Leadership & Ministry Development
The long obedience: leading with endurance in a world that quits
Session A
Presented By: Arlen Busenitz
In an age of quick wins and burnout, ministry leaders are called to a different path that is marked by faithfulness, perseverance, and trust in God’s timing. This session will encourage you to lead with endurance, even when results are slow, recognition is absent, or the road gets hard. Faithfulness is not flashy, but it’s what finishes the race. Arlen combines practical teaching from the Bible along with practical tips from the field of elite athletes, business, and special forces.
My top 10 leadership mistakes
Session B
Presented By: Arlen Busenitz
Every leader has battle scars. In this honest and hopeful session, Arlen shares the top ten leadership mistakes. Key Takeaways:
1. Why failure is often the classroom where faithfulness is forged
2. How to recover from leadership missteps with humility and grace
3. Practical lessons learned from common leadership traps
4. A framework for leading faithfully through mistakes, not in spite of them
the 20% blueprint: why vision, leadership, and team change everything
Session B, C, & D
Presented By: Nick Cooper & Mark Ashcroft
The 20% Blueprint: Why Vision, Leadership, and Team Change Everything is a powerful workshop for leaders who are tired of stalled projects, wasted Kingdom resources, and fractured teams. Discover why most projects fail—and why the 20% that succeed all start the same way: with clear vision, aligned leadership, shared responsibility, and the right people at the table. This session blends spiritual insight with practical tools to help you build purposefully, lead boldly, and deliver projects that actually get built, and make a lasting impact. Takeaways:
1. Vision Is the Foundation: Learn how a clearly defined and shared purpose sets successful projects apart and guides every decision.
2. Leadership That Aligns: Discover how spiritually grounded, decisive leadership fosters trust, accountability, and team unity.
3. Understand the essential traits and collaborative practices that transform groups into high-performing, purpose-driven teams
Guest Connect: 7 “wows” of hospitality
Sessions A & D
Presented By: Rick Cadden
Discover how your church can make a lasting impression on guests through the power of intentional hospitality. In this session, we’ll explore seven practical and impactful ways to create a warm, welcoming experience that encourages visitors to return and get connected. Whether you’re just starting a hospitality team or looking to enhance your current efforts, this class will equip you with simple tools, biblical principles, and real-world examples to help every guest feel seen, valued, and loved. The class includes an updated workbook for each participant.
Law school for pastors & leaders
Session D
Presented By: Annissa Obasi
In a time when pastors wear many hats, it is imperative to be informed about the common legal landmines faced by houses of worship. This session offers an introductory legal lesson for executive ministry staff.
Risk management —start today!
Session B
Presented By: Vonna Laue
What keeps your church from completing a risk assessment? Is it the cost or the time? Do you just not know where to start? In this session, you will:
1. Learn a simple process to start and complete a risk assessment.
2. Participate in a live process to prepare a risk assessment based on the session participants’ experience.
3. Understand how to follow up after the process is complete.
Capitol hill and beyond our borders
Session A
Presented By: Aaron Mercer
In an ever-changing environment, it is critical to stay current on legislative, regulatory, and legal trends impacting your ministry. Join ECFA Senior Strategist Aaron Mercer for an engaging discussion on the latest developments from Capitol Hill, the courts, and beyond. You will learn about key public policy developments for churches and ministries, about helpful ECFA resources, and how your ministry should respond to the latest developments.
The High cost of not meeting needs
Session B
Presented By: Brent Monogue
In this interactive session, we will explore the high cost of unmet needs within churches and teams. When fear is ignored and core needs go unfulfilled, the result is increased anxiety and decreased motivation, behavior, and performance. Through guided conversation and practical tools, leaders will identify where fear is shaping their leadership and where needs are being overlooked. Key Takeaways:
1. Identify the core fears driving behavior in your team and yourself.
2. Recognize unmet needs that may be stalling growth.
3. Gain practical tools to reduce anxiety and increase engagement.
Measure, maximize, and multiply performance
Session D
Presented By: Brent Monogue
What makes a church team thrive—and what holds it back? In this interactive session, we’ll share insights from our proprietary 460 behavioral assessment, highlighting the most productive behaviors found in high-performing ministry teams. We will also unpack the most common behavioral constraints that limit effectiveness. Through group discussion and practical tools, you'll learn how to assess, align, and accelerate your team’s performance. Key Takeaways:
1. Discover key behaviors that drive healthy team performance.
2. Identify the top constraints limiting your leadership impact.
3. Learn how to assess and develop your team using practical tools.