Highlights from Reinvent 2013

“This was the first conference I felt a sincere effort to be real.”

“I thought the conference was excellent. It was all pastors. We had a consciousness that we were a community of leaders.”

“This is essential for church growth and church planting. It’s important to evaluate our failures as not to repeat them again.”

“I had a lot of fascinating and useful conversations with old associates and new folks. The staff did a great job.”

Pastors from across the country assembled at the “Reinvent” conferences this spring to discover the valuable resources that are emerging across the national Unificationist community to support and equip them as leaders. These resources came in both tangible and immaterial forms, from new ministry products to the wisdom shared by rising Unificationist leaders. The interactive discussions and presentations during the two conferences which happened in New York and California highlighted best practices for expanding the church. The lessons learned already have born fruit in the field, according to participants.

REINVENT YOURSELF. REINVENT LEADERSHIP. REINVENT CHURCH.

The three-day east coast conference in April focused on these three areas. Maio Baiocco, a national team member of Lead With Impact specializing in Recovery Ministry and Critical Care, gave participants the opportunity to “take off their pastor hat” and get real with themselves as individuals. The session entitled “Reinvent Yourself” helped pastors realize their strengths, their fears, and their priorities in life. As pastors, understanding who we are as people makes it easier to determine our most effective leadership style.

“Reinvent Leadership” focused on beneficial skills for leading a congregation such as how to cast a vision, how to lead as a spouse, and how to build a team. An awareness of new calls to church planting arising in the hearts of Unificationists and guidance on how to answer those calls was also expressed. Rev. Larry Krishnek, district pastor of district 10, shared “The highlight of the conference was the consideration given to Church Planting and Replanting. In this age of UC ‘perestroika’ [restructuring], it had been challenging for me to see how to create something truly new and effective that is deeply grounded in our principles and core tradition. The sessions that dealt with church planting provided me an encouraging way forward.”

“Reinvent Church” delivered practical how-to solutions for music ministry, small groups, message delivery and more. Rev. Richard Buessing credits Rev. Kevin Thompson of the Bay Area Church for giving excellent guidance on how to give an effective sermon and shared “He was precise, he made it simple and practical. One of the pastors in our district took notes and then gave a sermon that following Sunday that showed incredible improvement.”

PASTORING A CHURCH AND WORKING A FULL-TIME JOB.

“The May conference on the west coast was a bit of a challenge,” says Lead With Impact director Jaga Gavin and conference organizer, “in that we were fitting three days into a day and a half. Our desire with this second conference was to reach more of the lay pastors who work full time jobs on top of their role as a local leader. They don’t have much time to take off for a typical 3-day leadership conference so we created a conference unique to their needs.” Pastors came from all over the country representing many of the smaller churches, which describe most of the Unificationist communities in America. Continues Gavin, “In a short amount of time we were able to reinvent ourselves and the way we do church by listening to some very talented presenters such as Demian Dunkley (“Breaking Out”), Kevin Thompson (“C.R.A.F.T. a message”), and Maio Baiocco (“Critical Care”). Formatting sessions into break-out opportunities allowed for the sharing of ideas, best practices and coaching opportunities.”

If you are a pastor and missed the Lead With Impact conferences you can still hear these presentations by subscribing to the Pastors Network, available through the Lead With Impact website to watch recorded sessions.