People who serve at our missions bring a heart for the work, a vision of how things should be done, and their personality. Do we as a board give our administrator the support and structure that he needs? How can administrators do well in leading and unifying our team? The vision of productive relationships between the board, administrator and staff can be challenging to achieve but needs leadership to be realized.

This session covers the attitudes and practices that help a leader to lead effectively and in a way that is sustainable over the career lifespan of the leader.

Leaving the mission field and returning home can be a very traumatic event. Returning missionaries need discerning and caring people around them to help them navigate the challenges of re-entry. This session examines some of the major challenges that returning missionaries face and some practical ways churches and individuals can come alongside them.

This session considers how women specifically reflect God’s image, and how this reflection gives direction for women of God to participate in ministry effectively.

Each year, over 1.5 million international students come to America to study. Many of these scholars never visit or make friendships with American families. Many know very little about Christianity or the Bible. This is a wide open door! In this session, Ernest Eby explores practical ways for ministering to this mostly unreached people group.

Often in ministry teams, those serving in subordinate roles are more competent in some ways than those in leadership roles– sometimes more competent in significant ways. In this breakout session, John Coblentz shows how to use abilities to bless fellow workers and supervisors rather than becoming competitors.

Donors expect us to issue donation receipts that allow them to deduct their contributions on their income tax returns. But do you know what critical elements must be included on your donation receipts? What about material donations or donations received at fundraiser events? This session focuses on these questions and more.

Growing up is hard for anyone. What is it like to grow up in a foreign land and understand two cultures but not be at home in either one? Stephan Gingerich shares stories and lessons from a third culture kid.

This session is designed to help us identify people in our churches, schools, and families who have a missionary calling. This session offers practical ideas for coming alongside them and assisting them in preparing themselves for an assignment in missions.

All around us are searching faces. Jesus encountered them, too. Lovingly He reached into dark places to bring healing and hope into the lives of women just like you, inviting them to pursue their own special passions. In your uniqueness, God has placed specific gifts to use in touching hearts around you.

Prepare? There is work to be done! Let us go before we waste more time! While zeal is commendable, proper preparation will help prevent an early death of ministry through burnout, interpersonal conflict, and other issues. Maturity, character, cleansing, and a clear call developed in the womb of worship are significant aspects of this journey.

In this session, Allen Roth observes the Apostle Peter in his (sometimes bumbling) experience of visiting a non-Jewish home. He then draws out lessons that will help Christians befriend people from other backgrounds and incorporate them into churches composed of people who have grown up primarily with others of similar backgrounds.

Are you in touch with your deepest longings? Have you put words to those longings? Your heavenly Father knows and wants to meet them. Clara Schnupp explores this topic using stories of women in the Bible as well as stories from her own life.

Praying for others and with others is a ministry we easily neglect. But both Jesus and Paul—the two lives most visible to us in the New Testament—show us that prayer is essential to ministry, not an add-on.

In this session, Gary Miller considers a board’s role in governance and its composition and organization, as well as different hats that board members wear. He focuses on identifying key characteristics of board effectiveness.

Leadership: what an inspiring word! We get it started, we are moving forward, but then… what is happening? Something is going wrong! God’s mission is too important to turn a blind eye to the problem, so in this seminar Kevin gives tools we can use to fix the leaks that will inevitably spring in our ship from time to time. Rather than abandon the ship, we can learn how to keep sailing, even during turbulent times.

Every person in every culture is made in God’s image, no matter how poor or how rich they are. Our posture as we meet with the needy and reach out to help them will say a lot about how we view them. This will determine how open they are to us helping them or how easily they share their deep struggles with us. Recognizing worth and value in every soul will go a long way in understanding needs and presenting those needs to a support base.

This breakout takes a practical look at some new, some mature tools that are becoming affordable/accessible that may help to make your ministry more efficient.

How often have we prayed with the words “Father,if it is Your will, please__________”? But what if we would pray things for our husbands, children, friends, and our own lives that we know are His will? How would our lives and homes change if we would ask that His will would be done in our lives as it is in heaven? As we pray for His will to be accomplished, we understand more of His heart. We will move beyond demanding and begging for what we want to a quiet, humble trusting and resting in His s

As a leader’s wife, do you find it difficult to find your place in ministry? Does it sometimes feel like you have no purpose within your team? How do you feel fulfilled when your calling is to be the invisible woman?