Breakout Sessions
Monday, March 11
Breakout Session 1 ~ 9:00-10:00am
Mapping Your Future: Financial Wellness Strategies for Clergy
JIM MORRISON President of Church Benefits Board
Making decisions for your financial future is easier with a little help. That's why Church Benefits Board offers incentives through the Financial Wellness Initiative to help clergy design and implement a financial plan. Explore tools and resources to help you map your financial future.
Preparing Powerful Sermons
WAYNE FAISON Executive Director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, Pastor East End Baptist Church
In this breakout session we will consider the weekly demands of sermon preparation. How do you select your text? How do you move from the text to the sermon? How do you do this in the midst of the many conflicting demands on the pastor's time? In this breakout session you will see one pastor's approach.
Leading a Politically Divided Congregation
TODD LATHAM Pastor, Memorial Baptist Church
Partisan politics creates dividing walls that can feel impenetrable. Political and cultural divisions are impacting churches across the country. Let's discuss how we can teach our churches to live with and even encourage political diversity while still loving our neighbors as Christ loves us.
Breakout Session 2 ~ 1:30-2:30pm
Trauma Informed Care
JOEL ELMORE & JASON MASCHING HopeTree Family Services
In this breakout session, we will equip you with tools to identify what trauma is and how the church can respond to it. In doing so, we will look at ways you can build a trust-based community of support. We will also catch a glimpse at the current state of foster care in the Commonwealth and ways that your church can meet those needs and further Christ's Kingdom.
A Conversation with Linda Popham
LINDA POPHAM Pastor, Fern Creek Baptist Church
We will have an informal conversation with Linda about her call and ministry. Linda will also show a short documentary about her church’s journey as it has managed the loss of cooperative status within the SBC. This will be a time to ask questions of Linda both about her experience and her plans for the cooperative mission work in the future.
The Sermon on the Mount
BOB MOORE Pastor Emeritus, Bonsack Baptist Church
The Sermon on the Mount presents the heart of the teaching of Jesus; it may be the best-known part of the New Testament, though it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed. It is Jesus’ own description of what He wanted His followers to be and do and what they look like when they come under the rule of God. This breakout session will give those who come a comprehensive overview of what the Sermon on the Mount says. It will invite participants to let Jesus speak again. If Christians would wholeheartedly accept the values and standards Jesus sets forth, we would become a radically different society and our witness to the world would be so much clearer and stronger. It is a message the Church needs to hear again.
Breakout Session 3 ~ 4:00-5:00pm
Spudtacular Generosity
CINDY ELMORE Director of Advancement, EverBless Foundation
Whether you’re a couch potato or a hot potato, now is the time to start chipping away at generosity in your church. Learn about EverBless scholarships, donor-advised funds, money management and more. No matter how you slice or dice it, giving is the key to moving the mission of your church forward!
What Do You Think, Pastor? Addressing the LGBTQ community with truth and love
WILLIAM H. SMITH Retired Pastor
As acceptance of alternative sexual expressions advances in society, there is increasing confusion within the church of how to engage persons and families who define themselves by these sexual identities. This is not a new challenge for the church. In this session, you will learn from a pastor who served the San Francisco and Washington, DC community for over thirty years.
Finishing Well
SKIP WALLACE Field Strategist, Central-Valley Region, Baptist General Association of Virginia
I’m ten years from retirement. What should I be thinking about?
Tuesday, March 12
Breakout Session 4 ~ 8:30-9:30am
Emotional Intelligence as Faithful Discipleship
SARA HUBBLE CrossRoads Camp
Faithfully following Jesus is to experience the deep joy and real challenge of doing life together. In this dialogue driven session we will explore practices of Emotional Intelligence that foster healthy, meaningful relationships and empower us to navigate interpersonal conflict with integrity and hope.
The Theological Foundations of the Classic Baptist Conviction for the Separation of Church and State
SHELTON MILES Retired Pastor, Farmer
Virginia Baptists contributed significantly to the question of whether or not to have an "established" religion. There were various voices advocating for the separation of church and state. Virginia Baptists were unique in advocating this position for theological concerns. In this session you will be reminded of these convictions. There will also be time to reflect on the perennial significance of this tradition.
Cultivating Revival in the Home, the Church, and in Your Community
BEN DISHNER National Field Director, OneCry
We recognize that the church in America is in a state of spiritual emergency. We believe that true revival is the only hope to reverse our spiritual recession and enable us once again to display the beauty of Jesus Christ and His gospel throughout the world. Come and learn with us as we reflect on the need for revival.
Breakout Session 5 ~ 9:45-10:45am
Understanding Your Community as You Reach and Preach
GARY LONG Chief Marketing Officer, Baptist General Association of Virginia
How can your church effectively reach, engage, and evangelize your surrounding community? Unlock the opportunity in your community with an accurate set of demographics. Answering the “Who” as a part of the “How?”
The Pastor and Marital Counseling
KEN PRUITT President, The John Leland Center for Theological Studies
Pastors are often the first individual outside of the family who is contacted in a time of family crisis. In many cases professional counseling services are unavailable to those who are in need. In this session you will learn about ways to help couples in crisis. You will also learn about ways to offer premarital counseling. Have you ever felt overwhelmed in a time of crisis? This session will help strengthen this aspect of your pastoral responsibilities.
Shepherding Youth & Children's Ministry
GREG HETHERINGTON Associate Pastor, Melrose Baptist Church
Wondering how to initiate, restart, or reenergize your ministries to children, youth, and families? The last few years have forced us to reimagine how we do these ministries. This breakout will assist with: defining your ministry, understanding your ministry purpose, identifying core values, establishing Christian Education plans, implementing safety policies, and imagining ways to engage with your community. We will also have a time of idea and best-practice sharing.