SESSION 1
Thursday, June 18 | 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
A Bold Paradox: Christian Practices Supporting Post-Traumatic Growth in Ministry Settings
Daytona (Third Floor)
Spiritual practices can serve as a profound resource for post-traumatic growth—the process through which individuals discover renewed meaning and strengthened relationships after adversity. PTG occurs in parallel to harm experienced after trauma, creating a challenging paradox. This session explores this paradox by integrating trauma-informed insights and Christian spiritual practices.
Laura Thien is a nonprofit leader, trauma therapist, advocate, facilitator and community educator at the intersection of faith, mental health and abuse prevention/response, located in Greenville, S.C.
Bold Conversations
City Terrace 10 (Third Floor)
In a polarized world where the mere mention of a hot topic can send a congregation spiraling into divided camps, this session offers some practical lessons from one congregation of ways to foster healthy, productive, bold conversations in theologically and politically diverse churches.
Melissa Fallen and Ann Carter are part of the pastoral team at Glen Allen Baptist Church, Glen Allen, Va.
Discerning Boldly: Cultivating Cultures of Calling
Orlando (Third Floor)
A practical Learning Lab for ministers and lay leaders who want to renew how calling is named and nurtured in their faith communities. Learn participatory ways to identify gifts, encourage leaders and help people respond faithfully to God’s call in congregations, campus ministries and beyond.
Barry Jones is dean of Campbell University Divinity School and Rebecca Mathis serves as executive director of its Center for Calling and Ministry, supporting churches, ministry leaders, the wider university community and denominational partners in cultivating faithful, bold cultures of calling.
How Churches Can Help Get Out the Vote!
City Terrace 7 (Third Floor)
“Have a float. Get out the vote!” Answer Jeremiah’s call to “work for the welfare of the community” by loving your neighbor to the voting booth—with joy, creativity, refreshing floats and practical ideas plus resources your church can adapt for nonpartisan Get-Out-The-Vote and Election Day engagement.
Jennifer Hawks is CBF’s director of advocacy, representing CBF in federal policy conversations with elected officials, Hill staffers and advocacy coalitions
Making Your Best Ideas Bolder
River Terrace 3 (Third Floor)
Utilizing exercises that spark creativity and methods that empower, this interactive Learning Lab will equip participants with tools for getting ideas from inception to implementation.
Kenda Creasy Dean is the Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary and the co-founder of Ministry Incubators, an ecclesial innovation education and consulting group.
Pastoral Courage and Public Witness in an Age of Immigration Tension
City Terrace 6 (Third Floor)
Pastors from diverse contexts explore leadership amid immigration tensions, reflecting on preaching, advocacy and care in a polarized climate. Participants will gain practical wisdom and encouragement for leading with clarity, compassion and conviction in today’s complex moment.
Wayne Weathers is a scholar and Emmanuel McCall Racial Justice Trailblazer Award recipient who pastors Vision of Hope Baptist Church, Jenkintown, Pa., advancing racial justice through faith-based community leadership.
Libby Grammer is senior minister of Lakeside Church, Rocky Mount, N.C., and a theologian and ethicist whose writing—including her book Privilege, Risk and Solidarity—explores the topic of immigration through Biblical study and Feminist Christian Ethics.
Juan García, a Puerto Rico native and former CBF moderator, pastors Primera Iglesia Bautista, Newport News, Va., leading a multicultural congregation.
Ellen Sechrest serves as director of mission engagement for CBF, bringing over 30 years of congregational ministry experience and a passion for mission-driven church work.
Elket Rodríguez serves as Global Migration advocate for CBF, equipping churches and fostering cross-cultural engagement in faith communities.
Practice Makes Present: Prayer and Mindfulness Resources for Your Ministry Toolkit
City Terrace 5 (Third Floor)
When your world is falling apart, you need helpers who will be present and sit by your side, undistracted by but aware of their own pain. In this learning lab, we will explore practices to cultivate a bold and compassionate presence by the side of hurting people.
Wyatt Miles is a chaplain at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, where he lives with his wife Katie and their cat Junebug.
Retire Boldly: Building the Launchpad for Your Next Chapter
City Terrace 12 (Third Floor)
Retirement isn’t an ending but a transition to a new stage of leadership. Grounded in practical planning and theological reflection, this session equips ministers to manage income distribution, healthcare and taxes. Build a strong foundation to navigate these complex realities with purpose and spiritual clarity.
Amy Artiga founded The Pastor’s Wallet and is a faculty member of CBB’s Financial Wellness Education Experiences.
Rob Fox is President of Church Benefits Board and has a deep commitment to supporting clergy and faith-based organizations with their financial wellness.
The Boldness of Jesus in Anxious Systems
City Terrace 8 (Third Floor)
Anxious systems produce reactive leaders. This Learning Lab offers a different path. Through systems thinking and differentiation, participants will examine the boldness of Jesus as a model for staying steady, thinking clearly and leading with conviction—without being driven by pressure, urgency or the crowd.
Kent Michael is co-founder of the Alabama Center for Pastoral Resilience, where he equips ministry leaders through coaching, teaching and systems-based leadership development.
The Oxygen Mask of Ministry: The Vulnerable Boldness of Staying Well
City Terrace 9 (Third Floor)
This Learning Lab explores resilience through clinical and spiritual lenses, differentiating empathy fatigue, compassion fatigue and burnout. It reframes self-care as preparation for sustainable ministry. Attendees will gain practical tools for renewed clarity, helping their leadership and witness flow from a place of wholeness rather than exhaustion.
Lindsay Bonebrake is a therapist and educator who equips individuals and ministry leaders with practical tools and clinical insight to strengthen mental and emotional health in meaningful, sustainable ways.
Together We Build: How Churches Boldly (Re)-Engage in God’s Housing Movement
City Terrace 11 (Third Floor)
Discover how Together We Build addresses rural housing by forging partnerships between CBF churches, state organizations, Together for Hope and the Fuller Center. Participants will learn to map and multiply their church assets to leverage innovative financial tools, joining a multi-state expansion that creates affordable homes through bold congregational collaboration.
Harold Tessendorf advises Together for Hope on its Housing and Social Enterprise pillars and serves on the missions committee of CBF of Georgia while Stacey Odom-Driggers is the vice president of U.S. Programs at the Fuller Center for Housing.
Who Can Become a National Legislation Advocate?
City Terrace 4 (Third Floor)
This Learning Lab lays out a pathway for clergy and others in the church who desire to bring about change on issues about which they care deeply by engaging their legislators.
Isaac Mwase is associate pastor of University Baptist Church, Baltimore, Md.
Glen Foster is coordinator of CBF West.
Alaina Caridi is a deacon and chair of the missions committee of Bayshore Baptist Church, Tampa, Fla.
SESSION 2
Friday, June 19 | 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Beyond Nice: It Is Time to Move Beyond Niceness and Explore Evidence-Based Strategies for Lay Leadership Development
City Terrace 4 (Third Floor)
Congregations have long defaulted to “niceness” as the qualifier for lay leadership. People are the Church’s most vital resource, and meaningful empowerment builds resilience. Put the spiritual gift test away and explore a new model to identify, empower and sustain healthy lay leadership in your congregation.
Julia Bradley is program director for youth and community engagement associate at First Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.
Bold Faith, Bold Action: Engaging, Encouraging and Empowering Women in Ministry
Daytona (Third Floor)
Our Learning Lab will explore how we can nurture calling in girls and young women, what faithful steps toward God’s vision for the church look like and how to boldly affirm the gifts of women already among us. Join us for a bold, hopeful and courageous conversation.
Leslie Park’s roles in ministry have included minister to children, minister to youth, minister of music, preschool worship coordinator, birth doula, hospice chaplain, pastor and she is now executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry of North Carolina.
Virginia Taylor has served as a minister for more than 40 years in a variety of roles including college minister, children’s minister, pastor and now as Program Director for BWIMNC’s Compelling Preaching Initiative, a grant from the Lilly Endowment.
Coffee, Traffic and Prayers: How Embracing Ritual Can Add Meaning (and Sanity) to Life
City Terrace 12 (Third Floor)
Including ritual in our everyday lives and ministries draws us closer to God and each other, providing grounded presence on ordinary and overwhelming days. Combining practical methods and helpful research, we will discover how practicing ritual can enhance our lives as individuals, families and churches. Come ready for creativity, connection and chocolate!
Laurel Cluthe is a seventh-generation Baptist, loves God/people/coffee, has served in congregations for nearly two decades, and currently serves as a hospital chaplain embracing daily ritual in Houston, Texas.
Fractured City: Bold Collaboration for Community Transformation
City Terrace 10 (Third Floor)
This Learning Lab, sponsored by the CBF Podcast, explores redlining, food insecurity, and homelessness in Jacksonville. Community and faith leaders will model bold collaboration and holy tenacity, equipping participants to move from awareness to action through partnerships that pursue shared mission, local transformation, and global awareness of systemic injustice.
Andy Hale is the associate executive coordinator of CBF of North Carolina and the host of the CBF Conversations podcast.
Journey to Solidarity: What Does White Christian Involvement Look Like in Racial Reconciliation and Justice?
City Terrace 11 (Third Floor)
The church’s pursuit of racial diversity has often stopped well short of the vision of the Beloved Community envisioned in the Scriptures. Diversity is a gift, but diversity without solidarity is simply theater. This Learning Lab will share how congregations can pursue a deeper sense of solidarity and belonging.
Collin Packer, Shelley Park and David Park are the leaders of LTR Ministries, a ministry that engages White Christians in the ministry of reconciliation and justice through education, inner work and community.
Public Witness from Small Groups to Communities of Bold Witness: Effective Tools for Building Justice Ministries
City Terrace 7 (Third Floor)
In a time of division and injustice, churches are called to act boldly. This Learning Lab presents the JustFaith model, equipping participants with practical tools for small-group formation, deep listening and community engagement to help congregations grow into faithful, informed and justice-driven communities.
Lewis Brogdon is the executive director and Kristin Dollar is the director of programs at JustFaith Ministries, a national nonprofit that creates life-changing programs focusing on the intersection of faith, justice and action.
Pushback from the Table: Tightening the Spiritual Belt to Food Injustice
City Terrace 6 (Third Floor)
This Learning Lab will provide space to evaluate the challenges facing our vulnerable families in addressing daily food needs and systemic barriers that might hamper the delivery of services to meet those needs. We will explore policy, programs and services in today’s climate that might be fruitful in dismantling food injustices through ministry.
Cora Jackson is one of the founding board members for Delta Hands for Hope and is currently serving as interim director for Delta Hands for Hope, Shaw, Miss.
Ramping Up Your Ministry: Accessibility and Universal Design in Church
City Terrace 8 (Third Floor)
We will look at the principles of universal design and apply them to ministry. We will work together to learn the process and send each participant home with a process to create greater accessibility across all ministries.
Amy Jacober is a mom, theologian, pastor and advocate in Arizona.
Safe Intergenerational Ministries
City Terrace 9 (Third Floor)
This Learning Lab will address both the need for intergenerational ministry and the safety concerns involved. We will note safety priorities for church communities and with those in mind, we will then imagine what safe, meaningful intergenerational ministry can look like. We will consider programmatic and relational possibilities for a variety of church contexts.
Harrison Litzell is the program coordinator at the Baugh Center for Baptist Leadership, Atlanta, Ga.
The Bold Type: Empowering Disaster-Ready Churches
River Terrace 3 (Third Floor)
Join us for a transformative workshop that inspires leaders to act boldly in times of crisis. We will equip pastors and lay leaders with practical tools and a solid biblical foundation, fostering community collaboration to maximize impact and serve with compassion and conviction. Prepare to be part of meaningful change!
Dave Hawes is disaster response coordinator for CBF of North Carolina.
Debbie Haag is administrative assistant for CBF of South Carolina.
The Bold Type of Belonging: Worship for Every Mind
Orlando (Third Floor)
This Learning Lab equips church leaders to move from awareness to bold, Spirit-led action—creating accessible, inclusive worship practices where people of all abilities experience true belonging.
Tiffany Bennett-Cornelous is an associate pastor, scholar, author and organizational leader who bridges worship, theology and community transformation.
LaTonya McIver Penny is a founding pastor, foundation executive and inclusion advocate whose relationship-centered leadership weaves radical hospitality, racial justice and disability inclusion.
Traumatic Grief: Surviving After Unspeakable Loss
City Terrace 5 (Third Floor)
Attendees will learn the needs of people grieving a sudden, unexpected loss such as an accident, sudden health event, death of a child, suicide or murder. We’ll discuss how to minister to the survivors while managing the vicarious trauma resulting from this intense ministry.
Cathy Payne Anderson is a chaplain, widow, mom, sister, friend, part-time mystic, writer, geocacher and pet-lover.
Cindy R. Wallace is a chaplain, counselor, wife, mom, teacher, speaker, musician, trauma and grief survivor and favorite human of Molly, a spoiled beagle-corgi mix
SESSION 3
Friday, June 19 | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Before the Breaking Point: Boldly Equipping Church and Lay Leaders to Support Mental Health
City Terrace 5 (Third Floor)
Faith communities are often the first place individuals turn when experiencing emotional distress; yet many church and lay leaders feel unprepared to intervene before, during and after a crisis occurs. This Learning Lab seeks to equip participants with practical strategies needed to foster mental health-affirming spaces within their ministries.
Elizabeth Mukasa and Tiarra Pailin are both clinical social workers at a community crisis center, where their social work experience often intersects with faith as they serve clients in crisis.
Bold Enough to Partner: Rethinking Missions as Relationship
City Terrace 11 (Third Floor)
Join a conversation in which field personnel and Encourager Church leaders explore how they boldly engage in long-term, relational partnership on mission with God. Participants will hear stories of transformation both “there” and “here,” and consider how mutual, intentional relationships reshape congregations, field personnel and local communities.
Moderated by Suzanne Hooie, chair of the CBF Missions Council, and featuring two Encourager Church partnerships: First Baptist Church, Dalton, Ga., represented by Jonathan Barlow and Carson Foushee (Kanazawa, Japan), and Trinity Baptist Church (Seneca, S.C.), represented by Tony Vincent and Rick Burnette (Immokalee, Fla.).
Bold Hospitality: Balancing Safety with Welcome
City Terrace 9 (Third Floor)
This Learning Lab will explore the tension between being an open and inviting church and the need to offer physical and emotional safety. Participants will learn basic approaches to safety that help create a welcoming and safe atmosphere at church.
Jay Kieve, CBF’s director for leadership development, abuse prevention and church safety, is passionate about helping churches become safer places that thrive with skillful leaders.
Boldly Building Women-Centered Ministry That Transforms Communities
Orlando (Third Floor)
Learn how to design a holistic women’s ministry that integrates wellness to drive sustainable church growth and community impact. This Learning Lab equips leaders to assess needs, empower women and shift from event-based programming to transformational, impact-driven ministry with practical, actionable strategies.
Kiya Ward Shears is an influential speaker and preacher who empowers women to grow in spiritual, emotional, physical and financial wellness while equipping them to lead and create lasting impact in their communities.
Cultivating Community: Building a Young Adult Ministry for This Generation
City Terrace 4 (Third Floor)
Want to build a young adult program in your ministry but don’t know where to start? This Learning Lab will help equip ministry leaders with the right tools and resources to launch a young adult program and keep the upcoming generations involved in their local church and missions.
Anna Sample is a graduate student at Campbell University’s Divinity School with broad experience in various college and young adult ministries.
Embodied Liturgy: Spiritual Practices for All Ages to Embrace BOLD Faith Expressions
City Terrace 12 (Third Floor)
Join in an exploration of embodied spiritual practices. These practices for individuals, families and congregations can be engaged in everyday life, community and worship. Participants will connect their bodies and beings to their faith. Ministry leaders will be able to integrate these practices into their current ministry settings.
Sarah Boberg is a professor, minister, spouse and mom who seeks to engage in experiential and transformational spiritual formation.
From Research to Responsibility: Practicing Meaningful Male Advocacy
Daytona (Third Floor)
This workshop will explore what kinds of male advocacy have been most and least helpful to women in ministry. In this interactive session, participants will hear findings from original research by Ellen Di Giosia, name pitfalls that hinder progress and explore practical ways men can practice advocacy within CBF life.
Ellen Di Giosia is the coordinator of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Texas.
Nikki Hardeman is the director of Advocating for Women in Ministry at Baptist Women in Ministry.
God at Work Among Us: Community Engagement as Spiritual Formation
City Terrace 6 (Third Floor)
This Learning Lab explores how young adults can form genuine, justice-pursuing relationships with community organizations and neighbors. Drawing from the presenter’s experience guiding young adults into collaborative, community-driven partnerships, we will consider practices that nurture empathy, deepen spiritual formation and cultivate a lived understanding of God’s goodness toward all people.
Debby Haralson is passionate about connecting students, communities and global partners through service, teaching and transformative experiences.
Interfaith Engagement in Jacksonville: The Story of OneJax
River Terrace 3 (Third Floor)
In 1970, the National Conference of Christians and Jews (NCCJ) originally focused on promoting interfaith respect, acceptance and inclusion. In 2005, they formed a local organization, OneJax, Inc. Today, OneJax is dedicated to building community through respect, understanding and connections across Northeast Florida. Come hear their story.
Elizabeth Andersen is CEO and Rebekah McLeod Hutto is director of Interfaith and Cultural Programs at OneJax.
Learning from Palestinian Christians
City Terrace 10 (Third Floor)
Palestinian Christians are one of the most overlooked displaced people groups in the world. Boldness is believing that peace is possible in the Middle East with a willingness to sit with Palestinian Christians and inject their stories into a narrative that is actively seeking to erase them.
Robert Wallace is pastor of McLean Baptist Church, McLean, Va. and Jennifer Hawks serves as Director of Advocacy for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
Social Justice & Prophetic Activism as a Form of Healing
City Terrace 7 (Third Floor)
Explore how Christian tradition addresses issues of justice, equity and human rights through the lens of prophetic activism. Learn practical strategies for communal healing. The presenters bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in pastoral care, practical theology and contextual ministry, making this lab both informative and transformative.
D. Anthony Everett, chief advancement and partnership officer at BSK Theological Seminary, leads the Siloam Project, created to accelerate the seminary’s congregation-centered approach to theological education.
Jaye Lynn Peabody Smith, assistant professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at BSK, is a preacher, psychotherapist and pastoral care educator.
Candace Smith, visiting professor of Practical Theology and Black Church Studies at BSK, is a researcher, preacher and practical theologian who focuses on serving diverse communities.
The Bold Work of Forming Families: Practical Tools for Faith-Rooted Parenting in Stressful Times
City Terrace 8 (Third Floor)
In a moment when families are navigating high levels of stress, disconnection and uncertainty, churches are being called to respond. This Learning Lab introduces a faith-rooted, trauma-aware parenting curriculum that equips churches with practical, accessible tools to strengthen family connection, emotional regulation and spiritual formation at home.
Emily Morrow Loachamin is the program coordinator for the CBF Global Missions Strengthening Families Program.