parents in the Church)
The weakest church parents will not come on church property any time other than Sunday morning—even if James Dobson is the speaker and Billy Graham is leading the opening prayer. Therefore, the best time to move them toward faith at home is Sunday morning—while they already are present. This seminar will present practical plans for assembling parents during a Bible teaching hour, or a modified worship service, or during a noon event that immediately follows worship. Richard Ross, who leads about 30 such Sunday mornings a year, also will present guidance on content and experiences most likely to move parents into a faith at home journey.
Lab # 2. Infusing Student Ministry with Events that Bring Together Parents and Teenagers
For fifty years, student ministry was almost an appendage to the church. Student groups functioned in their own world, cut off from rich relationships with the generations – including their own parents. As a youth pastor who bucked the trend for three decades, Richard Ross has developed many successful events that bring together parents and their teenagers. These events bring spiritual refreshing to both parents and teenagers, connect the hearts of the generations, and gently move parents into spiritual leadership with their children. Such events are the wave of the future in faith at home churches.
Richard Ross is professor to the next generation of youth ministers at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth. Since its inception, Richard has served as the spokesperson for the international True Love Waits movement. Richard is husband to LaJuana, who has joined him in a lifetime of loving teenagers. They are parents of Clayton, age 19. Richard served as youth minister for thirty years and now is a volunteer with teenagers and parents at Wedgwood Baptist in Fort Worth.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Family + Community
Parenting and Family ministry is more than a program or event. It requires a fundamental change at the core of your church… it requires COLLABORATION and demands attention to community. Learn some simple steps to building a community of support and fellowship for the families at your church; and, discover a strategy for taking your ministry to children to the next level.
Lab # 2. Parent Warriors
Apply the war fighting tactics of the U.S. Marines to win the battle for the families in your community. Ministry to parents requires a great strategy… and it requires action. Get the tools you need to take your ministry to families and children to the front lines of the battle for our homes!
Michael Chanley, a Sergeant of Marines, has been serving in Children’s Ministry for over a decade. Currently, he is on staff with Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY (a church of 16,000+ members). Michael has a passion to help people connect with one another. Recently he has created several social networking sites, including CMconnect.org and ParentUnity.org work to unite people with common areas of interest to better serve Christ. To contact Michael for speaking on issues related to children, parenting, and family email him at Michael@pureconnect.org.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. The Paradigm Shift: From Church Centered to Home Centered
This pre-conference lab will give you words, ideas and a model to share for helping your church become more intentional in shaping the home for faith and life formation. We will expand your thinking by showing you ways to raise the capacity of the church, to increase the capacity of the home, to teach faith in Jesus.
Lab # 2. The Family Friendly Tweak: Training Parents and Grandparents at church for Faith Formation at Home
This hands on pre conference lab will equip you to train parents at church to teach the faith at home. We will work through the 4 arenas of faith formation and the 3 steps to move the teaching at church into the home. You will receive training and resources to make what you do at church count as you train parents to partner in faith formation.
Lab # 3. Helping Parents be the Main Shapers of Human Sexuality in their Children
Talking about God’s Gift of Sexuality is taboo is many homes and churches. This pre conference lab will open the lid on this topic and show you how to develop a culture in your church and home to equip parents to grow children with Godly values and the right information about God’s gift of human sexuality.
Ben Freudenburg has been a Director of Christian Education for 37 years, working with children, youth, and their families to nurture their love for God and each other through the church and is presently serving as Family Life Program Director and Professor in Family Life Studies at Concordia University Ann Arbor and is the founder of Family Friendly Partners Network. He is married to Jennifer and is father to Cori and Sara and grandfather to Caleb, Markey, Adelaide and Micah. He has served at Shore Haven Lutheran in Cleveland, Ohio; Our Redeemer Lutheran in Hutchinson, Kansas, Concordia Lutheran in Kirkwood, Missouri, and Christ Church-Lutheran in Phoenix AZ as Minister to the Christian Home. He received his BS in ED and certification as Director of Christian Education and Master’s of Science –Family Life through Concordia University in Seward Nebraska. He has served as President of Lutheran Education’s TEAM department and as President of Lutheran Education Association a national professional organization for Lutheran educators. He has written for a variety of education and youth journals and magazines and wrote; “The Traveling Guide…. A Vehicle for Youth Ministry,”; “Through Children’s Eyes,” a book of “52 Children’s Messages” CPH and “The Family Friendly Church.” by Group Publishing. He has recently created the Family Friendly Partners Training Network and has lead networks of churches in Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Mind the Gap: The Danger of Overlooking Emerging Adults
You have been told you can be anything you want to be and now you find out you can’t. You have been told you can do anything you want to do and now you know you can’t. Being a young adult means meeting reality head on with life jarring force. The answers aren’t on the internet… How the church must become a safe place for emerging adults to deal with life’s hardest questions.
Lab # 2. The Future Is Behind You: Why Pastors Have to Get Serious About Reaching Emerging Adults
We used to think that once a young adult graduated from college, they would move back home and of course, come back to church. They aren’t. And they won’t. If the church has a future in North America it will be because pastors lead their churches to reach back to young adults at this critical point in their lives.
Incredibly authentic, humble, and humorous, Mike Glenn has an uncanny ability to captivate an audience of people with a contagious fascination for God’s Word. He is the senior pastor of Brentwood Baptist, and since he came in 1991, membership in this congregation has skyrocketed from 900 to more than 7,000. In addition, he speaks at Kairos, a mid-week worship service at Brentwood Baptist, and attendance has grown to more than 1,500 people in just a few short years. Mike is divinely wired for one-on-one interactions with others, and he continues to pursue these kinds of relationships—often over a cup of coffee—with members in his congregation. While Mike has a passion to reach young adults, he also has a unique ability to speak to any generation. He is frequently interviewed on radio and TV talk shows, and you can visit Mike’s blog and website at www.mikeglenn.org. Mike is a published author and is currently writing his second book. His first book, In Real Time: Young Adult Ministry As It Happens, was released last spring, and it tells the story of the Tuesday night Kairos ministry to our post-modern culture. (More can be learned about this ministry at www.kairosnashville.com.) Mike is married to Jeannie and they have twin sons, Chris (married to Deb) and Craig, (married to Nan). He would welcome hearing from you at mglenn@brentwoodbaptist.com.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Building D6 Communities Within an Age-Segrated Church
This session will begin by exploring how faith was nurtured in Old and New Testament times within community. Building on this biblical foundation, the presenters will share practical applications from the development of their Family Small Group model designed to create community and service among family units.
Lab # 2. Mobilizing Families to ‘Go & Be’
Thad Harris has a passion to equip and send families into their communities to spread the hope of the gospel! He will speak about the strategy that Fellowship Dallas has implemented for the purpose of mobilizing missional families. Families have been commissioned by Christ to ‘Go and Be’ the church - His body - in their local domains. Thad will share from experience at FBCD both foundational principles and practical ideas for sending families into their communities in order to live in cooperation with the mission of God. This session will speak to Children’s Ministry and Student Ministry leaders as well as Family Pastors.
Thad Harris is the Family Pastor at Fellowship Bible Church Dallas and has over 10 years of experience in ministering alongside kids, students and families. Thad and his wife, Lori, have five children ages 10 months to 8 years and is committed to leading a missional family and impacting other moms and dads to live on mission with God as well! Thad has a passion for the gospel and enjoys creating opportunities to engage the lost.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. The Missional Home: Why the missional movement is incomplete without D6, and how to win at both
The concept of “missional church” is one that has swept through the body of Christ like wildfire—stimulating an exciting new mindset for externally-focused ministry. Ryan Rush will show leaders how to integrate the essential elements of effective ministry in the home with missional strategies. This powerful combination has the potential for dramatic kingdom impact.
Lab # 2. Beyond Family Programming: Creating a D6 culture through Faith Breakthroughs
Bannockburn Baptist Church in Austin, TX has implemented a church-wide strategy that helps to facilitate a home-centered discipleship path. “Faith Breakthroughs” offers churches a great way of helping the people they serve find a place to start and path to follow as they navigate through the barriers of home life. The presentation will share the principles of the model, along with some insights into how to make bring your people to a place of Faith Breakthrough!
Since his arrival as Senior Pastor at Bannockburn Baptist Church in 2004, Pastor Ryan has led the implementation of a comprehensive, cross-generational effort to connect church and home life. The “Faith Breakthroughs” process serves as the centerpiece of this strategy and has become a launching point for other churches with the same family-centered goals. Ryan has been ministering to families for almost two decades, and has shared the practical truths of God’s word with thousands from across the country. He served as the Family Pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, before moving back home to Central Texas. He has hosted radio and television programs on the subject of family life, and is the author of Home on Time: Life Management by the Book—a look at Psalm 90, that is helping lead families away from the chaos caused by living within the framework of a disorganized life.
Conference Focus - Lab #1. Leading Your Team to Craft a Unique Home Driven Vision
Leaders leave D6 with hearts full of ideas, passion, and vision to drive faith at home in their own ministries. However, every ministry is distinctive. Every leader is unique. How can we put the pieces together to craft a strategy and vision that will effectively drive faith at home in our own unique circumstances? Leading Your Team to Craft a Unique Home Driven Vision will provide a process church leaders can guide their own ministry leaders through to design and craft a vision that moves beyond copying another ministry model. Instead, leaders will learn a process to discover what driving faith at home in their unique ministry will look like.
Lab # 2. Painting Vision: Practical ways to see a D6 Vision Ignite
Momentum: the leader’s greatest gift when you have it. Momentum: the leader’s greatest frustration when you don’t. How do we build momentum in our ministries to see driving faith at home take off? How do we build momentum in an environment where senior leaders don’t embrace a D6 vision? How do we communicate a D6 vision to the Church as a whole in a way that will grab minds, hearts, and behaviors? Painting Vision will give practical ideas, principles, and strategies to paint vision in a way that engages all environments of their ministry culture. Momentum: the leader’s greatest gift when you have it. Becoming a vision artist is the key to build it.
Brian Carlson is a recovering youth ministry addict who has discovered over the past 15 years as a youth pastor that reaching the hearts of students without engaging the home can be a fruitless venture. Brian is passionate about using student ministries as a tool to enable parents to drive faith at home and equiping homes with creative strategies and resuorces to do so. Brian is also passionate about developing tools and strategies that transform lost and disengaged homes into homes that follow after Christ. Brian is the Director of Middle School Ministries at Woodmen Valley Chapel in Colorado Springs, CO. He has married to his wife of 15 years, Beka, and has four children, Jordan, McKenna, Tristan, and Kaden.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Devotions Kicked Up a Notch
You’ll get ideas and tools to give to your parents that will prevent devotions from becoming the dreaded “D” word. Make family time something to look forward to, rather than another thing to mark off the chore list. BONUS: Free Give-Aways!
Lab # 2. Unwrapping a Servant Within
The spiritual foundation is laid before the teen years and an ingredient in that foundation is developing a servant lifestyle in our kids. Parents and children’s ministers coming alongside kids to intentionally teach them to serve … that can change the world.
After 32 incredible years in children’s ministry within the local church, Tina is now the publications director for KidzMatter. Her primary responsibilities are to oversee the content of K! Magazine and to develop curriculum products. Her first project has been a totally downloadable year-round elementary kids’ church curriculum called The Kitchen. She absolutely loves being able to train volunteers and professionals who have a heart for seeing kids become disciples of Jesus, whether that is through writing curriculum, writing idea books for Warner Press, or being able to speak at conferences. Totally accepting God’s gift of joy is her daily ambition! Check out what’s happening with Tina at www.tinahouser.net.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Creative Children’s Ministry
Are you stuck in a rut with your ministry? Maybe your creative juices are dried up or you are struggling with implementation. Regardless, the creative process is just like having kids. It can be the most rewarding and sometimes the most frustrating aspect of ministry. It is challenging to take ideas from birth to maturity. Unfortunately, it seems like most of my ideas get stuck in the dirty diaper phase. Stinking up the house and requiring a lot of time and energy. This will be a great opportunity to walk away with some fresh ideas for your ministry.
Lab # 2. The Family Team
As a father of four boys, I don’t have to worry about competition in my house. It just wakes up! With the struggles facing today’s families, it is vital to develop a team mentality. I’ve observed my boys play sports and have wondered why they respond so quickly to their coach yet resist my instructions. This session is designed to help develop a life coach mentally within your ministry to parents.
Larry is the children’s pastor at Fielder Road Baptist Church and has been serving in this capacity since February 2004. Prior to being the Children’s Minister he served as an associate in the children and recreation ministry beginning in 2000. Larry has his BBA from West Texas A&M University and in 2001 he completed his MDIV from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary 2001. He married his lovely wife, Jagee, August 12, 1994. They have four boys, Jadan, Gage, Chaz and Kason. His passion is to empower kids to lead today: to see kids come to know Christ and grow in their relationship with him and to share Jesus with the world.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Connecting Church and Home: The 7 Marks of a Family-Equipping Church
Come hear the “why” and “how” to create a family-equipping culture in your church setting. There is a growing movement of leaders convicted that we have to place greater focus on the home in our discipleship and spiritual formation process. But those leaders are looking for practical strategies and asking good questions about how to apply the biblical wisdom of D6 in their own churches: What is the best strategy to pursue as a church as we partner with the home (family-friendly, family-equipping or family-integrated)? What does a family-equipping church look like? What are the distinctives that set it apart? This workshop is led by Jay Strother, who helped transition 7,000 member Brentwood Baptist Church (near Nashville, TN) to a family-equipping model and who is now planting a new campus (The Church at Station Hill) with these same principles.
Lab # 2. Starting Right: Planting congregations with a D6 vision
Starting Right: Planting New Works with a D6 Vision - While church planting has its many challenges, it is also full of opportunity to focus on the things that matter from the beginning. If you are a church planter, a multi-site campus pastor or interested in starting a new work with a vision for connecting church and home in place from day one, then this workshop is for you! Discover how to make a “Deuteronomy 6” vision a key part of your mission, explore ways to build strategy around a church-home partnership, and learn how intentional intergenerational ministry brings health to a young congregation. This seminar is led by Jay Strother, who helped transition Brentwood (TN) Baptist (7,000+ members) to a family-equipping model and is now planting The Church at Station Hill (300+ members), Brentwood’s first regional campus.
Jay Strother is the Emerging Generations Minister at Brentwood Baptist Church. He’s been working with students, children and their parents since he was 19 years old. Jay graduated from Greenville (IL) College in 1997 and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 2006. Currently he is planting the South Campus of Brentwood Baptist in Spring Hill/Thompson Station, TN. His favorite stories come from the adventures of life with his wife of 11+ years, Tanya, and their three lively little girls, Eliza, Lexi and Ella.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Partnering with Parents in Youth Ministry
Family-Based Youth Ministry is not a method, but rather a mindset. This session will explore the Biblical mandate (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) to help families succeed. You will discover the importance of getting parents involved in the faith development of their kids as well as be provided with practical ideas on how to encourage, involve, assist, inform and make parents your allies in the church. You can expect to receive basic theory on family-based youth ministry, curriculum and over 50 practical ideas to help families succeed.
Lab # 2. Teaching Your Children Healthy Sexuality
Kids today are making sexual decisions based on emotional involvement that exceeds their maturity level. The more positive, value centered sex education kids receive from home and church the less promiscuous they will be in life. This session will explore practical ways to navigate the negative cultural influences to help young people develop a healthy theology of sexuality. Jim has spoken to over a million students on the Purity Code. Jim has written books for adults, teens, pre-teens and even children on this subject. This is a session you will not want to miss. It is Jim’s latest material and always practical, challenging, encouraging, with bits of humor. Parents and church leaders will come away with over 50 ideas to use to help kids develop a Purity Code for their life. This is a session dealing with all ages of development.
Jim Burns is President of HomeWord and host of HomeWord’s radio broadcasts heard on over 800 releases a day around the country. Jim speaks to thousands of people around the world every year. He is a three time Gold Medallion Award winning author and has written books for parents, students, children, youth ministry and church leaders. Jim has over 1.5 million resources in print in over 20 languages. His most recent resources include The Purity Code, Teaching Your Children Healthy Sexuality and Accept Nothing Less; God Made Your Body; How God Makes Babies; Confident Parenting, Creating an Intimate Marriage; Closer: Devotions to Draw Couples Together; The 10 Building Blocks for a Happy Family; and The Youth Builder. Jim and his wife, Cathy, and their daughters Christy, Rebecca, and Heidi live in Southern California.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. The New Deal: Negotiated Partnering with Parents
There is much talk about “Partnering with Parents” today, but when you ask parents and church leaders what they think it means - you hear two very different versions. Imagine any other “partnership” where the two parties never came together and discussed the relationship before entering into a partnership? It’s no wonder family ministry is so difficult and leaves church leaders feeling like a failure and parents feeling discouraged. The problem isn’t that partnering with parents is difficult, is simply that the two parties need to come together and form a partnership! This workshop is for leaders who want know what this could look like in normal churches and what are some practical steps they can take to bring this about.
Lab # 2. The V.I.P. Model of Family Ministry (Very Intentional Parenting)
After traveling the country on sabbatical and interviewing children’s pastors asking, “What do you do to partnering with parents?” Karl Bastian wearied of hearing the answers begin with, “We try…” Family ministry events were greeted with low interest and even lower attendance. The only common denominator in all the events and programs and gimmicks he found was a sense of defeat. Perhaps that is how you feel too. He determined he would not jump on the family ministry band wagon unless there was a way to do it differently – a way that worked. A way that resulted in 80-90% attendance and real results. He did! He discovered a principle so simple and yet so revolutionary that it transformed his family ministry. Come find out what it was.
Karl Bastian has over fifteen years of experience as a full time Children’s Pastor in large, small, and mobile churches. He is also the founder of Kidology.org, one of the leading Internet destinations for those who minister to children. He has a Bible Theology degree from Moody Bible Institute and a Masters in Children’s Ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Karl is an author of and contributor to several children’s ministry books and magazines, a trainer and encourager at conferences around the world, but his favorite place to be is in front of kids creatively teaching them the Bible and training them to serve God. In his workshops Karl brings the joy of Children’s Ministry to life and with it, creative and practical ideas and principles that will recharge your ministry.
Conference Focus - Have a Faith at Home Focused Church in 365 Days!
What do you do when the ‘D6 challenge’ creates an unsettling in the traditional philosophy of ministry that you have inherited and labored to implement? One church, one year, one goal; taking every attendee, every disciple, every marriage, every worshipper, every child, every teen, every parent to their next level. Disciples must be hand-crafted, not mass-produced. How can one strategy make such a difference? Hear the progress one church is making in redefining what discipleship means in the local church and ultimately at home. Learn a very practical way the ministry staff is attempting to influence every home, every day. Hear the results so far! This new approach is changing the culture of the church, the leadership, and in most homes that make up the church community.
Blaine is a Christ-Follower, husband, father, son, brother, and Pastor. As part-time youth ministry begets full-time youth ministry, full-time youth ministry begets Senior Pastor (all that without changing congregations). He began his ministry when only 21 years old and by the time he was 22 he was a full time senior pastor (a time in his life that in hindsight seems terribly scary). He has successfully navigated and pastored two congregations through a merger. The church is still successful today. He now serves as the Lead Pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church in Russellville, AR. He has successfully implemented a thriving family-based small-group ministry and developed the Hydrate Concept that he will be sharing in this workshop.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. 40 years of futility? A look at the modern youth ministry movement
Is there a crisis in youth ministry? The modern youth pastor position was born (more or less) four decades ago to address the needs of the adolescent in the church. The statistics (which vary) may indicate that the majority of students in our churches leave after high school, never to return. How is this possible in light of the professionalization of youth ministry for the last 40 years? This discussion will center on youth ministry in the 2010’s, and how a D6 mindset might impact the future for churches and for youth ministry.
Lab # 2. Have a Faith at Home Focused Church in 365 Days!
What do you do when the D6 challenge resonates within your church staff? In the case of one Arkansas congregation, you Hydrate! This session will give you an inside look at the Senior Pastor and staff who returned home from the D6 Conference last year and began to formulate what it might all mean for their local church. The results? It is a work in progress…
Allen is currently in year 19 of a ministry adventure at First Free Will Baptist Church in Russellville, Arkansas. This process of going from analog to digital in ministry has included taking a long hard look at how youth ministry that does not tie back into the family and the local church is futile as best, and unbiblical at worst. Allen has tagged along with the Senior Pastor and the rest of the staff as they have tried to analyze and prepare a sixty year old church with a proven track record in ministry to take D6 seriously, and try to enhance a true family ministry concept, while keeping certain earmarks of youth ministry as a part of this core concept. The results? Well, it is in process.
Allen and his wife Jill will celebrate their 25th anniversary this summer, and have two daughers, Catie (17) and Christen (19). He also holds his MA in Youth and Family Ministry from Luther Seminary, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Allen has taken his youth groups on over 25 mission trips here in the United States, France, Spain, and Uruguay. He has also led a youth retreat in France as well as helped to train youth workers in the Ural Mountain region of Russia. Every summer (since 1997) has found Allen leading the Truth and Peace Student Leadership Conference for Free Will Baptist high school students, the leading leadership training conference for Free Will Baptist teens, which is sponsored by Randall House.
Conference Focus - The Blessing: A biblical “picture” of where “Faith@Home” begins (with John Trent).
At the D6 Conference, you’ll learn about a number of outstanding models for helping parents live out Deut. 6; from Randall House’s D6 Model, to Faith Breakthroughs, to Legacy Milestones, to Mark Holmen’s “faith@home” model. This workshop however, will give you a “picture” of perhaps the earliest example in Scripture of “faith@home” by looking closely at the incredibly powerful concept of Passing on The Blessing to a child. You’ll learn about the five elements of The Blessing, it’s importance emotionally and spiritually in a child’s life concerning faith formation, how to do a “Blessing” event at your church, and how this concept is being applied in churches (and in other faith@home models) across the country!
Tony Wheeler Ph.D. is an expert on family strengths and family dynamics. He is Director of the Midwest Center for Strong Families and is Faculty Chair for Dr. John Trent’s Center for Strong Families in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Wheeler has a Masters degree in Family Therapy/Studies and a Ph.D. in Family Life Education and Consultation from Kansas State University. He has been an adjunct faculty member at Phoenix Seminary teaching Marriage and Family courses. Dr. Wheeler has been a counselor for 18 years, a speaker for 14 years and has seen many relationships repaired and individuals healed through his counseling and seminars. He has been married to Stacey for 21 years and they have three children, ages 20, 18, and 14.
Conference Focus - Extreme Family Makeover (with Mark Holmen)
We are great at building or remodeling homes today yet what happens inside the home spiritually is where the makeover is truly needed. Pastor Mark Holmen and Tim Smith of parentscoach.org will be teaming up to walk us through the makeover Christian families needs today.
With thirty years experience of working with children, youth and families, Tim leads Life Skills for American Families – a non-profit 501c (3) organization dedicated to innovatively celebrating and empowering the family. www.parentscoach.org
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. Godly Fathers, the First Steps to Transforming Your Family Ministry.
Practical ways for your church ministries to encourage and equip fathers to be the spiritual leaders at home and in the context of the church. Practical programming that helps local churches to move from being passive and engage fathers and grandfathers to be the spiritual “coaches/leaders”, beginning at home.
Lab # 2. Engaging Fathers to be the Spiritual Pacesetters at Home.
Ways to encourage fathers and grandfathers to set the tone spiritually within the context of the home. Practical ways to move dads to take small daily steps to be the spiritual leader of their home.
Mike was born in Pasadena, California. He was raised by Christian parents that “loved Christ and influenced him to be a Christ follower by their words and actions.” He was led to the Lord by a Sunday school teacher at the age of five. As a graduate of Grace University, Talbot School of Theology, and Temple Baptist Seminary, Mike has provided leadership in a variety of areas. Since 1971, Mike has served in the local church ranging from smaller congregations of only 100, to larger churches over 3,000. He has served at Grace Baptist Church in Santa Clarita, California, for the past 22 years. Mike’s passion is to equip fathers to be godly men by actively modeling and teaching God’s word to their children.
Mike has been a church consultant and has taught at several Christian conferences across America. As a consultant, Mike has worked with such organizations as David C. Cook, Evangelical Training Association, Gospel Light, and Awana Clubs International. He taught at the Master’s College for over ten years and at Golden Gate Seminary. Most importantly, Mike has learned much of his ministry from his wife, Debbie, who is the Children’s Director at Grace. He has two adult children, Dan, who is the Spiritual Care Department at Grace, and Jon, who is a missionary to China, and five grandchildren who are his daily teachers of walking by faith (Hebrews 11).
Conference Focus - Lab #1. Building D6 Communities Within an Age-Segrated Church
This session will begin by exploring how faith was nurtured in Old and New Testament times within community. Building on this biblical foundation, the presenters will share practical applications from the development of their Family Small Group model designed to create community and service among family units.
Dr. Jerry Lawrence has nineteen years experience developing and overseeing children’s ministries in small, medium and large churches. Jerry earned her master’s and doctor’s degrees at Dallas Theological Seminary, where she teaches Children’s Ministry courses as an adjunct professor. Jerry works on Sundays in the preschool area at her church and loves interacting with children and families. She also enjoys spending time with her twelve nieces and nephews any chance she can!
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. 7 Conflict Maxims - Turn conflict into a CONSTRUCTIVE, rather than a DESTRUCTIVE experience in your family
The number one predictor of divorce today is ‘the habitual avoidance of conflict’. What’s sad is that the reason we avoid conflict is because we believe it (conflict) causes divorce. It’s like the cartoon where the couple explains to the marriage counselor, “We never talk anymore. We figured out that’s when we do all our fighting.” In this session, we’ll discover the real benefit of constructive conflict, and how it can help us develop a closer and more intimate relationship, when we do it RIGHT. Everyone who is in ANY relationship can benefit from this session.
Lab # 2. Families in the Blender - Helping Step-Families Succeed
The “Leave it to Beaver” family model is few and far between in most of our church fields these days. And yet, if you take a look at the ministry model we’re offering in many of our churches, you’d be hard-pressed to believe it. Though step-families are a very large and growing demographic in our cities AND in our churches, many churches have no targeted ministries to these special families. And the fact is, these families are under a much greater stress/strain than most, dealing with baggage, communication issues, and financial burdens many times magnified over a typical nuclear family. With the growth of these families in our midst, it is in our best interest, AND, in the interests of these families, if we will prepare our churches to be better equipped to minister to these families where they are hurting the most.
Since January, 2008, Keith has been working with the BGCT Bible Study/Discipleship Team as an Adult Sunday School Consultant and a specialist for Single Adults, Family Ministry & Senior Adults. Keith has served churches in Louisiana, Texas, and Tennessee in youth, music, education, single adults, and outreach & evangelism, for more than 30 years. He has worked with the Baptist Sunday School Board, (now Lifeway), as an Adult Sunday School consultant, where he wrote and led national Sunday School conferences for adults and wrote multiple articles for Lifeway publications, and for more than 10 years has led a successful corporate and church growth training and consulting company, Keith Lowry Seminars, Inc. (www.keithlowry.com)
Keith makes his home in Arlington, Texas, where he happily lives with his amazing wife, Suzanne. Keith has three grown children, Erin (with son-in-law Billy), Daniel, and John Mark, currently live in Texas, Kentucky, and Louisiana, with two grandchildren (Lane & Ethan) and two step-grandchildren (Blade & Billy Ty) ranging in age from 4-12 receiving an inordinate but well-deserved amount of attention.
Conference Focus - Sandy and Karen will be leading and hosting several workshops on resources available from Randall House that help connect church and home including Small Group and Sunday School Curriculum, Bible Studies, Family Worship at Church, Books, Online Resources, and other leading resources that assist churches in developing spiritual formation models that help parents lead spiritually in the home.
Sandy Atwood:
Sandy is an upper elementary D6 Curriculum writer from Nashville, Tennessee. She and her husband, Richard travel and speak together regularly. She’s taught children in many different settings for 40 years and loves thinking of creative ways to make learning fun! They have four adult children- ages 22-30. Sandy is a MOPS mentor and enjoys playing the piano, reading, and traveling.
Karen Walker:
Karen Walker has been writing for the D6 Curriculum since 2004. She not only writes the curriculum but teaches it each week. Currently she is on VBS training teams that prepare teachers for their summer programs and works with Child Evangelism. Karen’s passion is reaching children and has made various mission trips to Alaska, Tohono O’dham Indian reservation in Arizona, inner-city Memphis, and to Ecuador. Karen, her husband and family, live on a farm outside of Huntsville, Alabama.
Conference Focus - Lab # 1. How to Motivate Dads to be Spiritual Leaders
Now that we’ve told dads what to do, how do we get them to do it? Hold on to your hats—this session is jammed with practical ideas that will help you solve that biggest dilemma!
Lab # 2. Raising a Modern-Day Joseph
A compelling target with a do-able plan beside it can make a huge difference in how parents participate in spiritual formation. Come get equipped with a powerful model that will provide both!!
Larry Fowler serves as executive director of global training for Awana, an international organization committed to helping churches and parents raise children and youth to know, love and serve Jesus Christ. For nearly 30 years, Larry has pursued this mission in a range of capacities, including local-church Awana volunteer, missionary, speaker, author, teacher and executive director of international ministries, program development and training.
Larry is an author of two books – Raising a Modern-Day Joseph and Rock-Solid Kids – and a speaker to audiences worldwide both inside and outside of Awana. He is also a recognized expert in issues facing families and churches in the 21st century.
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