Events and Workshops
.png)
Past Events
2024 Inspired to Thrive Conference
Rev. Dr. Eliseo A. Mejia, Keynote Speaker
​
A fresh expression of church is a form of church for our changing culture, established primarily to benefit people who are not yet church members. Fresh Expressions come into being through principles of listening, service, incarnational mission, and making disciples; and they have the potential to become a mature expression of the church shaped by the Gospel and the enduring marks of the church and its cultural context.
Financial Vitality, Afternoon Panel
​
Participants were invited to a one-hour panel discussion on fundraising featuring experts Brenda Moore (Brenda Moore and Associates), Mike Ward (GSB Fundraising), and Sarah Gilday (Siebert Lutheran Foundation). They gained valuable insights and strategies to enhance and jumpstart their fundraising, whether they were seasoned Lutheran leaders or new to fundraising.
Mental Health
Karen Fischer, Christian Family Solutions
​
​​Bounce Back: Resilience for Those Who Serve
​
Resilience is the idea that individuals can be built up in such a way that they will “bounce back” from difficulty and challenges. Those with higher resilience would recover better than those with lower resilience. In this session, Karen discusses skills to improve psychological stewardship in order to serve and share the Gospel. Resilience is not inherited – it is grown. No matter how resilient you may feel today, you can and will improve when pay attention and make a plan!
Lay Leadership
Rev. Jim Honig, Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church
​
​Confidence in Chaos: The Art and Practice of Forming Congregational Leaders
​
The art and practice of forming leaders gives pastors and congregations the confidence to navigate the turmoil so that they can focus on strong and courageous mission and ministry. This workshop offers practical guidance for the essential work of forming confident and capable congregational lay leadership. Rich with stories and proven practices, this workshop gives viewers a ready-to-use toolbox to enhance their personal and congregational effectiveness.
Church Revitalization
Rev. Ike Nicholson, St. John the Divine Lutheran Church
​
"From Opposition to Opportunity: ‘That will never work here,’ But Then it Does"
​
This breakout session explores the transformative power of addressing resistance to change within the context of church revitalization. The session emphasizes the role of leadership and collaboration in guiding congregations through periods of change. It will leave you equipped to lead your churches into a future of vitality and relevance. And it will empower you to explore ways to manage change in your local congregation to pave the way for revitalization and renewal.
2023 Inspired to Thrive Conference
Jen Bradbury - "Faith Beyond Confirmation"
In many churches, young people often participate in the confirmation process, but then fade away immediately thereafter, often viewing confirmation as a graduation from faith. In this seminar, Jen Bradbury shares practical tips for engaging teenagers in their faith community beyond confirmation.
Darcy Paape - "The Power of Listening"
​
Listening is that moment when we stop everything to focus on and understand a story. Listening produces fruit in powerful ways because it helps us pay attention to the Holy Spirit’s work. This session focuses on good listening strategies and the triggers that stop our ears from the helpful feedback we might receive as we listen in our families, congregations, and workplace.
Pastor Collin Vanderhoof - "Everyone Outreach"
Whether they realize it or not, every congregation has an outreach culture. Understanding what that culture is and how it can change can go a long way in impacting a congregation's ability to share the Gospel. Join Pastor Vanderhoof as he discusses ways to get every member thinking about and participating in outreach.
Rick Thomas and Pastor Dara Schuller-Hanson - "Holy C.O.W."
​
There is a lot to learn from out-of-the-box, creative ministries that meet people in unexpected places. Join Rick Thomas, Director of Outreach and Pastor Dara Schuller-Hanson from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church- Madison & Verona, Wisconsin, to learn about their church on wheels and how they see the Spirit on the mooo-ve in their community.
2022 Inspired to Thrive
2022 Inspired to Thrive Conference - Dwight Zscheile, Keynote Speaker
Searching for Lydia: Following God into a Hopeful Future: In a time when our society faces a deepening spiritual crisis and growing numbers of people are disconnected from religious institutions, how might churches follow God's leading into relationships with spiritually curious neighbors? In Acts 16, Paul and his companions took an improvisational journey led by the Spirit to discover Lydia, a spiritual seeker. How might we learn from their journey in our day?
2022 Inspired to Thrive Conference-
Question & Answer with Dwight Zscheile
Siebert Lutheran Foundation's annual Inspired to Thrive Conference, question and answer segment with keynote speaker Dwight Zscheile.
2022 Inspired to Thrive Conference: Phil Klopke, Breakout Session Speaker
Level Up: Practices and Tools used to Empower the Next Generation: How would the young leaders in your church or organization describe their Christian leadership development? Can they name their specific giftings, talents, and passions? Would they describe you as someone who has empowered them to live out their unique God-given purpose? Countless times, young leaders describe themselves lacking clarity and purpose in life. God is engaging leaders of younger generations in unexpected ways and in places that only they can reach. Are you empowering them to name it and step into it or are you just standing in the way? Join Phil Klopke, Co-Director of 1,000 Young Leaders, to learn tools and practices to come alongside and engage your young leaders today.
2022 Inspired to Thrive Conference - Pastor Jenny Sung - Breakout Session
Faithfully Tending the Vineyard: Proactive Leadership in a Reactive World: Each of us has a vital call in this next reformation, and the last couple years we have been pivoting and tending to the immediate. As a result, our leadership may have shifted to become more reactive versus proactive. Over time this takes a toll on our bodies and our congregations. Take a holy pause and realign or rediscover where God is calling you to tend in this vineyard. Walk away with tangible next steps and tools to keep you a few steps ahead instead of feeling two steps behind.
2022 Inspired to Thrive Conference - Pastor Bill Limmer, Breakout Session Speaker
​
Opening the New Front to Your Church: We are navigating the biggest communication shift since the Reformation. The Great Commission is about reaching people where they are at. There are 5 billion internet users today. That number is reportedly growing by 500,000 a day. People are online and in order to reach them, we need to share the Gospel online. In this session we will talk about using the internet as a front door to Christianity and to your church.
Workshops
Raising Money After the Pandemic –
How to Restore Your Organization to Health
Watch the recording of this workshop that talks about planning now for a special gift appeal that can launch once we start to live into the new normal. This workshop will focus on how to prepare and some time is given to how to focus on the annual fund and how to find new partners during this time, with questions and answers from participants at the end.
Making the Case for School Funding
Watch the recording of this one-hour virtual workshop that provided funding and development strategy resources for schools, fundraising activities to engage donors during the COVID-19 crisis, and discussion with schools on what they have been doing to successfully engage their donor communities.
Stewardship in Uncertain Times PART 1
Listen to the audio recording of this one-hour virtual workshop that provided tangible stewardship ideas and tools for your congregation to use for responding during a crisis.
Stewardship in Uncertain Times PART 2 -
Follow-up and Implementation Strategies
Watch the recording of this one-hour virtual workshop that was a follow up to the previous workshop about raising money during uncertain times (which you can listen to by clicking on the link below). Mike Ward provides a short update on how to transition your stewardship and fundraising efforts post-Easter and shares how others are implementing the tactics shared in the first workshop.
CARES Act Explained for Nonprofits & Churches
Watch the recording of this one-hour virtual workshop that explained the CARES Act and how it applies to nonprofits and churches.
2019 Change or Die Conference
View videos of the presentations from the October 10, 2019 Conference, "Reimagine Ministry."