Women’s Ministry Workshop

Location: Courtyard

Women today face more challenges than ever before.  And while it is true for all women, if you are a Christ follower, you face special challenges in a growing secular and polarized world.  We in the EFCA Central District know that you are looking for Christ centered resources and training to equip yourself as a leader as well as to strengthen the women in your church in God’s Word.   This panel discussion addresses this important topic as well as outreach to your community.   The panel members include experienced leaders from all size churches. 

Panel:  Mary Lou McDowell – Moderator;  Judie Colyer – Ankeny EFC, Ankeny, IA; Samantha Frykholm – Harvest EFC, Story City; Andrea Gaston – Parkview EFC, Iowa City, IA; Debi Lydic – Valley Church, West Des Moines, IA; Jamie Farran – Greenbelt Community Church, Clive, IA.

Discipleship, Disenculturation, and Deconstruction: The Difference Between Nones, Umms, and Dones

Location: West Central Station

Cultural issues in the past few years have not only created issues for the church, they have also manifested internal fissures in the church. Additionally, there has been a tendency/temptation for some to claim they are “deconstructing” their faith. What does this mean? Is this a form of spiritual growth and sanctification, part of the discipleship process? How is it different? How does discipleship relate to disenculturation, sloughing off Christian cultural baggage, and how does this relate to deconstruction? Deconstructing can either be negative and destructive (apostasy) or positive and reconstructive (sanctification). How do we help others to disentangle or disenculturate, while distinguishing from deconstruction, without being threatened by the questions asked and/or doubts raised, and proactively being committed to affirm the faith once for all entrusted to the saints, so that through this process the faith becomes one’s own? Join us in this breakout session to learn about and discuss these important matters as they impact Christians and the church.

Presenter: Greg Strand is EFCA executive director of theology and credentialing, and he serves on the Board of Ministerial Standing as well as the Spiritual Heritage Committee. He and his family are members of Northfield EFC, Minnesota.

Becoming a Healthy Disciple-Maker following the Ancient Path of Christ

Location: C 5/6/7

We will look at 6 areas of biblical health in Jesus’ life (spiritual, physical, emotional, relational, financial, and vocational).  We will evaluate our own life through the grid of Jesus and make some simple habit adjustments and goals to become healthy disciple-makers like Christ.

Presenter: Joel Zaborowski is the President of Ancient Path Disciple-Making.  He serves as the Pastor of Freedom Bible Church (EFCA), in Lorain, OH.  Also, he is the former Director of Leader Development and Coaching for Sonlife Ministries.

Accountability for Long-Term Ministry Health

Location: East Central Station

The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”   In contrast, many of us know church leaders who have not fought well or have not finished well. Carlton Harris will lead us in examining how to fight the good fight. He will share a few pages from his story and some of his personal practices.

Presenter: In September of 2021, after 35 years of pastoring in 3 churches, Carlton Harris, along with his wife Carol, moved from San Diego to Minneapolis to serve as Executive Vice President of National Ministries for the Evangelical Free Church of America. They are parents of three married children and grandparents of seven. Carol and Carlton are member of New Hope Church (EFCA) in the Twin Cities. 

LGBTQ Roundtable Discussion

Location: Student Ministries

This roundtable discussion is about LGBTQ and transgender issues. While geared specifically to Children’s and Student Ministry leaders, this workshop is open to anyone interested in attending. We will share some helpful resources to help you navigate this topic. We will also help each other approach LGBTQ people with a biblical perspective and within the context of the ministries we lead. Ample time will be given to discuss the questions that you find most important. Please come with an attitude of grace, humility, and teachability as we discuss this difficult and, potentially, deeply personal topic.

Presenters: Joe Budish is the Middle School Lead Associate at Valley Church. He and his wife Marcy live in Norwalk and they have four children. Amy Natzke is the Children’s Ministry Director at Valley Church. She and her husband Brian live in Johnston and they have three children and one grandchild.

Teaching the Bible Creatively

Location: C 2

 “It’s a sin to bore people with the Word of God!” (Earl Radmacher) I don’t know if that’s true, but boredom certainly isn’t good! Let’s teach students to enhance their learning as the teacher adopts new perspectives, techniques, and motivations.  Master teachers are not dropped from heaven, they are developed.

Presenter: Dr. Greg Carlson is Professor of Leadership/Christian Ministries at Trinity International University.  He is an author, ministry consultant, pastor, and seminar leader living in the Chicago area.

Starting Healing Conversations  

Location: C 10

Have you ever wanted to start a conversation with someone who was going through hard times, but you didn’t know where to begin? Have you ever experienced a crisis so big you didn’t even know how you felt?

ReachGlobal Crisis Response’s basic trauma care training equips church and ministry leaders to help someone process what they are feeling after a crisis. Based on the principles of active listening and asking powerful questions to guide conversation, these skills that take some intentionality but can be learned by anyone. This is an incredibly versatile training that can be utilized to help someone start processing a personal crisis, like a divorce, or a community crisis, such as a flash flood. This session will empower you to sit down with a friend who is hurting and help them begin to heal by verbalizing what they are feeling. 

Presenter: Eloise Wierzbicki is an EFCA ReachGlobal missionary with Crisis Response. Eloise Wierzbicki has been on staff with ReachGlobal Crisis Response for the last three years and has just transitioned from short-term to long-term status.  She is originally from New Jersey and started volunteering with Crisis Response after Hurricane Sandy impacted the NJ/NY area in 2014.  Currently, she is deployed to the Hurricane Ian Response site in Fort Myers, FL as the Administrative and Volunteer Coordinator.

EFCA Central Bylaw Revision Discussion

Location: Northpoint

This year at the district conference we are voting on bylaw revisions.  If you have any questions about the process or substance of these revisions, please stop in to hear a summary of changes as well as have your questions answered.

Presenter: Mark Farran is the Northern Regional Superintendent of the EFCA Central District.  Before serving in this role, he pastored an EFCA Church in Missouri and served as an EFCA ReachGlobal missionary in Bucharest, Romania with his wife and two boys.