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Small Church Conference

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Is Your Church "Fun Size"?
DATE:
 October 4 - 5, 2024
LOCATION: The Retreat at Silver Spring (In-Person)
                      ZOOM (On-line Participation)

REGISTER ONLINE: Registration Form and Payment Options
DOWNLOAD FLYER:  PDF Flyer with complete event details

According to Carl F. George, "The typical church in North America is small. Half of this continent's approximately 320,000 Protestant churches run about 80 in weekly attendance."  [Warren Bird and Carl F. George, How to Break Growth Barriers: Revise Your Role, Release Your People, and Capture Overlooked Opportunities for Your Church (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2017), 150.]

"What has God called you to do? Why does your church exist? And how can you let people know about it? Your response to all these questions is a huge factor in how well your church attracts and keeps new people." [Karl Vaters, Small Church Essentials (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2018), 101.]

Online Registration
Download Flyer

Speakers: Bio's and Topic Descriptions

Sandy.Bookshelf

Rev. Sandy Messick is the Regional Minister for the Florida Disciples Regional Church. She has led numerous conversations and workshops on visioning and identifying unique congregational gifts. She has completed Interim Ministry training through both the Interim Ministry Network and the Disciples Interims as well as earned a certificate in Church Leadership and Management from Whitworth University, in Spokane, WA.

Identifying Our Passions and Resources: Every congregation has gifts and passions and operates out of a sense of core values. This session will introduce tools for identifying those gifts and naming the core values that make your congregation unique.

Patreza

Rev. Dr. Patreza Newton has operated in many capacities within the church and community. Her talents has been to organize outreach and evangelistic events that reach across denominational lines to meet communities needs. Rev. Dr. Patreza Newton has operated in small and large church setting. Some of her most notable l achievements are  in the areas of giving scholarships to graduates in need whose parents were incarcerate to name a few. Helping single mother obtain items for school and holidays such as Christmas toys. Helping single mom obtain transportation to get to work through sponsorship. Helping families during Hurricane season get needed supplies. Organizing and assistance churches with global and local outreaches, working with politicians to help bring about change in the community. Rev. Newton has also worked with media such as radio and television to draw attention to the needs in if small churches and the community. Rev. Newton worked as a church administrator in which she organized various event to meet the needs of the community at large.

Putting It Together: Evangelism and Outreach: This class will explore different forms of  evangelism and outreach strategies  that can assist small churches in reaching those within their communities.

mjSuit

Rev. Michael Junkroski is the pastor of The Current Online Spiritual Community,  a space for postmodern Christian experimentation. An author, musician, tech guru, history, and quantum physics freak, pastor Michael writes and creates services for the postmodern, deconstructing/reconstructing
21st-century spiritual sojourner.


Technology on a Shoestring: The “Tech on a Shoestring” forum invites everyone gathered to share their experiences with and questions about technology, from church management software to streaming services, royalty-free music, lighting, marketing, and anything the gathered group is curious about. We’ll explore some different types of technology available and when, where, and why we might use them. Throughout our discussion, we will consider how the tech we use serves God’s love and our particular ministry setting. 

Olivia.Screen.Head.Shot

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: OLIVIA UPDEGROVE
Olivia is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with seminary training at Lexington Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Claremont School of Theology in preaching. I've authored three children's books, written articles and curricula, and brought my passion for biblical education to various age groups. I am currently a part-time pastor at Independence Christian Church in KY. I also just began my business Faith Tutors (www.progressivefaithathome.org).  Faith Tutors serves as a valuable resource for busy families seeking practical ways to engage in Christian faith at home, extending its support to churches as well. I live on the Ohio side of the Cincinnati area with my husband, two kids, and dog. I spend much of my time as a mom uber, dog walker, and queso eater. 

Topic Focus:
Celebrating the small church and its big faithful ministry impacts! The ability for small churches to live into intergenerational realities give young people the best chance of being faithful adults!