view cart Sunday School Events
Sunday School Events at Glorieta and Ridgecrest Conference Centers offer LifeWay's one-of-a-kind training experience — like nothing available anywhere else. A first-class faculty leads training for anyone who leads Bible study ministries, including preschool leaders, children's leaders, student workers, adult leaders, pastors, ministers of education, Sunday School directors, and outreach directors, and those who work with people who have special needs.
Theme:
The theme for our summer, 2009, Sunday School events is “The Power of the Connected Sunday School. Bringing this theme to life will be a fantastic group of conferences to choose from led by experienced training facilitators. They will help you and your leaders discover the remarkable power of a God empowered, focused, connected Sunday School and its impact on a class, the community, and its commission. In addition, you will enjoy dynamic worship, challenging preaching, and good fellowship and fun.
There will be classes for all age group leaders – preschool, children, student, adult, and pastors, ministers of education, Sunday School directors, outreach and evangelism directors, and leaders in special needs. There will be some special features in each of the areas this summer which will include the following:
Preschool:
Join other preschool leaders and teachers as we discover, explore and connect with our role as a preschool division director, preschool professional staff, or preschool teacher. We will have age group core conferences each morning and elective conferences that are designed to meet the needs of all preschool leaders/teachers from various size churches. We will bring back observation for those teachers who teach babies - kindergarten. This is exciting to think about as we gather valuable experience watching experienced teachers teach preschoolers the Bible. Connecting with preschoolers and connecting with teachers will be the primary theme and objective for all our conferences. Bring your cameras and be ready to experience "hands-on" learning.
Children:
Do you struggle to get leaders “plugged in” to children’s ministry? A conference center experience can help your children’s leaders discover their purpose in ministry. Leaders will learn interactive fun teaching methods and be equipped to face the challenges in today’s classroom. Leaders will learn how to develop relationships with children and their families. A conference center experience can help build leadership skills and facilitate opportunities to boost a team spirit among volunteers. Both volunteers and professional Children’s Ministers will be challenged by ministry opportunities and enjoy networking with children’s leaders from across the country.
Seminars will be provided for the new children’s leader as well as the seasoned veteran. A special track for professional Children’s Ministers will be offered. We will explore the needs of both the small and large children’s ministry.
Student:
Maximizing the KNOWN strategy through a Connect3 Sunday School
Student leaders will have three tracks from which to choose:
New (3 years or less) or Potential Leaders
- Sessions will explore basic “How to”s for leading effective Bible study , ministry, outreach and organization for classes
Veteran Leaders
- How to provide leadership in moving your class to community and fulfillment of the Great Commission
- How to navigate spiritual assessment of students in your care and teach on an appropriate level
- How to get student’s to bring/use their Bibles
- How to develop leaders in your group
- Encouragement and Inspiration to get you through the Long Haul
Student Ministers - Sessions just for you - targeted to the things you need and including:
- Practical help and dialogue in Shaping, Fleshing out, or Refining the KNOWN strategy in your ministry and through Sunday School
- Tips and resources for training your Adult Leaders to walk in the KNOWN strategy with students
- Networking with other ministers
- How to choose the most effective curriculum line for your unique group
- How to motivate leaders to be influencers for a Connect3 Sunday School
- Encouragement and Inspiration to get you through the Long Haul
Adult
Training will be provided for:
Teachers of adults. Teachers will discover opportunities to strengthen Bible study and Bible teaching approaches. Specific training will be provided for teachers of Adults of major life stages, including Collegiate and Young Adults, Parents and Empty Nesters, and Older Adults. Teachers will focus on ways you can more effectively:
- Lead your class to build fellowship around the Word of God
- Lead your class to build ministry opportunities as you connect with members and prospects.
- Lead class members to be missionaries as you help release and reproduce the ministry opportunities of the class.
Department and Division Directors and Professional staff who relate to Adult Sunday School. These key leaders will identify ways to strengthen leadership abilities as we focus on enlisting, training, and motivating adults to reach and minister to adults in your church. These leaders will focus on strengthening leadership, organizational, and growth strategy skills. This training will help leaders focus on engaging adults in ministry and missions.
Class Leaders who focus on reaching and ministry with adults. Every class needs as least one person who leads the class to invite adults, and one person who leads the class in hospitality and ministry. These leaders will focus on ways to reach adults through the class. This training will also help you plan for and connect adults to the class and to the church through meaningful fellowship, ministry and missions opportunities.
Elective sessions for adult leaders include sessions like the following:
- Understanding and Connecting with young adults
- Lead your class to be part of a mission experience
- I want to be a more enthusiastic Bible student
- Prepare to teach a life changing Bible study session
- Connect your class to the power of prayer
- Help class members connect to a ministry
- Strengthen focus on reaching adults
General Leaders
An exciting track for every General Leader
Practical, hands on tracks are being developed for every General Leadership role in Sunday School. These tracks will help you learn, how in today’s world, to connect the Sunday School with its mission focusing on class, community, and commission.
Pastors
An exciting addition to this year’s offerings will be a core track, led by an experienced pastor and Sunday School growth expert, Ken Marler. Ken, now with LifeWay Christian Resources, has been a pastor, growth consultant, State Sunday School Director, and worked with pastors throughout the country in evaluating their Sunday School and building a plan for its growth. This practical track will be one that any pastor would not want to miss.
Ministers of Education
A practical, interactive, involved are words that describe the experience planned for Ministers of Education. Bob Mayfield, a former Minister of Education State Sunday School Director in Oklahoma and Rob Patterson, a Minister of Education from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Both Bob and Rob have led Sunday Schools that have experienced exceptional growth as they connected with their community. Bob is leading churches across Oklahoma to establish a renew commitment and focus on building Sunday Schools that reach in new and effective ways.
Sunday School Directors
Sunday School Directors are in for on one of the most helpful and creative years of conferencing ever. The four Sunday School Specialists at the Florida Baptist Convention, and the Sunday School Specialists with the Louisiana Baptist Convention are working to produce a variety of practical experiences for new and experienced Sunday School Directors and application to small and large churches. You will discover the practical principles of building a strongly “connected” Sunday School and how to effectively carry out those principles through your role as Sunday School Director. I will be unlike anything you have experienced before.
Outreach and Evangelism
If ever there was a year that you will not want to miss it is this year. Sunday School must provide strong leadership in helping Sunday School classes connect with the community and their commission to reach the lost. Sunday School can be your church’s number one tool for reaching, assimilating, and ministering to people, but to do so requires organization, training, skills, and focus. You’ll spend 10 hours under the leadership of Dean Abernathy, Sunday School Specialist from LifeWay learning how to enthuse and engage Sunday School members in reaching and ministering to their lost and unchurched friends. Dean’s background as an Evangelism Specialist at LifeWay and a former Minister of Education equips him to bring to you the practical help you desire. Strengthen your skills for instilling a vision for outreach, organizing for outreach, enlisting and training passionate leadership, witnessing, and more.
Elective Conferences
In addition to the tracks above, you will have the opportunity to dig deeper in on of 16 to 20 elective conferences focused specifically to equip you with the practical steps in going home and beginning to apply the principles you are learning.SPECIAL NEEDSPlug in to Special Needs Ministry conferences and connect with leaders from all over the nation. Energize your ministry with fresh ideas and get practical help for your specific needs. Core tracks for children’s ministry leaders and older youth/adult ministry leaders will focus on connecting with moms and dads, connecting with volunteers, connecting with learners, and connecting yourself to something beyond special needs ministry. Electives for veteran leaders will challenge you to develop effective ministry teams. And everyone will have the opportunity for hands-on teaching experience in our Special Needs VBS Camp for kids, teens, and adults who have special needs.
| DATES | LOCATION | INFORMATION | CONTACT | REGISTRATION |
| July 10 - 13, 2009 | Ridgecrest, NC LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center |
Event details |
Ridgecrest Registration 800.588.7222 ridgecrest@lifeway.com |
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| July 20 - 24, 2009 | Glorieta, NM LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center |
Event details |
Glorieta Registration 800.797.4222 glorieta@lifeway.com |