God has strategically placed each of us within a local community where everyday people live, work and play. Join us for "Love your community," where we learn how to live incarnationally, with a commission to be present, invested, and engaged right where we are. God's heart is to bring real transformation to communities as we go beyond the walls of our buildings and into the lives of those who do not yet know Him.
Grab your staff team or key ministry leaders, and join us as we hear from Quintin Stieff as he shares from 1 Peter 2 & Matthew 9 about how to love where you live & open your heart to the people placed in your sphere! (Learn more about Quintin in the link below!)
Link to registration is located at the bottom of this page!
Before you register, please read through our workshop and affinity group options!
If you are a ministry partner, you WILL NOT use this registration. If you have not heard from us, please email sberg@forestlakes-efca.org.
Quintin Stieff has served as the Lead Pastor of Valley Church (EFC) in Des Moines, Iowa since its founding in 1990. Quintin is father to three wonderful adult children, two great sons-in-law, and the three best grandchildren on the planet — all of whom are active at Valley Church. He was married to his beloved wife, the Awesome Ruth for 42 years, until her passing in 2025. Quintin speaks in the US and internationally on leadership, strategic vision, church-community engagement, neighboring, and relational evangelism.
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!
Loving Your Schools - Nicole Toepfer
Ready to stretch yourself to use your God given talents beyond the church, maybe even beyond your comfort zone? Then this workshop is for you! Together, we will explore how public schools, microcosms of our society and hubs of our communities, are incredible places to show Jesus' love and be his hands and feet. You will learn how to determine the unique needs of your community and together generate practical ways to partner with public schools as an avenue to serve our community well. Leaders, consider how you can create an environment where extending care & resources to our neighborhood schools is fully embraced.
Loving the Prisoner - Jamie Thompson
“I was in prison and you came to me.” Jesus gives a beautiful description of the kind of people who will inherit the kingdom, yet many Christians and churches feel overwhelmed by prison ministry. But our churches are filled with people who have been incarcerated or who have loved ones who have been incarcerated. Obeying Jesus in this vital (and non-optional) area is less intimidating and more fruitful than you might imagine, and you likely have highly motivated saints in your church who will catch the vision quickly.
Jamie Thompson currently teaches a bible class at a medium security state prison, currently has a best friend incarcerated, and previously lived with recently released prisoners as they integrated back into life on the outside. And he’s still trying to figure out prison ministry at the local church level. Come learn together from those who gather for this conversation.
Loving and Serving alongside the Disabilities Community with Curiosity and Compassion - Karen Maurer
By God’s divine design, the beautiful body of Christ is intended to include children and adults of all types of abilities. And yet, our modern church environments and culture are often inaccessible for individuals with neurodiversity or other types of disabilities. Come and hear stories and strategies for how to connect the Gospel with all types of learners by removing one barrier at a time and transforming your church culture one step at a time.
Loving the LGBTQ Community - Steve Berg
Many of us are walking with students, family members, church attendees or friends who identify as LGBTQ. These relationships naturally raise important questions about gender, sexuality, discipleship, and pastoral care all while holding to a traditional sexual ethic. As leaders, we not only carry our own questions—we’re also helping others process theirs. How do we do that faithfully? How do we reflect the heart of Jesus in conversations that can feel complex, emotional, or tense? In this seminar, we’ll take an honest and practical look at how Jesus engaged with people, what His posture teaches us, and how we can embody His love and truth as we walk alongside the people entrusted to us.
Loving Well Through Wise Policies - Keeping Children and Youth Safe - Don Keehner
At MinistryDefender, our mission is to help you protect the children and youth in your care so your church can stay focused on its mission. This practical, action-oriented workshop highlights the top policies and safety guardrails every ministry should have in place. You’ll be guided to evaluate your current standards of care and identify at least one policy or operational rhythm you can immediately strengthen. Walk away with a clear, actionable step that increases safety, builds trust with families, and supports the long-term health of your ministry.
Loving Your Staff Team: Providing financial health through compensation packages, taxation, retirement & other benefits. - Jeff Englin (FCMM)
Your staff is a key asset of the church. Is your church leadership addressing their needs so staff can minister without financial stress. We will share the importance of compensation fundamentals like (salary, housing allowance, tax considerations and retirement). We will touch on investment opportunities and strategies for the future.
Loving Your Local & State Officials -
Panel - Joseph Short (Military Families), Jeremy Thompson (State Representatives) Randy Quade (School Board), Brian Whitaker & David Bratlie (EMT/Police/Fire Chaplains)
This panel discussion will share how ministry leaders can leverage their relationships with various local and state officials in hopes of making key connections and serving well in our local communities.
Loving Your Community Through Strategic Planning & Revitalization Using Acts 1:8 - Chip Faulkner (Interim Pastor)
How is your church having an impact on your local community? Has your church lost its focus on the great commission? Come and hear how to help your church develop strategies of WHY, WHAT & HOW to make a true impact on your church and the community.
Loving Those God Sends You to Serve - April Warfield
God gifts and calls His Church in diverse ways for Kingdom work. This workshop explores how we faithfully respond to His call by engaging the increasingly diverse communities around us. Participants will gain practical ministry tools to cultivate cross-cultural insights, relational outreach, and a faithful presence rooted in the gospel.
Be the Best Church for Your Community: 10 Shifts to Move Your Church to the Heart of Your Community - Quintin Stieff
Many churches feel pressure to be the best church IN the community, but Jesus calls us to be the best church FOR the community. Discover ten practical shifts that help churches move from comparison to compassion — doing good works, becoming good neighbors, building good will, and sharing the good news naturally. Discover how meeting relational, practical, and spiritual needs can reposition your church at the heart of your community and mobilize your people for everyday mission.
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
Office Administrators
Finance / HR / Operations
Associate Ministry Leader/Directors
Campus/Multi-Site Pastors
Children & Family Ministry Leaders
Chuch Planters
Elders & Other Lay Leaders
Executive Pastors/Directors
Interim Pastors
Missions & Community Partnerships
Multiple Staff Senior Pastors (over 400)
Multiple Staff Senior Pastors (under 400)
Solo Pastors
Youth Ministry
Women's Ministry
Worship Ministry
Tech Leaders
Communications
Church Planter Wives
Pastor’s Wives
Young Adults/College Ministry
Small Group/Life Group Directors
Assimilation Teams / Welcome / Connection Team
Care Ministries
Discipleship Ministries / Spiritual Formation
Retired Ministry Staff
FULL DAY SCHEDULE
7:00 - Partner Booth Setup
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 - 12:30 pm WORKSHOPS
12:30 - 2:30 pm LUNCH w/ AFFINITY NETWORKS
2:30 - 2:45 pm BREAK
2:45-4:00 pm SECOND SESSION
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CONFERENCE REGISTRATION DATES & COSTS-
Early Bird Rates: February 24th - March 13th ($109)
Standard Rates: March 13th - April 6th ($129)
Group Rates (2+) - February 24th - April 6th ($109)
Late registration starts: April 7th ($139)
Registration Closes: April 15th
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LUNCH OPTIONS-
When registering, you will be able to select one of these three options:
REGULAR
GLUTEN FREE
VEGITARIAN
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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!
How Do I Become A Ministry Partner?
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! After you have done that, email Steph at sberg@forestlakes-efca.org.
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.
What If I Cannot Afford It?
Our heart is for all ministry leaders to be equipped, connected and encouraged in Ministry. We do not want finances to stand in the way. Please reach out to us, and we can let you know if we have any scholarship funds or discounts available!
