God calls His Church to be a beacon of Christ-centered unity and community in a hurting world. More than ever, ministry leaders are feeling the need for support and "togetherness" as they navigate issues of today. Join us as we explore and experience what true encouragement, unity & connecting relationships can look like across our churches and ministries. We are truly BETTER TOGETHER!
Link to registration is located at the bottom of this page!
Before you register, please read through our workshop options!
***If you are interested in having a table at the conference for your ministry, you will need to apply to become a FLD ministry partner. Please contact Rob (rweise@forestlakes-efca.org) and fill out an application here.***
CARLTON HARRIS -
Don’t Do it Alone!
Pastors and Christian leaders often feel isolated and that they are “going it alone”. They also feel compelled to work longer and harder while trying to accomplish more and be more. Many days they sense that they are withering on the inside as they look for a safe place to share their story. Our time together will encourage pastors and leaders to take steps toward more intimate relationships with one another.
ABOUT CARLTON HARRIS -
Carlton his wife Carol reside in the Twin Cities Metro where he serves as EVP of National Ministries for the EFCA. They have been married for 43 years and have 3 adult married children and 6 grandchildren. Carlton started ministry in 1981 as a pastoral intern at First Evangelical Free Church in Wichita, Kansas, and has spent 40 years in church leadership.
JON PAYNE -
We All Need Encouragement
We all need encouragement! Where do you find it? Do you look to Jesus? Do you have people around you that you can connect with for encouragement - who are you encouraging? We are better together!
ABOUT JON PAYNE-
Jon Payne has been in vocational ministry for over 30 years as a student ministry pastor, Fellowship of Christian Athletes staff member, interim senior pastor, and senior pastor. Jon and Kim have been married for 35 years and he became District Superintendent of the Forest Lakes District of the Evangelical Free Church of America in November of 2016. He believes that the message C.H. Spurgeon preached in 1863 is just as relevant today: “The Church of Jesus Christ is the Hope of the World.”
We are so excited to share about our workshop options! Before registering, please read through the descriptions to determine which workshops would be best for you! If there are several that you would like to attend, don’t worry, we will have recordings of all the sessions available after the conference!
Developing the Art of Delivery in Speaking and Teaching - Jeremy Vance
Teachers and preachers I know are serious about the lessons and sermons they prepare to give. Yet, so often when the stand to deliver their messages, they face the challenge of engaging their audience throughout the entire presentation. They struggle to persuade because they know how to present a logical outline or argument, but they don’t know how to keep an audience connected to them at a heart level. This workshop will give you the tools you need to be a communicator where the audience will stay with you and truly delight in what you are presenting. By keeping them engaged, they will have hearts to be swayed toward the truth you want to convey. Giving a message where people listen intently is an art form. This workshop will give you the tools you need to become better at the art of delivery.
Identifying and Developing Spirit-Led Leaders - Kevin Huff
While the topic of leadership in the church has its roots in 1st century Christianity, after 2000+ years, it seems we still haven’t perfected the finding and formation of Spirit-led leaders in the church. What should we be doing differently to identify, fortify,and commission leaders? In this workshop, we’ll:
Identify the top aptitude, attitude, cultural, and skill set characteristics of Spirit-Led Leaders.
Work to transform our thinking about leadership.
Explore a sound biblical reason(s) to conform to a new standard of what it means to raise-up leaders
Be prepared to be challenged in your own leadership role, while considering what it takes to find and form Spirit-Led Leaders.
Building A Healthy Staff Culture In Your Church - Jeff Hinds, Andrew Gutberlet & Vianca McSwain
Church health depends upon several key factors: one of which is staff relationships. When staff do not get along, or when some staff are devalued (rather than encouraged to soar), a demotivating work environment ensues. Churches should expect senior pastors who honor, encourage, advocate-for, equip and unleash co-workers as fellow ministers of Christ. Stingy leadership results in demoralized co-workers. Churches should also expect non-senior pastor staff who honor leadership well. The best co-workers excel at loyalty, dependability, and maturity.
We designed this workshop to equip church staff (all ministry positions) to truly excel; as well as for lay elders to know what should be expected from staff. Our seminar includes perspectives from both genders and 3 different ministry (staff) roles.
Becoming Trauma Informed - Jen Ferris (EFCA Reach Global Crisis Response)
Have you ever wanted to start a conversation with someone who was going through hard times, but you didn't know where to begin? Have you ever experienced a crisis so big you didn't even know how you felt?
ReachGlobal Crisis Response's basic trauma care training equips church and ministry leaders to help someone process what they are feeling after a crisis. Based on the principles of active listening and asking powerful questions to guide conversation, these skills that take some intentionality but can be learned by anyone. This is an incredibly versatile training that can be utilized to help someone start processing a personal crisis, like a divorce, or a community crisis, such as a flash flood. This session will empower you to sit down with a friend who is hurting and help them begin to heal by verbalizing what they are feeling.
How Making Disciples Will Change How We Multiply Churches (and so much more) - Casey Johnson
Do you ever look around your church and wonder how you might better make disciples? In this workshop we'll look at the discipleship problem that is facing the Church today. We'll also look at the importance of networks and developing multiplication pathways in our churches so that we might better make disciples, develop leaders, and multiply churches across our district.
How to Reach the Muslim Population with the Gospel - Issa Safadi
Jesus is mentioned by name 25 times in the Qur’an, while Muhammad is mentioned 4 times. In addition, many chapters from the Qur'an talk about Jesus and Christianity. Muslims are left with many questions about what these books say, and what the Bible and Christians believe about bible corporation, the Trinity, the Son of God, and why we need the cross! When we know the answers to these questions and how they interact with the Muslim faith, we can understand how to meet them with the Gospel! Come learn how to help the Muslim population recieve Jesus in a different way.
Ways To Improve Resiliency & Success When It Comes To The Stress of Ministry - Steve Johnson
Over the past 10 years, the Ministry Support Program partnership between the FLD and Steve, has helped many pastors and their family members identify the sources of stress and the impact that they can cause. Come learn about the warning signs of unbalanced living, lack of margin, and stress that leads to isolation, feeling overwhelmed, and potential burn out. Attendees will be able to identify key obstacles to resiliency, establish healthier definitions of success, and learn of the key foundations needed for ministry capacity to be strong.
Building a Strong Teams Culture in Your Church - Scott Sterner
In this session we will explore the role of teams in the early church, the need for teams today, how team strategies are being applied in broader organizational contexts, different models for teams happening in the church today, and possible next steps for your church. This session is for churches of any size and context. It will open new categories for how you understand and leverage teams for kingdom ministry in today's challenging cultural context.
A highlight of many at the Forest Lakes conferences is the Affinity Network time. This time is designed to connect ministry leaders with other in their ministry space. It's possible that you may be feeling the loneness that ministry can bring, this time is designed for you to find others to walk alongside you!
Best practices are shared, brainstorming takes place, and most importantly, connections are made. Our prayer is that the connections made during this time will continue beyond the conference.
OUR AFFINITY NETWORKS-
Hispanic / Cosecha Network
Multicultural Engagement / All Peoples
Office Administrators
Finance / HR / Operations
Associate Pastors/Directors/Adult Ministry
Campus/Multi-Site Pastors
Children & Family Ministry Leaders
Church Planters
Elders & Other Lay Leaders
Executive Pastors/Directors
Interim Pastors
Missions & Community Partnerships
Multiple Staff Senior Pastors
Solo Pastors
Student Ministry Leaders
Womens Ministry
Worship & Tech Leaders
Communications
Church Planters Wives
Young Adults/College Ministry
Partnership Ministries
Small Groups/Life Groups Directors
Ladies of the FLD
Assimilation Teams / Greeting / Welcome / Connection Team
FULL DAY SCHEDULE
8:00 - 9:00 am REGISTRATION OPENS
9:00 - 10:30 am FIRST SESSION
10:30 - 11:00 am BUSINESS MEETING
11:00 - 11:15 am BREAK
11:15 - 12:15 pm WORKSHOPS
12:15 - 1:00 pm LUNCH
1:00 - 2:30 pm AFFINITY NETWORKS
2:30 - 3:00 pm BREAK
3:00 - 4:30 pm SECOND SESSION
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION COSTS-
Early Bird Rate (Through September 8th) - $89
Standard Rate - $109
Group Rate for 3+ (Runs August 22-October 3) - $79
Late Rate (Begins October 4th) - $119
IMPORTANT REGISTRATION DEADLINES!
Early Bird Discount August 22-Sept 8, 2022
Group Discount August 22-October 3, 2022 (Group rate discount applied at the end of registration only when you register 3+ at a time.)
Late Registration starts October 4, 2022 for ALL registrants!
We will only be accepting credit or debit card payments.
Who is this conference for?
The FLD Ministry Leaders Fall Conference is for everyone who is on staff or is a key leader at your church! Each of you play an extremely important role in the mission God has in our district.
If you are married, please know your spouse is encouraged and invited to attend! We know that your spouse is your biggest encourager and supporter. They are equally a part of the FLD Family, and we would love to have them there with you!
What are the precautions for the pandemic?
We are working with Highland Community Church on staying up to date with the current guidelines and mandates. Our FLD Staff team fully respects Highland and their decisions with the pandemic. With that being said, we will keep in touch with all registrants on precautions and safety measures that will be taken as we get closer to the event.
What are ministry partners and are ministry partners able to host a table at the conference?
We do have ministry partner booths at the conference. However, there is limited availability. To inquire, please apply to be a partner with us here!
Once the application has been received, our FLD Executive team will either approve or deny your application based on the criteria we have set. We are seeking ministries affiliated with the EFCA to be at our conferences.
Please note: All people at your table will need to register for the conference.
Are there financial scholarships to attend the conference available?
We do not want financial issues to keep you from attending the conference. If you are in need of assistance, it would be our joy to talk with you and support you in whatever way we can. Please contact us at finances@forestlakes-efca.org; subject: financial scholarship.
I have more or other questions about the conference. Who can I contact?
For all conference needs or questions, please contact us at finances@forestlakes-efca.org; Subject: FLD Ministry Leaders Fall Conference 2022.
We are happy to help in any way that we can!
