The Faith Promise mission offering is one of the most excellent ways to mobilize financial resources for missions. Join Dr. Wes Griffin and the ILI Team to learn how a Faith Promise mission offering can increase funds for missions and activate the faith of your congregation. ILI’s Team has preached in over 100 missions conferences in the last ten years, annually seeing more than one million dollars pledged to fund the missions ministries of local churches.

Speaker: Wes and Joy Griffin

Awaken the Church is a one hour presentation designed to take the interested or curious Christ-follower to a deeper understanding of the ravages of this disease. After an introduction on what the disease looks like around the world, the attendee is ushered on a pictoral tour of what the disease looks and feels like around the globe. Time is spent looking in the Word at why Christians shuld care about the pandemic. Finally, a framework for how to become involved in HIV ministry is discussed and you are challenged to find your place of service.

Speaker: Pat Railey

China is the single most strategic country in the world, and God has opened a door to impact that country’s emerging leaders with the love of Christ. This workshop will explore the importance of China ministry and introduce a proven method of ministering to the 150,000 Chinese sojourners in America. The most efficient and effective way to begin a China strategy is by relating to the Chinese that God has brought to our doorsteps.

Speaker: James Loftin

God spoke through the prophet, Jeremiah, ‘For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ Tell that to a child who has never seen his father because his father is in jail and he is thrown in and out of state custody because granny can’t take care of him; Tell that to a child who knows that at night the demons come out and she is molested by that man who stays with her mother because her father is in jail; Tell that to the children who say, “if there is a God, why doesn’t He protect me?” It’s BEYOND charity folks – stop writing the checks and give something of value – your time and your presence. And while you’re changing the trajectory of a child, don’t be surprised when the trajectory of YOUR LIFE changes, too. Come and let’s find out HOW.

Speaker: Diane Parrish

The Blessing & Curse of Money in Missions: All of the money needed to fund the Great Commission globally is already found in the hands of North American Christians. Yet, even when we manage to release these resources into missions, we too often create as many problems as we cure. While we mean well, we don't acknowledge the difference between crisis & chronic issues, nor do we appreciate the dangers of financial dependence or competition between ministries. This session will explore how to use financial support in ways that build and empower great ministries while avoiding the related pitfalls. Before you send any funds, make sure you are strengthening the Kingdom!

Speaker: Matthew Winn

It is unlikely that you will get your entire congregation to go on a short-term missions trip. So for those that won’t go, how can you personalize missions such that that they develop a purpose and passion similar to those that do go? This workshop presents a way to kindle a zeal for missions in the life of every member of your congregation through an annual Global Impact Celebration (GIC). The workshop will cover the how-tos of implementing a GIC and the results you can anticipate.

Speaker: Stan Self

The needs of blighted urban communities are greater today than ever before. While most citizens move their homes and businesses out of these areas, leading to the further decline of the city, surely the Lord desires for the local church to be engaged in rebuilding these communities. Rebuilding these communities requires more than a food pantry or an occasional handout. Come hear how your church can create a local missions strategy that can transform an entire community. We will look at how a local church in Memphis has led the way in addressing all of the needs of a blighted urban community – spiritual growth, housing repair, converting renters to home owners, affordable healthcare, effective education, leadership development, job training and creation, crime prevention and more.

Speaker: Drew Sippel

Why do we go Beyond our Walls? This presentation is designed to take churches, clergy and laity to a practical understanding of the development of mission in the local church. Key insights will include:

1. Biblical Foundations for Missions
2. Strategic planning
3. Empowering Laity
4. Following your passions
5. Connecting with what God is doing in the world

Speaker: Rev. Donna Goff

This workshop will share how mission has advanced here over a 10 year period. and will give a frame of reference beyond doing isolated trips and help participants see some of the ingredients for creating a culture of mission at a church. We'll also discuss how mission isn't merely projects and identify how ALL the elements of being the Church intersect in the spiritual disciplines of a Christian and group, and in particular in mission outside the walls of the Church.

Speaker: Scott Parrish

Giving a gift better than, food, water or even a microfinance loan.

There is a overriding perception that people living in poverty have too little to be taught what God’s word has to say about making and managing money to fulfill God’s purposes for their lives. At Crown we strongly believe that one must learn how to manage what one currently has before they are entrusted with more. Local belief in a vision will come as local believers invest in the work for which God has called them to be a part.

This workshop will seek to shed light on why it’s important to teach all believers how to be a faithful manager of God’s resources, while also giving some practical tips as to how to accomplish this.

Speaker: Matt Elsberry

The head chaplain for the Maximum security unit in the State of Georgia posed the following question to my seminary students who were sitting in the electric chair room while on a tour of the facility. He said, “Why do you think we have the electric chair room?” Of course my students gave their brilliant Master’s of Divinity answers – all of which were wrong. The chaplain finally gave the correct answer, “We have the electric chair room because the church has failed. Now, you are the next generation of ministers, and I want to know, this… what are YOU going to do about it?” Well? Come and let’s find out what we CAN do.

Speaker: Diane Parrish

We desire that our churches become fertile ground for sending missionaries to the field. Explore with us how to inspire, confirm, pray for and enable missionary candidates, while partnering with agencies that are experienced in equipping for cross-cultural missions and who have a structure for deploying and supporting missionaries in the field.

We will look at how a church of any size is called to do missions and explore the specifics of how to get going. The key is that every church can be doing something. We will try and identify specific ministries that each church can do with steps to take to bring missions alive in each local church.

Speaker: Rudy Heintzelman

Bill Drake will take you on a journey through the persecuted church, through sacrificial worship, and ultimately to the true definition of the Greek Word "Martyros". The Lord will touch your heart with the timeless message preached and sung from Roman Colluseums and Catacombs, Chinese Caves, and Arabian Deserts: The only things worth living for are the things worth dying for. Join Bill as he puts a focus on worship and witness that you will never forget.

Speaker: Bill Drake

If Jesus had a plan for your local church to engage in global outreach, what would it be? Interestingly, he has such a plan and it will work in your church. This workshop will help you discover the basic elements of this plan, how you can make it your own, and how you can begin the process of engaging your entire congregation in reaching your community, nation, and world.

Speaker: Stan Self

The purpose is to serve the special needs of the Church Membership as well as Community Persons in crisis situations brought on by illness, job loss, financial distress or family crisis. All of these problems have a need for Pastoral Care, Spiritual direction and encouragement. This seminar will deal with the Physical and Spiritual needs of the clients, the Recruiting of the volunteers, and the Funding of the Ministry.

Speaker: Bobby Williams

Strategies to lead a local congregations, districts and conferences in establishing long-term mission partnerships resulting in the establishment of new churches, conferences, institutions and the enhancement of existing mission efforts. These strategies are based on the work in Venezuela and the establishment of the United Methodist Church of Venezuela as well as the Wesleyan Seminary of Venezuela.

Speaker: Dr. Warren Lathem

Paul talks about faith and works as a two sided coin in James 2:26. His exact words are "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." In a similar way missions without the natural expression of worship is dead. The flip side is worship without a Missional heart, which leaves many all fired up with no place to go. This seminar will address the emptiness found in mission less worship or worship less mission. More importantly we will observe the great benefits to both mission and worship when authentic experiences of both are shared.

Speaker: Vaughn Stafford

Hebrews 13:3 commands us to remember those who are in prison… those who are suffering and then goes on to tell us why…. Because we also are part of the Body. Darcie Gill will be sharing personal testimonies of the brothers and sisters she has been with who suffer in restricted and hostile nations for the cause of Jesus Christ. Through these powerful true stories you will come to understand how you can fellowship in their suffering by praying for them. Your faith will be strengthened and you will be spurred on to righteousness and good works by these humble saints.

Speaker: Darcie Gill

The approaches to funding mission and ministry are numerous, born out of a variety of philosophies and convictions. The follower of Jesus is instructed to do all things by prayer. What does effective prayer look like in the funding question? By what means shall we define and measure it? We’ll interact with some of the biblical ideals and practical realities, trying to sort out precept from principle, supernatural from natural, and faith from presumption. If you are looking for a formula, this session likely will disappoint. The goal is for each participant to come away with some useful tools by which to be a more productive fellow-worker with God.

Speaker: Steve Nickel

Mission Trips should be a snap shot of a life of serving. God wants to use them not only to bless you and those you serve, but to act as an ignition switch for the servant-life God calls us to live each and every day.

The spiritual preparation that we do before, during and after a trip will largely determine how powerfully God will be able to use this experience in you life as well as the life of others. This workshop will provide spiritual principles that every mission trip should include in order to allow God to use the mission experience not simply to help others but to transform you. When churches spiritually transform their people through missions, God is able to use those churches in incredible ways to make an eternal difference for His kingdom.

Speaker: Rev. Carey Akin

There are many way to kill an effective mission program. We will look at pitfalls to avoid and specific things that need to happen to make missions successful, whiter 10 blocks from your church or 10,000 miles on the other side of the world.

Speaker: Rudy Heintzelman

Is it possible that our charity is not helping the poor, but causing dependency? Many churches today want to minister and serve the needs of the poor, but have little idea of how to do so effectively. In this workshop, we will explore best practice examples of how to move from simply making a person's life better by giving them a hand out, to investing in developing their capacity to become self-sufficient. Also, we will examine Biblical principles of empowerment that can guide our approach to confronting poverty.

Speaker: Noel Castellanos

God has a plan for each of us. This plan is revealed through discovering God’s vision for your life. Wes Griffin will use his personal experience to help you discern God’s call on your life. He will also provide practical instructions to help you move forward into the future that God has for you.

Speaker: Wes and Joy Griffin

We will explore the Biblical basis for missions with practical applications for the local church. The workshop will draw upon the experience how Frazer has built their outreach to both the community and the world.

Speaker: Rudy Heintzelman