Individual Conferences

Special Featured Conference

1. The Great Adventure...Life as a Pastor's Wife

   Being a pastor's wife is one of the most challenging endeavors a woman can undertake. Kay Warren understands the dynamics of being a pastor's wife and will bring encouragement, understanding and a wealth of practical advice to this track. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to explore with Kay the realities of the journey and refresh your vision for the potential of this vital role in your church. Walk with Kay as she discusses the tears, trials, struggle, heartaches, triumphs and joys of life on this great adventure. Click here to learn more.

Individual Conference Learning Experiences

Sponsored by: Rockbridge Seminary; Wordsearchbible.com; Lifeway Small Groups; Bethany Christian Services.

1. The Radical Church & The P E A C E Plan by Pastors Dave Holden & Gerald Sharon, and the Saddleback Mission Team

   This practical and informative track offers a comprehensive look at the Jesus Model for Ministry and how it relates to your church. We’ll provide you with a clear step-by-step model of how to pursue and apply these principles in your church. During this time, we’ll also discuss the role of confessional preaching and the importance of our Christian Life and Service Seminars (C.L.A.S.S.) structure and covenants. You’ll also learn more about the P E A C E  Plan and its massive effort to mobilize 1 billion Christians around the world into an outreach effort to attack the five global giants of our day: spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy.

2. Preaching for Life Change with Pastors Kerry Shook and Tom Holladay

   This track is dedicated to maximizing your creative and leadership potential. Come and experience meaningful instruction and applicable guidance. Learn the purpose of preaching, how to collect and categorize research, and how to apply, arrange, and tie it all together. You’ll leave inspired, motivated, and educated.

3. Radical Youth Ministries with Pastor Doug Fields and the Student Ministry Team

   Come and hear from our youth leaders who will help you see the value of your ministry as well as deepen your impact on the next generation. You’ll learn new ideas and we’ll teach you how to build a flexible framework in order to develop a youth ministry that is balanced.

4. Radical Children’s Ministries with Pastor Steve Adams and the Children’s Ministry Team

   Many churches ask the question, “Can our Children’s Ministry align with the purposes of the church?” And we answer, “Absolutely!” Come spend time with our Children’s Ministry staff as they share strategies to build a Children’s Ministry on purpose. You will learn new ways to enlist and keep volunteers who are committed to serving children and see our weekend programming for Nursery through grade 6 and The Journey, our Kids Small Groups discipleship program that helps move kids toward spiritual maturity. You will be inspired, encouraged and excited to see what God can do in your ministry to children!

5. Radical Small Groups with Pastor Steve Gladen and the Small Groups Team

   Two great learning experiences:

   • Basic: For those just starting out with small groups:

     Learn the strategy behind Saddleback small groups and how we intentionally integrate the five biblical purposes of fellowship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism, and worship – into every small group. Learn how small groups can revolutionize your church’s overall strategy and vision, better connect every person in your church, disciple people, mobilize people to service, help reach your community and expand your church’s worship experience.

     “Small Groups are the most effective way of closing the back door of your church. We never worry about losing people who are connected to a small group.” – Rick Warren

   • Advanced: For those that have attended previous Saddleback small group conferences, The Next Track Session:

     You've learned, you've implemented, you've grown - now it's time to move the ministry up to the next level, to take the high ground. Seasoned small group pastors will lead informative discussions on how to get from where you are to where God wants your ministry to grow to Next. The Next Track session will tackle- How to grow from a plateau, Spiking new life in a tired leadership team, Aligning the ministries of your church for small group growth, Rebuilding infrastructure that works and more learnings from the lab of Saddleback Church Small Group Network and Team.

6. Worship with Rick Muchow and the Saddleback Worship Team

   Included in this track:
   • Tips for rehearsal, sound check and overcoming chaos
   • Producing a Saddleback Worship Service: The nuts and bolts
   • How to identify, train, and mentor worship leaders
   • Attracting quality musicians
   • Worship Arts Q&A - Open Forum hosted by Rick Muchow
   • Tech Arts Q&A

7. Leading Through Change with Pastor Brad Powell

   Drawing on his own experience with his church in Northridge, Brad discusses how to pursue the kind of change necessary to maintain a healthy, thriving church; one that will not succumb to the decline so many experience down the road. Powell will unpack the challenges facing churches and leaders today. He will also address the principles needed to successfully move a ministry through change; from static to dynamic; from cultural irrelevance to relevance and from ineffective to effective to once again powerfully communicate hope to the world.

8. Developing Emotionally Healthy Leadership with Pastor Peter Scazzero

   The overall health of any church or ministry depends primarily on the emotional and spiritual health of its leadership. In fact, the key to successful spiritual leadership has much more to do with the leader’s internal life than with the leader’s expertise, gifts, or experience. Learn how to minister out of who you are and not what you do.

9. Orphan Care by Elizabeth Styffe and Kay Warren

   Want to change your church and the world?  Come learn how to engage your church in the action of the PEACE Plan.  The Orphan Care Initiative, a signature issue at Saddleback Church, was born out of the conviction that above all else, God cares deeply about the least of these. Caring for orphans is not an option for the believer, it is God's definition of what a true believer does. (James 1:27) This is why more churches have begun Orphan Care ministries than any other new program. The Holy Spirit is at work. Move Orphan Care beyond a program and into the DNA of your church. Learn what Saddleback is doing and what your church can do to engage. Focusing on both local and global strategies, you'll learn how to crawl, walk and run in taking your church to the next step.  You'll receive concrete tools, be inspired by the "why" and "how" to launch an Orphan Care Initiative in your church and be equipped with the effective and unique strategies that take these Biblical imperatives from small to extraordinary in impact and influence.
   

   Experience what your church can do to engage in your community and around the world. You will:

   • Experience the "How and Why" of Orphan Care
   • Receive concrete tools on how to launch an Orphan Care Initiative and pitfalls to avoid
   • Implement new strategies that put the church at the center of orphan care
   • Mobilize every person in your church
   • Implement effective strategies for both orphan care and adoption/foster care
   • Transform orphan care using the PEACE Plan  and partnerships
   • Learn ways to counsel families who are considering adoption and support them afterwards
   • Experience Innovative approaches to caring for orphans in your community and around the world

10. HIV/AIDS by Elizabeth Styffe and Kay Warren

    For thousands of years, the local church has been a source of hope, help, and healing. Jesus spent one third of his ministry healing the sick. Scripture often refers to Jesus as being filled with compassion for the suffering of others.. The HIV and AIDS pandemic of our day invites us to follow Christ's example. While often unrecognized, the HIV Pandemic is the greatest opportunity for the church to be the church.   People living with HIV are in every community in every country  and every church.  At the HIV/AIDS Initiative track of Radicalis, you and your team will learn why you must care and how you can care for those living with HIV locally and globally. You'll be given practical strategies which will make your church the center of hope, help and healing today.
    

    Experience what your church can do to engage in your community and around the world. You will:

    • Learn what every Pastor and every person must know about HIV
    • The "How and Why" of an HIV Ministry in your church
    • A C.H.U.R.C.H. Strategy that can change the face of AIDS
    • Interact with the experts: Rwandan pastors, and physicians
    • "Crawl, Walk and Run" steps for every member of your church
    • How to work in your community
    • PEACE Plan essentials packaged for you

11. Celebrate Recovery with Pastor John Baker and the Celebrate Recovery Team

    We all have hurts, habits, and hang-ups that can hold us back from living the abundant life God has planned for us. At some point in their lives, people need healing in relationships, past hurts, or dealing with negative daily habits. Learn how your church can reach out to those who are hurting. Over 12, 000 churches have found a way to help individuals with all different kinds of hurts, hang-ups, and habits, so learn what Celebrate Recovery is all about and how it can make a difference in your church.