What do families really need from children and family leaders in 2023? A panel discussion with children and family ministry leaders, parents, and kids. This session will be followed by a continued discussion over lunch.

ECO Children and Family Pastors

FUEL Church Economics Cohorts: How can the church look under the hood and check the economic engine? Our new learning cohort will do this and more. An 11-month experience involving your pastor and a key leadership team will explore all options in how the church creates a culture of generosity and looks at other revenue generating possibilities.

John Terech, Director of Operations, ECO

Conducting An Effective Synod Business Meeting - Join us to review basic principles of parliamentary procedure, including steps in handling a motion. Instruction will be provided regarding the duties of the presiding officer, according to Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised. Tips for efficiently handling meeting management issues will be offered.

Connie M. Deford, Professional Registered Parliamentarian

Becoming a Church Planting Church 

Rev. Luke Parker, Director of Church Planting, ECO

Metanoia: Naming the Status/Quo - We will explore the reality of our present (as leaders and organizations) through opening our minds, embracing soft eyes, and using frames and measures to know and name where we start the Metanoic journey from. We will also help you as leaders to imagine and reimagine a preferred future for yourself and your organisation as the vision that pulls you forward into the Metanoia process. This breakout will enable you to both imagine a preferred future and initiate a first step in the short term. 

Alan Hirsch, founder of Forge Mission Training Network, 100 Movements, and 5Qcollective, Rob Kelly, founder & CEO of the For Charlotte Network, and Rich Robinson, spiritual entrepreneur, movement catalyst, and founder of Catalyse Change and Movement Leaders Collective

Breaking the Huddle: How Your Community Can Grow its Witness. Come learn about a thoughtful model of relational evangelism that is based on scriptural principles, decades of ministry, and new research from Barna.

Rev. Don Everts, Pastor Head of Staff, First & Calvary Presbyterian Church, and Doug Schaupp, National Director of Evangelism, Intervarsity

Discipleship Essentials: Discipleship is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian and the church, yet many churches struggle to do discipleship in a way that transforms lives. Discipleship done Jesus' way is simple, but not easy. There is no shortcut or curriculum to growing mature disciples, but there are core components necessary for discipleship. If you and your church want to grow disciples who live and love like Jesus, join us to learn more.

Rev. Lisa Johnson, Executive Director of Leadership Formation, ECO

From Cheap Reconciliation to Racial Justice: A Process of Metanoia Concerning Race (Part 1) 

Oneya Okuwobi, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Cincinnati

Welcoming the Stranger: Thinking Biblically about Refugees and Immigrants

Matthew Soerens, Vice President of Advocacy and Policy for World Relief and National Coordinator for the Evangelical Immigration Table

Ministry in an Anxious Church/World (Part 1): Meaningful Leadership - Dealing with Stress in an Age of Anxiety

Rev. Tom Parker, President, ParkRise Consulting

Navigating Crises in Your Church

Sam Collier, Lead Pastor, Story Church Atlanta

Flourish Institute of Theology (FIT) Update - Join us to learn about our seminary programs and plans. Dr. Perry Shaw has been profoundly important in helping us redesign seminary for the 21st century and he has served as a consultant for FIT from our first days. Perry will help describe some of our foundational principles and lead an open conversation about changes both occurring and needed in theological education.There will be time for Q&A.

Dr. Perry Shaw, Author of Redesigning Theological Education and Rev. Dr. Mark Patterson, President, Flourish Institute of Theology

Stewardship for all Seasons and all Ages

Rev. Dr. Rick Young, President, Texas Presbyterian Foundation

10 Challenges for Ministry in the Next 10 Years - Come hear some of the predictions as well as how to prepare our churches to seize the opportunities that these challenges create.

Rev. Dr. Dana Allin, Synod Executive, ECO

Metanoia: Embracing the Down/Curve - We will explore the process of the Down/Curve (Uncover>Unlock>Understand) of the Metanoia journey to equip you to be more aware of the potential blockages and boosters in yourself and your system (in the areas of Mind/Soul/Will and your mindset, culture, structure and praxis), and also create a framework for you to begin to un/learn and re/learn in the area of Paradigm (worldview, meta-ideas, core DNA) to be able to better imagine the future and initiate the architecting journey involved in the up/curve. 

Alan Hirsch, founder of Forge Mission Training Network, 100 Movements, and 5Qcollective, Rob Kelly, founder & CEO of the For Charlotte Network, and Rich Robinson, spiritual entrepreneur, movement catalyst, and founder of Catalyse Change and Movement Leaders Collective

Don't Bore Us, Get us to the Chorus : Developing a Strategy for Your Worship Ministry 

Brandon Muchow, Minister of Worship, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Newport Beach, CA

Dynamic New Covenant Partner Retreats - Come learn how to encourage and engage new covenant partners at your church no matter what your size, demographics, or context! 

Rev. Dr. Claire Ripley, Associate Pastor of Discipleship, First Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC

Equipping Leaders to Engage in Culture 

Grant Skeldon, Next Gen Director at THINQ Media

Opportunities and Challenges in the Persian Gospel Movement

Rev. Sasan Tavasoli and Shadi Fatehi, Pars Theological Centre 

SoulShaping - Develop Spiritually Alive Leaders and Congregations

Rev. Dr. Doug Rumford, Founding President, Lorica Ministries, and Honorably Retired ECO Pastor

Mentored Ministry - Pastors, would you like to strengthen your mentoring skills for current staff and emerging leaders? Churches, are you interested in becoming a "teaching church" for ordination candidates and FIT students? Come find out about our new Mentored Ministry training and resources. 

Rev. Lisa Johnson, Executive Director of Leadership Formation, ECO

Lead Where You Stand - The Impact of Your Story (and Developmental Psychology) on Leadership

Andrea Gurney, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Professor of Psychology, Westmont College               

Small Church in Focus - One of the most difficult decisions in small churches is choosing what gets your time, attention, and (often limited) resources. We can't do it all, but how do we decide what to invest in and what to leave behind? This session offers a practical tool that will help you discern next steps and areas of focus with more clarity so that your church keeps moving forward on mission!

Rev. Kaitlyn Wood, Director of Church Health, ECO

Youth Alpha - Reviving Evangelism in the Next Generation

Jordan Biere, National Director, Alpha Youth, Alpha USA

Taking Stewardship to the Next Level - Equipping ECO Pastors to help their congregation in the Journey of Stewardship

Tim Newell, President, Envoy Financial

The Future of Church Funding Is Here - Come gain a clear understanding of the new giving landscape, how to adapt to the new realities and to spark giving in your church, plus the resources to implement five key practices every church should consider.

Joe Park, CEO, Horizons 

Metanoia: Architecting the Up/Curve - We will explore the Up/Curve (Paradigm>Platform>Practices) of the Metanoia Journey to equip you to embrace the defining moment and then clarify, create and embed the vision in the paradigm (worldview), platform (culture and structure) and practices (behaviours and rhythms) of the organization. In this breakout we will work on the strategic and tactical process to take the Metanoia Journey and lead others and your organization on it through multiple generations.

Alan Hirsch, founder of Forge Mission Training Network, 100 Movements, and 5Qcollective, Rob Kelly, founder & CEO of the For Charlotte Network, and Rich Robinson, spiritual entrepreneur, movement catalyst, and founder of Catalyse Change and Movement Leaders Collective

Revitalization in Languishing Times - What can you do when every day seems to bring a new headline about the decline of “the church”? The elders are concerned about numbers, the senior members can’t understand why younger generations don’t make church a priority, and members are at odds about politics. To make matters worse, you (and most leaders you know) are tired, lonely, and wondering what to do next. Some days it’s hard to imagine church renewal is even possible. This session will introduce a process for renewing yourself and the church you serve without adding to the challenge at hand.

Rev. Kaitlyn Wood, Director of Church Health, ECO

Beauty in Community - How Art Builds Disciples

Chelsea Fraser, Fine Arts Ministry Director, First Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC

Understanding and Responding to Affirming Theology

Greg Navitsky and Scott Kingry, Where Grace Abounds 

Practicing Partnership - Healthy, reciprocal, Kingdom partnership can change how you lead your church mission activities and bring meaningful connections that go far beyond sharing financial resources.

Susan Buenger, Church Missions Practitioner

Name the Culture and Change the Church - How Understanding Congregational Culture and Identifying Congregational Idols are Vital First Steps in Any Change Initiative

Rev. Dr. Chris DiVietro, Pastor Head of Staff, Park Road Presbyterian Church and Professor of Organizational Leadership, Eastern University

The O in ECO - Reasons For and How to Structure Your Pastoral Covenant Group 

Rev. Dr. Jim Singleton, Leighton Ford Ministries 

The Power of Rest - Embracing Sabbaticals for Ministry Health. The value of sabbaticals including steps to building a great sabbbatical will be discussed. This session will be helfpul for any leaders, elders, and pastors.

Roy Yanke, Executive Director, PIR Ministries 

Lord of Time - One Year In - One year after the publication of the New Theology Document, Drs. Patterson and Wagenfuhr discuss how these vital new theological foundations rediscovered in Scripture offer a unique and powerful way to address the crucial issues the church is facing. Sabbath offers the church a renewed vocabulary for the gospel that allows us to begin shifting our understanding of what it means to be the church in a post-Christendom era.

Rev. Dr. Mark Patterson, President, Flourish Institute of Theology and Rev. Dr. Greg Wagenfuhr, Theology Coordinator, ECO

How to Reach GenZ and Inspire and Equip Parents

David Eaton, Axis Founder and CEO