Update Info for 2026

 CORRECTION:

Jim Jeffery (Session #3) is at Chapel Pointe Church

CANCELLED

Session 2

Justin Edmonds’ “Design with Purpose — Planning and Budgeting Your Church Technology the Right Way”

 

CHANGED:

ALL WORKSHOPS IN RM 121 HAVE BEEN MOVED TO RM 138

Session 1

In Rm 38, Robert Bowman’s is now “Measuring Success in Ministry: A Missional Assessment Framework” with Jeff Halsted, Calvary Baptist Church, GR  

 Session 2

In Rm 122, Wes Crawford’s is now “Getting to the Heart of People’s Problems” with Mike Hanson, Biblical  Counseling Ministries.

People have problems, and the church is the place to go! Do you believe this? Or are you feeling not equipped? If you want to build your confidence in giving Biblical Care and Counsel to your people, this workshop is for you. 

In Rm 38, Robert Bowman’s is now  “Let’s Talk About Politics with Dave Rodgers

As we think about politics, we must remember that God is sovereign and holy, and man is limited and sinful.  An election does not change these facts at all.  How do we have conversations in our community and even in our churches that show these truths?  This workshop will NOT fix politics but will show you ways to think Biblically and have political conversations that show where your hope is.”  This is a repeat from last year 

Session 4

In Rm 129, Caleb Winegardner’s is now “Out with the new and in with the old” with Wes Crawford, West Cannon Baptist Church  

 In the ever-changing landscape of student ministries, it can be overwhelming to keep up! Every other youth group seems to have a new idea, strategy, or participate in a strange social media trend that you weren’t even aware of! This can tempt us away from the basics that God has given us in scripture for helping young people grow into the image of their Creator. This workshop aims at reorienting our minds and our definition of success back to what God would have for us! 

 

How to Pray for the 2026 Conference

"Prayer is complicated because it seems like we aren't doing anything, but it's also tricky because it's a humble act.  We must regularly humble ourselves before God's mighty hand and cast our cares on Him."  Tony Merida

Prayer is hard.
Prayer is essential for Gospel ministry.

When we view prayer as just another church ministry program, it becomes a burden or one of many different options. 

When we understand that prayer for the believer is like breathing for every human, we recognize that it is absolutely necessary for life, not an option.

Our lives need to glorify God. Being dependent upon Him for everything is one of, if not the best, ways to do this. Prayer shows our dependence upon God. 

Here are some prayers for the conference and the time leading up to the conference. 

• Pray the weekend would help churches by glorifying God, focusing on the Bible, and providing practical ministry tips

• Pray for  Jeremy Kimble, the keynote speaker and Cedarville professor.  Here is a lecture Dr. Kimble taught on prayer - https://www.cedarville.edu/media/video-player/1_owbjh42f

• Pray for the over 50 workshop speakers.

• Pray for those from your church and other churches who attend the conference.  Pray that they would be encouraged and helped in the ministries.  

• Thank God for Calvary Baptist Church's willingness and ability to host the conference.

• Thank God for the volunteers who help with planning, set up, serving snacks, clean up, and so much more.  

The How to Attend a Conference post is about Prayerfully Plan, Prayerfully Go, and Prayerfully Share - https://grchurchministriesconference.blogspot.com/2025/10/how-to-get-most-out-of-conference.html

How to Promote the Church Ministries Conference at Your Church

The purpose of the Church Ministries Conference (https://grchurchministriesconference.com) is to encourage and equip those serving in and through the local church.  We want the weekend to be theological (God-glorifying and Bible-focused) and practical.

Here are some very practical ways you can promote the CMC with your church and friends.

• Share the Bridge Fellowship Podcast about the conference

• Share the workshop introduction videos from the CMC Facebook page (www.facebook.com/church.ministries.conference) or YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@churchministriesconference)

• Among specific ministry volunteers, share relevant workshops that could be helpful.  There are several different ministry tracks.  See the graphics below.  New graphics will be available once the theme and workshops are set.

• Personal example that would be helpful for next year.
• For the 2026 conference, Dave Rodgers, a CMC Planning Team member and associate pastor at Trinity Baptist Church, taught a discipleship class.  During the February classes, the conference was promoted by highlighting workshops connected with that week's discipleship topic.

Here are last year's graphics.

How to Get the Most Out of a Conference

We are so thankful for the opportunity to plan the Church Ministries Conference weekend.  There is a lot of work that goes into putting that one weekend together—planning workshop schedules, purchasing lunches, setting up at Calvary Baptist Church, and securing a keynote speaker. 

Each committee member would say the two reasons they do it are to glorify God and to help churches in their disciple-making mission.

To help attendees and their churches, here are two resources.

•  Don Whitney shared 10 Questions to Ask to Benefit from a Conference or Special Event
• https://biblicalspirituality.org/article/10-questions-to-ask-to-benefit-from-a-conference-or-special-event/

• Dave Rodgers, one of the CMC planning committee members, recorded these videos to help attendees and churches get the most from this conference and any conference
• Introduction to the How to Attend a Conference Video (2:01)
• Prayerfully Plan (2:32)
• Prayerfully Go (3:21)
• Prayerfully Share.  (2:55)

All four videos together (10:48)

Remember to Pray!