A Guided Planning Retreat for Becoming the Congregation of Tomorrow
Gather in person or online!
Feb. 26th & 27th
A Guided Planning Retreat for Becoming the Congregation of Tomorrow
Gather in person or online
Feb. 26th & 27th
The crises of 2020 have accelerated the need for churches to "future-fit" for our new world.
You and your team need a planning retreat where you can craft a strategy to take your congregation into the future.
Future Church Summit brings futurists and missional practitioners alongside your team to chart a course for the road ahead.
This season has left us with many uncertainties. When can our churches safely gather? How do we live in both a virtual and a physical congregation? How can we stay engaged with our people?
Yet, one thing we can be certain of - the future of our congregations doesn’t look like the past.
The good news is that amidst this crisis, there is great opportunity.
Bring your team to the Future Church Summit and plan a future-focused strategy for the coming year and beyond.
Register Your Team Now!
Early Bird Team Registration
$239
Ends Jan. 10
Regular Team Registration
$249
Left Until the Summit Begins!
Features
More than a webcast!
Collaborate with your team
A two-day interactive planning retreat
Access Leading Thinkers and Practitioners
Live, Exclusive Q & A Time
Learning Continues After the Event
Registrants receive the Future Church Summit Resource Box ($100+ value) as well as seven complimentary six-month memberships to the FX Connect app.
Session Overview
Friday Evening, 7pmEST
Resurrecting Church
SESSION ONE
Better Days Ahead: A Thriving Mission in a Polarized, Post-Corona, Hyper-Connected World
Michael Beck
LEARN MORE
SESSION TWO
Minefields and Goldmines:
What to Anticipate in the New World
Len Sweet
Saturday Morning, 9am
Reevaluating Mission
SESSION THREE
The Plans I Have for You: Why Your Church's Destiny Lies in its History
Tod Bolsinger
SESSION FOUR
Church has Left the Building:
Re-Vitalizing Congregations from the Outside-In
Shannon Kiser
Saturday Afternoon, 12:50pmEST
Releasing Potential
SESSION FIVE
A New Kind of Local Church: How Experimental Communities and Established Liturgies can Renew the Local Congregation
Matt Lake
SESSION SIX
Reclaiming the Spirit: The Power to Become the Church of Tomorrow Today
Keisha Polonio
Detailed Schedule
FEBRUARY 26 & 27
EASTERN STANDARD TIME
FRIDAY EVENING
7:00-7:10pm: Welcome & Overview
7:10 - 7:25pm: Session 1: Better Days Ahead: A Thriving Mission in a Polarized, Post-Corona, Hyper-Connected World - Michael Beck
7.25 - 7.45pm: Church Team Conversation
7:45 - 8:10pm: Session 2: Minefields and Goldmines: What to Anticipate in the New World - Len Sweet
8:10 - 8:40pm: Church Team Conversation
8:40 - 8.55pm: Q & A with Len Sweet & Michael Beck
8:55 - 9.00pm: Announcements and Prayer
SATURDAY MORNING
9:00 - 9.15am: Welcome & Scriptural Exhortation
9:15 - 9.30am: Church Team Conversation
9.30 - 10.00am: Session 3: The Plans I Have for You: Why Your Church's Destiny Lies in its History - Tod Bolsinger
10.00 - 10.30am: Church Team Conversation
10.30 - 10.45am: Q & A with Tod
10.45 - 11.00am: Stretch Break
11.00 - 11.30am: Session 4: The Church has Left the Building: Re-Vitalizing congregations from the outside-In - Shannon Kiser
11.30pm - 12.00pm: Church Team Conversation
12.00 - 12.45pm: Lunch Break
12.45 - 12.50pm: Welcome Back
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
12.50 - 1.30pm: Session 5: A New Kind of Local Church: How Experimental Communities and Established Liturgies can Renew the Local Congregation - Matt Lake
1.30 - 2.15pm: Church Team Conversation and Futuring Exercise
2.15 - 2.30pm: Stretch Break
2.30 - 2.35pm: Announcements & Next Steps
2.35 - 2.55pm: Session 6: Reclaiming the Spirit: The Power to Become the Church of Tomorrow Today - Keisha Polonio
2.55 - 3.10pm: Closing Prayer and Blessing
3.10 - 3.15pm: Church Team Closing Time of Blessing
Speakers
Len Sweet
Leonard Sweet is a scholar of American culture, a visionary leader who "sees things the rest of us do not see." He is a frequent guest lecturer at seminaries, university campuses, leadership events, and he is the author of more than 60 books.
Keisha Polonio
Keisha serves as an activist, chief storyteller, and champion for Created Women, a ministry committed to supporting vulnerable women caught in the sex industry in Tampa, Florida. In addition, she works as a trainer and mentor to missional leaders throughout the Tampa Bay Area.
Tod Bolsinger
Tod Bolsinger is the Executive Director of the De Pree Center Church Leadership Institute, a Senior Fellow of the De Pree Center for Leadership, and Associate Professor of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary. Previously, Tod served as a Vice President of Fuller Seminary for six years. He is the author of five books and served as a pastor for 27 years.
Dee Stokes
Dr. Dee serves on the teaching/preaching team at Christ Wesleyan Church, Greensboro, NC. She is President/CEO of a cross-cultural non-profit ministry: Dee Stokes Ministries, Inc. She is also an author and on the Fresh Expressions US staff as the Director of Cultural Intelligence & Trainer.
Michael Beck
Michael Beck is Director of Re-Missioning for Fresh Expressions US. Michael serves as co-pastor of Wildwood UMC with his wife Jill, where they direct addiction recovery programs, a jail ministry, a food pantry, an interracial unity movement, and a network of 15 Fresh Expressions that gather in Tattoo parlors, dog parks, salons, running tracks, community centers, and burrito joints.
Shannon Kiser
Shannon Kiser serves as Director of Training, leading our team of mission strategists and trainers in the development and implementation of the Mission Shaped Ministry course through Pioneer Learning Communities. She is also a pastor on staff with Riverside Church in Sterling, VA, a Church that worships in two languages and engages in several fresh expressions of church.
Matt Lake
Matt Lake serves as the Lead Pastor of the First UM Church in Williamsport, PA—an urban congregation that consists of a mix of traditional, and contemporary worship experiences. He uses his role as a lead pastor to encourage pioneers AND empower the “priesthood of all believers.”
Host: Gannon Sims
Gannon Sims serves as Director of Ministry Formation for Fresh Expressions US. He also coordinates the Fresh Expressions efforts of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, an association of 1400 churches in Virginia and 16 other states.
People Love Fresh Expressions US Online Training
"Combines theory and lots of practical, applicable ideas to give me knowledge that was flavored with inspiration."
Dilip
Pastor, Catawissa Avenue United Methodist Church
"As a teacher for 40 years, who sat through SO many in-service presentations, I can testify that this has been BY FAR the best presentation I have ever sat through!"
Diane
Pastor, Great Plains United Methodist Church
Since the COVID-19 crisis, Fresh Expressions has shared resources that are already practical and engaging—even more so in light of this pandemic.
Tricia
Operations Manager, Reformed Church of America
FAQs
Who should attend this event?
This conversation is oriented around church leadership teams, those on your staff and in your congregation who are discerning, deciding, and implementing ministry strategy. Anyone from your congregation is welcome to participate, but the conversations are meant to spur your lay and clergy leadership to consider the implications and possibilities of the cultural trends that will impact your mission effectiveness.
What will Fresh Expressions provide?
- A pre-event prayer guide and experience to facilitate with your leadership team
- Presentations by thought leaders and practitioners of innovative mission
- Discussion guides to grapple with the themes of the presentations with your local team
- Q and A opportunities with presenters
- Access to the Fresh Expressions App
- Future Church Resource Box
What is the local church responsible for?
You will determine whether your team participates virtually or gathers on-site. If your team is participating virtually, your church will be responsible for setting up your group to connect online for group conversation at the assigned times through your own Zoom link or other online platform.
If your team is participating together (masked and socially distanced) on-site, you will be responsible for ensuring that the content can be streamed during the presentations, and that you have the appropriate refreshments for your team throughout the day.
Is there a limit on how many from my church can attend?
No. However, if you choose to have a large group participating, you will need to consider how to break up your participants in smaller groups for the local team conversations to be effective.
The future is here, and "church" will never be the same. Gather your team virtually or any way you choose for two days that will equip you to craft a strategy for the changing world.
Sponsors
