In the 20th century, revival in America had a name: Billy Graham.

He preached to over 200 million people, stood on stadium stages around the world, and invited generations to come forward and give their lives to Christ. His message was simple, urgent, Spirit-filled — and it changed history.

But here we are in 2025, looking at a new generation, a new culture, a new digital world. And I can’t help but wonder:

Is God stirring revival again?
Not through preaching, but through worship.
Not in stadiums, but through Spotify.

And if so, could one of the unexpected voices of this movement be someone like Forrest Frank?

A New Kind of Altar Call

Billy Graham’s revival was built on proclamation.
He declared the gospel boldly and clearly, and people responded.
Tears. Salvation. Thousands walking forward to say yes to Jesus.

Today’s revival may be built on presence.

There’s something happening when Forrest Frank leads worship.
His voice isn’t booming — it’s gentle.
His lyrics aren’t complex — they’re vulnerable. They’re real.
They pierce through noise, distraction, and cynicism.

He’s not calling people to an altar; he’s inviting them back to the Father’s heart.
And people are responding.

Same Gospel. New Language.

Billy said:

“I can’t live the Christian life alone. I’m a failure. Billy Graham cannot live the Christian life. I’ve tried. I can’t do it. But with the help of the Word of God and the help of the Holy Spirit, I can live the Christian life. But He lives it through me.”

Forrest sings:

“Me, me, me, me. I need less of me.
Father, Son and Spirit — that’s who I call G-O-D.
I used to be a blind man until You let me see.
That who the Son sets free, You said, is truly free indeed.”

It’s the same message — grace — but wrapped in the sound of a generation that’s allergic to hype and hungry for honesty.

Forrest doesn’t perform at people; he invites people into something.
His songs feel more like prayers than performances.

This generation isn’t always moved by sermons.
But they are moved by presence.
They’re not always listening for a preacher’s voice.
But they are tuned in to the sound of authentic worship.

From Stadiums to Headphones

Graham filled arenas.
Forrest fills playlists.

But digital reach doesn’t make the message weaker — it makes it viral.

Just scroll social media:

• Videos of students weeping in their cars during spontaneous worship
• Dorm rooms turned into mini sanctuaries
• Youth groups gathering to sing Forrest’s songs because they feel like hope again

Could it be that the Spirit is stirring another awakening — one beat drop at a time?

Revival Through Return

Graham’s revival carried the call to repent.
This revival carries the call to return.

Return to the Father.
Return to joy.
Return to peace.
Return to Jesus — not religion, not performance — just Jesus.

That’s what Forrest Frank’s music whispers.
And in a loud world, a whisper can be more powerful than a shout.

Don’t Miss It

We shouldn’t dismiss this movement just because it doesn’t look like the last one.
In Billy’s day, revival looked like pews and pulpits and choirs.
In Forrest’s day, maybe it looked like streams and stages and synths.

Same God. Same Spirit. New sound.

We’re not waiting for revival.
We may be singing our way into it.

So, let’s keep our ears open.
Let’s keep our hearts soft.
And let’s not miss what the next generation is leading us into —

a fresh move of God, one worship song at a time.

(*Originally posted on the KidzMatter blog at https://www.kidzmatter.com/blog/billy-graham-forrest-frank-and-the-sound-of-revival)

Thank you Watermark Church for such an amazing conference! Here are some notes:

Session 1

Video: Church history of uniting in prayer. 

100 years of unbroken prayer. 

25 hour global cry for prayer 

We are united in mercy. 

Unity – pray for enemies. 

United in truth. 

Declaration of our shared faith – apostles Creed

I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

Amen.

“In the mighty name of Jesus and through the power of your spirit.”

Guided prayer. Start prayer. Now on your own pray over this. Now pray over that. Now pray for me. And wrap in prayer. 

TA – If you want to ask a girl out you need to be clear in your intentions. 

“I wonder if that’s been your experience in ministry when your dreams and reality went in two different directions?” What did you anticipate and what is your reality now? 

1 Chronicles 28 – David Commissions Solomon but the reality goes two different directions. 

Selah – A moment to pause and reflect in worship. Get out your journal and be ready. Not for what I am saying but what God wants to say to you, especially in the moment of Selah. Nothing forced here. No assumptions. 

1- What’s the state of your heart? 

Is it undivided? 

1 Chronicles 28 – a gathung of the who’s who. Basically a modern day conference. 

““And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭28‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Know deeply. Know interment. Know through experience. You can know the same God that I know. The same God who sustains me. Know and experience the same. 

Serve. A sense of worship to let your worship and labor be to the glory of God. 

Clarifying – know and serve Him with a whole heart. Am I divided heart. A willing and eager heart to accomplish His will. 

Why? The Lord cares about all of it. Your thoughts. Your plans. If you seek Him, He will be found by you. A promise. But if you forsake Him, He will cast you off, Solomon, forever. 

It takes intentionality to seek Him. 

What is the state of your heart right now? 

Open and willing to hear. Listening. Slowing down. In the midst of your spiritual glory days or looking at the past? Your best quiet times could be right now, today.

Beast Games – The game show with the largest prize in game show history. 5m that became 10m. To win you had to beat 999 other contestants. From the start, Mr. Beast was trying to get people to bail and settle. The people were convinced that in the end they wouldn’t win so they settled. Even church leaders need to be asked, “Have you started settling with God?” Do you expect God to be more satisfying today more than anything else? If you seek the Lord, He will be found by you. This is a promise. 

Have you stopped seeking? Have you stopped expecting to find God? 

Has the ministry of helping others seek and find God replaced YOUR seeking and finding of God? Your relationship with God shouldn’t exist for the sake of ministry. He wants so much more for us. He wants us. “I just want you.” 

David’s dream vs Solomon’s reality: 

“Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.”

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬, ‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“A divided heart is when Jesus has competition for our affection, attention, and allegiance.”

Illustration: A phone sync’s to the wrong car. 

You might be in a moment when you don’t feel connected or hearing from God and that might be because your heart is synced to something or someone else. Seek and sync with Him. Go into the settings of your heart and forget the device. 

Popcorn on the couch. Am I relaxing or am I escaping? Forget the device.

Maybe your prayer should just be, “God, I want to want you again.” 

People who aren’t a drain but who just open your eyes to Jesus. 

Invitation: Not trying to manufacture something just slowing down enough to be available to whatever God wants in your life. Selah. 

2- What’s the status of your calling? Ask God. 

“So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.” ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭28‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“And from among my sons—for the Lord has given me many—he chose Solomon to succeed me on the throne of Israel and to rule over the Lord’s kingdom. He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my Temple and its courtyards, for I have chosen him as my son, and I will be his father.” ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭28‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have a bunch of kids but it’s Solomon who is called. 

Mark Twain two most important days are the day your born and the day your find out why. 

CHARLES SWINDOLE

“You have, like no other person on this planet, particular contributions that you are to make to this generation. They may not be as great as your dreams, or they might be far beyond your expectations; but whatever they are, you are to find them and carry them out.”

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.2.10.NLT

Union with Christ. A new identity in Christ. New power in Christ. New purpose. New hope. Created in Christ and for good works. Works God defines as good. Not our definition. 

What’s the status of your calling?

Have you put it on hold? Maybe you’ve made your calling about trying to keep people happy? It’s personal when people leave the church. Don’t make your calling about trying to keep people or keep them happy. Don’t put your calling on hold. 

Be a faithful voice not a generational voice. You may be called to influence locally and you are trying to be famous instead of faithful. 

Maybe you should let the dream die of who you are “supposed” to be? 

Steve Jobs, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

You aren’t called to crush every area of life. Maybe let the dream die on who you are supposed to be and instead live in what you are called to be. 

Or maybe you are playing it safe and trying to just keep your job. Get out of this prison. 

“Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly.” ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭28‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The safest place to be is saying, “God these are battles worth giving my life for.” Where is God’s wind in your life. At your back or in your face. Sail boat or row boat. Are you striving and trying to get to where you are trying to get? Throw away the paddle, you don’t need it. Pitch the paddle and put up your sails. I’m going to go where you want me to go. The answer is yes. I’ll stay where you call me to stay because you are for me and with me. By the power of your Spirit. My sails are up and I’m just waiting for your movement. 

And if you are in your calling, praise God. He is praised in the valley and on the mountaintop. Selah. 

3- What’s the win?

Asked chat. Has Chuck Sinfol been involved in any scandals? No. Maintained a reputation for sound doctrine and integrity. This is an incredible win the THE win is not that you finish ministry well it’s getting to the end of the ministry without losing the wonder of the Gospel. 

“Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly: “O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.” ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭29‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David declares these words because everything ascribed to him, he ascribed to God. Even this king has a king. I rule but am also ruled. David never gave up surrender. Greatness is living in Jesus. Power is Jesus voluntarily being crucified.  Jesus appeared to be conquered but defeated even death. He sat at the right hand of the Father because the work was finished. Glory because He is Lord. His reign will be realized by everyone in time. This is true victory. Don’t ever get over it. 

Track illustration. Terminology known as “the kick” when you begin to lift your legs higher. Don’t start your kick too early and burn out. Don’t wait and never start your kick. They don’t stop running but they never start raising. When is the best time to start your kick in ministry? You might have 30 years or a week. Start your kick now. Never lose the gospel. Press into Jesus. Remember your position in Him. Cling to Him. Finish well. Don’t lose the wonder of the Gospel. Get to the end of your ministry without losing the joy of your salvation. This is the win. 

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is a lot of power in this one room. Stand and sing in this power. An anthem for the church. 

Rain: “Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.” ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭6‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Lord, water is this week. 

Breakout 1 – Watermark’s Way Forward: Our Priorities in 2025 – John Cox

Churches are encountering both new and old challenges while ministering to their congregations, and Watermark is no exception! Come hear about the issues Watermark is wrestling with and how we are addressing them. Topics for this breakout will include: strengthening our discipleship initiative, improving staff development, launching a church planting initiative, reaching the unreached, and harnessing artificial intelligence in our ministries.

Big opportunities and big problems. 

Discipleship: 

Abiding in Christ, we are making disciples, together. 

Used to say we can get people 2.5x a week. Sunday morning. Small group. Serving every other week. Today it’s less. Design a strategy to optimize the 2x a week to help them grow spiritually. Attend and be in community. 2 biggest reasons people leave watermark is it’s too big and they don’t like being in community. Community pieces serves the function of care as well as discipleship tool. Help people become like Jesus. God grows people. There is a sovereignty to God doing the work. 

Biggest surprises is how dramatic God changes people. Other surprises is who God changes. Other surprise is how little other people change. What are the common denominators of those who change and those who stay the same? Build a strategy around the outcome. Biggest indicator is how people think about God. If you really trust God then during hard times you lean in and grow. Focus on helping people see God clearly and truly. 

Another indicator is their spiritual growth strategy is doing it all themselves. In the “one another” passages we see God uses one another to help us be transformed. 

People + truth leads to life change. Left to ourselves we don’t grow how God designed us. 

Priorities need to be to help people come to church, and get into a group. Offensively inject discipleship. There are no perfect solutions but you get to choose your problems. Community structure means a small group of people to care for them but challenge comes because groups lock up. Best disciplers and established leaders are already assigned. More emphasis on curriculum to carry the load. Groups lead by great leaders do great but others are not thriving. Uneven groups with high highs and low lows. Now watermark is relying heavier on curriculum. The more mature people are is more about their growth in a relationship with Jesus. 

Discipleship

•   The target — full devotion
•   Relationship, not knowledge
•   Truth + coaching + community
•   Keep, stop, start
•   Challenges: time, “but” statements

Our best leaders produce our best groups. The best leaders are doing 3 things. 

They take initiative. Proactively reaching out. Removing conflict. Responsible for family. 

They make people feel cared for. 

Keep: What is this person doing that is honoring Jesus? I want them to keep doing these things so affirm them in that so it’s repeated. 

Stop: if they stopped doing something they will be more like Jesus. 

Start: what are they not doing that if they started doing it would make a difference in their discipleship. 

The answer is not behavior modification, it’s Jesus. 

How important is it to read your Bible? Both groups say extremely important BUT those who are actually growing and those who not just say it but do it. Those who sign up for “Join the Journey” are 3x more likely to be reading their Bible this year. 

Serving because so many people out there whose life is all about them. When we die to ourselves this looks a lot like serving. 

In community groups ask and talk about these things. Ask if you are serving. 

Watermark does a spiritual assessment to re-up for the year. Then talk about this in your community group. 

Watermark loses 10%-15% in their membership reup. They follow up with everyone. 7k members. 10k Sunday attendance. Some people would rather call watermark home but not sign membership because of the expectations of membership. 

Staff Care and Development. 

Watermark has a very young staff. Everyone wants to be developed. What does this mean to you? June 30th is their fiscal year. Ask everyone to develop a plan. Career advancement identification. What are the skills and experiences to get there? Those who thrive are self starters so how do you cultivate this. Pick 1-2 things to work on this next quarter. Yearly doesn’t produce urgency. 

Personal Development Plans

•   Career advancement
•   Skillset improvement

If someone wants to develop in speaking it’s not happening on Sunday morning. We can do this midweek and give feedback. Help your staff develop but put the onus on the employee and help keep them accountable. Their team leader is to help them grow. Watermark is not a culture that makes people do stuff so Leadr hasn’t been used much. Make people use the new software system. Be the bad guy at the beginning of this process. 

Performance improvement

•   Staff Training
•   Six working geniuses
•   Artificial intelligence

Learning Communities

•   Book studies, topical studies

Church Planting

•   Watermark has planted three churches (started as satellites)
•   Learning from other churches
•   Identifying church planting candidates for a residency program
•   Will tap into our Young Adult ministry

Watermark has viewed church planting differently through the years. It’s hard to be halfway committed to church planting. If everything is a priority then nothing is a priority. Watermark did satellite campuses. Core group from that area so take the church to them. Some satellites were reach satellites where they targets specific areas. Over time satellites wanted to be entrepreneurial and wanted to do things differently. Frustrating satellites because containing them. Elders felt responsible but didn’t know the people. 

Can be independent if: 

Have a leader/communicator. 

Have a goodly group of people to be elders

Can sustain yourself financially. 

A churches vision can evolve over time based on the leadership. Planting has evolved for watermark. Instead of sending 10-20 people they now send 50. Going to the Young adult ministry can asking for them to pray about being involved in a plant. Get critical mass to a new community. 

Submit church in NC planted 80 churches and 77-78 still going. Using college kids to be the critical mass. You can get a job anywhere, would you consider getting a job in this city? Be about the Gospel even working in the marketplace. 

Watermark will probably start a residency to launch church planting. Goal to get a cohort next year started. They aren’t trying to do satellites moving forward but to plant established or sister churches. 

If this is too big for you then I have 5 other suggestions. Confusion in the digital space when the church is named the same as the sending church. 

Salt church. Phoenix church. California church. 

Reaching The Unreached

• Historically, Watermark has partnered with indigenous partners internationally

• Beginning a partnership with Launch Global

• Tapping into our young adult population. 

Indigenous because it’s hard to be thrown out of the country. Unreached because it’s hard to reach them. Today the deaf community is 1% churches. It’s not just signing on Sunday mornings. This is the front door but it’s not the whole. Do you have signing for membership classes…for everything? Watermark is the opposite of “simple church” so partnering with send global to help. Sending young people to magnify the impact. You can’t do this with everything so choose what the Lord is calling you to do. 

You don’t have to figure out everything yourself. Figure out who is doing it well and learn from them. 

Artificial Intelligence – AI

• Message research and study tools

• Media and content creation

• Caring for young people 

• Church operations 

• Privacy concerns 

Content creation. Splicing a message to determine what will connect and go viral. Social media is the new word of mouth. Older people think about word of mouth and just want people to invite. Young people today use this tool. 

Going forward your content will not be what distinguishes you from others. Great content will be everywhere. AI means great content is everywhere. Now what will distinguish you is connection. How you make people feel? 

Software. Copilot – use internal data behind a firewall. Learn about them from the software without data and privacy concerns. 

Can we develop spiritual growth plans for individuals based on AI? Here is your spiritual growth plan for the next year based on YOUR data. It’s personalized, intentional, and smart. Make a plan so the fruit of the spirit is growing in my life. 

AI is a great tool but it’s only a tool. You need to be filed with God’s Spirit more than anything. 

Breakout 2 – How to Improve Your Physical Health – Luke Friesen

TODAY’S AGENDA

• Why improving physical health matters

• Pillars of physical health

• Taking your next step

• Disclaimer – this is not medical advice; talk to your doctor

WHY THIS MATTERS

• Physical training is of some value, though not ultimate (1 Timothy 4:8) “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

• We are to honor God with our bodies, His temple (1 Corinthians 6:19) “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

• The healthier we are, the more energy (and Lord-willing, time) we will have to devote to

loving God and loving others. We hope to add life to our years, and not just add years to

our lives.

• Physical issues can be symptoms of, and serve to highlight, spiritual and/or sin issues to

address: control, vanity, gluttony, sloth, etc.

Medicine 1.0 – surgery, antibiotics

Medicine 2.0 – focus on curing things after they happened. Medicine

Medicine 3.0 – focus on prevention. Avoid the 4 horseman. Also focus on empowering consumer to take control of their own health. 

PILLARS OF PHYSICAL HEALTH

• Sleep

• Exercise

• Nutrition

• “Prioritize sleep, move consistently, and eat right (most of the time)”

Moderation in all things…including moderation in its own sake. 

SLEEP

• The importance of sleep: it’s the bedrock of mental & physical health

• How much sleep to get: 7-9 hours a night

• How to get better sleep: light exposure (good kind and bad kind), food timing, consistency, environment, stress management, and supplementation. Good light is found in morning sunlight, even if just 5 minutes to keep circadian rhythm. Wavelength of sunlight: yellow from sun and blue from atmosphere is the exact light we need to program our bodies for circadian rhythm. 

Don’t allow bad light in your eyes at night. Screens. LED. Use Philips hue lights so amber dimmed lights. 

Bedtime routines. 

Mattress water cooled topper – 67 degrees. Get cold to help fall asleep. 

Temperature – colder is better. High 60’s. 

Food timing – don’t eat within a couple hours of sleep. 

Consistency – workday vs weekend. 45 minute window is okay. 

Stress management – thoughts in the middle of the night. Remember the truth: “The Lord gives sleep to those He loves.” Amplify stress. 

Disciplined breathing: Full inhale through mouth, top off, full exhale through mouth. 

Supplementation: as needed not a crutch. Magnesium is helpful. Less melatonin then you think so 1/2 gram. 

NUTRITION

It’s impossible to outwork a bad diet. Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. Pounding a donut: 10 seconds to eat vs half hour of hard running. Every bite is a choice in a direction of health. 

• Calories: “a calorie isn’t a calorie”; avoid consistent caloric imbalance; IFFM, “hand”

method. 100 calories of chips is different than 100 calories of almonds. Pay attention to the climate more than today’s weather. If it fits your macros. You can eat ice cream as long as it fits your macros. 

• Food choices: get enough protein; don’t eat too much sugar; eat your fruits & veggies. Know what you need. Dexa scan to know calorie needs. 

Plant protein is less effective for your body than animal protein. Probably half. Number of pounds you weigh is the amount of protein in grams. Reduce the amount of added sugar in your diet. Be careful with hyper palatable foods. There’s nothing wrong with dessert, just don’t eat it within breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Increase protein and decrease added sugar. 

• Supplements: protein, omega 3’s, creatine, vitamins, pre/probiotics. Morning shake with whey protein. Do a blood draw to see what vitamins your body needs to supplement. Gut is referred to as our second brain. The systems talk with each other. 

Consider a food journal or food log. Self assessment. Audit your normal. Filter at the grocery store because if it’s home it’s getting eaten. Focus on your home court advantage first. 

Adults should have less than 20 grams of added sugar each day. Coke is 39 grams. 

EXERCISE

• Cardio: “getting your steps in” / moving more; Zone 2; VO2 Max. Standing desk, walking treadmill. Fit things into life instead of adding things into your life. Walking and getting steps in. Walk for 10 minutes after you eat. Do “Exercise snacks” like taking the stairs. Zone 2 is a light jog where you can still talk in sentences. VO2 Max test shows longevity. 

• Strength: “the fountain of youth”; bone health; fall risk; not just for gym bros. General curve after 40s where your body stops growing new muscles and trying to maintain. Fall prevention is toe strength. 

• Stability: learning how to move; preventing injury. ChatGPT can critique your form. Upload a video of your squats. 

TAKING YOUR NEXT STEP

• The progression: Motivation -> Discipleship -> Habit -> Passion. Motivation is not enduring. Discipline is doing it even when you don’t feel like it. Eventually systems get built and a habit is formed because this is just what you do. Focus on the first two minutes to build a habit. It might stay a habit or it might move into who you are and become a passion.

• Starting & Building new habits: Obvious, attractive, easy, satisfying; consistency

through adaptability; “walk with the wise”. Atomic Habits – in theory consistency is about disciple. In practice consistency is about becoming adaptable. Find different ways to show up. Adaptability is the way to consistency. 

• The “mind game”: Identity; self-talk; prayer. Realize if you have an inner fat kid. 

Think about how you might respond if someone offered you a cigarette. There’s a difference between “no thanks I’m trying to quit” vs “no thanks, I’m not a smoker.” 

Don’t think, “I hate running” but instead think I wonder when I’m finally going to go all day. Self talk is so limited. What are you telling yourself? “All day baby” “I am a person who makes great food choices.” “Nothing tastes as good as being fit feels.” “I don’t have to eat it just because it’s there.” “Food is not the fix.”

HELPFUL RESOURCES

• Podcasts: Church Leaders Podcast episode 119 – “Physical Health and the Church

Leader”; Huberman Lab; Squat University; The Drive (Attia)

• Books: Every Body Matters (Thomas); Eat Move Sleep (Rath); Atomic Habits (Clear);

Back Mechanic (McGill); Outlive (Attia); Breath (Nestor) Protocols (not released yet). 

• Apps: HabitShare; MacroFactor; RP Diet Coach; My Fitness Pal; Athletic Truth Group

• Misc: Human Locomotion Fall Prevention Protocol, AI.hubermanlab.com

Ezekiel bread. 

Costco single serve guacamole. 

Costco Canned 50 grams of chicken. 

Session 2

“It’s just dinner with Shane and Shane.”

Consolation prize: it’s just chips and sals with Josh O’Neal. 

Human zoo where they will be in the lobby. 

Lord wake us up to your presence and goodness. 

The advocate. The helper. The indwelling presence of God. 

… No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life’s first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

It is done it is finished

No more debt I owe

Paid in full

All sufficient merit now my own

It is done it is finished

No more debt I owe

Paid in full

All sufficient merit now my own

It’s now my own

Read the last two chapters of the book and remember how well it goes for you. Remember the end of the story and walk in that knowledge. Your future is so bright. Regardless of any darkness today know the future is so good. Jesus is our source and we must cling to the finished work of our King. 

Sing song. Tag a verse or chorus of a new song. Preach the truth about that song. Then start the new song again. 

I know how the story ends. We will be with you again. You’re my savior my defense. No more fear in life or death. 

Fear and anxiety rule this generation….

John McGee 

Many buildings, one cornerstone. 

Many sheep, one shepherd. 

Many voices, one song. 

Many ministries, one message. 

Everyone was prayed for by name. 

The heroes of this conference are not the staff. Not the speakers. You! Watermark displayed the names of all the churches because those are the heroes. We raise this banners. 

9th year of CLC. Themes: Not quitting. Integrity. Care for your own soul. Caring for your family. Today is a new time. There was a time to plead with you not to quit and today there is a waitlist. There is revival happening across college campuses. UK is seeing many people coming to Christ. They are praying for a 3rd great awakening. Muslims are seeing a man in white. Global 25 hour prayer meeting. 

It’s go time! 

We have been trying to hang on for a season but the page has turned and now God is on the move. Take your next bold step of faith. 

What would it look like to move from here to there? 

Listen to God

“I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.” John‬ ‭15‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Not a vending machine prayer where you shake it hoping something falls out. Rather know that if you’re not hearing it’s because you aren’t listening. 

God speaks through His word, His Spirit, and His people. 

““There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” ‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What would it look like for you to just listen. Speak Lord, for your servant is listening. Hear from God as a regular habit. 

New York Dome of Central Station – talking crystal clear across the way. 

Our Father wants to speak to you right now, listen. Put yourself and your church in a place to listen. 

Trust God

3 seasons of a leader’s life. Young leaders are anxious. They think: this isn’t happening fast enough. I think somewhere along the way I made a wrong turn. And none of this makes sense. In the OT we see a gap from hearing from God and it happening. Joseph thought he made a mistake. Starting by dodging spears doesn’t make sense. 

Trust He is doing something in you before He does something through you. 

Don’t skip the pattern. Trust God now. 

Middle season – the lifespan of a church leader. 

Are you going to trust God now the way you did in the past. Now you have stuff and you don’t have to work as hard, do you trust God. Do you hold onto your stuff. Remember the day you were younger and trusted God if He took everything away. Don’t waste this season. 

Older season – God has a unique role for you. In the Bible there’s no retirement isn’t true. Priest hit 50 and took a step back. Basically butchers doing hard work. Assist the brothers in performing their duties. Are you going to be comfortable moving a sign and championing the next generation. Be a historian and strengthen the next generation with stories where God shows up. Tells us the story with decades in mind of God’s faithfulness. “Chronologically superior.” Finish well. Moses hit the rock instead of talking. The inditement is he didn’t trust God. America needs spiritual mothers and fathers. Finish well by strengthening the next generation. 

Being a sense of urgency. 

Churches who are nice and churches who are effective. Busy vs on mission. Those who feel the best days are behind them or before them. 

“But now I said to them, “You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!” Nehemiah‬ ‭2‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Here is terrible and there is bright and that’s where we are going. Pursue excellence instead of starting something new. 

Watermark is sending people because God said and there is a sense of urgency. 

Iceland Herring Fishing Museum – in the 40’s they discovered the fish. Oil boom but with fish. This saved the country. A way to make money. Last year they caught zero herring. The assumption is there will always be fish there. I was faithful in the moment and brought urgency to it. When the fish move off, I would hate for us to miss it. Find a way to listen. Trust Him. Translate the urgency for this moment. 

• Urgency of listen and obey? Communicate this. 

Global Prayer Gathering

Jenny Allen – Gather 25

Revival is here. Right now. 

Every denomination. 7 Continents. 

30-100m people in the underground church in china. In the 70’s we didn’t know of Christians in china. 

AI came along at the right moment. 

86 languages participated. 

225 countries and territories. 

None of this happened outside of God. We didn’t strategies we just obeyed. Even the day before wondering it it will happen. God wants His church to be unified in mission and purpose. 

We have a few years on earth and we have a purpose. It’s time for the church to mobilize around the purpose God called us to. 

What did you learn about bringing people together? Listen to God. Living in the mystery. Lucy on the back of Azlan riding in Narnia. Maybe I put God in a box. Maybe there’s more. This is a moment of awakening. What does this require of us? Surrender everything and do what He says. 

How do you ride a lion? It can be brutal to fully surrender to God and to obey. You may lose it all but that’s okay if we are obeying God. I don’t care if it’s an embarrassment because we are obeying. He needs people who will say, “Yes Sir.” Don’t be confused. If God is moving and the miracles are happening trust. 

To ride a lion live with the pride and be friends with the lions. Stay right there. Nothing on earth is worth missing what You are doing.

Do you ever want to quit? Almost everyday. Until it existed so many Red Sea moments where God has to show up tonight. Needing 2.5m that day and praying. God shows up that day. The risk is worth it. 

The gathering of the church every other year isn’t the story. Being on mission and remembering why we are doing it is what matters. 2.5b is the goal. 

Most encouraging is revival. Stories of revival. Every week seeing revival in every place. Thousands receiving Christ. Baptized 10k. 

In revival we see the same 3 things. 

Confession. 

Clear response to the Gospel. 

Baptism. 

When the harvest is ripe you labor and it comes easy. Sometimes there is no fruit and we labor on. Prepare for the jump to the church. Revival is coming. 7k were baptized this past weekend in California. Do you want revival in your church? We can’t make it rain but good farmers prepare for it. 

Be in the room where the alter is empty but we are giving it our best. So what. Do it again. What if the third time someone comes forward? We have to realize there are so many who are blind. What are we doing if Hell is real, this is it. It’s not a one year plan on each book of the Bible, it’s bringing the Good News to everyone and saving souls. Why are we doing it? To grow the church? To be fat and without a purpose? No, to share Jesus and save souls. 

Say yes to God together. There are no sacred cows. What if Jesus was coming back in our lifetime. The end of Schindler’s list movie – he thinks about how this could have saved 2 more. 

Hear from God. Action what they hear. Bring other people along. 

God I need you today! Not just eventually some day. Today! 

Use us Lord. Not eventually, today!

Session 3

Shane and Shane skit. 

We love to have fun. What we do is series but we still pause for fun. March Madness losers bottom 5 basketball team playing an 8 game season at the rec league. 

Guided prayer. Quiet your hearts. Bring this before the Lord. 

We know the end of the story, how about we live in that trust. 

Blake Holmes

Scrub brush: The source of marital conflict. 

Cleaning the scrub brush in the dishwasher. 

We can argue and we can divide over some of the dumbest things. 

Undivided theme of this year’s conference. 

“Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.” 2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬-‭26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The discernment of a servant-leader (23)

On one hand we are called to do this and also we are called in verses 14-16 or 1 tim 4:7 to avoid some argument and also we wage the good warfare and to guard the good delistit entrusted for you. To contend for the faith. When are we to lean in and when to know we are arguing about things that are not important. We need a framework for the conversations. 

Essentials – what distinguishes us as Christian’s. Resurrection of Jesus. Saved by grace through faith. 

Convictions – what distinguishes us in our churches. Baptism. Believers baptism vs infant. A great friendship and unity where we follow and love Jesus. 

Opinions – what divides Indian believers even in the same church. School choice. Homeschool or Christian or public. No book, chapter, verse on these areas. Conversations about the merit of differences. 

Questions – unanswered with all sorts of opinions. Genesis and dinosaurs. 

As leaders we navigate a tension within these areas. Discern what we are really talking about. 

It’s a problem if we don’t contend for the faith and don’t care about the essentials. It’s also a mistake to drive the questions into the center and hold them as essentials. 

The demeanor of a servant-leader (24-25a)

Not quarrelsome but kind to everyone. Correcting with gentleness. How we argue is just as important. Be patient in my with difficult people. “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.” 1 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Growing up at family dinner. With a hammer everything looks like a nail. Learn the demeanor matters. Do kindness, patience, and gentleness mark your ministry and conversations. 

Are you better know for what you are against than what you are for?

Do you need to have the last word? 

Do you interrupt to make your point?

Do you ever refrain from sharing your opinion?

When was the last time you admitted to being wrong? 

Would others consider you a good listener? 

Do you talk the most in every conversation? 

How was the last election in your church? On your social media? 

There are a lot of people I agree with but still don’t want to have dinner with them and I don’t want that to be true of me. 

The dependence of a servant-leader (25b-26)

We are in a spiritual battle. Our dependence is not on our ability to argue but God’s Spirit who convicts and draws people. Our role is to be faithful and responsible and able to give a defense while being respectful. 

So many church hurts where Christianity is associated with a scrub brush. I’m sorry but let me tell your that you would really like Jesus. 

David Bruskas

We are united on mission. Matthew 28:19

As leaders in the church we should be leading in the area of making disciples who make disciples. You can not impart what you don’t possess 

Conviction – I’m not so sure our biggest thread is sinning against God while on mission but settling. How do we look at our family? Job satisfaction? And finances? 

“A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭25‬-‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A pattern in the gospel. When large crowds gather He speaks His hardest words. Why are we so enamored with crowds in churches today? 

Love others the way He has loved us. 

Hyperbole – love Him and be loyal to Him so much that we hate in comparison. He is so worthy in comparison. 

Just as the Father has loved the Son, He loves you. To infinity and beyond. Once and for all. Now abide in this love. A gift to be recorded not a goal to be achieved. 

Profile of a Disciple:

A disciple is loyal to Jesus above all people. 

Sorry, I can’t do this, He is first. 

David grew up praying for a son who would change the world. His son was born with a serious heart defect. Am I going to choose to be loyal to Jesus or my son. Who is going to be most important to me. His son passed away. We need to tell Jesus we love Him most. 

Who do you love most? 

Do you need to reorder your relationships?

“And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.” Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This statement is offensive to the Roman’s. Like tying your own noose. 

2 deaths at the cross. Jesus died and we died. Gal 2:20. 

Following Jesus is not about you. 

We take our desires and ask Jesus to bless them. We take our goals and claim God called us to do it. 

“Instead of bringing our ambitions to Jesus as worship, we use Jesus to worship our own ambitions.”

Durango land purchase. Holy Spirit said no. When you retire you can be a really good volunteer. 

What are you pursuing today that isn’t on Jesus heart? 

What dreams need to die?

A disciple is loyal to Jesus above all people, all pursuits, and all possessions. 

“So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus doesn’t reduce the law. He brings it up a notch and fulfills it. Not 10% but everything. We manage the stuff for His mission. None belongs to you. Put Jesus on the title. We manage His stuff. 

How disconnected are you from your neighbors? Is your home a refuge for you to hide in? It’s not really your home. He wants you to be hospitable.  Neighbors change. Amazing properties where the church is dying while others are exploding and need space. The churches holding on to a dying church think this is how the mission. Everything belongs to Jesus. Every square inch. Help us steward your stuff on mission. 

What are you holding onto today that belongs to Jesus? Is there anything you need to give up or give away?

“Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What good is a cell phone without a charge? What does it mean to be in the crowd of Jesus but not willing to listen to Him? 

Are we drawing crowds or discipling Christ followers? Are we building a brand for our church or making disciples? 

—-

Session 4

What can we do to invest in young leaders? 

Grant Skeldon @grantskeldon

I wouldn’t be who I am today, or where we am today without ______. 

In the church today do you hear that young people are leaving the church? They are deconstructing? They are church hopping? They are crippled by debt? 

What’s working with the next generation? 

Why are some leading? What are the common factors? How do you normalize these practices? 

Identify and normalize. 

Pivotal guide. 

Book: Hero with a thousand faces. 

The heroes journey. 

You make fun of the millennial participation trophies YET you gave it to us. 

LINCHPIN LEADER

Someone who radically impacts the heros journey. 

We don’t have a next gen problem. We have a discipleship problem.

Mentorship is adding something to your calendar. Discipleship is including someone in your calendar

Here’s what you can join me for. 

“We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.” 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The next generation is saturated with content, yet starved for connection. 

You can’t say it to everyone but you can someone. Who is that someone for you? 

The next generation is leaving not because we asked them to do too much but too little. 

What was the sermon about 6 weeks ago? How has your life changed? What have you applied?

It’s not because they don’t care. It’s how retention works. 5% with hearing a lecture. 10% reading. 20% audio visual. 30% demonstrating. Passive learning runs the risk of consumerism. 

How did Jesus operate the most? How does the church today operate the most?

Prophetic affirmation. A person who notices and verbalized a gift in you. The mentor and the talisman. Speak identity and confidence into the next generation. I see in you. ICNU. 

We can’t remember a sermon from 6 weeks ago but we can remember the ICNU moment 20 years ago. Don’t fight with one hand tied behind your back. Both the sermon and the conversation are both important. 

“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.” 1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Silent gratitude is worthless.” John Maxwell

What can you say to a young person that will impact their life?

Contagious Culture. An organization or community with a great culture or high standard. 

It’s like a pebble in your shoe that you carry with you. 

Imagine you are the manager of a restaurant. One recruit has worked at long John silvers. One recruit has worked at Arby’s. One recruit has worked at CFA. Who are you hiring? CFA because of their culture. 

What you count, and what you celebrate, creates your culture. 

Did you ever have a season where you joined an environment or culture that significantly raised your standards and level of excellence?

Ridiculous Responsibility

“Maturity doesn’t come with age; it comes with acceptance of responsibility” Ed Cole

Can you remember being thrust into a situation and just asked to figure it out? This makes you learn, grow, seek the Lord. 

“What in the world were you thinking?” 

There’s a difference between crushing someone and stretching someone. 

Crucial Feedback

Someone who gives you hard but helpful feedback that actually changes you.

Timely insight. 

Compass questions. A question posed to us when we were younger that still serves as a guide and filter for discerning major decisons today. Do you want to impress Christian’s or live like Jesus? Jesus didn’t care about crowds. 

Timely Connections

Someone who introduced you to monumental figures in your career. 

Slingshot Moment

Someone who encourages you to take your vision to the next level and then puts their neck on the line for your lack of experience or resources so you can accomplish the major initiative.

They Cover Your Weaknesses

FINANCES

EXPERIENCE

CONNECTIONS

Slingshot Moment

Did anyone ever encourage you to take your vision to the next level and put their neck on the line for your lack of experience or resources?

Grateful: 

What person helped impact who you are today?

Next Step: 

Who is someone you get who you could be intentional with? 

—

Don’t let your ambition outpace your submission. 

Seek First the kingdom. It’s crazy that you would trust Jesus with your eternity but you wouldn’t trust Him tomorrow. 

If you find yourself behind bars, polish them. 

David’s own dad didn’t believe in him. His brothers didn’t. He was picked to be king yet willing to deliver food to his brothers. I sing songs for the king yet is willing to battle the giant. 

If you’re young and want to get discipled, pursue it. Find out what they like to do for fun and get into that. Sneak your way into their busy schedule. 

What 1% do you have in common? Start there. 

Don’t forget about us. Us meaning young women. 50% of the congregation should not be sitting on the bench. 

The churches who are crushing it are focused on the next generation. Don’t forget young adults. Prioritize them. 

“Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Matthew‬ ‭17‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s hard but worth it. Continue even when it’s hard. 

“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.” 2 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

End by Prayer for those 30 and below. 

—

Breakout – Sabbaticals: Understanding the Value & Logistics of Productive Rest – Wes Butler

Rhythms of rest and sabbath are woven into the fabric of creation and of our faith as a means of restoration, healing, and continued fruitfulness. This breakout considers the value of sabbaticals for vocational ministers as a means of respecting these God-given rhythms of rest and discusses best practices for employing them for those who serve your church.

“O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely. But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin. They will go down into the depths of the earth. They will die by the sword and become the food of jackals. But the king will rejoice in God. All who swear to tell the truth will praise him, while liars will be silenced.” Psalms‬ ‭63‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Wes had a season of a weariness issue where a break was needed. A “survivical”. 

How to institutionalize this for the sake of our staff? Retroactive? 

A beautiful gift as well as a stripping away. Those who find their identity and joy in what you get to do see this. 

“God made me fast and when I run I feel His pleasure.” But if this is the source of our greatest joy it’s an issue. 

Defining Sabbatical

Sabbatical and Sabbath come from the same Hebrew root, which means to stop, cease, desist, pause, or rest.

The dust bowl. Cultivating soil in a way that was not intended to be used and all the soil became depleted. Worn out soil incapable of producing what the land was intended to produce. 

““Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you have entered the land I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath rest before the Lord every seventh year. For six years you may plant your fields and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, but during the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath year of complete rest. It is the Lord’s Sabbath. Do not plant your fields or prune your vineyards during that year. And don’t store away the crops that grow on their own or gather the grapes from your unpruned vines. The land must have a year of complete rest.” Leviticus‬ ‭25‬:‭2‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Genesis 1 – work and rest. 

“The few who survived were taken as exiles to Babylon, and they became servants to the king and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. So the message of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the seventy years were fulfilled, just as the prophet had said.” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭36‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Why of Sabbatical

• The practice of devotion (Mary vs Martha)
•   The practice of releasing control (release the weight)
•   The practice of trusting in God’s provision 
•   The practice of replenishing your soul (You can have self care without soul care but it’s difficult to have soul care without self care. Put the oxygen mask on yourself first. Stay connected to the vine.)

Me leaving gives others empowerment to lead. Give others the opportunity to step up and lead. 

Book: David Murray – Reset

Just because we are pastors doesn’t mean we are not Christian’s. Also just because I’m a Christian doesn’t mean I’m not a person. 

The Biblical Command of Sabbath

“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I

give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the LORD. For six years you shall sow your

field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits, but in

the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to

the LORD. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. You shall not reap

what grows of itself in your harvest, or gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It

shall be a year of solemn rest for the land.”

Leviticus 25:2–5 (ESV)

The Biblical Command of Sabbath

“He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they

became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of

Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had

enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill

seventy years.”

2 Chronicles 36:20–21 (ESV)

WHY SHOULD YOU??

• The practice of devotion

• The practice of releasing control

• The practice of trusting in God’s provision

• The practice of replenishing your soul

HOW TO PLAN FOR SABBATICAL

1. PLAN FOR DEPARTURE

Who will be responsible? Do the people know the plan? Do you need to get a burner phone for a time? 

2. PLAN FOR IMPERFECTION

Set expectations to know your plan and expectations might not line up. James reminds us, “If the Lord wills.” 

3. PLAN FOR PEACE

Time away can be very sweet. 

4. PLAN FOR ADVERSITY

Pruning and rebuilding can be hard. Bring these to your community. 

5. PLAN FOR REENTRY

Jet lag is real. Plan for reentry. Tap out at 3:00 and don’t dive right back into the deep end. Take it slow. 

SABBATICAL POLICY CONSIDERATIONS

• Length of Service? (7 year mark? 10 years and every 7 after?) Staff level, lead pastor role vs assistants?

• Length of the Break? (8 weeks? 3 months? Extended time? Withdrawal season. Impact on PTO? Impact on staff and timing issues?)

• Focus of the Time? (Producing something? Working sabbatical? Restful time?)

• Accountability for the Time? (Present how you intend to use the time? Who did you spend time with? Expectation to check in?)

• Provision for the Time? (Change in pay or extra to spend for the time? Watermark gives 3k for specific use.)

• Resources for the Time? (Sabbatical coach? Mapping the time out? 

Help process the pruning moments? 

Gospel Care Collective – sabbatical coaching. 

Eden Project – sabbatical coaching. 

Andy Crouch – praxes. Quitting job every 7 years and prayer on what’s next. 

Book – The Pastor: A Memoir by Eugene H. Peterson

Don’t bail on being a Christ follower during your sabbath. You need community. You need to be poured into. It just might look different in this season. 

Different tiers for the nature of different positions, stresses, and responsibilities. BUT don’t let your policy be the driver of all these decisions. Stay sensitive to the Spirits leading beyond any policy. 

Main Stage 5

Before we begin singing think about praising God. What are 3 things you want to praise God for?

Reading psalm 23 during worship. 

Sometimes He has to force you to rest. 

In this moment, ask the Lord…what do you still have for me?

So, what could be better

Than walking with Him when I believe?

He has good plans

He has good plans for me

So, I will take heart in deserts and gardens

He has good plans

He has good plans for me

If I know my Father

I know my Father has

400 people on the waitlist that didn’t get in. We want to united the church of God. Unsure what to do with the waitlist other than 2 conferences. Apt 27-28 and 29-30. 

JD Greear

Planting 1000 churches! 

Young people means a lot of potential church planters and missionaries. 

Goal is striving to become the most multiplying church in America and we want to help you become better than us. 

Strive for multiplication. The metric for success shouldn’t be seating capacity but sending capacity. 

Rodney Stark says when the last apostle died by the best estimates there was a grand total of 7530 believers. The movement wasn’t that big. 

The century of the mega church. Audiences sizes the apostles would never be able to fathom. Bigger churches yet the percentage of Americans attending church has gone down and not up. 

““I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” John‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus said, “Greater works.” Has anyone ever preached better than Jesus? Counseled better than Jesus and the woman at the well? 

The impact would be greater because God’s Spirit would be with everyone. 

“But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.” John‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

To our advantage that Jesus went away. The Holy Spirit coming on ordinary believers was even better than Jesus staying. 

Where we celebrate success is in those who gather the most people. Jesus said the greater works is manifested when more leaders are raised up in the believers. 

We are the only movement in the world that morns decline while villainizing growth. 

Continue striving to grow big, just don’t stop there. 

Take a stick of dynamite and shoot it in the air did it do what it’s designed to do? Loud bang but just smoke. Put it in the mountain and the bang is quiet but impactful. Growing leaders is not as loud as growing crowds. It might not feel like revival but it is. 

Lack of an intentional plan. Discipleship doesn’t just happen. Your church will never rise to the level of your sermons, you fall to the level of your systems. 

Winston Churchill’s biggest liability was his speaking ability. The hard work was not the speech but the hard work to bring change. 

Growth Track – 5 identities 

Worshipper show up and do a quiet time. 

Family member. Groups. 

Serving – on a team

Steward – time and treasure

Witness – at least one you are sharing Christ with.  

This is the heart of the great commission. 

Book: Born to reproduce. (One verb in the great commission is to make disciples. The others are participles and extensions of the verb.) 

If we got good at discipling multiplication would take care of itself. 

Chan. Long gone are the days where we should be content with those who sing out loud, don’t divorce, and…

Have a plan to fall out men and women’s for ministry. 

Best predictor of a good Christian movement is how many young people you are raising up for ministry. 

Invitation when growing up you get saved, redecorate, or surrender to ministry. Call out the called. Not just a witness with your life but go into Christian ministry. 

Idolatry. 

As the pastor you might be the biggest barrier to multiplication in your church. Sending out your very best people. Those who volunteer to go on mission or church plant are not those who sit the sideline. Your leaders. Your friends. This is not good for your church. 

Church plants are like teenagers. They want your money, your encouragement, and to be left alone. 

Give a headhunting license to those who you are sending. 

Get your hands off my church. God doesn’t give churches to pastors he gives pastors to churches. 

Cloak self ambition in doing this all for Jesus. 

Hearing God’s voice. Not audible but louder and more real than had it been audible. 

Thy kingdom come not my kingdom come. Are you asking God to grow your church for selfish ambition? Are you thinking what’s best for me or for His kingdom. 

John compares himself to the best man at a wedding. Everyone is looking at the groom and the bride. We don’t get together to direct attention on ourselves. Do things God’s way. 

Come and die

Fear – 

God only multiples what we sow. Unless a grain of wheat goes into the ground and dies nothing grows. 

Irony is we know how to teach people this in regard to money. Give the first and the best. Give and honor God and watch how He multiplies it. In our churches give our first and our best. God multiplies. You can not out give God. 

In sending people for church plans they see that for every 1 person sent there are 30 worshipping. 

What if just a fraction of this embraced this? 

Maybe the problem isn’t that God’s power is in short supply but that we deviated from His plan. 

What if God was bringing us back to our roots of disciples making disciples? We might be beginning the greatest chapter of the history of the church. 

Andy Bernard: “I wish there was a way to know you were living in the good old days before you actually left them.”

“Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.” Isaiah‬ ‭59‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

His work done in His way! 

Thank you for listening to the D6 podcast or attending the D6 breakout!

Here are 280+ examples for you to look through! LINK

Remember the 3 Keys:

1. Purpose – why this role exists. Who do I report to?

2. Responsibilities – 5–7 clear action areas. What am I responsible for? 

3. Wins – how we know it’s working. What does success look like?

Live Updates: Insights and notes from the D6 Family Ministry Conference

Note: I’ll be updating this post over the next 3 days with all my breakout and session notes. Check back in for live updates and follow along on social media with #D62025

Tech’s Big Three – Nathan Sutherland

Breakout 1

Address smartphones, video games, and pornography with grace, hope, and confidence.

Use tech to support the purpose, not distract from it. 

Average age of a gamer in US – 36

Candy crush players are considered gamers. 

God doesn’t help you manage sin, He kills it. 

“I wasn’t gaming for fun, I was medicating with video games.“

Jesus and his disciples:Do you love me more than these?” These things you are coping with.

Love God. Use Tech.

Tech’s Big Three

Intro: It all started with a little Mario Brothers…

1. Smartphones (app delivery) 

Tool tech vs drool tech. 

Keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay. 

Duolingo – tech keeps you longer than you intended. App designed to take your attention. We see young people struggling to keep the boundaries because there is behavioral design baked into it. 

Social media stimulates brains and isn’t appropriate for undeveloped brains who have not learned to be faithful with the little things. 

a. Should my child have a smartphone? 

5 Cautions:

1.   app delivery system
2.   social media
3.   predators / bullies
4.   pornography
5.   video games

b. Smartphone solutions: Gabb, Bark software, Bark phone

Many young people are getting rid of social media. Why? Spending so much time living in other peoples stories and haven’t lived his own. 

If they can’t be kind to their siblings, how do you expect them to magically deal with online strangers? 

Predators and bullies enter your child through smart phones. 

If you haven’t talked with them about Pedifile and Pornography then why give them access? 

Wait – delay is the way. We delay because we are hopeful not fearful. 

Give kids the trust they earned but also a dog to help them build digital independence. 

Reset Resource: 5 ways to think about your tech. Don’t argue with the young person, argue for them. 

30 days to recalibrate with tech overstimulation. Cold turkey. They will be angry but you won’t damage them. 

2. Video Games

a. Should my child play this game?

1.   Would I have this character over for dinner?
2.   Is violence part of it or the point?
3.   Is the language helpful or hurtful?
4.   Does the content meet our family expectations?
5.   Are themes age appropriate?
6.   Can it be beaten?

b. Game review resource: Entertainment Software Review Board (ESRB.org)

Prov 22:6 – train them. 

You become fond of the characters you spend the most time with. They form norms around the characters so make sure they are positive. 

Mario cart has violence but it’s not the point whereas mortal combat where violence IS the point. The line where it’s hard is Fortnite. For some people it’s violent and others it’s laser tag. 

Phil 4:8 the content. Does it celebrate good stuff? Does the game experience include micro transactions? Unfair game design with prestige classes. Get to level 50 and prestige to 10 levels. There is also a 11th category…sunk cost fallacy. Unsafe game design. Roblox fan content. Ruben Sims YouTube. He now posts content about predators and profiles. There is no way to ensure safety and play environment test. Can it be beaten? Minecraft type games where it goes forever. Ask, “Does this game align with my family?”

Ask kids about the game. Will you show me your favorites? What are you most proud of? Teach me how to play. Just participating to communicate it’s a family thing. Ask can we do it together? Be present some but don’t be overbearing. Invest in them. 

3. Pornography

a. How do I protect my child from pornography?

•   Be informed: Pornography changes the brain, causes depression, hurts relationships
•   Talk it out: Pornography is a specific type of content that addresses a specific heart problem. We want to address both, and the heart first and foremost (Matthew 5:28-30)
•   Make a plan: Family, Network, Devices

b. Pornography protection: Covenant Eyes, Gryphon Router, Good Pictures, Bad Pictures by Kristen A Jenson

3/4 of teenagers have seen pornography. Of those 3/4 more than half saw it on accident. 52%. Don’t be worried that you will drive your kids to it because they are already seeing it. Jesus brings freedom to hard conversations. 

Study in UK came out 5 weeks ago when they say it’s terrible for human trafficking and porn doesn’t adopt to us we adopt to it. We adapt our appetites.  

Supernormal stimuli study – butterfly experiment. We can adapt our behaviors and appetites to un natural. We can alter healthy norms to become unhealthy. Norman Doiche. Pornography causes your bring to adapt to what is being served. 

Teach kids you will not be mad at them when they share what makes them uncomfortable. Guilt is a thing that brings us back to repentance. Shame is condemning. Eph 2:1-10 while we were sinners. The church sucks at sin. We pretend it doesn’t exist. 

Book Recommendation: Good pictures bad pictures – Kristen jenson. 

Book Recommendation: Wise advise from loving moms by Greta Eskridge. 

Make a plan. Talk it out. Share what happened. It’s beautiful when kids mess up and ask for help. Celebrate like they got straight A’s because darkness has been exposed to light and restoration is available. 

Love God and use tech…not the other way around. Don’t use God and love tech.

The Gospel

The Gospel is the good news that God saves sinners (Ephesians 2:1-10)

1.   We are sinners (V.1)
2.   Saved by grace (v.4-5)
3.   For the world, not from it (v.10)

You are a sinner BUT GOD. Direct your kids to Jesus. Scratch by MIT brings joy. 

We are saved “For the world, not from it.” Freedom in Christ including freedom from your cell phone. Digital freedom.  

Resources Referenced in This Talk:

Question #1: When Should My Child Get a Smartphone?

Great dumb phones:

•   The Gabb Phone and watch (gabb.com)
•   The Bark Phone (bark.us/bark-phone/)

Trust, and verify. Software to go with your child online:

•   Bark software (iPhone & Android. Works best on Android – bark.us/bark-premium)
•   Covenant Eyes (Image accountability. Works best on Android – covenanteyes.com)
•   Want help installing Covenant Eyes? https://www.youtube.com/@loveGodusetech

Question #2: Which Games Should My Child Play?

Before you play a game:

•   Ask the six questions – Gospel Tech Game Review Tool (gospeltech.net/resources)
•   Assess game content with the Entertainment Software Review Board (ESRB.org)
•   Check out how long a game takes to beat (howlongtobeat.com)
  Note: Any game with completion times over 200 hours is effectively endless. This high play time is reflecting the fact that players never really quit (World of Warcraft, Fortnite, Minecraft).
•   Remember: We have a biblical standard for our game content:
  “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Question #3: How Do I Protect My Child from Pornography?

Start the conversation early:

•   Good Pictures Bad Pictures, by Kristen A. Jenson
•   Wise advice from loving moms: Greta Eskridge (@maandpamodern), Mary Flo and Megan (@birds
•   Research on the impacts of pornography: Fight the New Drug (ftnd.org); The Brain That Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge, Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke; Surfing for God by Michael John Cusick

Pornography changes the brain:

•   Barrett, Deirdre. (2010). Supernormal stimulus.
•   Voon, V., et al. (2014). Neural Correlates of Sexual Cue Reactivity in Individuals with and without
• Compulsive Sexual Behaviors
•   Banca, P., Morris, L. S., Mitchell, S., Harrison, N. A., Potenza, M. N., & Voon, V. (2016). Novelty, conditioning and attentional bias to sexual rewards
•   Kühn, S., & Gallinat, J. (2014). Brain structure and functional connectivity associated with pornography
•   Albery, I. P., Lowry, J., Frings, D., Johnson, H. L., Hogan, C., & Moss, A. C. (2017). Exploring the Relationship between Sexual Compulsivity and Attentional Bias to Sex-Related Words in a Cohort of Sexually Active Individuals
•   anxiety, depression, and reduced well-being: Wordecha, Wilk et al, 2018; Harper, Hodgins, 2016
•   dangerous sexual behaviors: Wright, Tokunaga et al, 2016; Zhou, Liu, et all, 2021
•   Interpersonal and relational problems: Rhoads, Markman, 2011; Write, Tokunaga, 2017; Perry, 2018

There is great hope: In Christ we are new creations (2 Cor. 5:17) who have everything in Christ (2 Pet. 1:3-5)

Podcast episodes

•   Ep. 211: How Do We Talk About Pornography? (START HERE, #5)
•   Ep. 191 & 182: Pornography and our children, a conversation with Sam Black of Covenant Eyes

In Church as It Is in Heaven: Multiplying Diversity in Your Church No Matter Where You Are

Diversity wasn’t a buzzword for the earliest Christians; it was a way of life. Yet today Sunday mornings are some of the week’s most segregated hours. Churches are separated along generational, socioeconomic, and ethnic lines. If you long to highlight the power of the gospel by cultivating a multigenerational, multi-soci-economic, multiethnic congregation in your community, this session will show you where to start.

There was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number” (Rev. 7:9-10).

Matthew 6:9-10

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

THE GAP – 86% of American evangelical pastors say churches should be more diverse yet fewer than 1/4 of churches in America are diverse. 

Diversity for its own sake leads to disaster. Diversity based on the Gospel by a desire to model God’s kingdom on earth is beautiful. 

2015-2016, started moving this direction. Never anticipated Koreans being a part of their church, and so excited God is moving the church this direction. 

•   People tend to cluster according to ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic background.
•   The world’s solutions to these separations are not working.
•   When the church unites people that the world can’t, that provides a powerful apologetic for the truth of the gospel.

THE GOAL: To provide a biblically-faithful resource to remove the barriers that stand in the way of healthy ethnic, socioeconomic, and generational diversity.

Buy the book: In Church as it is in Heaven

The Right Goals: 

To Recognize And Remove Unrecognized Barriers That Prevent Individuals From Any Ethnicity, Age Group, Or Socioeconomic Background From Feeling Welcomed

The Wrong Goals: 

To Grow A Diverse Church

To Attract Percentages Of A Particular Ethnicity, Age Group, Or Socioeconomic Strata

To Expect Every Church To Be Diverse In The Same Way

Many people want diversity but the secular strategies have failed. 

God delights in the diversity of His church. Acts 13:1 and Acts 6:1-6

1 Cor 1:26

James 2:1-13

Titus 2:1-8 shows generational diversity. 

THE GUIDE

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?	IS YOUR CHURCH PRACTICING THIS TRUTH? IF SO, HOW?
Early Christians valued ethnic and cultural diversity (Acts 6:1-6; 13:1)
Early Christians valued socioeconomic diversity (James 2:1-13; see also 1 Cor 1:26)
Paul commanded intergenerational relationships (Titus 2:1-8)
God’s eternal kingdom is multiethnic (Rev 5:9; 7:9; 21:16), and Christians pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6:9-10)

•   MULTIETHNIC/MULTIGENERATIONAL/MULTISOCIOECONOMIC:
•   KINGDOM:
•   CULTURE:

PRACTICES TO CULTIVATE KINGDOM CULTURE IN YOUR CHURCH

Don’t copy the speaker or the speakers church. Use his insight to spark ideas. Don’t even try everything, just try something. 

THE PURPOSE	THE PRACTICE	EXTRA DETAILS
1. PLANT A DESIRE FOR DIVERSE WORSHIP THAT IS YET TO COME	A mission trip that never leaves home	Partner With A Church That Is Ethnically, Generationally, Or Socioeconomically Different From Your Own Plan A Mission Trip That Spends Part Of The Time Near Their Church And Part Of The Time Near Your Church, Sharing Sleeping And Eating Times Together WORSHIP Together Each Evening, Celebrating Present And Future Fellowship
2. LEARN THE STORY OF YOUR PLACE	A resource that tells the story of what has separated people in your place	Create A Resource That Tells The Story Of What Has Separated People In Your Place Draw From Church Records And Local Histories To Prepare A Brief Resource That Describes How Divisions Between Different Groups Emerged In Your Context. Present Your Findings In A Worship Service And Make Space To LAMENT These Divisions.
3. RECOGNIZE WHAT STANDS IN THE WAY OF WELCOME	Friendships that examine honestly what prevents people from being welcomed	Diversity itself is never the goal and percentages are not the standard for success. The goal is to celebrate what is good in each culture and to remove any cultural barriers so that the only cause for offense is the gospel and God’s Word. • Pray For God To Guide You Into Authentic Friendships With Persons From A Group That Is PRESENT IN YOUR CONTEXT But NOT IN YOUR CHURCH. Learn What Might Keep Them From Feeling WELCOME In Your Church.
4. GROW IN YOUR GIVING	Identification of cultural preferences	Rejoice In Your Preferences, And Be Willing To Let Them Go Visit A Faithful Nearby Church That Differs From Your Church Ethnically, Generationally, Or Socioeconomically. Begin To Identify Your Church’s Cultural Preferences. Be Thankful For These Preferences And Pray That You Would Be Willing To GIVE Them Up, If Necessary.
5. EXPAND YOUR FELLOWSHIP	Equal partnership with a church whose demographics are different from yours	Form An Equal PARTNERSHIP Between Your Church And A Faithful Local Church With Demographics That Are Different From Your Church. Bring Church Staffs Together Regularly For Prayer. Gather Together On An Equal And Regular Basis For Worship, Fellowship, And Sharing A Meal.

Multiethnic, Multigenerational, Multisocioeconomic Church Requires Multiethnic, Multigenerational, Multisocioeconomic Hospitality

Pray For God To Guide You Into Authentic Friendships With Persons From A Group That Is PRESENT IN YOUR CONTEXT But NOT IN YOUR CHURCH.

Learn What Might Keep Them From Feeling WELCOME In Your Church.

Ask, what would it be that would make you feel unwelcome in our community or church? 

For example, does the cost of camp make people feel unwelcome? 

Our music is an equal opportunity offender. Different music styles so we don’t get locked into “our way” of doing worship. 

Revelation 21:23-27 “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.”

Recognize you have a culture and that’s good, but we willing to give it up for the sake of reaching someone else. 

Rank these 5 practices from easiest to hardest.

Just do the next right thing! 

Incorporate food into multi ethic worship services! 

Kingdom diversity is not a goal you achieve through your power; it’s a gift you practice by God’s power.

Common challenges: Those in the majority culture don’t realize we have a culture. We think it’s neutral or default and we just don’t see that it’s actually a culture. It’s difficult to see this without spending time with people who are different than yourself. They are not bad people just insulated. 

Ask, “What would it look like if you succeeded?” Is there answer about more people or loving people? Often with good intentions but intentions that have gone astray.  

—

General Session 1

Russ Ramsey  – Creating in Community

Storytelling is one of your primary ways of communicating. 

How a painter you’ve probably never heard of used friendship to give us paintings everyone has seen. 

“A proper community is a commonwealth: a place, a resource, an economy. It answers the needs, practical as well as social and spiritual, of its members— among them the need to need one another.” —Wendell Berry

Jean Frederic Bazille is who helped make all this possible. 

Jean declared he would be an artist. His father let him pursue it…as long as Jean agreed to also study medicine. Jean enrolled in both medicine and art and became friends with Auguste Renoir, Edouard Manet, and Claude Monet. When finances grew tight, Jean would purchase paintings and supplies to help the other artists stay afloat. This was an investment in an artist he deeply respected. Jean shared studio space. 9 Rue de la Condamine grew a fellowship of other great artists. 

Friends who created art in the context of community. 

They formed the anonymous society of painters sculptors and engravers.

“They found themselves forming a homogeneous group, with all of them having a more or less similar view of nature; and so they picked up the description that had been made of them, ‘Impressionists,’ and used it as a banner. They were called Impressionists in a spirit of mockery; Impressionists they remained out of pluck.” — Emile Zola

“We play a role in blowing on the embers of whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely…”

Dannah Gresh – Freedom how Jesus and His word Heals Emotional Dysregulation

Genesis 1 :1-2 – God has always been at work in the darkness. 

Psalm 30 He has lifted me out of the pit. 

“Today’s average young person between ages 9 and 17 scores as high on anxiety scales as children admitted to psychiatric clinics in 1957.

Juliet Schor,Sociology Professor at Boston College

Emotions are a good tool of God. He created them and deemed them good. 

When our emotions are dysregulation it’s because we have believed lies. We aren’t good enough. We can’t overcome. We are stupid. We are ugly. These lies are from the enemy. 

‘Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

We ourselves can fall into bondage. 

Abide – stay, dwell, remain in, return to. Stay in His words. Not one hour a week. Live in it. Stay in it. 

Lifeway released a study and saw that those who read the Bible weekly or even 3x a week there wasn’t much of a difference but at 4x a week loneliness was down 30%, anger down 32%, bitterness down 40%, alcoholism down 57%, and pornography down 61%. 

Know (ginosko)- to know intimately. Know Jesus. The knowing changes everything. 

“What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!” – Matthew 10:27

Free (eleutheroso) – to liberate. Freedom in the world’s definition leads to bondage but the Lord’s definition is different. Liberation from the thoughts that haunt you. 

Freedom is not the absence of darkness but the presence of the light of Christ in it. 

“Freedom is not the absence of darkness, but the presence of the light of Christ in it.”

Truth – the ultimate remedy. 

1. Recognize the evidence of lies. 

2. Identify the lie and stop feeding it. 

3. Replace the lie with Truth. 

Tim Goodyear – Passing the Baton 

Olympics Rio 2016 – The fumbled baton.

As any track coach will testify, relay races are won or lost at the transfer of the baton. If failure is to occur it will likely happen during the exchange. 

Pass the baton of faith to the next generation. Why, what, and how to do it. 

The Why…

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.” -Deuteronomy 6:4-9

“And when the Lord your God brings you into the land..with great and good cities…houses full of all good things…and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt…It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you.” – Deuteronomy 6:10-14

And Joshua… died at the age of 110 years… And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the people who were around them and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger.” – Judges 2:8-12

God’s plan is that faith is transferred from one generation to the next within the context of the home and family. Parents have these commands on their heart first and then press or mold them into their children. It only takes one fumble and a whole generation will not know the Lord. 

The What…

Create a culture of family discipleship within our churches. 

Culture: Ideas, attitudes, behaviors, and customs of a people group. 

The thinking and the doing of our people. Not that activities but the thinking and doing. 

Equipping 

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-12

Preparing mentally (teaching/training)

Supply with necessary items (tools/equipment)

The How…

The 10 Keys…

Empower a Champion

”Two-Degree” Strategies

Establish New Measures

Use Existing Time Slots

Support Existing Vision

”Home Lens” for All

Culture of Intentionality

Customization is Key

Invest in Tools for Families

Give Vision for the Home

General Session 2 – Austin Fruits – Finding Freedom From Pornography

Average age of exposure is around 8 years old now-a-days. 

You know what happens when you confess over and over again and continue to struggle the doubts begin to creep in. Does God even care? Can He even use me? 

Pornography removed me emotionally from my family. 

How can someone love me so much when I care so little for myself. 

“When we live 99% known, but 1% unknown, we live as if we are fully unknown.”

Name the problem. Reach out to those who love you no matter what. 

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

There is no wasted time…

Give other people the gift of being seen. 

‘With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.” Ephesians 4:17-19

Hardening to their hearts. 

Loss all sensitivity

Sensuality

Every kind of impurity 

Biblical Model of Addiction:
Futility of thinking —> Separated from the life of God —> Hearts Hardened  —> Loss all feeling  —> Sensuality  —>  Continual Lust for More

When you lose the ability to self-medicate you feel loneliness, worthless, and unlovable. 

Stages of Change

1. Pre-Contemplation

2. Contemplation

3. Preparation

4. Action

5. Maintenance

6. Relapse

El Roi – the God who sees. Hagar

Is 9:6 “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Allow yourself to be seen. Give someone else the gift of being seen. This is the foundation to helping someone fight pornography and wrestle with addition. 

When we confess our sins to God, He offers forgiveness. When we confess our sins to others, He offers healing. 

Russ Ramsey

By the time Palm Sunday arrives the enemy is looking for ways to throw you off your game. 

The enemy works by making you frustrated and irritated to people on your team. 

We bring gifts and limitations to the team to become strong in places where others are weak and to be repairing one another. 

The Lord takes care of our people, and He takes care of you!

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee – Rembrandt depicts those who never stop and are doing the work. The other group are those who are pleeding with the one who is in the boat with them to do something. 

Jesus is in the boat as well Rembrandt himself. He painted himself into the art. They are asking if Jesus cares that they are perishing without remembering that He is there BECAUSE they are perishing. He’s in the boat with you because He loves you. 

Give yourself time to just breathe and remember the Lord goes before you, He loves those you are serving, and you are dear to the heart of God. He goes before you. He cares for you. 

Linc Taylor – Appreciating the Wants and Needs in Your Child

Sharpen the chainsaw. 

Ah ha moments. Paul on the road to Damascus. 

Parents are the primary disciplers of their children. There’s a perplexity and opportunity in this phrase. 

A white lights explodes with colors when it runs through a prism. In the ordinary days of family life you are always discipling. Sometimes you see it and sometimes you don’t. The prism shows us its about relationship and so much more. 

Influence is more complex than just teaching a devotion.

Wants vs Needs

Wants: Desires that are closer to the surface of an individual. Visible. 

Needs: Below the water but more real in a kids life. Like the iceberg. 

Wants focused parting vs needs focused parenting:

Close to the Surface vs below the surface longings. 

Simply provide things vs build a healthy relationship. 

Efficiency vs Experience

Swayed by the immediate vs guided by purpose. 

Focus: Good moral behavior only vs Focus: Stand and battle ready. 

I have my child’s life figured out vs sensitive to God’s plan for my child. 

Look at us! Beautiful family vs Look at Him! On mission!

Busy and Hurried vs Sabbath

Golden bars built up in the memory bank that only grow in value over time. 

Ephesians 6 armor of God. 

Barriers

Immediate Requirements – Place of Importance

It’s awkward when I attempt to lead

Take the easy route/ Comfort and Convenience

Sense of Inadequacy

We use the world’s definition of success

My life is too much of a mess

It’s too late to start, my children are too old 

God’s Word is simply repeated

The world’s definition of success is always shiny and always before us. 

General Session 3 – Corey Jones: We Get to Do This: Finding Joy in Every Season

What if the greatest difference between burnout and joy in ministry isn’t your workload-but your mindset?

Think of your average Sunday this year. Not Easter, not the rainy day when no one seems to want to show up for church. Just an average Sunday. The alarm goes off, you get ready, you jump in the car and head to the church…As you pull up to the building, is you heart posture, “I have to be here?” “I have to go find more goldfish crackers.” “I have to do another band rehearsal.” “I have to put another smile on my face.”  Or is your heart saying, “I get to be here?” “I get to teach another lesson and speak on behalf of the King of Kings” “I get to greet someone at the door and be the first person who’s looked them in the eye with kindness all week.”   I know. I know. It’s Sunday, it’s early, and you may not have had coffee yet, but still: “Have to?” Or “Get to?”

Is anyone out there serving in a mobile campus? I feel ya! We had a campus, but outgrew our space. When it came time to build, we hated the thought of building a massive building that would only be used a few hours each week, so we got weird. We asked our community what they wanted us to build, we built it, and then we figure out how to do church inside of it. Thus, while we own our building, we still operate as a mobile campus within our building…which means…chairs, chairs, and more chairs. Every day we are setting up and taking down chairs.

And I’ve got to tell you, this talk became real for me when thinking about stacking and unstacking chairs. 

Same scenario with two perspectives.

“Have to” says, “How can so many people just get up and walk out without helping?” “We talk about it every week, if they would just grab one!”

“Have to” says, “Here we go again… same thing, different Sunday.”

“Have to” says,“Things would fall apart if I wasn’t here.” 

“Have to” says, “I shouldn’t have to do this—this isn’t even my job.”

“Get to” says, “While this is a small act of service, today it’s an act of worship.” 

“Get to” says, “Lord, may this chair hold someone whose life will be forever changed by Your love.” 

“Get to” says, “Thank You, Lord, for the strength and health to lift this 10th chair onto the stack.”

“Get to” says, “This chair might hold a struggling parent or a new believer—thank You, Lord, for allowing me to be part of their journey.”

Is ministry an obligation for you? Or is it worship? Do you Have to? Or do you Get to? 

“Kingdom work isn’t a burden—it’s a blessing. Have you traded ‘I get to’ for ‘I have to’?”

Colossians 3:23 NLT, “Work willingly at whatever you do (unstacking chairs, cutting out crafts, stacking chairs again), as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” 

So yeah, stacking chairs, that’s real. It’s a small thing, but for me, it was a real indicator of something wrong in my heart. Ministry is hard. Burnout is real. Discouragement creeps in. Compassion fatigue can keep you from seeing people the way Jesus does. 

For me, when the “HAVE to” mindset hits hardest is when someone who I’ve loved for years, decades, someone I’ve poured into, someone I’ve discipled, walk away…from the church…from their family…or from their faith. I shift into “Have to” mode. The wind in my sails is gone, …IF I allow it. 

In Acts 16 we see Paul and Silas going to pray and a was woman shouting at them because she was demon possessed. They heal her…they do ministry…and as a result they are stripped, severely beaten, and thrown in prison. Yet, Verse 25 says, “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake…”

Paul and Silas, stripped, severely beaten, and jailed, for doing ministry…and their response, “Get to!” Praying and singing.

Joseph – Sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned – but still able to say, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.” Genesis 50:20

Stephen – As the first Christian martyr, even as he was being stoned to death, he was filled with joy and the Holy Spirit, praying for his attackers. Acts 7:55-60

James – In his letter, James encourages believers to “consider it an opportunity for great joy” when facing troubles, knowing that the testing of faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-4.

Paul, Joseph, Stephen. These guys understood, “Get to!” There’s also Mrs. Dawn. Now you won’t find her name in the Bible. The reality is, you probably won’t find her name anywhere.

Mrs. Dawn understood “get to.” She got to teach a Sunday school class in Greenford Ohio. 

Yes, she got to be a Sunday school teacher in a town with a population less than 1000 people. 

And in this small church, surrounded by corn fields, she had a student who often challenge her. 

He would ask, you know, simple questions like, “How do we know God is real?”

Why does God allow suffering?

If God already knows what we need, why do we need to pray? 

You know, the easy questions…

And Mrs. Dawn would pull open the Bible, and patiently attempt to answer the students questions. 

But this student didn’t just ask challenging questions. He would also, find passages in the Bible like 1 Peter 5:14, and he would attempt to get the whole Sunday school class to participate in “greeting each other with a holy kiss.”

Mrs. Dawn stayed persistent in her role, despite having a difficult kid in her class.
Mrs. Dawn kept her “get to” attitude and continued to love in hard times. 

And I’m so thankful that Mrs. Dawn, loved me, when I was growing in the faith. 

Mrs. Dawn had no idea that I would dedicate my life to building God’s Kingdom. She didn’t see the fruit. 

She just loved the unlovable. She remained faithful to the calling God placed on her life. 

So I’ve got to ask, “Who or what in your life is currently difficult? Who or what is pushing your heart towards “Have to.” 

Will you do me a favor and pull out your phone?

Did God reveal something to you? If so, text someone for prayer or accountability. Don’t hide it, don’t shove it deeper.  

Your message: “Hey, I’m at the D6 conference. When I get back, I’d love to talk with you about _______.” 

This one small step in accountability may shed light where darkness was growing.

This one small step could be the direction changing step that gets you back on course to the right mindset. The mindset of, “We don’t have to do this. We get to do this!”

So D6, “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9

Let’s not get tired of… stacking chairs after every service.

Let’s not get tired of… answering difficult Sunday School questions.

Let’s not get tired of… stepping in when someone else falls short.

Let’s not get tired of… serving behind the scenes when no one notices.

Let’s not get tired of… giving even when we don’t see the fruit.

Let’s not get tired of… comforting those who are grieving or struggling.

Let’s not get tired of… loving people who are hard to love.

“At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” 

—

Russ Ramsey

How do we portray ourselves? Do we come across perfect? In the act of doing that we conceal the gospel by presenting ourselves as those who don’t actually need Christ. 

Vincent Van Gogh – Self portrait with bandaged ear.
Great painting because it depicts a moment of pain for the artist himself. 

A painting of Vincent Van Gogh, by Vincent Van Gogh, capturing this moment of his greatest vulnerability. 

The Lord doesn’t need us to be perfect and composed. What gives us worth in ministry is conveying the great need we have for healing and hope. Not just those who read about it in a book but those who have wounds. The Lord will use these wounds to further His kingdom. 

Rich Griffith – Discipleship Is Leadership

DECADES OF “SYSTEMIC ABANDONMENT”

Every institution that is supposed to be about nurturing our young have been hijacked by adult-driven agendas.

Family structures have changed.

Our kids are growing up in a toxic environment. Our children are struggling. Family support systems are shrinking. 

ALL THIS HAS LED TO…

Gen Z being the loneliest and most anxious generation.

Generation of “Nones” – (No religious affiliation)

Losing 25% (or more) of youth church attenders drop out of church

ALL THIS HAS LED TO…

* Increased “epheblphobia” and “gerontophobla”

• Criminalization of our young

The United States has the highest rate of Incarcerated

Juveniles than any other Industrialized nation in the world – to Include Russia and China.

WHY ARE WE MORE COMFORTABLE LEADING IN BUSINESS AND OTHER AREAS, BUT WE CAN’T SEEM TO DISCIPLE OUR CHILDREN? MAYBE…

We are trained to lead outside the home.

We fear we have passed our coaching limits.

We have not been spiritual nurtured / discipled. 

•FOR ALL THESE REASONS AND MORE,

“DISCIPLESHIP IS LEADERSHIP”

• Biblical reclaiming or parent, church & Community responsibilities toward our children, youth and “Church AS Family” (Deut. 6:4-9, Matt, 28120, Acts 16:3, Matt. 12:46-50, etc.

As you “Go” not as they “Come”

BIG QUESTION # 1:

“WHO IS SERVING WHO?”

• THE REALITIES OF “SYSTEMIC” AND “SYSTEMATIC” ABANDONMENT.

HOW THE CHURCH “TREATS” YOUTH MINISTRY

• VBS & Other Ministries

Develop the next generation of the church. They don’t just magically become leaders at 16. 

BIG QUESTION # 2:

WHO IS DISCIPLING WHO?”

• PROFESSIONALIZED MINISTRY CANNOT BE THE ONLY APPROACH!

Hierarchies must be minimized and delegation is essential.

BIG QUESTION # 3:

THOW ARE WE DISCIPLING?”

ARE THERE APPROACHES THAT GO BEYOND SYSTEMIC ABANDONMENT THAT TRULY MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL? (CHILDREN, YOUTH AND ADULTS)

“HOW ARE WE DISCIPLING?” EXAMPLES:

• °PSYCHOSOCIAL STAGE 1 – TRUST VS. MISTRUST

‘Leadership model: Servant Leader

—

Johnathan Denton – Discipling the Disciplers

We need to pour into our disciplers. 

“Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” 2 Timothy 2:1-2

Yestermorrow

Anchor to the Past – Vision for the Future

Multiply Disciple Makers

Is it a process issue? Is a person issue? What do you need to do to reach the next generation for Christ? 

Give them a vision. Give them a playbook. And let them do the hard work day in and day out and you’ll be amazed at the fruit that God grows. 

Get in the same room and dream together. 

Breakout 3 – Rich Griffith – How Voices Counters Anxiety, Depression, and Isolation

Systemic abandonment, ephebiphobia, gerontophobia, church and society. What do all these things have in common? Generation Z is considered the “loneliest and most anxious generation” in American history. Ironically, these are common traits shared among our elder generation. Discover how Western culture got here, why “church kids” are not immune to these influences and what you and your church can do to make a difference in every generation.

Urie Bronfenbrenner The Ecology of Human Development

Youth are not formed in a vacuum, there are many things that impact people in their development. Covid had an emotional, spiritual, and psychological impact on the generation. Circumstances impact lives. 

Book: Voices – Helping our children and youth listen to wise counsel. 

Digital Immigrant and Digital Natives

The class “Youth Culture” changes content every other year. 

Digital immigrants had a limited number of voices in their life. Limited news. 

Young people today have too much information coming at them every day. TMI in the news. Parents are the primary influencer of faith development. This is true, unless they are not doing it. 

9-11 – impacted everyone alive. 

90’s culture – the first school shooting. 

We are developing a generation of super predators. 

Film series Adolescence on Netflix. Sparks conversations in culture. 

Systemic abandonment. We have to make sure we are not allowing our boys to become misogynistic. We are blaming the kids and not giving them what they need to make healthy decisions. Identity formation is the primary task of adolescence. Generational trauma because our kids today are still scared to go to school. These issues aren’t going away they are piling on top. They go to their friends and the internet to figure out life. 

Merchants of Cool – pbs – they are over marketed to and can’t figure out the difference between wants and needs. 

Generation Like – pbs – use kids to market for them. 

Kids don’t know their identity. They don’t know where they are. Part of the problem is the church doesn’t understand their identity so how can they pass that on to their young people? Equip parents to lead. Parents aren’t discipling their children because they weren’t discipled. 

What is the overall meaning of Jonah? Listen and obey. 

The deeper meeting is Jonah didn’t want to forgive his enemies. 

Even deeper: Everything in Jonah points to Jesus. Everything Jonah couldn’t do, Jesus does. 

What voices are you putting in your children’s life? Make sure your kids have mentors. 

Students in the church are asking questions and need the wisdom of the older generation. We need their energy and their new ideas. 

Parents if you worry that you blew it remember that Adam and Eve had God as their parent and they failed. Kids can still blow it, even if you did everything perfectly. 

We are too covered about losing people from the church yet we don’t operate as if we care about losing them to hell. 

The most noise comes from the shallow end of the pool. God’s voice is heard in the deep. Walk your kids through the valleys and point them to the depth they need. 

Systems have abandoned the next generation. 

Brianna Edwards – Grace and Repair in Relationship

We all experience brokenness and interruptions in relationships. We need to become aware of our rapture patterns. 

What do ruptures look like in your home? 

How do you respond when there is a repute? Do you? 

Get angry? Feel anxious? Try to fix it? Cry? Hold a grudge? Yell? Blame? Withdraw? Feel helpless? Push it “under the rug?” Seek re-connection?

What was modeled for you? We default to familiar patterns if we are not intentional to build new relational templates. This is not our kid’s job or those we lead job, it’s ours. As disciple-makers, it’s our job to lead repair in our homes and ministries. 

The Proactive Approach: internally schedule 10 minutes of playtime or connection time with our child. Child-centered play. Let them lead without our devices. Be present. 333 rule or 9 most important minutes of the day. The first 3 minutes when they wake up, the 3 minutes after getting back at home after school, and the 3 minutes before bed. Put drops in the bucket so that there is a solid foundation. 

The Reactive Approach: A template of how to repair:

Pause & regulate yourself

Initiate a conversation & LISTEN

Own your role – actions & feelings

Apologize and Forgive

Create an action plan

Playfully connect

Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” Matthew 18:21-22

Repair often and repeatedly. 

Name it to tame it & Feel it to heal it. 

Will we lean into healing or revert to old, comfortable patterns? We always have a choice. 

Be consistent and predictable over time. 

Remember how God models this. He repairs relationships. 

What action do you need to take today? 

Ron Hunter – Discipleship: More Than a Solo Sport

There are many solo sports. How do the best in the world find people to coach them and critique or evaluate their form? 

Cultivate the talent in the next generation. 

1 Discipleship embodies the process and person. 

Abide in Christ John 15:4-5

Discipleship happens in community, in a family, with a powerful mentor. Everyday, not just Sunday. Discipleship is real life meeting real faith. A long walk in the same direction. 

Be Transformed – Romans 12:2

We can not shape our own discipleship, we must let Christ do it. The goal is not to find ourselves in scripture but to let scripture be found in us. We must not let culture re-write scripture. 

Press towards the mark – Phil 3:14

Continual and not a badge you earn or box you check. An artist who takes a chisel to stone leaving behind the image he/she had in mind of the outcome.

Impress them on your children – Duet 6:7

We are not called to be believers…satan is a believer. We are called to be disciples. 

Parenting Goal: We want you to make wise spiritual decisions. 

2 Discipleship looks vertical and horizontal 

Discipling while being discipled.

Look vertical to Jesus as the primary relationship. 

Horizontal with non-believers or young believers.

If you’re ministering to others, who is discipling you? 

If the number one in the world can get coached and listen to others, we need to do the same. We need to be someone’s project. Who will I place my own discipleship in the hands of? 

Discipleship is the opportunity to learn and lead simultaneously. Invite someone to walk alongside of us. We aren’t walking with perfect people but they must be willing. 

3 Discipleship changes how we view people. 

Find people who look like Saul but can become Paul. 

When correction comes your way, what does it reveal about the posture of your heart? 

John Maxwell says, “Experience is not the best teacher, evaluated experience is.”

After Action Report. Do this 7-10 times a day to get sharp. Where is your heart when someone looks at you and gives you feedback? 

Maybe you think your ministry is too small and you think in terms of comparison…David Brainerd missionary

Johnathan Edwards preacher

William Carey – father of modern Missions

Adoniram Judson – All from David Brainerd 

—

More content coming soon! Check back for live notes throughout the whole conference!

Recently, I had the incredible privilege of visiting Israel, a land rich with biblical history, profound teachings, and a deep sense of connection to the roots of our faith. As I walked in the footsteps of Jesus, each step brought fresh insights, powerful moments of reflection, and an overwhelming sense of awe. I want to share a few highlights from the trip, along with the profound lessons I’ve carried home with me. If you’re considering making this pilgrimage, I encourage you to go. It’s truly a transformative experience.

Where We Went: A Sacred Journey

Our journey took us through some of the most iconic places in the Holy Land:

• The Jordan River: One of the most personal and unforgettable moments of the trip was visiting the Jordan River. As I stood at the riverbank, I remembered and affirmed my own baptism. It was a deeply moving experience to reflect on the significance of that moment, standing in the very place where Jesus was baptized by John, and reaffirming my own commitment to follow Christ.

• The Mount of Olives: This hill is not only breathtaking in its view of Jerusalem but also spiritually significant, as it marks the place where Jesus often prayed. Standing there, you can almost feel the weight of His moments of solitude and surrender.

• Gethsemane: The garden where Jesus prayed before His crucifixion became a space of deep personal reflection. The ancient olive trees still stand there, reminding us of Jesus’ final moments of prayer before His sacrifice.

• The Garden Tomb: A place of serene beauty and deep significance, the Garden Tomb was a reminder of the victory of the resurrection. Jesus isn’t in the tomb; He’s alive!

• The Walled Off Hotel: In contrast to the spiritual pilgrimage, we also had the chance to visit the Walled Off Hotel, an art hotel created by the street artist Banksy. Located in Bethlehem, the hotel sits near the controversial Israeli West Bank barrier, which divides the city. The hotel serves as a reminder of the complexities of life in this region. Through its art and the starkness of its surroundings, it opens up a conversation about peace, division, and hope in the midst of conflict.

Big Takeaways & Moments of Reflection

One of the most profound moments of the trip was standing in the Garden of Gethsemane, surrounded by ancient olive trees. These trees, some a thousand years old, reminded me of the immense suffering Jesus endured here. In this very garden, He faced the weight of His impending crucifixion, praying, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus’ willingness to endure such agony for our salvation struck me deeply. It reminded me of the power of surrendering to God’s plan, even in our most difficult moments.

One of the most profound takeaways from this trip was realizing that God hears our prayers, whether we’re on a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee or back home in Carrollton, GA. The same God who listened to the cries of His people thousands of years ago is still present and attentive to our needs today. His presence isn’t confined to a specific place or time; He is always near.

Safety: The Big City Near You

If you’re concerned about safety, let me put your mind at ease. Israel, like any major city, has areas that are busier or more active than others, but it’s not the “dangerous” place some might think. In fact, I found it quite comparable to visiting any major city — think New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles. Just like any place, you need to stay aware, but overall, the safety measures are strong, and the people are welcoming and kind. Our group felt secure and cared for throughout the entire journey.

The tours were well-organized, and we always had knowledgeable, trusted guides who provided excellent insights into the historical and spiritual significance of each site. The locals take great pride in sharing their heritage and the story of their land, and they’re eager to show visitors the beauty of Israel.

Encouragement to Make the Trip

If you’ve ever dreamed of visiting Israel, I wholeheartedly encourage you to make the trip. The experience of being in the places where Jesus lived, taught, and sacrificed is beyond words. It deepens your understanding of the Bible in ways that a textbook or sermon cannot. Walking where Jesus walked brings the Scriptures alive in a new and profound way.

Whether you’re a lifelong believer or just beginning to explore your faith, Israel offers an opportunity to connect with God in a personal and tangible way. There’s something about being in that land that shifts your perspective — it’s not just history, it’s a living, breathing testament to God’s faithfulness throughout the ages.

If you’ve been on the fence about it, I encourage you to take that step and attend a trip. It might just change your life.

Remember, “Call to Me and I will answer you, and show you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3, ESV). Israel is a place where God reveals His wonders in ways you’ll carry with you for a lifetime.

Ministry is a Marathon, Not a Sprint—And Marathons Are Anything But Easy.

Ministry is often compared to a marathon, and for good reason. It’s a long, demanding journey that requires endurance, preparation, and perseverance. Just like a marathon, serving in ministry is not for the faint of heart—it’s physically, emotionally, and spiritually taxing. But understanding what it takes to run the race well can help us navigate the challenges that come with long-term ministry.

It’s Still a Race, and It Still Requires a Lot

While a marathon is not a sprint, it’s still a race. There’s a purpose, a direction, and a finish line. Ministry is the same way—it requires discipline, training, and unwavering commitment. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 that we should run in such a way as to get the prize, training our bodies and minds for the endurance needed to finish well.

Your Body (and Soul) Will Do Weird Things

When you run a marathon, your body reacts in ways you never expected—cramps, fatigue, unexpected surges of energy, and even moments of exhaustion where you feel like you can’t take another step. Ministry is no different. Some seasons bring unexpected challenges—spiritual dryness, discouragement, or even burnout. But if you anticipate these challenges, you can prepare for them. Just as a runner knows that hitting “the wall” is part of the process, those in ministry should recognize that struggles and hard seasons don’t mean failure—they mean you’re in the race.

It’s Not Normal—You’re in the 0.01%

Only a small fraction of people ever run a marathon. It’s not a casual hobby—it’s a serious commitment. The same is true for ministry. The calling to full-time ministry is not common, and those who say “yes” to this calling are stepping into something that demands a level of sacrifice and endurance that few understand. This is why self-care, accountability, and intentional rhythms of rest are crucial.

You’re Competing Against Yourself

In a marathon, your biggest competition isn’t the other runners—it’s your own mind and body. The temptation to quit is present around every bend, and the decision to keep going is deeply personal. Ministry is the same way. The obstacles we face—discouragement, comparison, self-doubt—are often internal battles. When we push past these moments and trust God’s strength instead of our own, we grow. Every time we persevere, we accomplish the next hard thing and build endurance for what’s ahead.

Hydration is Vital

Ask any marathon runner what’s most important, and they’ll tell you: hydration. Without enough water, your body will shut down. Spiritually, the same is true in ministry. Staying connected to the Living Water—Jesus—is not optional. If we neglect our time with God, we will find ourselves spiritually dehydrated, running on empty. Regular time in Scripture, prayer, and worship is our spiritual hydration.

Listen to Your Body

While endurance is key, runners also learn to listen to their bodies. Ignoring pain can lead to injury, and pushing too hard without rest can result in burnout. The same applies to ministry. If we ignore the warning signs of exhaustion, we risk long-term damage—not just to ourselves, but to those we lead. Rest is not a weakness; it’s wisdom. Sabbath, boundaries, and seasons of renewal are necessary to sustain a lifetime of faithful service.

Finishing Well

Ministry, like a marathon, is not about how fast you start—it’s about how well you finish. The goal is faithfulness, not speed. Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to throw off everything that hinders and run with perseverance, fixing our eyes on Jesus.

Whether you’re in a season of joy or struggle, keep running. Keep pushing forward. The race is hard, but it’s worth it. And at the finish line, we will hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Craig Groeschel 

“Everyone wins when the leader gets better.”

What if I told you most voices in society, most training in schools, most workplace expectations are neutralizing your potential impact, diminishing your passion and crushing your internal drive for greatness.

Conformity is the quickest path to mediocrity. 

Society is conditioning you for conformity. Conformity is the quickest path to mediocrity.

Average never changed the world.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Every single one of you has unique gifts and talents. You are God’s masterpiece; He has not created you for average.

I give you permission to obsess. Not only do I give you permission, but I encourage you to press hard into your passion and obsess about what you were created to do.

If you don’t obsess about something, you’ll never be great at anything.

Don’t be afraid to be weird because last I checked normal isn’t working. Normal is broke, missable, grumpy, a bad attitude, quiet quitting, prolific excuses. 

Greatness is born in the extremes.

How Do You Strategically Obsess?

– Focus

– Care

– Commit

Strategically obsessed people focus relentlessly. Busy is normal. Busy creates the illusion of important. Busy leaders don’t change the world. Focused leaders do.

For most of you here today, the greatest barrier to productive leadership isn’t lack of commitment but over commitment.

Say yes to the best things so you can say no to other things. 

The most successful leaders don’t grow with their “yes’s.” They grow with their “no’s. The most spiritual thing you can do is say NO.

Empower more people. You do less. Presence not absence. 

Nehemiah not stopping the work wasn’t arrogance, it was focus. 

Application Question: What do you need to put on your to-don’t list? Personally? Organizationally? 

What’s the most important thing in leadership? People! People develop the vision. People create the strategy. 

People don’t just want corporate benefits, they want relationship. 

Obsess about caring for the people who are caring about your mission. 

Appreciate more than you think you should…then double it. 

Rule: If you think something good, say it. Don’t withhold the blessing. 

Many are involved, few are committed. On a scale of 1 to 10, how committed are you? If you’re not a 10, what are you going to do about it? 7’s don’t change the world. 

What’s the best next step. Don’t look for the best plan, but the depth of the passion. 

Don’t tell me what you don’t have. Apathy makes excuses. Obsession finds a way.

Commit Completely. 

WHALE of obsession: Whole Hearted, All-Encompassing Life Endeavor. 

Greatness isn’t found in the middle, it’s born in the extremes. 

Where has God given you a little extra?

1. What do you love irrationally?

2. What breaks your heart?

3. What drives you crazy or makes you righteously angry?

—

“Armed with enough humility, leaders can learn from anyone.” – David Ashcraft

—

Kindra Hall @kindramhall 

Excellent application of information to real life is story telling. 

Fill the gap, not with more information, but with stories. 

Stories are our human edge. We were born to tell stories. It is through our stories that we’re able to connect with people.

If you’re ever sensing a gap between people, that means a story needs to be told. It brings the information to life and makes the message matter.

Humans are more themselves when we are telling our stories. Change the energy in the room by telling stories. 

Example: Tell me about perseverance verse tell me about your worst bike wreck.

Stories are the human edge. 

Stories are ultimately the thing that sticks. 

“If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten” – Rudyard Kipling 

Finding the Story – Craftings the Story – Telling the Story

Make a list of your values: stories of them in action or being tested. 

Stories attach themselves to the nouns. 

Make a list of important people – stories of what they taught you. 

Never underestimate the power of YOUR story. 

Crafting the Story: Normal / Explosion / New Normal

Four Components for Crafting the Story: 

INCLUDE Identifiable Characters

INCLUDE Emotions: THE STRUGGLE, THE HOPE

INCLUDE A Specific Moment: SET THE SCENE – PEOPLE & PLACE

INCLUDE Specific Details

When the story doesn’t go as planned…the most important thing to remember…this is the middle of the story.

—

Dan Owolabi

Don’t quit on yourself, even when everyone is quitting on you. Keep going in God’s grace.

The truth is, we all want to leave a legacy. The question we should ask is not ‘What is my legacy?’ but ‘Who is my legacy?’

Find acorns in people and tell them they are oak trees.

Don’t quit on yourself even when you feel like others are quitting on you. 

May you run when you feel like walking. May you push when you feel like pausing. May you run forward into God’s grace doing good work even if no one ever knows your name.

There might be generations that never know your name. They might never know how hard you work. But by God’s grace, they will feel your impact. 

—

Mike Krzyzewski 

Leadership transcends every facet of our society. 

The 4 A’s of Leadership: Agility, Adaptability, Accountability, Attitude

Agility is the ability to make a read as a leader. When you see the play isn’t going to work so you call an audible. 

Adaptability is not just new technology, it’s being adaptable in communication. 

It’s on you as the leader to get your message across. Attention span has changed and today you have to show pictures. Use different voices. In leadership, humor is huge. Keep changing in how you communicate. 

Accountability is not alive and well today, it’s becoming an endangered species.  

You need to share standards and values for your team. Standards are not rules. You never own a rule, you either obey it or disobey it. You own standards and hold yourself and others accountable to it. 

Not just hear and see what we are doing but you personally need to feel what we are doing. 

Do you work for a company or are you the company? 

15 standards. Look each other in the eye. Tell the truth. Show up on time. No excuses. 

Don’t work for me. Work with me. 

Integrity: You know what’s right, do what’s right. 

Respect: Everyone’s important. You don’t call, “hey you.” You don’t ignore, you say thank you.

Courage: The courage to say and do what needs to be said and done at the moment it needs said and done. 

Duty: Do your work. Do your job. People should be able to depend on you. 

Trust: Cornerstone to everything. 

—

Jo Saxton

What happens when you lose your leadership voice? 

When you lose your voice it’s not gone, it’s damaged. 

The English word voice comes from the same Latin word for vocation. Your work and your purpose. 

3 ways a leaders purpose/voice get’s damaged. 

1. Stress and fatigue. Leading in complex times distorts your purpose and affects your impact. 

If you want to dream, at some point you’ve got to rest. 

2. Trauma. Workplace Trauma. Betrayal. Has betrayal damaged your purpose? Did anyone steal your voice? Our brains often process betrayal as trauma, and we expect trauma to be repeated.

3. Something internal. A quiet struggle. Anxiety. 

How can I be a good leader when I have no answer? What do I do when I don’t know what to do? Be an honest leader, not a comfortable one. 

How has anxiety limited your purpose and impact? 

Treatment Plan: Diagnoses the damage. Give your purpose a rebuilding process. Examine your environment. Build supportive habits that heal, not hurt. Get your treatment plan from the summit guide. 

Your leadership matters, but it starts with your purpose. 

Boss betrayal can hinder our ability to trust others, remain optimistic and resilient during difficult times, and accurately judge complex situations. Our brains often process betrayal as trauma, and we expect that trauma to be repeated.

-Roncarruci, “what to do when your boss betrays you”, Hbr magazine

Betrayal shakes our identity, it causes us to wonder ‘who am I, it erodes our confidence, and causes us to question what we have to con- tribute. We become distracted and lose our ability to focus on getting the job done.

-Dennis and Michelle Reina, Trust and betrayal in the workplace: Building effective relationships in Your organization

—

Molly Fletcher

Dynamic Drive: Not about achievement but about fulfillment. Achievement doesn’t bring fulfillment, purpose does. 

Purpose: When we know why we do what we do, it changes what we do. 

What am I changing and why? 

Who am I becoming as a result of the pursuit? 

What impact am I making? 

A pillar of dynamic drive is curiosity. Curiosity is key to unlocking and tapping into dynamic drive. Curiosity creates choices and chances. 

Be curious, discover the gaps, anticipate. Get in the heads and hearts of those you lead so you know what matters most to them. 

Curious it’s fends off complacency. The opposite of dynamic drive is complacency. Have you ever completed the goal and then began to coast? This is the problem with achievement as an outcome. When people aren’t motivated at work they slip into complacency. 

When winning for the sake of winning is the sole focus, it isn’t fun any more. What am I going to do differently tomorrow? The pursuit of better is dynamic drive. Not more but better. 

Energy alignment with what really matters most. 

Does this one relationship deserve all the energy? What’s a risk in making a change or not making a change? Are you compromising your energy in what matters most? 

What of the most important question leaders ask is, “Where will I focus my energy?” Good leaders manage their time, great leaders manage their energy. They chase the right stuff that aligns with what matters most. 

Drive doesn’t deplete energy. When we are burnt out its misalignment with our values. Do an alignment audit. 

Identify the 10 most important things, people, relationships, beliefs in your life. On a sale of 1-10 rate them on how important each is to you. On a sale of 1-10 rate them on How much time and energy you are investing in each of these things. Identify the gap. If the gap greater than 2 then there is misalignment. If someone only saw your actions how would they identify your priorities? 

Boldness. Step out of your comfort zone. Are there parts of your life where you’re playing it a little safe? 

Dynamic drive is not about what you achieve but who you become. 

Imagine it’s not an accident where you focus and spend your energy. Ignite the joyful pursuit of a better life for you and for those you lead, love, and serve. 

—

Erwin Raphael McManus

The best ways to communicate with your team. 

Connection can not happen without communication. 

“I stopped listening to words years ago, I listen to frequencies.” 

The Motivator – Walk onto the stage happy. Full of energy and confidence. Sunshine wrapped in skin. Purpose to bring energy to the room and deepen your self belief. Ie: Jon Gordon. Belief that every human can make a difference in the world. 

The Challenger – Call people out and call them up. Suck it up and do the hard work. Ie: Coby Bryant. Inspired to be more but wonder if you’re ever enough. Who cares about that, it’s yesterday’s victory and today requires new blood. 

The Commander – When they step into the room, you know they’re in charge. Before they say a word you think, “Yes sir.” Inherent respect and trust. IE: Craig Groeschel. They know what we should do with our life and time. 

The Healer – People gather to hear because we are all so broken. When you try to hide your wounds but feel so uncomfortable and vulnerable because of the healer. 

The Professor – Brings knowledge and assures competency. People need to learn what you know and you’re there to teach them. Data matters most. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. They believe teaching theology and doctrine will change their lives. 

The Seer – Brings vision and generates innovation and hope. They paint a picture of the future. It doesn’t matter if the vision comes out of you as long as it comes into you. They see a future that must be created. When you’re around the seer you feel compelled to stop looking backwards and start looking forward. 

The Maven – Brings clarity and creates paradigm shifts. A different view of reality. Wake up believing they are in the matrix. They spend their energy trying to be the same as everyone else. They try to fit back into the box. 

When you speak, you create inside the universe of another human being. Tongue ignited by light or darkness. When you speak hope you create a new universe inside of someone. When you speak love it changes things. 

All creation declares the glory of God. Can you hear it? The 30 trillion cells in your body are declaring the glory of God. A voice in your head that goes against what you’re feeling. A voice saying, “you’ve got this” when you don’t feel it. A voice saying, “there is a God” when you don’t believe. That is the voice of God. 

—

Day 2

—

Amy C. Edmondson, PhD

Failure is a part of life. It’s a part of progress in any field and in life. 

Fail often to succeed sooner. To be innovative you must be willing to tolerate failure. 

When failure is off limits it produces silence. Failure still happens, you just won’t hear about it. 

Failures to avoid and failures to welcome. 

1 – Basic Failures – Usually human error, caused by a single event. 2020 Citibank employee accidentally transferred $9000 million to a group of lenders. Basic doesn’t mean small. 

2 – Complex Failures – Many causes coming together. One factor on its own wouldn’t create a failure but because combined. Notre-Dame fire many little things where workers smoked, 1000 year old roof, small deviations from best practices. 

3 – Intelligent Failures –  Undesired result in a new territory. The right kind of wrong. Edison, 10,000 ways to not make a lightbulb. Failures along the way to success. 

Four and a half attributes of Intelligent Failure

1. It takes place in new territory. 

2. With a credible opportunity to advance toward a desired goal. 

3. Informed by available knowledge; (hypothesis-driven)

4. The failure is no larger than needed to gain the new knowledge. 

Bonus: The failure’s lessons are identified, shared, & used

Example: Bridgewater Associates

Investing to reap huge rewards. 

Predict long-term threads. 

Bet everything on this trend. 

New – yes

Opportunity – yes

Good reason – yes

Small – NO

Ask: How do I know I’m right?

Telco Innovation: 

Excellent provider of local and long-distance telephony 

New Tech developed by R&D

Small, well-staffed, successful suburban pilot 

Decision to approve full-scale launch. 

Is the pilot being tested under typical circumstances? 

Were explicit changes made as a result of the pilot? 

Take the intelligence of intellect failure to heart. 

In new territory, the only way to make progress is through trial and failure. (Not trial and error.) 

Intelligent failures are not preventable but they are avoidable. We just don’t have the playbook yet. 

Pottery Class: “Right, into the bin it goes.”

Beauty in imperfection. Take risks and be willing to live with the consequences. 

What does excellence mean in an uncertain world? Excellence looks like vigilance to protect basic failures. Antipathetic and mitigate failures. Speak up. Welcome the intelligent failures. Error awareness. Vigilant to catch errors while having a willingness to to take smart risks. 

Captain Ben Berman, briefing the cockpit crew: “I’ve never flown a perfect flight – and it won’t happen today either. I need to hear from you.”

Playing not to lose vs playing to win. 

To ensure intelligent failures in your organization. 

Set the stage: Convey an inspiring purpose. Emphasis the need for experiments to achieve it. 

Create the Space to Explore: Create space to experiment. Distinguish between preventable and intelligent failure. 

Respond and Reinforce: Share news about all failures as widely as possible. Reward speaking up about mistakes, problems, and failures. 

Psychological safety where speaking up is okay. Psychological safety is not about being nice, being comfortable, job security, or lowering standards. Candor is welcome. 

What percent of what you hears is…

This?

Agreement, progress, all’s well, good news.

You may have had a good week, but you might not have the whole story. 

Compared to this? 

Dissent, problems, i need help, bad news. 

Thriving as a fallible human beings. FHB’s. 

Encourage yourself and others to take smart risks, take a chance rather than risk regret for not even trying. 

Be mindful, supportive, and vigilent to uphold high standards. 

Resist perfectionism: Set realistic goals that require stretching. Don’t expect immediate successes. 

Practice persistence, reflection, and taking accountability for your part in what goes wrong. Apologize. 

When you failed, learn and pivot. 

I am not afraid of storms, for I’m learning to sail my ship. 

Shift from expecting perfection, to expecting progress. 

—

Michael Jr

What if your conflicts were the key to your peace? 

4 words to add to your story: I was at Walmart. 

What do you do when you have the subconscious memory rolling around in your head that you aren’t worthy?

Information is not enough. 

Internal Curiosity: Why do I have this desire to make people laugh? 

Start with the punchline and then write the set up to get to the punchline. Adjust the punchline. Adjust the set up. Doing the math to figure it all out. 

Without the conflict there is no revelation. It’s just a fact. The conflict is the key. But what do you do with conflicts? 

Marriage is all about compromise. No one wants a compromised anything but they still settle with a compromised marriage. 

You have to be internally curious or you’ll become furious. It’s better to be curious than furious. 

Gary Chapman Love Languages Book: Internal curiosity, why is my tank leaking? 

“Life will bring you people and circumstances to reveal where you’re not free yet.” 

Example: Struggle with the fact that the logo is crooked. Why does this bother you? Be curious. 

What if your present conflicts, that many have come from your past, is actually preparation for the future. 

True peace not from your circumstances but how your circumstances shape you. 

—

Arthur C Brooks

Define happiness. Happiness is not a feeling. This is out of your control and there’s something you can do about it. You can do the work. The smell of your turkey is not your thanksgiving dinner, it’s evidence of your thanksgiving dinner. 

Macro Nutrients: Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat. 

Happiness Nutrients: Enjoyment, Satisfaction, and Meaning. 

Where am I deficient in my happiness diet? How to get a more balanced profile?

Enjoyment: 

Pleasure is an animal phenomenon. Signal good for survival or passing on genes. When the goal is maximizing pleasure it doesn’t end well. It becomes addition. Pleasure plus people and memory. Prefrontal cortex makes it permanent and part of your happiness. If there’s something in your life that brings pleasure and you’re doing it alone, you’re probably doing it wrong. 

Satisfaction: 

The joy you get after you struggle for something. Only humans want to struggle for their achievements. If animals could eat laying down, they would. People are achievers and strivers. What got you where you are? In this question you answer by talking about the hard times you have overcome to get there. Satisfaction is not permanent in life…you can’t keep no satisfaction. Homeostasis, returning to the baseline. If you move to California you will have mode enhancement for 6 months but the taxes are forever. 

One way to keep satisfaction permanently. Start thinking that satisfaction is what you have divided by wants. You can work on the numerator or the denominator. When you want less your satisfaction will grow. Not have what you want but to want what you have. 

Meaning: I can go a long time without enjoyment and satisfaction, I’m self disciplined. But you can’t go 10 minutes without meaning. 

Coherence, why things happen they way they do. 

Purpose, direction and vision.

Significance, why you’re alive. 

2 question quiz for meaning crisis: 

Why were you born? 

For what would you happily give your life for at this moment?

When you have an answer to these 2 questions, life has meaning.

You need habits. Habits of the happiest people. 

The big 4 work on: Faith, family, friends, and work. 

Faith: Transcend themselves and focus on the divine. 

You need to get small and the universe huge. 

Family 1 in 6 America’s is not talking to a family member today because of politics. If that’s you, you’re being used. We need our family around us. 

Friends: Not deal friends but real friends. Leaders are the loneliest people. The people who make me happy are the useless ones who just love you. They are useless to them and them me. Do you have enough useless people in your life?

Work: Don’t over index on your career. Don’t put your whole pension in Greek bonds. As you think about your work 2 things bring joy. Earn success through merit or serving others. 

Part 2: We are in a world of hurt, why and what can you do?

American Happiness General Social Survey. In 2018ish, the chart flipped. Faith, Family, Friends, and Work are all going the wrong direction in our society. 

Storms in happiness. 2008-2012, not the financial crisis but when smartphones took over and relationships suffered. Screens. 

Coronavirus epedimic causes loneliness. 

Hate: How is our life different today verses 25 years ago. Politics are everywhere. Ideology is in the coffee shop. This is by design. All we talk about is the areas of differences and the conflict. Our neighbors who we should love become hated because of who they vote for. Anger is not our problem. It’s contempt. We need to declare war on contempt. We need to love our enemies. 

Contempt is the conviction of the worthlessness of another person. Do you role your eyes and have sarcasm? Declare war on contempt! Toleration is not the standard. In a polarized society we need to love our enemies. This is your edge and how you change the world. Matthew 5:43-44. Happieness isn’t a feeling and neither is love. Thomas Aquinas says, “to love is to will the good of the other.” It’s a decision and an action. Lift up your enemies. 

How do you do this? How to love more? 

It’s not to disagree less. The problem is we disagree poorly. 

Stand up to the man. “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” This is a lie. When you hate someone else is profiting and it’s not you. Turn it off. 

Be a missionary. Bring truth to lies. You go bring love into the world full of hate. Go looking for opportunities. Bring your super weapon. 

Don’t go alone. You have friends who care about you. Ask the Lord for courage to do this. Give me love no matter what I find. Help me lift others up. Give me the words to show love when I feel contempt. God promises us the courage and strength to love our enemies. 

This is the essence of divine leadership. Lift people up and bring them together in the bonds of love. “Don’t forget, you are now entering the mission field.” 

—

Joni Eareckson Tada

Reaching 16% of the global population. 1.3 Billion!

God leverages weakness and minimizes power to get His work done. This is not the way of the kingdoms of this world but it is this way in God’s Kingdom. 

 “The leaders that God chooses are more broken than strong… more damaged than whole… more troubled than secure.” Dan Allender

Abram/Sarah, Gideon, David, Peter and John, Ordinary men with no special training. When Gideon wins the battle and when 90 year old Sarah had a baby the world would know that God did it not man. God get’s the glory not man. 

Boast all the more gladly about weakness because it brings glory to God. When weak, then I’m strong. 

Make the decision to exchange my weakness for God’s power. 

Our calling as Christian leaders is always shaped by our weakness. Suffering is God’s textbook that keeps teaching me who I really am. Suffering has brought me to the end of myself and it is then I see Jesus and really need Jesus. Jesus says every single morning, “Give me that weakness of yours, my grace is sufficient for you.”

Jesus must become greater and greater and we must become less and less. 

The most effective leaders do not rise to power in spite of their weakness they lead with power because of their weakness.

The more leaders are willing to embrace transparent stories of grace in their life, the more He elects others to share in the redemption. 

Luke 14:23 says, “So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full.’“

Acts 20:24 says, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

—

Will Guidara

Acknowledge the people you work with. 

When setting out for an audacious goal, look at those who have gone before you. 

Relentless in the pursuit of people. To feel cared for. To feel welcomed. Unreasonable Hospitality. 

Create a daily pre-meal. The most powerful lever to push the culture of a team. 

Repetition matters. We are going to be number one in the world, it’s going to take time to get there, and we are doing it through unreasonable hospitality. 

Raindrops make oceans. 

Do the most menial tasks, clean the dishes. 

Hot Dog Story

Go to the tapes when you succeed. Grab ahold of accidental brilliance and put systems around them. Put intention into intuition. 

Be present. Care so much about the person you are with so much you stop caring about the things you need to do. Slow down in order to speed up.

Stop taking yourself so seriously. Self imposed standards ruin joy. 

Find one size fits one gestures to convey. Hospitality – Making other people feel seen. (Redefine the word every couple years). One size fits one. Give resources to bring the idea to life. Dream Weaver (by Gary Wright). 

Meet people where they are instead of asking them to come all the way over to us. 

Really big things can cost nothing at all. Figuring out what the wedding song would have been. Giving the gift of a first dance to newlyweds. 

People stoped leaving and talking about their food and now started leaving talking about the magical experience they had. 

“Sometimes magic is just someone spending more time on something than anyone else might reasonably expect.” – Raymond Joseph Teller

Maya Angelou — ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’

Can I scale it a little bit? Can it be systemized? Can we create magic all the time? 

People getting engaged often. Reasonable hospitality is pouring champagne. 

Tiffany and Co. Champagne glasses gifted thanking them for celebrating with us. 

Despite being the best restaurant on the planet, people don’t remember the food, they remember how they feel.

The simplest gestures can be the most profound. Getting a keycard when late to the hotel. Systemized hospitality. If you check in after 2am, we hand the key and get you to check in the next morning. Oscar wasn’t great but we gave him a system to follow. Now he is doing the most hospitable things because you decided it matters. 

Excellence is a prerequisite to most of what was talked about today. Excellence matters but keep in mind how you make people feel. There is a win/win/win. Great for the customers because they aren’t used to this and it feels really good when they do. Every dollar spent was must more powerful than any other dollar spent on marketing. And it was good for the team because of the autonomy with the whole. People give more of themselves when they had a genuine hand in being a part of the whole. People receive a gift and you had your hand involved in making it happen. 

Permanent collection. Things you tell the team over and over again. There is nobility in service. Your work is genuinely impacting other peoples lives. You can give grace. You can make the world a nicer place just by being really freaking nice. A beautiful opportunity and responsibility to make the world better. 

Care as much about people as you do the product. Intentionally pursuing a relationship. It’s the right thing to do and it will make you and everyone around you feel really good. 

—

Carey Lohrenz 

Remember success under pressure comes from mastering what you can control and letting go of what you can’t. 

Courage – the ability to feel the fear and move forward anyway

Tenacity – keep going

Integrity – resolve to do the right thing even when it’s difficult 

How do I lead my team in uncertainty? Understanding your span of control. 

Your ability to work through fear and act despite it is your greatest asset as a leader. 

Turn setbacks into your biggest comebacks. 

High preforming teams with high turnover in the world’s most dangerous industrial worksite. Average age is 19-19.5. 

We succeed because we know our purpose. We pursue this purpose together relentlessly as a team. We know what success looks like and we understand our individual roles. Empower your team. You are the catalyst. Accelerates reactions and reminds people to get to where you want to go faster. 

Collaboration and process are the key to success. Think critically, stay focused and make decisions. In times of crisis, people need insight. They need partners and leaders they can trust. Make high quality decisions faster than the environment is changing. 

Be the Catalyst: Purpose, Focus, Discipline. 

Understand your purpose, your anchor. 

Where do you want to go and what does success look like? If you lose sight, you lose the fight! Your purpose is your filter. What do you and your team need to accomplish? Focus is your superpower. Diluted focus is diluted superpower. 

Focus on what matters. Focus on your span of control. 

Integrity with decision making under pressure. 

Can you lead in a changing landscape? Can you lead under pressure? 

Integrity is walking in alignment with your values even when it’s difficult and puts you at a disadvantage. When your team trusts you to make decisions that’s best for the mission they will follow you. You will be overwhelmed and you have to start without a roadmap. You need to take action. Bold fearless action drives success. Don’t wait for the perfect title or time. Step up before you’re ready. 

Action conquers fear. The fear of failure is universal. The fear of failure is the single greatest obstacle to success. Failure is not the enemy, inaction is. Don’t be afraid to fail, be afraid of not trying. Will you let mistakes define you or fuel your future? 

Be Tenacious – Find a third way when it’s either/or. Push the system. Resilience is not about not getting knocked down, it’s about how quickly you can get back up. Resilience is a skill we can all develop. Courage is the 20 second sprint, tenacity, the 5 hour marathon. Do not wait for an invitation to make a difference. 

Span of Control: 

1. Focus on what matters most. 

2. Formulate a flight plan for success. 

3. Communicate what’s possible. 

Prepare, Perform, Prevail. 

Clean objectives and rules. 

Expectations and accountability 

50% have a plan. 50% do not have a plan. 

100% of all c-level executives said all of their employees had a plan. 

—

Megan Fate Marshman 

Do you know where you are? Do you know where you’re headed? 

Take a moment to take a breath. 

Fredrick Olmsted – Laying out Central Park but not seeing the results for years into the future. 

Proverbs 4:23, Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it. 

Take a moment. Discover your heart in prayer. After you’ve prayed and then your mind begins to wonder. A wondering mind is a gift. Jesus said where your treasure is there your heart will be. Don’t pause the prayer, go with it. What it might be uncovering is the heart. 

Never pause the prayer because it’s uncovering the heart. 

Go to God in prayer and ask, “What’s in there?” 

—

Marcus Buckingham

Life is incredibly short. We never have a chance to express everything on our hearts. 

30 years ago, trust was normal. Do you trust your hospital? Do you trust media? Do you trust the police? In 2024, none of these are strongly trusted by people more than 15%. 

Experiences drive behavior which drives outcomes. 

We assume life is linear but the world doesn’t work like this. The world is curvilinear. 

Mindset vs. Mindmove. We have to study the extreme positives not the averages. 

There is no data that says people love everything they do. Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life is not true. 

There is 5 and not 5. There is love and there is not love. There is boiling and not boiling. 

Love is a predictive force. It’s the most powerful force in business yet we don’t have a strategy for it. 

What do people mean when they say love? The deep and unwavering commitment to the flourishing of a human. 

Mindset: A person is a means to an end. 

Mindmove: A person’s flourishing is the point. 

How do you design this in? 

Mindset: Balance is health. (Balance is stasis.)

Mindmove: Motion is health. 

2 most important rules: Mover and Maker. 

Leaders are experience makers. 

The Model: 

Power: How do I work this world? 

Harmony: Am I drawn in? 

Significance: Do you see me? 

Warmth of Others: Who’s with me?

Growth: Am I bigger? 

DLI Specs – Design Love In

Unloving: Being seen as a means to an end. 

Loving: Being seen as a human. 

Handoff’s are unloving. Mitigate this. 

Shape Shifting is unloving. 

Large spans-of-control is unloving. Nurses in the USA ratio is 1:40

Outsourcing. 

15 minute check in each week. What did you like about last week and what are you working on this week? Humans need attention. 

When you have to do something unloving you mitigate it with strategy. 

We want genuine emotion but we focus on Artificial Intelligence. 

Mindset: You get more of what you expect. 

Mindmove: You get more of what you accept. 

“Love is born of memory, lives from intelligence and dies from forgetfulness.” – Pablo Neruda

Love dies from neglect. 

—

Make plans to join us next year by getting your tickets now!

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“’Here for it’ means being present, consistent, and rooted to the moment..” – Jon Acuff

“‘It’ is messy. It is unpredictable. It is chaotic. We often think, I don’t want it, I want a guarantee.” – Jon Acuff

“Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life. Imitate their faith.” – Paula Danielle 

“Everything that can be shaken, will be shaken, until what can’t be shaken is revealed.” – Danielle Strickland 

“Don’t miss the opportunity of what God wants to invite us into. We see darkness as an initiation instead of an invitation.” – Danielle Strickland 

“Exposing sin isn’t darkness winning it’s evidence of God moving.” – Danielle Strickland

“No successful institution with young people has them sit and listen.” – Kara Powell

“Faith beyond youth group is sparked as we move from sitting to sending.” – Kara Powell

“We can obsessed over what we don’t know or be anchored by who we do know.” – Dr. Dharius Daniels 

“Remember that God is a good steward and that good stewards waists nothing.” – Dr. Dharius Daniels  

“There are situations causing aggregation in your life where God is using it for activation and preparation.” – Dr. Dharius Daniels 

“Remember God’s timing is an expression of God’s kindness.” – Dr. Dharius Daniels  

“What if we stopped obsessing over what we don’t agree on and instead focus on Who we agree on?” – Matt Manno

“Shoulders catch tears better than your soliloquy.” – John Onwuchekwa

“A place where tears flow freely but floors stay dry because everyone has a shoulder to cry on. People literally feel the support of Lord Jesus.” – John Onwuchekwa

“Anxiety buried is still alive. It shows up as the need to control…You can’t control the world around you but you can control your thoughts and behaviors.” – Dr. Chinwé Williams

“To reach and retain this generation it requires us to have lives of unity.” – Rich Villodas

“Unity established through humility is Gospel credibility.” – Rich Villodas

“Peace isn’t found in the absence of pain, it’s found in the presence of Jesus.” – Shane Sanchez

“A faith that’s absent of pain is parody not authenticity.” – Shane Sanchez

“Where there is a cry, where there is suffering, God is here.” – Danielle Strickland

“Are we here for whatever it will take for the church of today to become the church of tomorrow?” – Dan Scott

“If you want to change something, often the first thing to change is yourself.” – Eugene Kim

“Innovation is identifying and understanding a problem and then creating a solution to this problem, for the sake of love.” – Eugene Kim

“The church needs people who will courageously venture into the unknown and attempt new things.” – Eugene Kim

“Innovation is a practice in resilience. Do whatever it takes for the faith of the next generation. Innovation is the evidence of hope.” – Leslie Mack

“Decentralized faith may be a healthier faith because it gives faith a chance to be applied.” – Leslie Mack

“Doing something is in our DNA. It matters more when the knowing is connected to the doing.” – Ashley Bohinc

“What if we thought differently about what we do when we get home. Take the burning in your heart and channel it into what’s going on at home.” – Geoff Banks

“Going never goes according to plan.” – Joseph Sojourner

“3 Obstacles In Progress: Failure, Frustration, Fatigue.” – Joseph Sojourner

A Message From The Board

Joel Manby and Virginia Ward 

Welcome to the Orange Conference. Founder and CEO no longer on staff at Orange. Everyone in this organization deplores any action that lacks integrity or breaks your trust and will continue to walk with anyone who has been hurt by this. 

The mission has not changed and the commitment to those values has not changed. 

Thank you for the outpouring of love.

Orange has always been about more than one person. Orange is a strategy. Orange is a belief that the next generation is worth everything. 

Our leadership has changed but our mission has not changed. 

Our hope is this week you are inspired, reenergized, and connected. 

Session 1 Notes

Jon Acuff

“Dad, you’re fun size.”

“Here for it!” What does it mean? 

“Here” means present. Consistent. Rooted to the moment. Kids are asking, “Will you still be here…when I push you away…when I’m awkward.”

My youth leader wouldn’t be pushed away. 

You might never have your kid be 48 and on stage saying it. 

“For” means advocacy. Linked arms. Pulling for you. It doesn’t say here to fix it. People aren’t projects, they want you to be here for it. No one is here for the money. You’re not here for the fame. You’re not here for the convenience of the job. 

“It” is messy. It is unpredictable. It is chaotic. We often think, I don’t want it, I want a guarantee. Every teenager gets to watch a highlight of everyone’s life. All of it about of my control. I was a high-functioning atheist. You couldn’t tell who had connection to the creator when you looked at my list of worries and what I was trying to control. If you want to have difficulty in ministry think you have control. God’s got it. The last thing Christ said on the cross was, “It is finished.” Not it’s your turn. Not it’s up to you. It is finished. 

You don’t have to worry. All you have to do is be Here For It. 

—

A star named Arrendale. It knew it existed but we didn’t notice it yet. God created it to shine. Kids were created to shine. When you notice, it unlocks a world of possibilities. 

—

Paula Danielle

Have you ever thought of all the things that need to fall into place to get from there to here? 

Here physically but are you really here emotionally? 

Hebrews 13:7, “Remember your leaders…”

In a world where everyone thinks they are a leader based on their social media count, remember your leaders.  

Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life. 

Imitate their faith. It’s impossible to imitate something you’ve never seen. Imitate, remember, imitate, remember. Remember when they saw Jesus in you and imitate this. 

—

Danielle Strickland 

In Hebrews 12 the author is telling the new Christian’s what they are here for. 

Everything that can be shaken, will be shaken, until what can’t be shaken is revealed. 

We are all here for that. No just at Orange, although Orange is being shaken, but the whole church. 

There is a whole lot of shaking going on. It’s important to tell the truth of where we are. We have to know where we are to find where to go and how to get there. We are living in a time where everything we thought we knew is not what we thought it was. Structures and people are being exposed. We are out of control. A proud sense of not being able to change anything. A constant question in faith and a question in where is God? 

The Perichoresis- The Divine Dance

That God is present and working in community creating beautiful things. Genesis 1, explains to us the revelation of God at work. God’s Spirit is here for it, alive and working. And the Spirit speaks, let there be light. John 1:4. 

“The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The destroyed world is the very place where God is working. Exposing sin isn’t darkness winning it’s evidence of God moving. 

Don’t miss the opportunity of what God wants to invite us into. We see darkness as an initiation instead of an invitation. The light is here. Let it come. 

If we can see chaos as where God speaks. 

“As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed).” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭35‬-‭36‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A disciple is here for it. A disciple jumps in the boat. 

In one of Jesus most popular points in his ministry He left the crowd. The disciples believe the invitation. They are conflicted but they go. So many of us don’t. In confessions and church abuse, in self harm, in everything. 

4 biggest temptations

To deny and reject. Some normalize or minimize. When you deny it, you are not here for it and you miss it. 

To avoid it. A blindness where you don’t want to see it. Homelessness for example where people avoid you. Margarette Book: Willful Blindness. We continue in bad things because our brain takes a long time to catch up to the truth. The personal makeup of whistleblowers are people so committed to the mission that the distance between what is true and what is happening makes it so they can’t take it. Distraction. Look over there. 

Cover it. Hiding it is not cleaning it. Cover it.

God’s invitation to be HERE FOR IT will not happen if we pretend everything is fine when it isn’t.

Run from it. God’s invitation to be HERE FOR IT will not happen if we don’t know Jesus’s presence and power for ourselves.

We choose to be with Jesus. We want to go where Jesus goes. 

“But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭NLT‬‬

To take the invitation to be here for it is to accept the difficult call. The way is hard. We face things that we know we can’t do. 

Question 1 – Don’t you care? The biggest question isn’t if they will live but does Jesus even care. This question comes up when you get in the boat. That’s part of the dance, it’s part of the invitation. 

You can’t know He’s real, if you’re not here for it. Do you know He’s real? You realize He’s real when you’re willing to go to the place where He invited you to. To be here for it means you will be willing to face your fears. 

“When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”” Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭39‬-‭40‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’m afraid because I’m out of control. I’m afraid because I can’t do it. And you’re right. You aren’t in control and you can’t do it all. Jesus said, “Where is your faith.” Jesus question was genuine. Why are you afraid when Jesus is right here. 

Our faith is in people or an organization or our denominations or our economy. The opportunity is to relocate our faith. To find it again. To put it back where it belongs. 

A fragmentation happening. What they said is different than how they lived. An awareness that this is happening. How can I deal with this? What can I do? God said, “Get some help.” Counseling. Listening prayer exercise. Seeing a raging ocean storm. Why are you so afraid? Afraid it’s too much. Afraid of the exposure. Can you find Jesus here? Can you visualize Jesus in this fear? Oh yeah, He’s here for it. Why are you so afraid? Where’s your faith? 

They were terrified and asked each other, Who is this? Even the wind and the Naves obey him!” Mark 4:4 NIV

Find your faith and put it in Jesus. The revelation that God is here for it. 

To be HERE FOR IT is to bo honest to find our faith and put it in Jesus. 

To be HERE FOR IT is to encounter Jesus, who is with us and can save us.

Day 2

Leslie Mack

The next generation gets to go places we never knew even existed. 

Will there be a job for me in the future of AI? 

Maybe we don’t need to know all the answer and we are invited to just know them. 

To know them culturally. Microsoft word, if you know how to save the file, you’re not in the same cultural context. If you know the yellow pages…If you needed a college email address to sign up for Facebook, you’re in a different cultural context. 

Every single generation has to kick the tires on their values. 

If we want to be here for them, we have to understand on a deep level how to be here for them on their level. 

Gen Z and Gen Alpha are the largest generation. Whether we acknowledge them or not, they are standing on a new threshold saying here we come. 

—

Kara Powell

You know you’re old when you injure yourself in your sleep. 

The pandemic has changed the way we think about sitting or how/when we sit. How many have a standing desk? Treadmill? It’s a good thing to have more activity. 

“Sitting is the new smoking.” Mayo Clinic. 

Not in all ways and all metric but sitting is worse for us than we thought. Think of your churches. How much would we see people sitting? No successful institution with young people has them sit and listen.”

Jesus very quickly changed their posture from listening to witnesses. Sitting can be killing the faith of our young people. 

“And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits.” Mark‬ ‭6‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus sends the disciples. They were presumably around 15-20. Let that sink in. The God of the universe decided to invest in 15-20 year olds. This is who Jesus moved from sitting to sending. 

We want the faith of young people to last. Faith beyond youth group. Young people need to practice faith together. 

Faith beyond youth group is sparked as we move from sitting to sending.

Jesus gives authority and power. See what God is doing and do something bold. One church disbanded the adult prayer leaders and put in the youth. 

Shouldn’t church be the one place that doesn’t place more pressure on kids to achieve? When 11 year olds are getting cell phones and all time anxiety high, we want the church to be safe but not coddled. Jesus sent the disciples out 2 by 2 in relational community. This generation doesn’t want to be consumers, they want to be co-creators. 

What does sending look like with younger children? We need to pair them with a caring adult and their family. With the right adult support they can develop deep roots and branches. Give agency. Anything they can do, we want them to do. As an example, packing their lunches. Let young people pack their spiritual lunches. They have gifts and talents. Let’s let the next generation lead. 

How do we actually do this through? Pay attention to how God is already working and send them forward. God is already at work. 

When we send young people, all generations benefit. This generation is here for it, let’s be here for them. 

—

Crystal Chiang 

Research from the national institute of health say suicide rise in the 6th grade and peak in the 10th grade. There is so much opportunity in the 10th grade. 

The phase gallery is an immersive experience where you walk through every phase of a kids life at the interception of church and home. 

The parent cue app is a resource every parent should have. 

It’s just a phase, so don’t miss it. 

—

Dr Dharius Daniels 

“O Lord, you misled me, and I allowed myself to be misled. You are stronger than I am, and you overpowered me. Now I am mocked every day; everyone laughs at me.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭20‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jeremiah makes an accusation of God. That God didn’t tell him everything. There are things you didn’t tell me about in chapter 1 that I’m now experiencing in chapter 2. You told me you would use me but you didn’t tell me that I would experience adversity and accusations. There were things you told me in chapter 1 that made me think I’m here for it. The God who knows all things will at times refuse to share all that He knows. There will often be seasons and situation you can not predict or control. How are you able to handle what you didn’t see coming? 

I believe in planning. Jesus wasn’t a surprise. I know God is intentional and we are made in His likeness. Remember things will rarely go as you planned. Life be lifing. 

We need to attempt to ask and answer a key and critical question. What do you do when you are faced with what you didn’t predict and you can’t control. What do you do when you don’t know what to do. 

We can obsessed over what we don’t know or be anchored by who we do know. 

Realize that just because you are surprised doesn’t mean you are unprepared. 

“Life is lived forward but understood backwards.” God uses past experiences. God will take you to school and you don’t even know you are in class. There are situations causing aggregation in your life where God is using it for activation and preparation. 

David with the lion and the bear preparing him for Goliath. 

God will use the aggregation for our past to prepare us. Maybe you were called to the church for such a time as this. 

Remember God’s timing is an expression of God’s kindness. It’s almost like all of this started happening after I made this commitment to Christ. That the crisis came after the commitment to Christ. Maybe? Maybe not? Maybe this crisis was always coming and can you imagine trying to navigate this crisis without Christ? How could you manage this misery without hope if this had come sooner? Would any time be a good time? 

This revelation can lead to the minimization for a desire for an explanation. When you read Job he never gets an answer. There is no time where Job would have felt it was the right time but the way he managed you see God’s timing was an explanation of His kindness. 

Remember that God is a good steward and that good stewards waist nothing. All through scripture we see themes of redemption and repurpose. Jospeh with his brothers, you meant it for evil and God meant it for good. Beautify from ashes. He will take lemons and make lemonade. 

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We all have or will face what Jeremiah faced where we see God didn’t tell us everything. God gives information on a need to know basis. He meets our needs but He doesn’t accommodate our preferences. By His grace He picks those who have been purposed to handle the hardship of a holy calling. May we be encouraged and strengthen by this. 

Breakout 1 – How Do I Get Volunteers to Be Here for Kids? Amber Baker 

Remember a time when you had your best experience as a volunteer?

What three things stood out to you?

Write them down on the back of your paper.

Serving the Orange Conference: 

The genuine appreciation of leadership. 

Being brought into the behind the scenes. 

Team camaraderie. 

What we learn from one another is key. In the seat knowledge is different. Jim Wideman changed my world. I went from being a good kids pastor and then my mindset shifted and helped me be a minister to my volunteers and my ministry expanded. Learned successfully systems. In your ministry journey, I hope you have people who help shape your ministry journey to align with what God’s spirit is calling you to. 

Let’s talk about us as leaders first. 

Where have you been and where are you going? As a leader, you must take an inventory. You can not lead a group of people where you have not been before, physically and spiritually. If you want your small group leaders to pray with the kids but you haven’t modeled it, you have a responsibility to pave the way. If you want leaders to show up prepared, are you modeling this? 

A mindset check in. Are we serving our volunteers or are we using the volunteers? Sometimes we forget they have families and full time jobs. We don’t minister to them and expect them to show up. It’s our job as leaders to serve them. It’s hard, takes extra work, but it’s worth it. 

Make sure everything in the room is ready to go when the volunteers show up. I don’t want my team showing up and cutting out circles right before a craft, I want them with kids. Someone else can cut out circles from home. We want them to walk in and shine. 

Our own levels of leadership. 

John Maxwell book: the five levels of leadership. 

We start in positional leadership, move to permission where people follow you because they want to. Move to the next level by being someone who is modeling the example. Show your leaders you are worth following. 

Move from permission to production because what happens in the organization is awesome and I want to be a part of it. 

Then you start growing your people and you equip them to succeed. Now you move to people development and people want to follow you because of what you have done for them. 

The pinnacle is where people follow you because of who you are and what you represent. 

You can be on different levels with different people on your team. 

The 10 Insights:

1 When you move up a level, you build on the previous level. You don’t leave it behind.

2 Leadership is dynamic. You can work at a different eadership level from one team member to the next.

3 The higher you go, the easier it becomes to lead.

4 There is no shortcut to get to the next level. Each level requires more time and effort to reach than the previous one.

5 Although moving up a level takes a lot of time, moving down one or more levels can happen very quickly.

6 The higher you go, the greater the returns.

7 Moving to the next level always requires growth.

8 Not getting to the next level not only limits you, but it also limits each of your team members.

9 When you change position or organization, you rarely stay at the same level.

10 You cannot climb the levels alone.

When thinking about your own leadership, what one thing you can shift, tweak, or grow in?

Write it down. Share it. – Joy in the Journey 

Know Your Why – Communicate it effectively. The why never changes, it’s foundational. What fuels you. Simon Sinek – Start with Why. When you see a team thriving it’s because their why is solidified. 

I do not babysit. I don’t do childcare on Sunday mornings. We have church where kids come together in community, they open God’s word, they worship, and they process together. 

Slow and Steady wins the race. Volunteer recruitment isn’t a one time event. It’s over and over. You have to keep it on the front of your mind. Who are the 3 people I’m going to ask, “Where are you serving?” Don’t get distracted from the important things. 

Make your vision clear. A vision is a picture of an imagined future. Know it clearly enough to articulate it into every conversation without even thinking about it. Weave it into parent communication. Weave it into the posters on the back of bathroom stalls. If we don’t share our vision then people will make up their own. The reason we play the game is to… The reason we have small group is to… Create a clear vision. 

Make sure volunteers know who they are serving. The phase information changes ministry life. Clear packaging to help your team. Give your leaders phase understanding of who the kids are they are serving. If your leaders aren’t equipped then they can’t ministry as good as they could. What are the demographics of your church? Does your church reflect your community? If a leader is wearing $250 shoes but ministering to broke kids, it matters that they understand the context of those they are serving. They can probably wear the shoes but it matters how they talk about the.

Have an onboarding process for your volunteers. Know their goals. Check their references. Do training and safety checks. Meet and give them a handbook. Give them policies and vision. Talk about expectations and job descriptions. This takes time but so very important. Ask other ministry leaders for resources and help so you don’t recreate the wheel. Pair them with a seasoned leader. In a few weeks, check in with them and make sure it’s a good fit. Give them freedom to choose. 

Cast your vision often and everywhere. 

Language shift from volunteer to leader. Empower the next generation in a clear way. The verbiage can make a culture shift. Cast the vision on social media, announcements, emails, everything and everywhere. 

Have a posture of celebration and gratitude. 

Prepare their supplies. Have goodies for them. Pinterest treats of appreciation. Calendar their birthdays. Hand write notes for them a couple a week. People like mail that’s not bills. Give pins and swag. Party starter award – someone who has high five leadership. Peers nominating them for the award. This helps especially the teenagers. Being noticed matters, even if it’s just celebrating that they showed up today. 

Recruit. Recruit. Recruit. 

Don’t recruit alone. Empower the team. Give applications and ask them to hand them to their friends. Who am I inviting to come serve this week? 

What sticks out to you today? Hand written notes, thank you for just showing up today. That’s enough. 

Abaker@grace-church.com

951-235-7466

@AmberDBaker

Pull out your calendar and write your next step. 

Are you writing in pencil or pen?

Moving the Finish Line: How to Be There for 18 Plus

Lisette Fraser

Vince Parker

Kara Powell

Over one million young people walk away from the faith every year. Somewhere around 50% of students in the church walk away from their faith. 

https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/orange-18

Get the slides and be an insider with up to date information. 

Approximately 40-50% of youth group graduates drift from faith and the faith community. 

The assumed path of emerging adults. High school college job marriage, kids. 

Today: 

18-30 is a time of intense transitions. 

EMERGING ADULTHOOD: A DECADE OF PARTICULAR TRANSITIONS

FRIENDSHIPS 

EDUCATION 

VOCATIONAL 

DECISIONS ON MY OWN

18 SPIRITUAL OUESTS

FAITH COMMUNITY

RELOCATING

FINDING-MAKING HOME

IDENTITY EXPLORATION

SINGLENESS

FAMILY HISTORY

RELATIONAL COMMITMENTS

RECOVERY

DAILY LIFE MANAGEMENT

FAITH AND DOUBT

PARENT RELATIONSHIPS 

PARENTHOOD

MARRIAGE + DIVORCE

YOUNG ADULTS + TRANSITIONS

TRANSITION DEFINITION

STEVE ARGUE FROM THE FULLER YOUTH INSTITUTE

The new, challenging, exciting, and disorienting experiences emerging adults encounter as they navigate life changes and make choices to take responsibility for their lives and relationships.

TRANSITIONS IDENTITY

Emerging adults’ efforts to harmonize their multiple internal and external dentities in order to live into and external identities in order to live into and embrace their authentic and true selves.

Example: Becoming a parent (ages 27 and 30)

TRANSITIONS RELATIONAL

Emerging adults’ efforts to seek out and negotiate their various relationships by being vulnerable with some people and creating boundaries with others.

-Example: Building new friendships 

TRANSITIONS VOCATIONAL

Emerging adults’ efforts to make meaningful contributions to the world and providing for themselves and others. 

Example: Starting college, the military, or a new job

TRANSITIONS SPIRITUAL AND RELIGIOUS

Emerging adults’ efforts to evaluate the religious and spiritual narratives they have inherited from parents/Guadians and/or faith communities while constructing a worldview that is congruent with their emerging identity, belonging, and purpose. 

Example: Doubting inherited beliefs. 

None’s and Um’s – still figuring it out. Drifted away and still figuring it out. 

TRANSITIONS RESPONSIBILITY

Emerging adults’ efforts to cultivate agency for themselves and others, make individual or communal decisions, and adjust to Increases in responsibility tor their lives, relationships, and actions

Example. Attempting to oe financially independent. 

TRANSITIONS WELLNESS

Emerging adults’ efforts to advocate for themselves by making healthy choices that ensure, improve, or recover their physical,

emotional. and/or mental health.

Example. Struggling witn addiction and going to treatment. 

TRANSITIONS GEOGRAPHICAL/INSTITUTIONAL

Emerging adults’ efforts to adjust to newer and/or unfamiliar living ana or workine environments.

Example: Moving to a new city for a new job

TRANSITIONS INTERCONNECTION

All transitions are interrelated/ interconnected.

Example: Moving to a different state for a new job. 

SELF QUESTION. TAKE A MINUTE

• Of these 7 transitions, which one/s do you see young adults working through the most in your

context?

What do we do? 

How to come up with a plan for 18+

1 Know the win. People showing up is not the win. There’s more than attendance. 

2 Educate the people. Tell everyone. Don’t keep it to yourselves. Tell people the goal. Pre-Educate people about what we are doing. 

3 Model the example. Here is how to do it. The example starts with me. 

Empowering young people to make the space for themselves. 

4 Create a replicable system. Do you have sustainability? What can you do that can be done over and over again? People in transition need something constant in their lives. 

5 Normalize the results. Summer attendance is low. When we don’t normalize things it takes a lot of energy to convince people to keep going. Don’t make things so weird that they don’t identify. 

6 Evaluate the Progress. Don’t just say that you are doing this work in the name of Jesus. Did you actually help them transition well or did you just put on a really good event? 

In church we start a bunch of things that just feel really good. Is the enemy just trying to make you busy and distracted? 

Help prepare college students in middle school. Start now. Similar empty nesters struggle so how about start now with education and opportunities to work now. 

Start early. What do we offer parents and students? Intentional parenting events. Speak through the transitions. Physically walking people through all these transitions and seasons. Helping parents be in small groups with other parents so they have community and bonds. This impacts the students as well. If kids don’t see their parents in community then kids believe community is something you eventually outgrow. 

How to do laundry and how to go visit another church. Take 12th graders on a church visit and walk them through the process. Debrief afterwards. Help them know what they are looking for. Help drivers license students with involvement in serving. 

Help adult life groups to adopted a junior or senior into their group. Give them experience. 6-7th graders could be adopted into their group once a month also so they see pouring into others. Normalize things that feel weird. The world pulls you forward but the church pushes you out. You’re too old for junior high ministry, move up. The rest of the world says, you’re good at basketball, join the varsity team. 

Small groups: The point of gathering is to give you Biblical intentional community that helps you grow. 

We are asking 3 major questions: Identity, Belonging, and Purpose. 

A healthy church reflects its community. Look at your zip code census data. How do you listen to the demographic you are not attracting? 

Be intentional and don’t take a shot in the dark. Ask questions and make sure you can keep doing it consistently. 

Relationship, relationship, relationship.

Here for Technology: AI, ChatGTP, and Whatever Comes Next with Dave Adamson

The hardest thing to talk about today is AI because of the speed of how quickly it advances or changes. New technology is available daily. AI is constantly adapting and advancing. 

ChatGPT came out about 18 months ago and now everything is integrating AI. We have so many things pressing in our churches, it’s hard to keep up. 

The mosquito in a nudest colony. I know exactly what to do but don’t know where to start. I’m not going to give you a list of tech companies and tools. I’m going to help you advance and move the ball forward practically. Goal: Walk away today and know more of how to integrate AI tools into ministry. 

The good news is you understand the potential of the new technology. Maybe you agree with the CEO of google that A.I. is the nest profound technology humanity is working on. 

YouVersion Bible app “As technologies emerge and create new possibilities, it’s important to us that the Bible be at the forefront of innovation.” 

The landscape has changed, we no longer want to broadcast and reach the world, we want to reach our community within driving distance. 

According to Barna, 88% of US pastors are comfortable using AI in areas like graphic design. 89% of US pastors believe AI will have some impact on relational quality. And just last year 54% were concerned about using AI in their churches. 

The A.I. Church leaders should prioritize is…Authentic Interactions. Prioritize this over anything else.

*Explore Waze advertisement for your church. 

How do you reach more people with the Gospel? The tech needs to serve our mission not vice versa. Run it through the filter, does it help us reach our mission? 

Flying into ATL, Dave saw that Meta released llama 3. 

Limitations of A.I. Billions is being invested but A.I. can’t do everything. We are afraid of what A.I. can do, and not just those who watch the terminator. Teenagers and parents are worried about A.I. being a job killer. A.I. can be a job opportunity maker but there are limitations. 

Kenny Jahng “You really need to think of A.I. as a seminary student intern.” 

An Assitant Intern. You wouldn’t just deploy the work without checking it. See it as an assistant intern. Give A.I. tools the same responsibility and oversight you would give an assistant or intern. Be more human by putting the right inputs in. The outcomes are determined by the inputs. 

What we need to learn most, is how to give a good input. 

According to Bloomberg, Forbes, and Wallstreet journal is a prompt engendered. 

Prompt Engineering: The art of using keywords to get AI tools to generate better images and more accurate and relevant written responses. This is a new career. Become the prompt engineer of your church right now, for free. 

P.R.O.M.P.T. 

P = Professional Experience. 

Set the parameters that define the roles. Let it know what profession I want it to have. Start the project by saying, “You are a social media professional with 10 years experience creating highly engaging social media campaigns for non-profits.” 

You are a professor of Biblical Hebrew with 10 years of experience in the church…

You are a child education expert with 30 years of experience in a rural setting…

R = Review Understanding 

Make sure to ask the AI model do you understand. “Do you understand.” Chat will say, “Absolutely…” Weed out the rest of the internet and pull in the 10 years of experience you are looking for specifically. This hasn’t started the search yet and it’s already creating clarity. Google just came out last week saying the best way to use this is to use prompts that are 25 words or less. 

O = Objective

Outline the objective of your request. What do you need done? Do you need a bible story written? Do you need a short video script? Weed out the rest of the internet and hone it in. 

“You are a social…” 

“Do you understand?”

“I need a cross-platform social media campaign comprising 12 posts to promote a night of worship to be held on Friday April 28th. Do you understand?” 

M = Mimic or Model

A style guide. If i was wanting AI to write a devotional for elements aged kids, I want a style. “I need a toddler-friendly bible verse written about Deuteronomy 5:6-9 in the style of Kellen Moore.” I want a sermon outline “I need an outline for a 30-minute sermon about _ written in the style of Time Keller, Rich Villegas, Danielle Strickland, and Craig Groeschel. 

“I need the post in the campaign to mimic churches like Elevation, Church of the Highland’s, and Life Church. Do you understand? 

P = Primary Audience 

Weed out what you don’t need to get to what you do need. 

“The posts need to target 18-30 year olds living in Gwinnett County, Georgia.” Do you understand?” Not just who but where. Give the demographic information. 

T = Task Parameters

What do you need the boundaries to be? 12 posts? 300 word blog? 12 minute script? What are the parameters? “

“I need the 12 posts to work across multiple platform character lengths, to include at least one emoji in each, and to have a call to action or question at the end of every post to attract engagement. Do not use any hashtags, or formal or insider language.”

Last, type: “Give me the information.”

All the information needs to be checked. Verify spelling, dates, information, etc. This is a tool that makes life more efficient but it still needs to be verified. 

Your church, right now, needs an A.I. Policy. Volunteers and staff are using A.I. for content that is going out to the community. It can be simple and easy, but it also needs to be clear. There are people currently using ChatGPT while taking credit. People are putting out information without being double checked. Everything generated by A.I. needs an * and a review. 

There are 3 clear categories or buckets where A.I. can be helpful right now:

1 Communication. Social media posts, emails, bulletins, small group questions. This can be done quicker so you can focus on the authentic interactions in your church. 

2 Researching. Summarizing content, sermon research, message illustrations. Ask it to search for messages illustrations. Here is what my message is about can you give me 3 historical illustrations that can enhance the theme. Double check everything. Check the theology. Look for biases. 

*Notebook LM – google is live testing this A.I. language model. This will move most pastors over the line with A.I. “Do a dissertation on ___.” The information is put in by you. All the message scripts you have used for decades. Then it pulls from your own information. Put all your notes and highlights from kindle and it will pull from your books. Transcriptions from YouTube videos! 

3 Data Strategy. Data analysis, reorganizing data, pattern identification. For example, it can determine since January you have had more 18-25 year olds drop out of small group. Then you know to check in with those people. 

AIforChurchLeaders.com

AI for Church Leaders Facebook – a video generated from a photo.

ChurchTechToday.com

MetaChurch book by Dave Adamson

Q&A: 

Purchasing plugin’s that work with your church management software. But know that anything you put into the A.I. models is accessible to everyone on the internet. Another reason you need a policy. 

Adobe Photoshop is image based while ChatGPT is language based. 

“I need an Easter graphic done in the style of __, and it needs to include these 3 words.” With adobe photoshop you can just ask it to do what you want it to do. You can ask it to manipulate the photo in pretty much any way you can imagine. 

If just getting started, go to the AIforChurchLeaders.com and read all the beginner information. 

ChatGPT free vs version 4. The prompt model is a great way to get something great out of it without having to pay. 

A.I. and translation opportunities? Fantastic. Google translate is A.I. we just didn’t call it that before. Double check everything. Get help making a prompt that makes it even helpful moving forward with future prompts. It will even learn from you. 

Have you seen it’s bias? ChatGPT has already passed the bar and medical school. Check the strategy, philosophy, and theology. You are the product of the 5 closest people to you and ChatGPT is the same. It receives everyone’s bias so make sure you check everything.

Using it to minister to kids and students who grow up as digital natives. Students today are growing up in a world where they talk about IRL and for most of us in the room, in real life is face to face. For them it’s in the DM’s and likes. For us that is scary and kind of sad. As a digital pastor, it’s like starting a church next to a porn store and there is no where else the church ought to be. The light shines brightest in the darkness. Shine the light in the dark places the next generation is growing up in. Parents need to follow and be followed by their kids. Opportunities to create conversations. Listen. Ask students who they are following. 

Teachers have ChatGPT filter checks. 

Data Privacy Steps? No private information, especially other people. Very limited information about me. If using tools like image generation, then incognito mode. Somewhere on the church website you can include this data information protection. 

A.I. tools church people are using that would be useful for us to know? ChatGPT is most common. Siri, Alexa, etc are all A.I. We use A.I. everyday even if we don’t know it. 

The Quiet Exit: What People Leaving Your Church Wish you Knew by Stuart Hall 

If you’re not careful the next generation will follow Jesus out of the church. The body of Christ is the hope of the world. There is no plan b. It’s very difficult to leave something that you are. We are the church. 

If an alien walked into your church what would they experience? Erase every preconceived idea about church and think what conclusions they would draw. 

Over 40 million people have stopped attending church in the last 25 years…

More than 1 in 7 adults who used to attend church no longer do.” The Great DeChurching. 

Go to church…

I’m late to church…

We left the church…

If you have an attractional ecclesiology you will primarily make consumers and spectators. 

If you have a Movement exclusionary you will primarily create contributors and disciples. 

Decentralization of Information – fact checking the pastor. Middle school kids are googling to fact check you. 25 years ago you had to attend a church to hear the message. Today everyone everywhere. 

Institutional Distrust – Covid, racial unrest, violence and war, mass shootings (600 every year), humanitarian crisis. So why should I trust the mass institutions? Often most rapid in the church. 

Political Division – January the 6th. Let’s be Jesus with each other and talk about political division together. 

Deconstruction – much of what is happening is the churches responsibility and we have to own that. all the evidence suggests it starts with a grounded identity (think Disney movie). The triggering experience makes the teen take a critical assessment. Some go back to their grounded identity (in the person of Jesus) while others move to a critical assessment of constructions. There is a difference between a teenager leaving the faith and a teenager leaving the church. 

Identity Crisis – the next generation is driven by belonging. You used to look for where you identified belonged and then identified. Not only do you need to offer unconditional belonging before they belief but now more than ever you need to offer unconditional belonging even if they don’t believe. 

Causal vs Casualties – There is a difference between a causal church attended and casualties because of the church. Some just fade away while others were hurt and left. 

“The House of God stretches from one corner of the universe to the other. Sea monsters live and ostriches live in it, along with people who pray in languages I do not speak, whose names I will never know. I am not in charge of this House, and never will be. I have no say about who is in and who is out. I do not get to make the rules. Like Job, I was nowhere when God laid the foundations of the earth…I am a guest here, charged with serving other guests— even those who present themselves as my enemies.” —BARBARA BROWN TAYLOR, AN ALTAR IN THE WORLD

“You cannot connect all the dots until you collect all the dots.”

Experience over Content – Do people need more content when there is YouTube? Experiences over content. The next generation is using YouTube religiously. Are you creating experts or explorers? 

Engagement over Attendance – How connected do people have to be in your church to grow in how they follow Jesus? If the growth of a teenager revolves around attendance we fail. In middle school there is a vacuumed in discipleship but you reach a ton of kids but in high school it flips. Change the turf. You go to them. Simplify what you do so people don’t have to be in the program to grow. Train and send. 

Footprints over Blueprints – Does a person have to sit in your building to be influenced by your church? It’s not about the blueprint of your building but the footprint of your influence. How is your church connecting with the local schools? The already existing and invented modes. Would your neighborhood miss you if your church went away? The future church will look like 6 different things. 

Asking Questions over All the Answers – How are you positioned to embrace and encourage information and curiosity? A post Christian society has questions. Create a space where the questions can be asked. Embrace and encourage curiosity. Don’t pretend to know all the answers. 

Partnering over Competing – How can you see someone changing churches as a win? We all grow and change. We have to be okay with this. School teachers and coaches can love Jesus and we need to partner with them. 

Tables over Rows – How do you change the orbit of community for people in your community? We need to have meals with people. Signing the bottom of the table. How do we change the orbit of community? 

Alone <——————> Community 

Abstinence <——————> Total engagement. 

It’s okay to unplug. The best thing for your soul may be to stop right now and unplug. 

Filter the lives of our teenagers by how they are doing this. Some teenagers need a week or two to rest their soul away from the church. 

For I believe the crisis in the U.S. church has almost nothing to do with being liberal or conservative; it has everything to do with giving up on the faith and discipline of our Christian baptism and settling for a common, generic U.S. identity that is part patriotism, part consumerism, part violence, and part affluence.” Walter Brueggemann, A Way other than Our Own. 

Day 3

Matt Manno

One thing I love about this room is how different we are. As beautiful as this is it also means there is a lot we can disagree on. On the surface it seems as there are more reasons to be divided but this is the body of Christ. It was never our job to keep everything together. 

What if we stopped obsessing over what we don’t agree on and instead focus on Who we agree on?

You are in this room because you care about the faith of the next generation. Do the hard work to stay connected, even when you don’t see eye to eye. 

—

Dr. Chinwé Williams – Licensed Professional Counselor

How is it possible for me to have clarity of purpose? When interacting with someone you don’t see eye to eye on get clear about your mission. Reflect on goals and purpose. Reflect on what is mission critical. Here lately, the Church can easily major on the minors. 

Young people are watching and they feel disillusioned. How can we model being the hands and feet of Christ? 

Book Resource: Beyond the Spiral. 

When a car is swerving into your lane this is a real danger and the nervous system reacts. Even when the threat is perceived, your body sets off the same alarm. 

Anxiety buried is still alive.  It shows up as the need to control…

When you are noticing any level of discomfort, consider it a messenger. Notice your thoughts, not content but quality. Do you have clarity and focus? Notice your emotions, what’s rising to the top. Are you nervous or confused. Noticed your breath. Are you holding your breath and telling your brain there is something to fear. Notice if you can catch your breath. Put your hand to your heart and begin to breathe deeply. This calms the nervous system. 

You can’t control the world around you but you can control your thoughts and behaviors. 

—

Rich Villodas – Pastor at New Life Fellowship Church

To reach and retain this generation it requires us to have lives of unity. 

“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I was walking across a bridge one day, and i saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off.

So I ran over and said “stop! don’t do it!”

“Why shouldn’t I?” he said.

I said, “Well, there’s so much to live for!”

He said, “Like what?”

I said, “Well…are you religious or atheist?”

He said, “Religious.”

I said, “Me too! Are you christian or buddhist?”

He said, “Christian.”

I said, “Me too! Are you catholic or protestant?”

He said, “Protestant.”

I said, “Me too! Are you episcopalian or baptist?”

He said, “Baptist!”

I said, “Wow! Me too! Are you baptist church of god or baptist church of the lord?”

He said, “Baptist church of god!”

I said, “Me too! Are you original baptist church of god, or are you reformed baptist church of god?”

He said, “Reformed baptist church of god!”

I said, “Me too! Are you reformed baptist church of god, reformation of 1879, or reformed baptist church of god, reformation of 1915?”

He said, “Reformed baptist church of god, reformation of 1915!”

I said, “Die, heretic scum”, and pushed him off.

-Emo Phillips

The great need before us is unity. Unity established through humility is Gospel credibility. 

““I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” ‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How do we honor our differences without disconnecting from one another. 

Paul says six times in four verses for the church to be united. Being united doesn’t mean we see things the same way. Ie, hawaiian pizza. Unity doesn’t mean uniformity. We are to be united by having the mindset of Christ. 

“That was Brad with the democratic weather now to Tammy with the republican weather…”

To practice humility is to seek the interest of others. The reason we do this is because this is what Jesus Christ modeled for us. The Gospel has a message and a word for us right here and right now. The primary fruit of the Gospel is a new community and family in Jesus Christ. 

Humility isn’t the opposite of divinity, humility is the expression of divinity. 

“for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus is before all things and all things hold together. 

What are you most hopeful about the church? Jesus Christ is building the church and He is holding it together. 

Leslie Mack and Dan Scott

Align and synergies your community. 

Here! 

“God made us. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good things. Long ago God prepared them for us to do.” Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭NIRV‬‬

— 

Shane Sanchez 

So you ever feel alone in it? 

when life is difficult, where is God? We are often tempted to rush past the pain to find purpose. We try to get to the promise instead of being in the present. 

A faith that’s absent of pain is parody not authenticity. 

What it when life hurts the most we discover God is close? 

The Word became flesh…John 1:14a

God is here, God with us. Then He looked at us and told us to go be there for others. 

—

John Onwuchekwa – Atlanta-based Pastor, Entrepreneur

Most people tend to avoid processing their grief for the same reason they avoid drinking their coffee black, they know it’s bitter. 

Like black coffee the subtle sweetness and flavor is reserved for those who lean into the bitterness. 

Coffee is bitter. Grief is bitter. But it’s not only bitter. Both can be bittersweet. 

Grief happened in an instant but the valley of the shadow of death lingered. The only thing I remembered was trying to excuse myself out of the rooms my tears invited themselves into. 

Grief doesn’t have an expiration date. 

God can redeem it but it can still linger. Grief is the starting point or entrance into the ongoing conversation that everything in this world you love you will lose. This is not to make you sad but to make you sober. Moments are fragile and precious. Journeys start and end but grief doesn’t end here on earth. Think of grief as a language. Languages start they don’t end. The goal of a language is not to finish but to become fluent and to connect with people. Grief is humanities official language with multiple dialects. 

Tangible grief death where everyone knows. 

Ambiguous grief is the death of a dream, relationship, the image of a hero. These griefs are harder because it’s a death without a funeral. No support. Learn a language by imitating someone who is fluent. 

Peace isn’t found in the absence of pain, it’s found in the presence of Jesus. 

Shoulders catch tears better than your soliloquy. 

Look at the eyes of people who come in and the floors. A place where tears flow freely but tears stay dry because everyone has a shoulder to cry on. People literally feel the support of Lord Jesus. 

Danielle Strickland – Author, Global Social Justice Advocate

“So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.” Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?” And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place. There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.” So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.” Mark‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What’s the worse that could happen?

Why did Jesus want to go to the other side? What was going on? 

Truth layers that go deeper and deeper. 

No one can help this demon possessed man. He was running around deserted and wilderness places crying out. Jesus is in the midst of His ministry and He hears the cry. 

When God introduced Himself to Moses He said, I am Yahweh and I heard the cry. 

Is it possible that Jesus is willing to stop and suspend the masses and big majority for one man who is suffering? Someone so talented over by the darkness that he can’t even speak and only cries. 

Jesus will leave a busy and thriving ministry, cross over a boat, endure a storm to respond to the CRY of one person on the other side of the lake.

Where there is a cry, where there is suffering, God is here. When we dehumanize people who suffer God is not with us. God is with those who cry. 

Evidence of God being with us. God confronts, names and exposes oppressive power. 

If people could see the power of God for themselves it would be revival. Yet in this passage people beg Jesus to leave the region. Jesus exposed and confronted a demonic power that is both personal and bigger than them. When Jesus asked the name it said Legion. A group of Roman soldiers who occupy a region is named Legion. Both oppressive forces driven by fear and lies. Jesus exposed those powers. The symbol of this power was a pig. 

Oppression works with two major strategies. Fear and lies. Boring and keeps repeating itself. When fear and lies motivate you life it leads you to oppression. Sometimes based in economics or scarcity. A fear based strategy of survival. 

The lie is the person to fear is the oppressor. Remember the Exodus story. There are two women who began the exodus. Two midwives who refused to fear pharaoh because they feared God. The lie was an illusion of the ultimate power. 

Jesus with Pilot and He refused to talk. Jesus shatters fear and exposes lies. 

John the Baptist eats locus because locus destroy the harvest. 

Jesus gave permission to the demonic forces. He’s in charge. He is Most High God. 

What are you so afraid of? 

Jesus doesn’t destroy the pigs. The only thing Jesus destroys is the works of the devil. Jesus is here to set free. The pigs are driven to the sea by demons because the Riveness is demonic. The devil drives people to death. It doesn’t matter if it looks good or not.

God heals, restores, and sets people free. 

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” 1 John 3:8 NIV

To unravel the devil’s work. To unravel oppression. To loosen. 

To kill, steal, and destroy is the devils work. Jesus is life to the full. 

We need the sovereign power of God. It’s not just grater it’s different. 

Worldly power possesses – God’s power liberates

Worldly power takes – God’s power gives

Worldly power controls – God’s power creates

Is your ministry lead by drivenness? Where does drivenness lead? 

The healed man wanted to follow. Jesus sent him home. This wasn’t rejection. This man was so conditioned to oppression that he wanted to trade one master for another and Jesus said no. That’s not the kind of leader I am. I didn’t come to deliver you for what you could do for me. I came to deliver you because I love you. Jesus sent him home to be healed and it’s the best thing for the man. That’s God here now. God with us. 

One chapter later Jesus returned to the area and it’s a revival. Thousands just wanted to touch Jesus cloak. Pray for this revival. What we don’t picture when we pray for revival is the confrontation of power and the exposing of demonic forces that comes before the revival. Jesus is better than I thought. 

Dan Scott

We are here to stay. 

Jesus said, “I will build my church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” Jesus wasn’t talking about a building, He was talking about a community of human beings. 

There have been times when the church has felt anything but loving. Humans are loving but often super messy. Jesus said the church would be a presence in the church moving forward as the world moves on and changes. 

The world is changing. Digital citizens, the change in families, the shifts in how we see each other and process the world around us. Because the world keeps changing, so must the church. The church is sometimes loving, and sometimes messy but I believe it is full of hope. Is your church still a meaningful presence in the world? 

Yes the church is here to stay but I have to ask, are you? Am I? Are we here for whatever it will take for the church of today to become the church of tomorrow? Are we ready to innovate? Are we ready to cancel some stuff and start some stuff for the sake of the next generation? 

Let’s build communities where people find life and discover Jesus. That’s why I still show up. Remember today, we are the church. And we are here to stay. 

—

Eugene Kim – Pastor, Founder of New Wine Collective

Can we define innovation for the sake of the conversation? Innovation is a buzzword but sometimes they can be helpful because they indicate something happening in the culture and church. Innovation is simply about problem solving. When you care, you innovate. Innovation is identifying and understanding a problem and then creating a solution to this problem, for the sake of love. 

Almost every innovation process starts with empathy. Sensing the problem with your whole self. 

If you want to do something different in the church or in the world, don’t be surprised when God wants to do something different in you first. 

If you want to change something, often the first thing to change is yourself. Noticing a lot of problems causes a wrestle with the reality that a lot of those problems start here. Confronting your fear and your ego. Go fast and break things is not always helpful. We want to be healers and servants. Pray asking God, how am I positioned to address this problem? 

No one size fits all solution. We all have to remember and acknowledge that none of us are alone. We are connected in a web of relationships. Maybe the whole system can’t change, it’s a big ship that can’t turn on a dime. 

How do we create speed boats, R&D labs? To practice at a small scale what we want to see at a large scale. The church needs people who will courageously venture into the unknown and attempt new things. 

Where do you start? Start with love to be in the right place of motivation. Humility, start with I don’t know. Gather people together and create a space where every voice can be heard. Invite people in because I only see a little part of the picture. Gather your people together and look at the problem together. 

—

Leslie Mack – Vice President of Lifestage Strategies at Orange

The church used to be one of the most innovative groups of people. Commissioning artist. Innovating in the space of music. Medicine and the medical field. Hospitals today were traced back to Jesus sermon of the Good Samaritan. The Gothenburg press started with printing a bible. 

Where can I find innovators? The answer used to be the church. Today, we don’t really hear people saying the church. What changed? Jesus reminds us the church is here to stay and it’s going to last. If it’s going to last, why innovate? The Church will be here, that doesn’t guarantee YOUR church will be here. 

There are really only two responses to this promise. Be compelled by His promises and do something with it or be complacent about our purpose. The parable of the talents. 

Maybe a better question was what hangs in the balance if we don’t innovate?

If we don’t innovate, we become complicit in the siding of the perceived gap between faith and future.  We accidentally tell a generation…”Pick one: Faith or future.”

My faith is relevant to culture. Culture is not the bad guy, it’s a mirror to show us where we can innovate. 

Any time an organization, an institute, or a brand’s actions today don’t match their hopes for tomorrow, they risk creating a gap that they are in danger of falling into.

Case Study on Blockbuster. 
9000 stores across America. Collected 800M annually in late fees. Blockbuster could have purchased Netflix for 50M but they laughed in their face. Today there is one blockbuster left. Blockbuster created this huge gap. What would you want to let the church know? What would you tell us? I believe they would say, “Decentralized doesn’t mean disengaged.” You have to disrupt yourself or someone else will. Decentralized faith may be a healthier faith because it gives faith a chance to be applied. Kids and teenagers should get an opportunity to experience their faith with you and without you. If they can only experience faith with you, is it really their own faith? If a teenager has a co-dependent relationship with you or your building and they have late fee feelings if they miss it, perhaps they create that gap. 

Case Study on BlackBerry. 
The cell phone industry became to innovate. Touch screen shows up and they thought people wanted the satisfaction of pushing a button and doubled down on the keyboard. They kept the keyboard even after they made a touch screen. BlackBerry valued the wrong thing. They thought we wanted productivity in sending more emails. We value status and didn’t want to be the green bubble in the chat. Blackberry would tell the church today and warn us, just because it worked once doesn’t mean it’s going to work forever. What are you unwilling to even have the conversation about? The message has to be more important than the method of delivery. 

Case Study on Apple Newton Plus. 
Showed up way ahead of it’s time 1992. Touchscreen messaging pad. Long form reading for books. Language task assistant. On the market for 5 years. So many articles call it an expense piece of useless technology and it was discontinued. The same teach using the same ideas from the Apple Newton Plus created the iPad and the iPhone. Built a bridge. Just because it didn’t work once, doesn’t mean it won’t work one day. Maybe it’s still a good idea that needs revisited. Maybe you are ahead of your time. Learn from the ideas that someone else says are a flop. If you never experience t you never innovate. Everything that exists today was an innovation on something that existed in the past. 

Innovation doesn’t have to be a big scary idea. It says someone imagined a better future. Innovation is a message of hope. Every innovation is temporary. Remove the fear of being perfect before trying something. When we dare to innovate is saying I have a hope for the future. I have part to play it in. Innovation is a practice in resilience. Do whatever it takes for the faith of the next generation. Innovation is the evidence of hope. 

Ashley Bohinc 

That thing that happens when a kid accomplishes something. 

Doing something is in our DNA. It matters more when the knowing is connected to the doing.

Every week you can I get to speak potential and life into every kid. We get to help them see the potential that’s within them. A kid may never know they matter. 

As we are preparing, don’t forget to spend time preparing to teach kids what to do with the information we are talking about. Because doing good matters. What do we do with all the information we just learned? 

—

Geoff Banks – High School Pastor, Port City Community Church

Googling how to surf but never doing it. Telling people you knew how to surf when you’ve never surfed before. All of the information went out the window. Ministry is a similar experience. 

Taking notes at a conference but then head back home and something would happen. When sitting across the table from a student, all the information in my head went out the window. In real life you can’t check the book. Eventually you have a lot of notes, siting on a shelf. The adult version of summer camp. Life hits. 

Some of us drink out of the firehose and we get overwhelmed. Can I really do it all? Can I change it call? We stop ourselves before we even get started. 

Or we plan on crushing it but then the burden in your heart starts to die down. 

What if we thought differently about what we do when we get home. Take the burning in your heart and channel it into what’s going on at home. 

Matthew 13 –  A Little Leaven

1. Leave encouraged. Don’t worry about measuring up to others. No competition and going against one another. When it’s a family of God, I love to see you win. I leave encourage because I know the family of God is beautiful. 

2. Start somewhere. It’s easy to want to pick everything. Thinking of doing it all is overwhelming. Just pick something. Start small. Distill the information and share it with someone. Don’t keep it to yourself. Starter sourdough dies unless applied. 

3. Build momentum into the future. Change can be energizing. When you take your first step, it’s easier to see the next step. Momentum in ministry doesn’t look like your plan. When we build momentum it looks like God. 

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 KJV

—

Joseph Sojourner

A good man once said, don’t tell anyone, but the real leaders stay to the end.

When gathering with families we often begin sharing the highlights of your life. 

I know you think you know how he is, but you aren’t here…

Have you ever tried to get all your family to go somewhere? Good luck. “You’re the one who said you wanted to go and do this.” 

As you’re getting ready to go home, you know it’s not going to go according to plan. Going never goes according to plan. 

Ross trying to move the couch. The first thing Ross does is shows his friends the plan. Pivot. Pivot. And eventually they drop the couch. It was all right there on paper yet it didn’t go according to plan. The same happens in our ministries. 

Their lives don’t go according to plan. I’m placed in their life to continue to push them and maybe they will be willing to go for it. 

Go makes you think No, especially the older you get. You begin to ask more questions. What time are we going to get back? Who’s driving? 

Staying is comfortable, going is disruptive. Staying is familiar, going is foreign. Staying is safe, going is scary. 

Some of you will be called to go further than others. We are all called to go, to go make disciples.  

“One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The disciples were working third shift. They were washing their nets and they were done. Yet they get in the boat and push off.

3 Obstacles In Progress.

Failure. The disciples already did that and failed. It didn’t go according to plan. Failure can begin to erode our confidence. One day we look up and are always talking about our failures. We are so focused on what has happened we are no longer looking forward. Will you keep going when facing past failures? 

Frustration. The disciples were fishing all night and didn’t catch anything. It’s easy to work hard when everything is working out. Frustration builds and leads to agitation. Agitation leads us to abandon our assignments. How many of us will say, “I didn’t sign up for this.” 

Fatigue. We’ve been up all night fishing and caught nothing. We get tired. People see it on us. Jesus still offers instruction in our fatigue. It might be the obedience to the assignment that might provide the energy. I pray that God will begin to replenish my cup. Going from a 1/3 of a cup to a cup overflowing. Your job is to obey, the energy may just come next. With God all things are possible. So many fish came in and they had to call in another boat. 

I don’t know who God is going to put in front of you but because of your obedience someone will reep the harvest. 

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV

Remember God has given each and every one of us a light. 

Live Notes, so more coming over the next couple of hours. Check back as the conference continues.