Spark Conference

Northeast Regions Live Gathering

Christ Place Church, Flowery Branch, GA
Monday, Aug 29

Jimmy Scroggins, Keynote

Jimmy Scroggins is an author, nationally known speaker, and the Senior Pastor of the Family Church—a network of neighborhood churches in South Florida. He teaches as a visiting professor at both Southern and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminaries. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Jacksonville University, as well as an M.Div and a Ph.D from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. Prior to his call to West Palm Beach, Jimmy served as the Dean of Boyce College from 2004-2008 as well as Student Minister/Teaching Pastor at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville from 1997-2008. Jimmy and his wife Kristen have eight children.

Keynote Address: Collaborative Leadership

Our culture is fascinated with individual rights and accomplishments. Even as believers in Jesus we can default to the "Moses model" of leadership, but Jesus calls us to collaborative leadership. The Apostle Paul says it this way, “For we are God's fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:9). Let’s talk about how we can co-labor to build our neighborhood churches, advance the gospel, and transform our communities.

Breakout Topics

Leading Change: the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly led by Jeff Crook
The wise leader understands the price involved in leading a church closer to God's ideal. Learn how to count the cost, avoid the pitfalls, weather the change process, and invite others to journey with you into God's future.
Finding an Oasis in Ministry (Pastor/Staff Wives) led by Kristin Scroggins & Jennifer Sutton
Ministry can be a lonely place for wives. Connect with fellow travelers who understand the joys and burdens of serving God's people. And learn approaches to keep your soul and marriage healthy as you keep saying "yes" to God's call.
Ministering to the Smartphone Generation led by Jamie Willis & Chris Hargrove
How do we help our students wisely navigate today's digital world? How do we equip our parents to stay involved in the digital lives of their teenagers? How do we create some healthy boundaries with technology in our ministries? In this seminar, we'll address these questions and discuss how to leverage technology's benefits while avoiding some of the pitfalls. Whether you lead teenagers at church or in your home, this breakout will give you the tools you need to help teenagers make wise choices as they navigate today's digital world.
Working From Rest led by Nathan Raynor
Jesus says, "Come unto Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Mt. 11: 28) Yet every leader struggles with the challenge of "too much to do, "… sometimes to the point of burnout. Learn how to develop a leadership culture that doesn't burn people out. Even more, learn practical applications for what the Biblical principle of "Sabbath" might look like in your own life.
Building a Pipeline of Future Leaders led by Rick Herman & Ben Garrison
One of the most challenging areas of ministry is finding, developing, and keeping great next-generation leaders. In this breakout, you'll learn some mistakes to avoid…and some lessons that will put you on a path to growing the leaders who will open doors for the future.
What a Teenager Needs from a Youth Worker led by Chris Trent
If you're a volunteer that works with teenagers, this breakout is for you! We'll look at current trends among teenagers and think through what teenagers really need from the adults in their lives.
Ride the Waves led by Levi Skipper
"Ups and downs" can be a challenge to leaders. But if you view them rightly, they can open up an opportunity. Learn how to leverage the natural attendance bumps in your church year & get clarity on your next steps for Kingdom impact.
Passing Faith to the Next Generation led by Rod Zwemke
Raising faith-filled kids has always been a challenge. Learn how God provided "handles" for the task from the very beginning… and how you can build on Old Testament foundations to encourage your kids in their faith.
Reaching Women… Without Leaving Home led by Christa Skipper
God has already given you what you need to reach out to the women around you. This breakout will show you how to use a simple tool – the Gather Box – to be on mission without ever leaving your home!
Every Woman. In Community. On Mission led by Lauren Sullens
What would happen if all Georgia Baptist women were growing in God’s word, growing in unity, confident in sharing their faith, intimate with God through prayer and living on mission for Him each day? Join us as we explore sharing "Hope In Christ" in our every day life.
Building a Great Team/Volunteer Culture led by Greg Worley
Growing ministries thrive on an ever-increasing pool of leaders. But not every church has developed a culture to make that possible. Learn how you can build (and keep!) great ministry teams & create a flow of new leaders.
Church Finances - Caring for God's Ministry and God's Servants led by Tony Neal
While our "business" is spiritual, we can't avoid the need to be faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us. Guarding the integrity of His church and caring well for His servants are both high on that list. Learn how your church can make sure funds are safe, members' confidence remains high, and your pastors are cared for.
Helping Your 'Under 250' Church Thrive led by Karl Vaters
90% of the pastors in America serve a church with under 250 in attendance. Yet nearly all of the books, conferences, and resources produced to help pastors don't really "fit" their context. Come learn how to understand and lead effectively in the unique context of a "normal size" church.
Planting Churches Bivocationally led by Stephen Partrick
The cost of providing for full-time pastors & staff can be overwhelming – both to candidates who feel called to plant and to the churches that consider partnering with them. Come learn how a bi-vocational model for planting can deliver excellent ministry, fuel a vision for multiplication, and lay a practical foundation for progress.
Multiplying Your Church's Impact (Panel Discussion) led by Joe Payton, George Thomasson, & Seth Harvey
Entrenched ways of thinking, poor reputation, cramped facilities, aging membership – all can leave a church at what feels like a "dead end." But God is never without a way forward. Learn from 3 men leading churches into a new future by finding ways to launch a brand new growth curve.  
Engage Your Church's Audience with Social Media led by Madisen Mayfield
Few pastors are experts in "branding," websites, social media, or graphic design, yet these have become increasingly important to reach today's culture. Learn how your church can take simple steps to engage the audience God has called you to reach, and be connected with resources to help your church take the next step with social media.
Serving the Least of These led by Alex Gailey
Hundreds of kids in North Georgia can’t live with their birth families. They constitute a huge need within our communities… and a huge opportunity for God’s Church. Learn how you can help your church become part of a local network to bless a foster child, and open doors for the Gospel.
Building a Discipleship Culture (Pt. 1 & 2) led by Carlos Velez
Creativity has taken Christianity from being relational to becoming a philosophy, an institution, a reformation, a conquest, and a business. God is calling the Church back to relational discipleship. Learn how to become a church that teaches, lives out, and multiplies.
Great 1st Impressions led by Marlana Carpenter
Great hospitality is Biblical… and it’s also the key to whether guests return. Learn how to instill a vision for ministry that starts before they step on campus, exceeds every expectation while they’re present, and brings them back again!
The Structure of Worship led by Nicholas Costello
Worship is primary for God's people, and God loves every form of genuine worship. This breakout will explore biblical principles that are foundational to developing our worship ministries, and how you can apply them regardless of church culture, style, size.
The Superpower of Childcare led by “Miss PattyCake” (Jean Thomason)
Childcare or nursery duty is sadly sometimes thought of as babysitting. This SHOULD NOT BE. Ministry to children is the single most strategic ministry in God’s kingdom, and we must start early. Infants and toddlers are at strategic developmental stages and can be strongly influenced by planting seeds of faith. Choose to be intentional as you make deposits into their little lives.
Coaching Parents of Young Children led by “Miss PattyCake” (Jean Thomason)
Children's ministry is no longer just about children; it's just as much about parents. If we want to influence the lives of children, then we must influence the lives of their greatest influencers by being resource providers, cheerleaders & prayer partners. Discipleship is “homework” and can feel to parents like hard work…they need enthusiastic confidence for the job of spiritual formation and we can help them!
5 Essentials for a Great Small Grp/SS Leader led by Scott Sullivan
Learn five key characteristics of group leaders who excel every week at teaching and leading. This session is packed with practical content to help you take the next step in making disciple makers in a group setting.
The Inspired Teacher (Video) led by Allen Taylor
Teaching the Bible is a basic, core function of every New Testament church. It affects everything we do. Teaching affects the way we do evangelism, discipleship, ministry, worship, fellowship, prayer, service, relationships – everything. You can’t grow a groups ministry with ineffective teachers. We will consider why we teach, what we teach, how to prepare, how to teach, and how to connect.
Building a Culture of Discipleship led by P J Dunn
What really changes the culture of discipleship in a church? A program? A pastor? Curriculum? Only when we change the culture of discipleship at our church will we see our church make disciples.
Men’s Ministry that Changes the World led by Ken Adams
The last thing you (or your church) need is another event to attend. What if you could launch a ministry that actually changes men, who then change their families, their communities, and finally the world? Come learn how to get started.
SPICE: Blueprint for Building an Evangelistic Church led by Brad Marchman
Every pastor wants to reach more lost people with the gospel. Every pastor wants to see their people actively participating in the in the task of evangelism. SPICE training is a tool that will help make this a reality for your church. SPICE stands for Strategic Plan for Intentional and Continuous Evangelism. The SPICE training will help you develop a plan not only to reach more lost people in your community, but also lead your people to be more gospel focused and mobilized to participate in the process. SPICE is a tool that will help you change the culture of your church and have your people looking to impact their community with the gospel.
Ages & Stages/Discipleship for Home & Church (Video) led by Landry Homes
Today’s parents feel ill-equipped to spiritually train and educate their preschoolers and elementary-aged kids. Based on the principle that preschoolers and kids learn and comprehend concepts differently as they grow in maturity, we will look at how to provide an age-suitable discipleship approach at home and at church.
Preaching the Bible in a Changing Culture (Video) led by Andy Blanks
Our world has changed. The pandemic has reshaped every aspect of our culture, including the rhythms surrounding our faith. When preaching the Bible to teenagers, some best practices are timeless and unchanging. And there are also new variables that must be considered. In this session, Andy will walk youth workers through the non-negotiables of effectively preaching the Word to students in a culture that is radically changing around us.
Sexual Abuse Risk/Changes in the Landscape (Video) led by Greg Love
This session will describe the new challenges related to child sexual abuse in ministry: insurance requirements, legislative changes and how predators have adapted. The session will conclude with an overview of steps to take to deal with the ‘old’ challenge while correctly navigating the ‘new’ challenges.
Making/Keeping Your Church Safe led by Ben O’Neal
We will be discussing how to start a security program in your church and if you have one already, how to improve your existing team. We will discuss behaviors and indicators and what types of responsibilities will be needed to effectively protect a church and their congregations. We will also discuss what Georgia law says about carrying weapons in church.
Managing Behavior in the Classroom led by Jenny Kent
Behavior management is always on a teacher’s mind. Discover why children display certain behaviors. We will learn some strategies for handling behavior issues so that everyone can have a positive experience.
Making the Sunday School Morning Experience Exciting for Children led by Jenny Kent
Today’s world is filled with things that capture our children’s attention. How can we make learning on Sunday morning so exciting and interesting that children are drawn to Jesus.
The Power of the Neighborhood Church led by Jimmy Scroggins
Hear how Family Church grew from one church in one location speaking one language to a family of neighborhood churches with multiple pastors, locations, and languages.
Produced by the Georgia Baptist Mission Board
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