MinistryCOM 2008

Steve Dennie Church of the United Brethren in Christ USA
Your church has a variety of communication vehicles – Web sites, bulletins, brochures, blogs, email, PowerPoint, newsletters, videos and more. Each medium has its own do’s and don’ts regarding the written word. You can’t just slap the exact same content from the church newsletter onto the Web site and then onto announcement slides.
This workshop examines how to make your writing effective across the media spectrum. Start with principles applicable to all media, and then spotlight writing for the web, email and blogs. Through plenty of dialogue, the group will consider design issues which affect the written word, ones that must be considered in the writing process. About the presenter: Steve has over 30 years experience in communications roles with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. As their Communications Director, he oversees all Internet strategy and communications, including oversight of four websites and assisting local churches with their communications efforts. Steve has his communications degree from Huntington University and Masters in Public Relations from Ball State University. Married to a CPA since 1989, he has been a Macintosh user since 1988, and is obnoxious about it. Despite moving around as a kid, Steve has worked at the same place his entire professional career.

Includes audio (MP3) only Electronic download only (57Meg)

Jenni Keller Northview Christian Life Church
It’s one thing to report the facts. It’s an entirely different thing to engage your reader. To communicate God’s amazing love and grace, through the testimony of a Christ-follower. Regardless of your church size, every person has a story to tell. And it’s your job to bring that story to life. Telling a great story is more than just words on a page. To effectively tell stories, you need a strong interview, a compelling hook and the ability to pull out the pieces that will make a genuine connection with others.
Learn how to find great stories, how to form and write a story that will captivate your readers and how you can use these stories inside your church and in your community for effective kingdom impact.
About the presenter: Jenni Keller is Director of Communications at Northview Christian Life Church in Carmel, Ind. With her dad as her lead pastor, growing up in ministry has greatly shaped her understanding and passions for the church and helping it effectively communicate to a hurting world. Although she loves her job, her favorite role is “mommy” to twin girls, Lauren and Jillian and her newest baby (born in July), Claira. She and her husband, Andy, live in Carmel and enjoy Qdoba burritos and Blizzards at DQ.

Includes audio (MP3), slides (PDF) Electronic download only (56Meg)

Mike FosterFounder, XXXChurch.com
In 2002, Mike founded XXXChurch.com, the Internet’s #1 Christian porn site. Utilizing his creativity and passion for people, Mike has helped bring healing and freedom from pornography addiction for people around the world. He has appeared on CNN, FOXNews, Good Morning America and has been featured in the New York Times.
2008 Keynote: Mike Foster
Includes audio (MP3) only Electronic download only (43Meg)

Michael Buckingham Holy Cow Creative
“I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.”
Sermon branding is all about creating visual connections to what is being said. It’s much more than a colorful slide; it is the presentation of the Gospel. This workshop takes you beyond the “if” of sermon branding into the “why,” teaching you how to connect visuals to emotion for creating sticky preaching. Michael will outline the process for sermon branding from title to visuals to building anticipation through creative resources. Since this is all about connecting visually, he’ll do more than talk about it. He’ll show examples of effective and engaging sermon branding.
About the presenter: Michael Buckingham, owner and creative director of Holy Cow Creative, brings a unique blend of business and creative ability to the Church. With a diverse background ranging from starting large corporations to developing a youth center to agency work, he now works with churches of all sizes to develop relevant and engaging marketing. He has taken his experience in the public sector and is now set out to change the way the Church does Church.

Includes audio (MP3), handouts (PDF) Electronic download only (59Meg)

Dawn Nicole Baldwin Founder, AspireOne
Dawn Nicole is Founder and Lead Strategist of AspireOne, a strategic branding firm with a passion for helping churches reach people more effectively. She has led visual communications and advertising teams at Willow Creek Community Church and Big Idea Productions, Creators of VeggieTales. For over 10 years Dawn Nicole has consulted with some of today’s most innovative churches, such as Granger, Seacoast and Perimeter.
2008 Keynote: Dawn Baldwin
Includes audio (MP3), slides (PDF) Electronic download only (37Meg)

Jon AcuffBlogger, stuffchristianslike.net
Over the last 10 years, Jon Acuff has written for everyone from John Mayer to Andy Stanley. He won over the Oprah show with only four words, earned a national advertising writing award, broke sales records at Home Depot, and taught Chick-fil-A how to make grown men cry. And then things got interesting.
In am homage to another popular website and as an ironic commentary on our desire to put a God spin on secular ideas, (e.g. “Got Milk” becomes “Got God,” “Adidas” becomes “Add Jesus”) he started stuffchristianslike.net. He told a few dozen people. They told a few dozen more. And in less than five months, 180,000 people from 175 countries around the world showed up to read his ideas more than 1.2 million times. Now, he’s writing a book. Using all the motivational skill he gained telling millions of people about brands like Staples and Bose, he’s sarcastically challenging the way Christians and Atheists look at this thing called “faith.”
Includes audio (MP3) only Electronic download only (32Meg)

Anne Jackson Cross Point Church
It’s a disease nobody talks about until it’s too late. Statistics and stories prove the health of those serving in ministry is declining – physically, mentally, relationally, emotionally and spiritually. So why do we burn out? What defines a healthy environment? How do we fulfill our call without going insane?
Everyone in ministry – vocational or volunteer – needs this workshop to understand, prevent and treat the epidemic of burnout in church culture. Learn from Anne’s personal experience of crashing and burning, as well as research and interviews from statistical experts, church staff and families and volunteers.
About the presenter: Anne Jackson serves on staff at Cross Point Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Her book, Mad Church Disease, will be available in February 2009. Anne’s articles have been published in a variety of print and online magazines, and her blog, FlowerDust.net is ranked as one of the top blogs in Christian Leadership. She is an advocate for Compassion International, a down-to-earth communicator, and an all around dreamer. Anne has an unwavering passion to see the Church grow, thrive, and fulfill its purpose. Anne and her husband Chris live in Nashville.

Includes audio (MP3) only Electronic download only (51Meg)

Evan McBroom Fishhook
Highly creative ministry teams need time away from everyday ministry demands to refresh and renew—and to keep those creative juices flowing. In a very upbeat, practical, hands-on session, we’ll practice brainstorming techniques, discuss creative resources (in and out of the congregation), and explore how to lead your team in developing and implementing creative ideas.
About the presenter: Evan McBroom is dedicated to serving as a partner and resource with churches and Christ-centered organizations through Fishhook, an innovative communications and creative services company he founded in 2002. He combines the passion of his faith journey with his expertise in senior-level communications consulting from a 14-year career with one of central Indiana’s largest corporate communications and marketing companies. Evan’s areas of expertise include organizational identity/branding, strategic consulting/communications planning and promotions/event campaigns.

Includes audio (MP3), slides (PDF) Electronic download only (56Meg)

Immediate Aid for Building Relationships Beyond Your Church Walls Leah Norton Fishhook
Ever feel like strategically and creatively communicating to build relationships with those beyond your church walls is an impossible feat? With busy ministries, pressing deadlines and limited budgets, your communications focus can quickly become all about what’s happening INSIDE your church.
Beginning with a brief overview of PR basics (identifying target audiences, developing measurable goals/objectives, etc.), this workshop will provide strategic plans and practical tools for building effective: Community relations: how to connect and communicate well in or with your church’s local community (case studies to be shared) Media relations: how to connect and communicate well with your church’s local media (to include tips/ideas for developing story ideas and pitching them to the media)
About the presenter: Leah Norton “loves God, loves communications and loves working with churches.” An account director at Fishhook – an innovative communications and creative services company in Indianapolis – Leah’s work blends all of these passions. Prior to helping churches communicate more effectively, Leah worked in a large public relations firm and the corporate world. An accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America, Leah graduated from Anderson University (Anderson, Ind.) with a bachelor of arts degree in mass communications/public relations. Leah and Brian, her husband of 11 years, have two young daughters. They are active members at The Church at the Crossing in Indianapolis, where Leah recently completed two terms of service on the Board of Elders.

Includes audio (MP3), slides (PDF) Electronic download only (62Meg)

Ginger Sinsabaugh MacDonald TastyFaith.com
You show up to Tuesday’s staff meeting with your fully loaded latte and blueberry scone. That’s when the associate pastor drops one of the following bombs:

• The pastor’s new sermon series needs a bit of eye candy.
• The singles group needs promotional materials yesterday.
• The welcoming committee needs help planning a major fundraising event.
• A local businessman just donated a billboard to the church.

Where do you start? Start the way marketing professionals do: by developing a creative brief. This simple document will save you from creative grief.
In this workshop you will learn:

• A step by step process for implementing a successful communication project.
• The importance of looking at things from the pew point instead of the pulpit.
• How to dial up the crave factor of your organization.
• Insights from national marketers.

About the presenter: Ginger Sinsabaugh MacDonald has worked with Snap! Crackle! Pop! as well as Michael Jordan. She has won awards creating commercials you’ve seen on TV, ads in magazines, coupons in Sunday papers, as well as the signage the sample lady has next to her at the supermarket. But now, Giger uses her creativity to stir up a craving for more than snack foods. As the Top Cookie of TastyFaith,com, Ginger helps create a craving for Christ with fresh outreach materials. She is the author of Life After Birth Bible Studies for Teen Moms as well as several articles about media, creative communication and teens. Ginger and her husband, Jeff, live in Chicago, Ill. where they enjoy eating candy.

Includes audio (MP3) only Electronic download only (49Meg)