Last year’s XP-Seminar was a significant milestone for us. We decided to initiate my succession over the next seven years. I would never have started this process had I not attended the conference.

The outstanding workshops made me realize that the best way I can ensure the legacy of the church I planted is to skillfully and intentionally pass the baton to those who will lead in the next generation.

Investing in the XP-Seminar was a catalytic decision for our organization. The value of an expanded network and broadened perspective helped us take major steps forward.

Learning to develop both the business brain and pastoral heart, and having the self-awareness of which to lean on in various situations, is crucial for anyone in the Executive Pastor role.

It’s a gift to have a community like this to provide support, insight, and education through the ministry journey.

Learn the results at the XP-Seminar.

Read more

1:00-4:00 pm

Cultivate an Extraordinary Team Culture with Jenni Catron. Research tells us that a strong and healthy culture leads to greater employee engagement and more growth for your organization. And yet, while 90% of leaders believe that an engagement strategy will have an impact on their success, only 25% of them actually have a plan.

1:00-4:00 pm

The first year for an XP is critical. Some XPs had prior roles at the church for many years and others are new to that culture. The key is learning your new role and responding to the dynamics of that role: Working with the Senior Pastor, working with staff leaders and the entire staff and working with the congregation.

1:00-4:00 pm

Real Coaching Success with Dr. Nathan Baxter. Churches that coach their leaders and volunteers discover that their investment pays off. Research continues to show that people want coaching. Your staff wants to know how to be more effective in their jobs and ministries. Here’s a fantastic opportunity to be with a gifted and national-level coach and trainer. XPastor has partnered with Dr. Nathan Baxter to bring his Real Coaching Success workshop to the 2022 XP-Seminar.

6:30 pm

XP-Seminar Registration and Dessert. We like to begin with an evening welcome and social in the Beverly Ballroom. Talk to old friends and meet some new ones.

7:00-7:30 pm

Reveal of the XP Survey by Brad Leeper, President of Generis. Generis spearheaded a national XP survey in the fall of 2021. Now let’s hear the results! Few know more about generosity and church culture than Brad. He and the Generis team were key movers in instigating a “culture of generosity” in the church landscape. Brad earned a Masters in Theology degree from Dallas Seminary and a B.S. in Economics from West Virginia University. He has diverse experience in church risk management, human resources, financial analysis, adult education, cross-cultural missions and strategic planning.

7:30-7:45 pm

Practical strategies for Operationalizing a Great Vision. Jeff Beachum will share about “small is the new big.” Many church leaders are rethinking their strategies for growth. Large new builds are giving way to two or more right-sized campuses in targeted communities. Jeff Beachum will share some successful examples how churches are innovating—positioning themselves to impact new communities in new ways. Get ready for some eye-popping and money saving ideas about your next site. These strategies may be far less expensive, quicker, and generate more momentum than you thought.

7:45-8:15 pm

Do More With Less: How Fractional Hybrid Workforces Can Benefit Churches with Ryan Fitzgerald. Before becoming the Senior Marketing Manager at BELAY, a modern staffing company, Ryan worked for North Point Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia, for nearly 15 years. After six years advising and developing pastors around the world, he helped launch Decatur City Church, North Point’s sixth Atlanta-area location. While there, Ryan built the creative, communications, and operations teams and served as the lead pastor’s chief advisor and strategist. His experience at North Point has positioned him perfectly to help churches find the modern staffing solutions that help them go further faster with BELAY.

8:15-8:45 pm

Make the Most of Every Meeting & Better Develop Your Team by Matt Tresidder, Co-founder at Leadr. Matt has keen insights about how to make your meetings more effective. Take your skills of developing other leaders to a new level. Matt has developed the first people development software built for churches. He joined Leadr after six years at Pushpay, serving most recently as the VP of Sales. Born in New Zealand, He is a graduate of Seth Godin’s altMBA and the Wharton Business School Executive program. Matt is passionate about helping churches engage and grow leaders at every level of their organization.

8:45-9:00 pm

Where Is All that Money Going? by Mike Prior, President of Financial Planning Ministry. There is going to be a huge transition of wealth from one generation to the next, in the trillions of dollars. Let’s consider how your church’s vision can help guide those funds. Through partnership with over 130 ministries, FPM has established Will and Trust estate plans for over 37,000 members with charitable gift designations reaching over $1.8 billion. Mike holds a J.D. in law and a B.A. in Business Administration. He served as Executive Pastor of Central Christian Church in Mesa, Arizona before serving FPM, its partners and members for over 25 years

7:30-8:20

Financial Viability in 2022 and Beyond with Shelle Graves. Full breakfast with Thrivent. Shelle is Regional Investment Consultant for Thrivent Investments. Whenever Thrivent talks, people listen. Their vast experience in loans gives them insight that few have. Thrivent has helped 6,000 Christian churches achieve their missions, grow their ministries and meet their financial stewardship through mortgage loans for refinancing, new construction, renovation or capital improvement.

8:20-8:35

Introductions and orientation with David Fletcher.

8:35-8:50

Successful Successions with Tim Foot, the new president of Slingshot. In years of experience with churches, Slingshot has help a great many churches with succession … then it was time for a leadership succession at Slingshot. Let’s glean from their learnings and apply it. With nearly 30 years of experience as a leader, pastor, coach, speaker, musician, and presenter in Australia and North America, Tim Foot brings a diverse background in church, nonprofit and for-profit environments. He believes: When the mission of the leader and the mission of the organization line up – that’s when the magic happens! Alignment is everything and the best investment you’ll ever make is in your leaders.

8:50-9:20

Finances … with Mike Batts, Managing Partner of BMWL. Mike will share an intriguing take on the nuts and bolts of church finances. From his wealth of experience and many books, Mike brings great insight into current and upcoming trends in church financial leadership. Mike has more than 30 years of experience serving nonprofit organizations in a variety of ways. Mike actively engages in nonprofit legislative matters at the federal and state levels. He has served on and chaired the boards of nonprofit organizations, such as the ECFA and the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations. In 2013, Mike was inducted into the National Association of Church Business Administration Hall of Fame. He is co-author of Church Finance, Nonprofit Financial Oversight—The Concise and Complete Guide for Boards and Finance Committees and Board Member Orientation.

9:20-9:35

Research You Should Know About with Warren Bird, Vice President for Research and Equipping at the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Warren is one of the leading researchers on the church in America today. From his wealth of data, he brings a rich perspective on national trends that impact your church. Warren is an award-winning writer and researcher. His background includes pastoring and seminary teaching, and a 13-year run as research director at Leadership Network. Warren has authored or co-authored 30 books including Hero Maker with Dave Ferguson, How to Break Growth Barriers with Carl George and Unleashing the Word with Max McLean.

9:35-10:25

When Outreach Takes You Outside the Box: Are You Covered? with Mike Kramer. More churches are turning to alternative initiatives to meet their community’s needs and fulfill their mission. Some are finding success by offering medical services, using tiny homes as emergency shelters, or staging concerts. But unusual outreach efforts like roasting coffee or operating a fitness center—even partnering with hunters to process donated wild game—can come with unique risks that may make the venture hard to insure. And if your church is headed back into the mission field, the risks have changed there, too. The essential question is this: How do you follow your calling while protecting church resources? What are the insurance stumbling blocks that Christian nonprofits encounter that for-profit businesses don’t? And what questions should you ask your insurance agent before considering an out-of-the-box outreach ministry? Michael Kramer, AIC, AIS, CISR, has been with Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company for 17 years. As specialty sales manager, special markets, Michael finds creative insurance solutions for the innovative ways ministries engage with their communities.

10:25-10:55

Key Metrics for Churches with Rob Faulk, Partner and Church and Denomination Services Director of CapinCrouse. Rob brings experience as an XP and a CPA. He knows church and has the acumen to speak to the needed metrics for your church. He has more than 40 years of financial leadership experience in serving both for-profit and nonprofit entities, as well as more than eight years of direct ministry experience as Executive Pastor and CFO of large churches. He serves some of the largest churches in the United States as well as colleges, universities and seminaries, rescue missions, and other nonprofits.

10:55-11:10

Discussion with Scott Charbonneau from GuideStone on insurance issues. There is high anxiety in the high calling of ministry today. These pressures are intense breeding grounds for stress. Stress, however, doesn’t have to be our foe. It can become our friend. Churches and ministry-minded individuals like you look to GuideStone for retirement, insurance and investment solutions which align with your values, offer award-winning performance and support your well-being.

11:10-11:25

Top 5 Legal Issues for Churches. Dustin Gaines from the Church Lawyers will highlight to most common legal issues for churches. The Church Lawyers always bring relevant and hot topics for XPs to consider! Dustin is a trial lawyer who focuses his practice on litigation matters related to churches, schools, and non-profit organizations. He has a diverse practice that focuses on general civil litigation matters and constitutional/religious liberties matters. As both an attorney and pastor, Dustin relates with pastors and will guide you to a resolution of your legal challenge from a pastor/attorney’s perspective.

11:25-11:55

Architecture and Design with Bruce Woody, President, and Mark Ashcraft, Senior Associate, from HH Architects. They give us the ideas to dream big. In pictures and words, they speak into our dreams and desires. A building is not just bricks and mortar, it is a place to realize your ministry vision. Let’s see some great work that will amp up our vision for building. Bruce shares from HH Architects’s credo, We Believe, We Serve, We Create. He likes to approach projects from the client’s perspective. Mark is passionate about sharing the strategic thinking behind faith-based design, how it shapes the user experience, and the importance of being ministry driven in those efforts.

Noon

Networking Lunch. Pick up lunch outside the Ballroom and take it to a room on either floor. Use this time to meet new colleagues and network with friends.

1:15-2:15

Workshops: Session 1

2:15

Afternoon snack on first floor

2:30-3:30

Workshops: Session 2

3:45-4:45

Workshops: Session 3

Dinner

Take an XP/SP friend to dinner! Schedule it early with someone from your state or similar-sized church. We see scores of people do this every year.

7:45-8:45

Chocolate, cake and other desserts with Ed Stetzer, Keynote Part 1. This special dessert has just been added. Have dinner with a friend but be back in the ballroom by 7:45 for Ed’s keynote address. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors and church planters on six continents, has earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates, and has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books.

7:45-8:30

Is Your Church Building Killing Your Attendance? with Dave Milam. Full breakfast brought by Visioneering. Did you know there are hidden growth barriers built right into your building? These hidden traps will pull energy and momentum from even the best churches. Leaving your growth plateaued, your staff burned out, and your vision on hold while you try to figure out what’s going on. Dave Milam is the Vice President of Strategic Design at Visioneering Studios. He stands firmly at the intersection of ministry, design, and visual storytelling. Dave served in the church for over 20 years. Dave has a heart for guiding pastors through unique challenges of ministry to awaken the beauty that God has placed within them and their facilities. His writing has been featured in LifeWay, Outreach Magazine, Influence, Christian Standard and other national periodicals.

8:30-8:45

Time with Fletch, the Executive Indicator and Kurian Babykutty. Kurian is the CEO of 40 Parables, a strategic MarTech partner for ministries, and is thrilled to help ministries rethink their marketing!

8:45-9:20

Ed Stetzer, Keynote Address Part 2. Ed brings an amazing blend of local church leadership experience, academic teaching and mentoring, and social media presence. Heserves as Dean of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership at Wheaton College, and as Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors and church planters on six continents, has earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates, and has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books.

9:20-9:50

David Fletcher on Cultural Awareness and Strategize the Win

9:50-10:25

A Different Take on Senior Pastor Succession with Bishop David Evans. David and Nick Smith are in a multi-decade succession plan at Bethany Baptist Church. Most churches think of a 2-year succession plan, not a 20-year one! Yet, when you hear the warmth of relationship between these two men, their dedication to each other and the church, you will say “where can I get that kind of relationship?”

10:25-10:40

Clarity and Care with Devin Greco, MidMarket Sales Manager with Pushpay

10:40-11:20

Staffing Turnover and Trends with William Vanderbloemen. William Vanderbloemen is an entrepreneur, pastor, speaker, author, and CEO/Founder of Vanderbloemen. He is a regular contributor to both Forbes and Fortune. He has written: Next: Pastoral Succession That Works (2014), Search : The Pastor Search Committee Handbook (2016) and Culture Wins: The Roadmap to an Irresistible Workplace (2018).

11:20

Break for Lunch. Pick up lunch outside the Ballroom and take it to a workshop.

11:30-12:30

Lunch Workshops: Session 4

12:45-1:45

Workshops: Session 5

2:00-3:00

Workshops: Session 6

Have a safe trip home

Last year’s XP-Seminar was a significant milestone for us. We decided to initiate my succession over the next seven years. I would never have started this process had I not attended the conference.

The outstanding workshops made me realize that the best way I can ensure the legacy of the church I planted is to skillfully and intentionally pass the baton to those who will lead in the next generation.

A Senior Pastor

6 Critical Conversations and 5 Core Principles That Set Up A Successful Senior Leadership Succession

You know there is a day coming where you will “hand off the baton.” But in the months and years before that baton moment, what do you need to do in order to experience a successful senior leadership succession / transition? In this session, we will unpack 6 very practical succession related tools that have been used successfully with hundreds of church teams. These are powerful tools that lead to conversations that any senior leader or board member can use to prepare proactively for a transition season … we’ll also share the 5 core principles we learnt from our own succession story at Slingshot Group.

Tim Foot has nearly 30 years of experience as a leader, pastor, coach, speaker, musician, and presenter in Australia and North America. He brings a diverse background in church, nonprofit and for-profit environments to his role as CEO of Slingshot Group. During his time at Slingshot, he and the teams he has led have placed and coached well over a thousand churches, organizations, and leaders. For Tim, this work is a perfect combination of strategic leadership and relational connection allowing him to invest in teams together with serving leaders. He believes; “When the mission of the leader and the mission of the organization line up – that’s when the magic happens! Alignment is everything and the best investment you’ll ever make is in your leaders.”

Todd Clark is a Senior Associate in Senior Leadership at Slingshot Group and he brings 25 years of ministry experience in churches sized between 400 and 23,000. Todd is a creative, socially-savvy, team-focused, results-driven leader with a unique blend of ministry experience. He served as a youth pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky and a founding and lead pastor at Discovery Church in Simi Valley, California. Todd has most recently been a teaching pastor at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Arizona. Christ’s Church of the Valley (CCV) has nine locations and over 28,000 in weekly attendance.

10 Things Every Successful Hybrid Church Leader Should Know

It’s estimated that by the end of this year, 53% of the U.S. workforce will be remote. For comparison and perspective, just five years ago in 2017, roughly 5.2% of the workforce was remote. We moved an entire decimal place in just five years. Moreover, businesses and churches alike are discovering that traditional staffing models are becoming less effective—and that a remote workforce can staff churches for greater impact.

In order for pastors to focus on what really only they can do, they need high-caliber resources at their discretion. Put simply: We have yet to meet a pastor who went to seminary to learn how to do QuickBooks. So nearly 11 years ago, we saw an opportunity for us to serve church leaders buried in administrative things that they didn’t need to do—and that they weren’t called to do. Here, we’ll share how successful church leaders can evolve from “how things have always been done” to “this is now how things get done.”

Before becoming the Senior Marketing Manager at BELAY, a modern staffing company, Ryan Fitzgerald worked for North Point Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia, for nearly 15 years. After six years advising and developing pastors around the world, he helped launch Decatur City Church, North Point’s sixth Atlanta-area location. While there, Ryan built the creative, communications, and operations teams and served as the lead pastor’s chief advisor and strategist. His experience at North Point has positioned him perfectly to help churches find the modern staffing solutions that help them go further faster with BELAY.

Melissa Tidwell has been part of the BELAY team since 2011 serving as part of the Solutions Team. She has over 20 years of church experience with a focus on finance and ministry team leadership. Melissa has been part of several church launch teams and has held a number of staff and volunteer positions at various churches. Her passion is to equip leaders with the right information and resources to make strong decisions that further the Kingdom.

Church Design Trends for 2022

Well, it’s happened – just when you felt like you were getting the hang of 2021, it became 2022. With the new year taking shape, we’ll take a deep dive into how car dealerships, Uber Eats, and the Metaverse will all collide in 2022 to drive trends in church design that will define our ministries for years to come.

Danae Dougherty is Managing Principal at Visioneering. Wanting to understand the holistic relationship between interior, building, and site design, Danae pursued an undergraduate degree in Interior Architecture and a Masters Degree in Architecture from UCLA. Her national project experience includes concept design to construction administration and everything in between. Project experience includes healthcare, commercial, education, retail, hospitality, non-profit and faith-based.

Nathan Elder is Director of Strategic Design with Visioneering. He is an innovative thinker and creative leader with a heart for the local church. From serving in rural to mega churches, Nathan understands the struggles facing churches today. With a background in creative arts and executive leadership, Nathan brings years of experience to help churches bridge the gap between ministry and design

Financing for Growth

Growing ministries utilize debt as an instrument to fulfill their vision, but understanding all the different options and best structure to meet the church’s objectives can be challenging. In this workshop we will be discussing commercial loans, general qualifying criteria and common pitfalls of financing. Join us to learn and share your experiences.

Teresa Loker is the Director of Church Loan Underwriting at Thrivent Church Financing. Teresa has been helping ministries nationwide with their financing needs for the last 25 years. She was previously with Bank of the West in their Religious Institution Lending Division. As the Managing Director of Credit, she oversaw a $1.3 billion church loan portfolio with direct management of the underwriting team. During her tenure, she was also a relationship manager and played a key role in business development. Her career experience also includes jobs in retail banking, commercial real estate and asset based lending. She is also fluent in Spanish.

David Lee is a Sr. Relationship Manager at Thrivent Church Financing. David has over 30 years of banking experience in serving non-profit ministries (churches, Christian schools and parachurch ministries) with a focus on financing and treasury services. He’s served 25 years on pastoral staff at churches as well as on boards of non-profit organizations, seeing the unique challenges and needs of balancing ministry and business. Prior to joining Thrivent, he served 5 years as Director with Bank of the West in their Religious Institution Lending Division and 25 years with Evangelical Christian Credit Union in their Ministry Lending Division.

How to Budget your Next Project

Most projects start with a vision, idea, or dream and then quickly run into reality – specifically, the question of, “How are we going to pay for all of this?” We’ll talk through different models of funding, what hidden costs to expect, how to leverage a master plan for future growth, and the Growth Funding™ potential you may have hidden in your empty land. This practical workshop will help you develop a realistic next phase project budget.

Dave Milam is the Vice President of Strategic Design at Visioneering Studios. He stands firmly at the intersection of ministry, design, and visual storytelling. Dave served in the church for over 20 years. Dave has a heart for guiding pastors through unique challenges of ministry to awaken the beauty that God has placed within them and their facilities. His writing has been featured in LifeWay, Outreach Magazine, Influence, Christian Standard and other national periodicals.

John Parker is the President of Visioneering Studios. As a Walt Disney Imagineer, John worked on award-winning projects—including California Adventures’ Soarin’ Over California. Today, John brings that same passion for creativity and immersive story to every Visioneering project.

How to Prevent the Senior Pastor from Falling

What specifically can be done to help leaders avoid moral failure? ECFA (the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) is exploring a series of action steps that staff and church boards could take in the areas of accountability and soul care to help minimize the risk of the senior pastor morally falling. How can the subject be addressed without being legalistic? What are the legal limits on elements that can be built into a written, specific plan of accountability and soulcare for a pastor? Join in a healthy discussion of six specific ideas led by Warren Bird and Matt Branaugh.

Warren Bird is the Vice President for Research and Equipping at the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Warren is an award-winning writer and researcher. His background includes pastoring and seminary teaching, and a 13-year run as research director at Leadership Network. Warren has authored or co-authored 30 books including Hero Maker with Dave Ferguson, How to Break Growth Barriers with Carl George and Unleashing the Word with Max McLean.

Matthew Branaugh is an attorney and content editor for Christianity Today’s ChurchLaw&Tax. Matthew helps lead an award-winning team of editors and designers with the planning, creation, and publishing of ChurchLawAndTax.com, numerous print and digital resources, and two free newsletters. In 2015, he earned first place from the Evangelical Press Association’s “Higher Goals in Christian Journalism” for his article examining church budgeting priorities and practices.

Making Peace With & Finding Opportunity In The Unknown

The Church has been forced to manage significant changes in the past three years. These recent events have highlighted the need to be adaptable and nimble—all the while the mission remains the same. Utilizing the experiences from BELAY, this workshop will challenge your thinking on embracing the unknown.

Melissa Tidwell has been part of the BELAY team since 2011 serving as part of the Solutions Team. She has over 20 years of church experience with a focus on finance and ministry team leadership. Melissa has been part of several church launch teams and has held a number of staff and volunteer positions at various churches. Her passion is to equip leaders with the right information and resources to make strong decisions that further the Kingdom.

Need to Borrow Money Post-Pandemic?

Is your church considering a renovation, expansion, or property acquisition post-pandemic? This workshop will discuss how you can use a few simple financial metrics to find that delicate balance between faith and prudence. This includes the possibility that your church may only need a short-term line of credit instead of a long-term building loan. The workshop will also examine the possibility of an increase in interest rates in 2022 and how that may impact borrowing costs. Steve will present these topics and address other banking related questions.

Steve Hron is a Vice President in the Faith and Ministry Financial Services division of Cass Commercial Bank. He has been serving churches, schools, and other nonprofits on a national basis for over 30 years. Cass Commercial Bank is headquartered in St. Louis. Steve offices out of the bank’s Colorado Springs location.

Morgan Mudge is the Founder of Gyve. He coaches on generosity with a focus on increasing first time givers, understanding giving trends and helping the church take its next steps in generosity. Morgan helps the church close the gap between their funding and their vision. He is active in his home church 2/42 Community in Brighton, Michigan and enjoys hunting and woodworking.

Planning for Growth with Your Campus—Expectations Moving Forward

Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to succeed—Max McKeown. It’s important to be clear on the journey we are asking people to take with us. Maintaining focus on the why, the eternal mission of reaching future generations for Christ, not the what, buildings or specific programs, is what allows you to adapt without losing your missional focus. Ecclesiastes 3:1 gives us the guidance, For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.

The message today seems to be a constant welcome to the new normal. It infers what was is no longer applicable, when in truth trends which were already in motion just accelerated. People are still looking for community, still hunger for the Gospel. There is still need for space to gather. We will discuss several of these accelerated trends and see their application in how we design space to encourage engagement within our communities and foster new growth within your church body.

Bruce Woody is President & CEO for HH Architects and a frequent speaker on both large and small-scale church/faith-based campus planning projects. Since joining the firm in 1990, he has served as Design Lead or Principal-in-Charge on the vast majority of the firm’s large-scale projects, many of which are award winning. Bruce is best known for his creative problem-solving skills and the passion he has for design, which is evident in each long-standing partnership he has developed through his 30 years with the firm. He currently serves on the boards of Sunny Glen Children’s Home and the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design Dean’s Association. He is an active member of Texas Society of Architects, American Institute of Architects Dallas Chapter, and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.

Mark R. Ashcraft, is a senior associate of HH Architects. He serves as the Director of Design Strategy for the firm and has been blessed to work with many ministries during his 20 year tenure. He is passionate about sharing the strategic thinking behind faith-based design, how it shapes the user experience, and the importance of being ministry driven in those efforts.

Stewarding Your Ministry Benefits

Choosing a benefit strategy that fits your ministry comes with many choices, but we belong to a higher Kingdom calling to steward our resources and people well. Learn and apply out-of-the-box ministry benefit strategies.

At GuideStone, Scott Charbonneau leads a team of experienced insurance professionals who are each dedicated to meeting your employee benefit needs by providing your ministry with quality, affordable health coverage options. Under Scott’s leadership, the Health Benefits team will help you craft the right plan and provide continued support that makes your job easier. Scott has served at GuideStone® since 2002. Scott has served in multiple capacities at GuideStone, giving him a vast knowledge of the retirement, property and casualty, and insurance solutions for your ministry. In addition to helping clients, Scott serves as a deacon and life connection teacher at First Baptist Church, Hurst, Texas, where his wife, Kellie, is the preschool minister. He is past president of the Hurst Heritage Foundation and a board member of StrongMarriages. He has served on mission teams, sharing God’s love in North Dakota, West Africa and East Asia.

Art Tennille is GuideStone’s Regional Relationship Manager based in Nashville, Tennessee. Formerly Art served as National Field Director for the former LifeWay Christian Stores. Art is a trusted mentor and servant leader who loves helping ministries and their teams steward their financial resources well and prepare wisely for their financial outcomes in retirement. He thrives on helping people see the practical steps they can take to positively impact their futures.

Top 5 Legal Issues for Churches

Churches routinely have various legal problems, but which are the most common ones? Dustin Gaines and Mark Juba from The Church Lawyers will walk through the five most common issues for churches. Working on these issues will be your first step to keeping your church out of court.

Mark Juba’s practice at The Church Lawyers, Middlebrook | Goodspeed, PLLC, includes general nonprofit, corporate, corporate transactions, compliance, corporate governance, healthcare, privacy, internal and external investigations, government inquiries, mergers and acquisitions, employment, human resources, administrative law, litigation, and related matters.

Dustin Gaines is a trial lawyer who focuses his practice on litigation matters related to churches, schools, and non-profit organizations. He has a diverse practice that focuses on general civil litigation matters and constitutional/religious liberties matters. As both an attorney and pastor, Dustin relates with pastors and will guide you to a resolution of your legal challenge from a pastor/attorney’s perspective.

The Seminar is the time for XPs, SPs and church leaders to come together, hear from national leaders and peers, and be life-long learners.

“The topics were relevant to where I am at—both personally and professionally.”