LOUISVILLE – Bringing new energy to the local church is the focus of Campbellsville University’s Transformational Church Summit, Sept. 27-28.
“We need transformation,” said John Chowning, CU’s vice president for church and external relations. “We need renewal. We need a fresh movement of the Holy Spirit in our congregations and among our people, and we believe this conference can help.”
The event begins Thursday at 1 p.m., EDT. Speakers include Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources; and former Kentucky Baptist Convention evangelism team leader Dan Garland, who now serves as LifeWay’s director of pastoral ministries and church consulting.
Other speakers include John Mark Toby, pastor of Beacon Hill Baptist Church in Somerset; Charles Grant Jr. of LifeWay Church Resources’ Black and Urban Church Partnerships Division; Shane Garrison, assistant professor of educational ministries at Campbellsville University; and Rusty Ellison, pastor of Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville.
KBC Executive Director Paul Chitwood urged Kentucky Baptists to attend the summit.
“I believe it falls right in line with the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s emphasis on church revitalization,” he said. The presenters are a “great lineup of speakers who have decades of experience in investing themselves in revitalization ministries in the local church.”
Breakout sessions include:
- Transformational Church for Predominately African-American Churches
- Culture Eats Strategies: Incremental Change in a Local Church
- Transformational Church for Sunday School
- Transformational Church 101
- How to Use the TCAT (Transformational Church Assessment Tool)
Garland said, “The Transformational Church Conference at Campbellsville University will provide tools to help (leaders) know how church members would respond to statements in the Transformational Church Assessment Tool.”
LifeWay’s TCAT helps churches assess the health of a congregation, celebrate areas of strength, and address areas of concern. The tool goes beyond the usual indicators of church health, focusing on areas that will help church members better understand how to become a transformational church.
Some of the statements found in the TCAT include:
“A sense of anticipation and expectancy surrounds our worship services,”
“Our church members often bring friends with them to our worship services,”
“Our church regularly starts new small groups,”
“Serving is considered normal behavior at our church,”
“Our members are comfortable sharing their faith with unbelievers,”
“Our church leadership has given us a clear direction for the future,”
“Our congregation knows the vision of our church,”
“Seeing people praying together is a normal sight at our church,”
“Our church depends on prayer for its effectiveness,”
“Our church has a clearly defined discipleship process for moving a person from salvation to spiritual growth to significant ministry,” and
“There is a culture of inviting at our church, where people are constantly invited by others to get connected on a deeper level.”
The fee for the summit is $40 per person. Registration is underway at www.campbellsville.edu/summit.
The summit is a partnership event sponsored by Campbellsville University, KBC and LifeWay Christian Resources.
Release from Campbellsville University
