Successful conference

Last night I returned from leading a conference for Transformation Ministries in Orange County, CA. Held in Dana Point, the weather was perfect and the conference was excellent. This was the Mustard Seed Conference that TM holds each year for smaller churches within their network. About 60 people attended including staff from TM and pastors and spouses.

This was a dynamic group of church leaders who are adamant that when healthy leaders lead healthy churches they will enjoy a much more effective ministry in their communities. The energy was high throughout the two-day event.

One of the things I enjoyed about this conference was that TM did not pack sessions and meetings into every moment. The first day of the conference didn't begin until after lunch. They scheduled a harbor tour for anyone interested that morning. Of course, I jumped at it. During the 1 1/2 hour tour we managed to see a whale, a pod of porpoises, and several sea lions. For an old farm boy from Indiana that is not something I get to see everyday! And to enjoy 80 degree weather in February was just icing on the cake!

The seminar they asked me to lead was "The Healthy Small Church." This is the most requested seminar I lead, and it fit in perfectly with what they wanted to do in this conference. Many of the pastors told me throughout the conference that the topics I was addressing was exactly what they were experiencing in their churches. Some pastors were bivocational and they appreciated the encouragement and affirmation I give to bivocational ministers. One admitted to me that he sometimes struggled with negative feelings about being bivocational, and he was especially grateful for the positive comments I made regarding bivocational ministry.

I have several of these events scheduled throughout 2016 for various denominations and organizations. My next speaking event will be to deliver a keynote address at an upcoming conference on bivocational ministry at Earlham College in Indiana. If your church, association, judicatory, or denominational group would be interested in having one of my seminars I would be more than glad to discuss the possibility with you. I still have several open dates on my calendar for this year.

I have several seminars I have done for various church groups in addition to the one I did for TM. They would include

• Transforming the Small Church From Maintenance-Minded to Missional
• Bivocational Ministry in the 21st Century
• Time Management for Church Leaders
• Church Hospitality: How to Turn First-Time Guests Into Members of Your Church

I've also developed specific seminars to meet the special needs of some of the organizations that have invited me to speak. I may be able to address some issue that is important to your church leaders. Just give me a call, and we can discuss how we might partner together.

I want to thank Transformation Ministries for their hospitality and their invitation to spend some time with their church leaders. I had an awesome time!