The PFR Feed

2009 East Coast Pastors Conference (Sept. 8-11)

michaelryanwalker@gmail.com (PFR) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:50:43 +0000

"Devoted to the Apostles’ teaching, the fellowship & breaking of bread, and prayer."

Join us for the 10th Annual East Coast Pastors' Conference!

When: September 8-11, 2009

Where: North Myrtle Beach, SC

Download the brochure with registration form.

Conference Schedule

ECPC begins with introductions and worship at 4pm Tuesday afternoon and ends with communion on Friday morning.

MORNINGS
Each morning will begin with a continental breakfast on the church campus. Opening worship and teaching with a practical emphasis will follow. Small group reflection on the teaching will complete the mornings. Lunches will also be served on the church campus after small groups.

AFTERNOONS
Each afternoon is free for recreation. Choose from many options (see below).

EVENINGS
Each evening will be different this year with a group dinner planned only for Tuesday. Several optional group activities will be offered Wednesday evening to provide a taste of the local atmosphere. Our group will reconvene Thursday evening at 8pm when the focus will again return to worship and teaching to fill your soul and challenge you.

Recreation

Recreation is an important part of the conference. All afternoons are free for relaxing with your colleagues. You may choose to play tennis, fish off the local pier, or hit the beach. Beach volleyball and basketball are available. The church is within walking distance from these options. Another popular choice is golf. Golf will be available at excellent courses on Tuesday-Friday afternoons at approximately $25 per round (green fees and cart included). Complimentary group lessons are also available from Master Life Professionals. A recreation pre-registration form will be sent after initial registration is received.

Spouses & Family

ARE WELCOME! Reasonable housing and recreation amenities can make this week a great family vacation. Spouses will be included in the programming. Children are also welcome.

There is a $25 fee for children 5-10 years of age to cover meals. Children under 5 are free.

Childcare (birth—4 years old) is also available during meetings and worship. You must indicate on registration form when you will use the childcare ministry.

Leaders

Glenn McDonald
Glenn McDonald is senior pastor of Zionsville Presbyterian Church in suburban Indianapolis, a congregation he helped organize in 1983. The church has grown from about two dozen adults to more than 2,000 members, and is notable for its small groups, ministry teams, and decentralized style of ministry, which prioritizes lay leadership. ZPC was recently identified as one of America’s 300 Excellent Protestant Churches in a study funded by the
Lilly Endowment.

Glenn and his wife Mary Sue are Indianapolis natives and are parents of Mark (30), Katy (27), Jeff (24) and Tyler (21). He is an avid spelunker, movie buff, and amateur astronomer. Glenn holds a degree in biology from Purdue University and received his Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.

Glenn has been a consultant for a number of governing bodies and congregations in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and other mainline denominations, and was part of the national teaching team for Evangelism Connections ‘98. He
is the author of The Disciplemaking Church: From Dry Bones to Spiritual Vitality (2004); Living Beyond the Sanctuary: Discipleship in the Real World (2008); and co-authored Imagining a Church in the Spirit with Ben Campbell Johnson (1999).

Robert Austell

Robert Austell is the pastor of the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC. A graduate of Davidson College and Princeton Seminary, Robert is a life-long musician and songwriter. He is also married to Heather and the dad of three girls. Robert will provide our music leadership for the conference.

Paul Detterman

Paul Detterman is currently serving as Executive Director for Presbyterians for Renewal. He is a church musician as well as a pastor, a frequent conference leader in worship and church renewal.

Registration

Cost: $175 Individual, $225 Couple

$25 deposit is due with your registration form.

Registration fees include listed meals & snacks. Housing is not included and should be secured by participants. Housing options are listed below.

Download the brochure with registration form.

Registration Deadline: August 3, 2009

Facilities

All meetings will be held on the campus of:
Ocean Drive Presbyterian Church
410 6th Avenue South
North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Phone: 843.249.2312

Lodging
Lodging reservations should be made by participants. Conferees may choose from the following options or make their own arrangements. You must mention the conference to receive any of the special rates listed below:

Condos & Guest Houses: (30% off Internet Rate)
Contact Elliott Realty; 800.525.0225 or visit the website: www.elliottrealty.com. This option provides a great opportunity for pastors to form a group to share a beachfront house.

Best Western Ocean Sands Resort:
1525 S Ocean Blvd, North Myrtle Beach; 843.272.6101
Oceanfront $80/night +tax

Comfort Inn:
1755 Hwy 17N, North Myrtle Beach; 843.249.2490
Inland near the church $50/night + tax

Quality Inn & Suites:
1601 Hwy 17N, North Myrtle Beach; 843.272.6153
Inland near the church $80/night +tax

PFR Partner: Church Growth, Inc.

michaelryanwalker@gmail.com (PFR) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:22:20 +0000

In many minds, the “church growth” movement has been replaced by the “missional” movement — shifting the focus from growing congregations to participating in the mission of God. If that’s the case, why is PFR partnering with a group called Church Growth Inc. (CGI)?

“The interest in how to be a ‘missional church,’” says Dr. Charles (Chip) Arn, President of CGI, “shows that people are realizing that the church’s call is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. And that ministry is primarily in the world; not the church.” Chip calls himself a “Great Commission thinker” and CGI’s goal is to help churches fulfill that commission without resorting to gimmicks.

“While some church leaders accurately understand that the primary focus of church growth is the fulfillment of the great commission,” he says, “a common misperception is that church growth is all about techniques, methods, and models.”

Church Growth, Inc. (CGI) is a 23-year old ministry organization dedicated to the research and dissemination of how local churches grow.

In the most basic understanding, churches grow in one of a combination of three methods: biological growth, transfer growth, and conversion growth. CGI believes, and operates under the assumption, that while all kinds of growth are desirable growth, the primary call of Christ to his church is the pursuit of conversion growth — the reaching out to, winning, and assimilating of previously un-reached people into the local congregation.

CGI holds to the underlying conviction that "It’s God’s will that His church grow,, and His lost children are found." CGI is dedicated to resourcing and helping local churches who share this conviction that Christ is calling them to continue his own purpose: "... to seek and to save those who are lost." (Luke 19:10)

PFR has enthusiastically endorsed this strategic partnership with CGI, believing that this tried-and-true ministry fits perfectly with our mission to mobilize [and equip] leaders of congregations within the PC(USA) to be biblically faithful and missionally minded in their service to Jesus Christ.

Visit Church Growth, Inc.

Hold a One-Day Seminar with PFR and CGI!

How to Reach Unchurched People in Your Community
Download the Brochure (2.4mb)
Download the Powerpoint Presentation (4.6mb)

Welcome to the Family: How to Involve Newcomers in Your Congregation
Download the Brochure (1mb)

Testimonies

“This was the best attended and most helpful seminar we have sponsored”
[in cooperation with the Chicago Presbytery]

Rev. Jerry Andrews
First Presbyterian Church, Glen Ellyn, IL

The seminar in Nampa, Idaho [sponsored by the Presbytery of Boise] was very inspirational and sent me home to my church on Sunday with tons of enthusiasm. Thank you for a wonderful seminar.

Gracia Bare
Chairperson, Church Health Team
First Presbyterian Church Pocatello, ID

Dr. Arn was great. Filled with years of wisdom and knowledge, he was able to give our participants some useful tools and ideas that they can put to use immediately in their congregations.

Wendy Bailey
Associate General Presbyter for Evangelism & Renewal
New Covenant Presbytery Houston, TX

I recently attended the one day seminar on "How to Reach Unchurched People in Your Community" sponsored by the Blackhawk Presbytery. Our Elder Delegate made a presentation to our Session this week based on the seminar. It stirred some very productive thinking. The seminar was one of the most helpful continuing ed. events I have ever attended in 25 years of ordained ministry. It took a lot of scattered information I knew and put it into a system I can practice.

Rev. Jeff Borgerson
Oswego Presbyterian Church Oswego, IL

Our people are raving about their experience on Saturday; they learned so much and they are excited about thinking up new ways to connect people to our church family. We loved your presentations and your humor. Thanks again for all you did to make this an effective and important day for our church.

Kathy Morgan
Director of Equipping Ministry
Glenkirk Presbyterian Church, Glendora, CA

"This seminar offers Presbyterian churches a wealth of practical and effective ideas for connecting with people in their community. The model for outreach is based on solid research of how mainline churches grow...and Presbyterian churches need to grow!"

Becce Bettridge
Director, Network of Presbyterian Women in Leadership

I took four of my elders and they were really energized by what they took away from the seminar! We are looking forward to sharing this with the rest of our two boards. Thank you very much.

Rev. Kit Stanich
Faith Presbyterian Church McHenry, IL

From the anonymous seminar evaluation form from the "How to Reach Unchurched People" One-Day Seminar:

“Great day!” Benefits far outweighed the costs (even though we drove over an hour to get here).”

“There were so many ideas generated on how to encourage us to evangelize without feeling insecure about being required to do cold calls.”

“Very thought-provoking.”

“Careful compiling of good marketing theory in the context of the Christian gospel.”

“Very informative and helpful to understand why unchurched join a church, and how to identify with them.”

“Helped me see we are on the right path and gain knowledge on how to continue building.”

“This is my first time attending a religious seminar. I found everything enlightening and helpful.”

“The snacks were very good!”

“Well organized. Presents a good plan for action.”

“Good presentation by speaker and interactive learning techniques. Good use of PowerPoint software.”

“I received many new ideas from the seminar. Thanks.”

“I wish it had been two days long.”

“Enjoyed it and feel I learned some things that will make a difference in our church.”

“Helpful seminar with good information for evaluating my current situation. It helped me to better evaluate and define our current outreach activities and think about future ones.”

“Good pace and visuals. Well-balanced.”

“The workbook was most helpful.”

“Excellent job. Thanks!!”

“Learned a lot. Grateful for the ‘how-to’s.”

“This is the first seminar I have attended which delivered more than promised.”

“Held my attention. Provided useful info for small as well as large churches.”

“The statistics and data confirm what I have ‘felt’ but couldn’t prove as helpful or not helpful. Many practical strategies on how to get started. Non-threatening.”

“It’s harvest time!”