The EPC’s 43rd General Assembly/Gospel Priorities Summit features training and equipping sessions based on the denomination’s four Gospel Priorities of Church Planting, Church Health, Global Movement, and Effective Biblical Leadership. This year’s Assembly takes place June 20-22 at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Addressing the priority of Effective Biblical Leadership, several EPC pastors and other leaders will provide guidance in becoming a more effective leader, pastoral transitions, Reformed theology, pastoral health, and more.
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Tuesday, June 20
- Networking Lunch: “Disability Ministry and Support.” Hosted by Michelle Munger, author of Margins of Grace: Becoming Champions of Faith and Family in the Midst of Disability.
- Networking Lunch: “How to Revitalize your Leadership Pipeline.” Hosted by Scott Manor, President of Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
- Networking Lunch: “Navigating the Letters (LGBTQ+) with a Family Member.” Hosted by Scott Kingry, Program Director for Where Grace Abounds.
- Networking Lunch: “Revival and Revivalism in American Presbyterianism.” Hosted by Don Fortson, Professor of Church History and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary’s Charlotte, N.C., campus.
Wednesday, June 21
- Plenary Session: “What Is an Effective Biblical Leader?” Led by Michael Davis, EPC Assistant Stated Clerk.
- Networking Lunch: “Executive Pastors and Church Administrators.” Hosted by Patrick Coelho, EPC Chief Financial Officer.
- Networking Lunch: “Revelation 7:9: How to be a Community-Conscious Congregation.” Hosted by Rufus Smith, Senior Pastor of Hope Church in Cordova, Tenn., and Co-Chairman of the EPC Revelation 7:9 Task Force.
- Networking Lunch: “Sharpening Parent Skills Amidst Today’s Adolescent Crisis.” Hosted by Bill Senyard, President of Gospel App Ministries.
- Networking Lunch: “Small Church Leadership: Developing the Body In Its Call to Hope.” Hosted by Bill Crawford, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Thibodaux, La., and First Presbyterian Church in Houma, La.; and Suzanne Zampella, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Dexter, N.M., and First Presbyterian Church of Hagerman, N.M.
- Networking Lunch: “The Contemporary Significance of Westminster Divine Edward Reynolds (1599-1676).” Hosted by Jeff Jeremiah, EPC Stated Clerk Emeritus.
Thursday, June 22
- Equipping Session 1: “A Fond Farewell: Navigating a Healthy Pastoral Transition.” Led by Kent Mathews, President of Heartland Theological Seminary in Kansas City and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for the Presbytery of the Great Plains; and Annie Rose, EPC Director of Ministerial Support and Development and Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of the Rivers and Lakes.
- Equipping Session 2: “A Most Vital Expression: Using the Westminster Standards in the 21st Century and Beyond.” Led by Zach Hopkins, Pastor of Edgington Presbyterian Church in Taylor Ridge, Ill.; and Marcos Ortega, Lead Pastor of the Beacon, N.Y., campus of Goodwill Church.
- Equipping Session 3: “Pastoral Health and Effectiveness.” Led by Kent Mathews, Doug Resler, and Rachel White. Mathews serves as President of Heartland Theological Seminary in Kansas City and is the Coordinator of the EPC’s Mentored Apprenticeship Program (MAP). Resler serves as Senior Pastor of Parker Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Parker, Colo. White serves as Pastor for Lifegroups and Alpha at Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church in Gig Harbor, Wash.
- Networking Lunch: “Healthy Leadership Development in Church Planting.” Hosted by Cron Gibson, Founder and Executive Director of Hopewell Equipping and Counseling Center in Virginia Beach, Va.
- Networking Lunch: “Liturgical Worship, the Regulative Principle, and Presbyterianism.” Hosted by Zac Hicks, Pastor of Church of the Cross in Birmingham, Ala.
- Networking Lunch: “Reaching a Generation Like None Other.” Hosted by Jen Burkholder, Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO).
- Networking Lunch: “The Awakening Power of a Great Question.” Hosted by Dave Meserve, Affiliate Coach for PastorServe.
- Networking Lunch: “The Power of Rest: Embracing Sabbaticals for Ministry Health.” Hosted by Roy Yanke, Executive Director of PIR Ministries.
Online registration with a cost of $345 per person runs until June 15. The registration fee includes lunch each day, while on-campus dinners Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are optional at a cost of $30 per person. Late registration begins June 15 with a fee of $395 per person.
For more information about the 43rd General Assembly / Gospel Priorities Summit and to register, see www.epc.org/ga2023. For full details about all the equipping opportunities on the EPC’s four Gospel Priorities, go to www.epc.org/ga2023gospelprioritiessummit.