Workshops

This lunch workshop provides hands-on opportunities to develop better creativity and problem solving within your congregation. 

Strategic planning consultant Tad Dickel addresses the accelerating rate of change in today's society, characteristics of effective creative problem solving in teams, and divergent and convergent thinking. In advance of the workshop, you will be offered the Basadur Profile, an assessment that identifies your creative problem-solving style. Dickel unpacks this helpful tool at the workshop. You’ll gain better understanding of creative problem solving and how to begin applying some of these skills in your congregation. You’ll learn to use both to address challenges and to engage in more productive conversations and decision making.

In this… more

It is true that rapid change is everywhere and dealing with change is hard. You spend a lot of energy handling the day-to-day work of your congregation. There’s often not much energy left to wrestle with the rapid shifts resulting from technology, culture, and generational mindsets.

But what if much of this difficulty comes from aiming at the wrong targets? Reorienting your focus, an admittedly difficult task, may be the solution to attaining deep and lasting change.

Join Dr. Jerald Duff in this luncheon workshop as he helps you begin to develop some necessary practices to lead well in the midst of changing circumstances.

Topics covered include:

The necessity of a shared vision Building a transformational team of servant leaders Seeing conflict as an… more

Fort Wayne Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic Immigrant Outreach Attorney Laura Pontius will help you learn more about immigration laws and policy and present a “bird’s eye view” of the immigration legal system. In this workshop, she’ll explore information about immigrants in Indiana and provide reliable sources for non-partisan information on immigration law and policy. This information will help your congregation create informed and educated decisions.

At  this luncheon, you’ll learn how to:

facilitate congregational conversations about immigration.  access local and statewide resources to support immigrants. utilize this information to strengthen your ministries, decide on policy and discuss or advocate on immigration matters. help your members connect with local… more

You're invited to The Art of the Flourishing Congregation on Thursday, November 7, 2019, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Eastern time), at the Monroe Convention Center in Bloomington.

Discover positive change
Discover the power of positive change at this Center for Congregations conference. The Art of the Flourishing Congregation: Practices that Promote Positive Change builds on the concepts of the Center’s signature Flourishing Congregations event, giving you the knowledge and tools to dream, discover and do.

If you have attended a past Flourishing gathering, you will gain new information and strategies for utilizing positive change. If you are new to Flourishing, this event is a great opportunity to explore the benefits of positive change and how it can make a difference in… more

You can develop a community ministry that has real impact. This informative and interactive workshop introduces ideas, key elements and tools to help your congregation empower people and make a difference in your community.  

Pastor and educator Kilen Gray will facilitate this workshop in which you will learn:

How to develop a vision for community ministry through formal and informal conversations. How to discover what your congregation needs to create and implement a vision for community ministry. A way of thinking that assesses the needs of individuals and takes seriously the social constructs that affect lives. How other stakeholders shape a community ministry.

REGISTER HERE FOR THIS WORKSHOP.

You'll explore how to create a plan and begin… more

Part of caring for your congregation is thinking about the safety and security of those for whom you are responsible. This can be an overwhelming topic because there are many considerations.Join Nathan Parr from Cool Solutions Group as he helps you determine a step-by-step approach to safety and security in your congregation. 

This workshop will focus on a total facility approach, which includes trends, practices, techniques and processes that are applicable to every size congregation.

This day-long workshop will include information about:

identifying and understanding your current foundation. delving into safety practices that all facilities should implement. policies and equipment. developing effective teams.

Nathan Parr is a facility specialist with Cool… more

Recruiting and retaining volunteers is challenging. Ideally, you’d love to have the people with the perfect passions and skill sets in your volunteer positions. Often though, you’re likely scrambling to fill spots in your programs. 

Join Annette Safstrom from Ministry Architects as she shares her 30+ years of experience in volunteer and staff roles to help you understand and execute a volunteer recruitment plan.

You’ll learn:

a proven six-step recruiting plan. tools to fully staff your volunteer team with effective volunteers. the pros and cons of leadership teams. strategies for building a leadership team that is a blessing. practical ways to equip your team so that they feel capable for the role.

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

use… more