A National Convocation of Church Education Ministry Leaders

It’s all about M.E.

This is your invitation to gather with church education ministry leaders from across the United States in a relaxed atmosphere of challenge, motivation, growth, and renewal.

Discover the latest research, trends, and reality from national church leaders. Learn even more through breakout sessions. Connect with friends. Create new networks. And relax in a beautiful resort setting. All at an affordable price.

Gathering at the Wyndham Orlando Resort, Sept. 23-25, 2009, education minsters can learn of new ways to put training into practice from some of today's finest church education leaders and practioners —

• Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources
• Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Seminary
• Bruce Raley, director of Leadership and Evangelism Training and Events
• Plus Don Blackmore, Glen Canup, Ashley Clayton, Bill Gambrell, Mike Hatfield, Rob Patterson, Topper Reid, Carter Shotwell, Allan Taylor, Bill Taylor, Rick Wheeler, Jeff Young, and more

Excel '09 begins Wednesday afternoon Sept. 23 at 2:00 p.m. and concludes Friday afternoon Sept. 25 at 1:30 p.m.

Quicklinks
  • Featured Guests
  • Registration Info*
  • Schedule
  • Location Info
 

Break-out Sessions:

• Dreaming the Dream - Don Blackmore, Jonesboro, AR
  We all have dreams of where the education ministry can go in our church as the second chair leader.  These dreams motivate us through the present reality because of the potential reality.  Learn how to move your dreams from “I wish we could…” to an achievable reality.  Don will take you through a process that will move you from dreams to casting a reality. 
• Developing the Process for Disciple-making - Jeff Young, Plano, TX
  We are called by God to make disciples through the Great Commission.  Typically, churches offer a smorgasbord of classes related to who is willing to teach or what is the latest topic of interest.  True disciple-making focuses on moving individuals through a process.  This process is designed to develop the character, compassion, and call of a Christ follower.  Jeff understands the need for a disciple-making process, and he will help set you on the direction of developing a process for your church.
• Hiring and Developing of Staff - Bill Gambrell, Marietta, GA
   It is often said that it is better to fire your hiring mistakes before you make them.  Learn from veteran education, Bill Gambrell, how to evaluate potential staff.  Recruiting the right person is not enough, you must work to mentor and develop the staff into a team.  It does not matter if you are working with a volunteer staff, part time staff, full time staff or all of the above, Bill’s experience will give you the needed tools to develop the staff around you. 
• Setting and Achieving Goals
  If you do not know what you are aiming at, you will miss it every time.  Setting and achieving goals as a Minister of Education is never a solo activity.  Your work is achieved most effectively through teams of people.  Learn how to set team goals and then effectively delegate tasks and responsibilities to achieve those goals.  Through many, we all can do more in service of the Lord. 
• Leading Your Sunday School to Become Missional  
  God is on a mission and has called us all to be a part of that mission, but how do we translate that mission into the organization called the Sunday School.  Too often our Sunday Schools have become programs that exist for an hour on Sunday morning.  Learn how to move the Sunday School to become an incarnational organism that impacts the community by reaching and ministering to lost and saved alike. 
• Achieving Balance While Wearing Multiple Hats - Rick Wheeler, Florida Baptist Convention
  Do you feel like a jack of many trades and a master of none?  That seems to be the nature of the work of a Minister of Education.  Finding balance is one of the hardest issues we face daily in our work.  Rick Wheeler will help you discover ways to balance the multiple ministry hats and family/community hats you must wear.
• ME and Pastor Relationship
  As a Minister of Education, your relationship with your pastor will determine his success, your success, and the success of the church.  Building, growing, and adding value to this relationship will give you a shared time of ministry fulfillment.  As a servant leader, we can sustain this relationship by improving and adding value as a partner in ministry.  Discover keys to make this relationship what God intended it to be for the greater good of the church.
• True to Our Call - Rob Patterson, Bowling Green, KY
  We were all called by God to His ministry but often ministry seems to take a back seat to the business of church.  Rob shares insight on how to stay fresh for ministry in our personal lives.  It is out of this flow that we are able to minister to others.  Rob will also share some practical helps on how to be a good minister. 
• The ME as a Teacher/Theologian - Glen Canup, Lawrenceville, GA
  Research tells us that the average college graduate reads only 3 books following graduation, but if we are going to stay fresh and aware of current trends we must be life long learners.  Staying up on what is going on, takes a lot of time, but it is well work it.  Discover some of the top books, websites, and methods to keep up with what is happening around you.
• A New Way to Keep Score.....Developing Spiritual Scorecards - Topper Reid, Birmingham, AL
  As a 21st century Minister of Education, how do we know if we are getting the job done educationally in our churches?  How do we measure/evaluate success in the education ministry?  How do we keep score today?  In this session, we will look at how we have traditionally kept score and if those measurements are still valid.  Is there a better way and if so, what does that scorecard look like?