Equip09 is July 26-31 in Central Ohio. At this the annual conference of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches (FGBC), sessions will take place on the north campus of the Grace Brethren Church of Columbus, 8225 Worthington-Galena Road, Westerville, Ohio. It is designed to bring groups of local church leaders together with counterparts from other churches for quality training.
The conference will feature guest presenters, including Ed Stetzer, who is well-known in church-planting circles; Gabe Lyons, co-founder of the Catalyst Conference; Neil Anderson, distinguished author; and Gary McIntosh, church growth expert.
The founder of the Fermi Project in 2003, Lyons also served as vice-president for INJOY. He co-authored the book unChristian, which investigates why pop-culture has such a negative perception of Christians. He is the Day Two speaker in a three-day class on “The Changing Face of the Church” led by Dave Plaster and Kary Oberbrunner. He will also speak during the Tuesday evening plenary sessions and at the Driven Unplugged late-night session.
Anderson is author of books like Bondage Breakers and Discipleship Counseling. He taught Discipleship Counseling at Equip07 and the response was overwhelming! He returns to Equip09 to teach Advanced Discipleship Counseling. This class is an excellent resource for people who want to help others become Biblical followers of Jesus Christ. (He will also repeat the basic Discipleship Counseling course at the Powell, Ohio, Grace Brethren Church on Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25 prior to the conference.)
McIntosh wrote One Size Doesn’t Fit All and will lead three one-day classes designed for different sized churches. His sessions are good for local church elder boards who want to learn how to effectively minister through the growth phases in the life of a church. He will also be available to consult with church staff or elder boards who take his classes.
Equip courses also provide…
– four courses for M.A. or D.Min. credit (at half the normal price!),
– classes on biblical theology,
– a course on family ministry in your church,
– Bible studies by some of the best teachers in the FGBC,
– classes for women,
– classes on the church and technology,
– an examination of justice issues in today culture,
– and much more.
In addition to these courses, Equip09 features…
– four plenary sessions,
– practical two-hour seminars,
– consultants that can help you with your ministry,
– lunch groups by affinity,
– meals sponsored by FGBC national ministries,
– affordable housing, including free lodging in host homes, and
– late-night dialogs about young adults and the church.
Check out www.equip09.com for full information and to register for Equip09. Sign up for one of the high-quality courses or just register for Equip09 and enjoy the fellowship of other conference participants. Pastors who bring their staff or board of elders can quality for a free Equip09 course. See you at Equip!