Workshops
MONDAY Workshops 2:00 & 3:45 pm
2:00 PM
1, “I Don’t Know” to Confident: A Small-Group Blueprint for Apologetics
Ashley D. van der Walt
Apologetics isn’t just for debaters, it’s for disciples. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to build an “apologetics pipeline” inside your church using small groups as the engine. We’ll cover how to introduce apologetics without intimidating people, how to train leaders, how to choose topics that actually matter, and how to turn doubts into discipleship moments. Expect practical tools, sample formats, and a clear next-step plan your church can start using immediately.
2. All things Next Gen and Youth Ministry - Panel
Mike Racinsky, Greg Barker, Tyler Legouffe, Tim Mudde
Youth ministry is constantly changing, come join the FEB Youth team for a panel discussion on all things next gen and youth ministry. Mike Racinsky, Tyler Legouff, Greg Barker, Eric Veen, and Tim Mudde will share insights, stories, and perspectives from diverse ministry contexts across the province. Submit your own question when you sign up for this elective, or simply come ready to be encouraged by what God is doing in and through youth ministry today.
3. Everyday Evangelists
Bechara Karkafi
This workshop explores how the gospel advances when ordinary believers live as daily practitioners of Christ’s mission. Grounded in Acts 5:42, “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus,” the focus is on disciples who actively share the gospel in the normal rhythms of life, allowing multiplication to take root through faithful obedience. Bechara and the team will share practical insights from real ministry contexts, highlighting both the blessings and challenges of cultivating a culture where every believer participates in evangelism. Their teaching will emphasize that leaders and disciples must model the mission by personally living out what they desire others to practice. Participating leaders will learn how to mobilize believers into simple, reproducible patterns of witness, build environments where evangelism becomes normal, and engage partnerships that strengthen gospel expansion.
4. Building Clear and Healthy Communication in Your Church
Becky Buck
Healthy congregational communication begins long before anything hits a bulletin, announcement, or platform. It starts with the way ministry leaders, staff, and volunteers communicate with one another. When internal communication is unclear, inconsistent, or siloed, the entire church feels it. Messages are confusing and mixed, there are last minute requests and friction between ministries. This workshop provides a practical and biblically rooted framework for building a healthy internal communication culture that supports clarity, unity, and mission alignment. Leaders will learn how intentional communication systems can reduce overwhelm, strengthen relationships, and ensure that what the church communicates reflects the heart of the church.
5. Navigating Life and Ministry as a Pastor’s Wife - Panel Q&A
Jo Buck
Sometimes, as partners in ministry, pastors’ wives can feel alone. We have a unique calling, serving in a role that can be rewarding, but also challenging. In this Q&A workshop, Jo Buck will host a panel of ministry wives who will share from their own experiences, and are willing to answer some of the questions we have as women married to men in ministry. Topics like raising children in the spotlight, dealing with personal struggles while serving, handling hurt in the church, being married to your pastor, and more. We want you to be encouraged and know you are not alone in this special role God has specifically called you to!
6. Effective Church Boards
Tom Haines, Tim Strickland
Serving on a church board is a vital church leadership role, yet board members often find themselves in the middle of the action feeling unequipped with little training. This workshop will share Biblical principles for effective board leadership that you can put into practice right away. Whether you are seasoned board member or just getting started, this workshop will help you serve more fruitfully on the board.
7. How to Have an Effective Sabbatical
Darryl Charlton
This workshop will examine the value of sabbaticals in proactively building long term sustainability. Best practices to be discussed include preparing yourself, your team, and your church to reap the benefits of a successful sabbatical. Darryl will draw upon recent experiences from his own three-month sabbatical to provide practical insights and advice.
3:45 PM
1. Preaching that Connects
Steve Adams3:45 PM
2. Biblical Apologetics
Glendon Thompson
On the Open Sea: the Drift into Secularism and the Power of God's Word. This paper traces the rise of present-day secularism (as described by Charles Taylor), discusses some of its challenges to Christian witness/apologetics, and concludes with reflections from Romans on the potency of God's Word. Pastors should labour to be more attuned to the cultural shifts around us and pray for greater confidence in God's Word.
3. Reaching a World of Competing Faiths and Cultures
Dr. John Taylor, Randy Southwell
Learn about proven training and resources that are producing fruit in worldview relevant evangelism and discipleship across Canada and around the world. You will come away with several tools to help your church make disciples, particularly among people with a non-Christian worldview.
4. Planning Corporate Worship Services: Random or Reasoned
Lee Brubacher
Organizing an order of service is a weekly challenge faced by every church and leader of worship. Should we utilize a random, shot-gun approach and simply throw in our favourite “les chansons du jour” or use a laser focus, with prayerful purpose? Come to this workshop for an overview of several methods of worship order creation, plus some tips and tricks for helping plan with biblical faithfulness and pastoral purpose.
5. Let’s Talk Succession: Preparing for What’s Next
Bob Flemming, Rick Buck
Succession sounds great, but does it work? It’s an idea that’s trending, but is it something in my ministry I should be thinking about? Let’s hear from three of our pastor’s, Rick Buck, Gary McNitt, and Dave Gray who have all had succession experience. Bob Flemming will lead a panel discussion exploring the good, bad, and ugly regarding succession.
6. Biblical Wisdom Acquired and Applied in Leadership
Tom Haines
7. Churches that Multiply
Alan Self
Many churches assume multiplication is out of reach. Our story says otherwise. Discover how Bethel has planted new congregations through a unified family model, clear stage-based process, and an intersection of biblical foundations and practical strategy. Walk away with an inspired vision for bold next steps and a practical framework you can adapt—no matter your size or location—to begin preparing your church to multiply.
Tuesday Workshops
2:00 PM
1. How to Thrive as a Solo Pastor in a Small Church
Jack Fliestra
We will look at four practical keys to thriving as a solo pastor under the pressures of life and ministry: 1. Know God’s Calling 2. Know Yourself 3. Know Your Church 4. Know Your Community
2. Mentoring Women
Tracy Stefens
3. The Visit Before the Visit: Understanding Your Church’s Digital Front Door
Lucas Roberts
Long before someone attends a service or hears a sermon, they’ve already formed impressions about your church. This workshop explores how websites, search results, and everyday digital touchpoints quietly communicate who you are, what to expect, and whether it’s worth showing up. Instead of trends or tech jargon, this session offers a clear, practical way to spot friction, confusion, or missed signals in your church’s digital front door—and make focused improvements that actually help people take a next step. Participants will leave with a simple audit framework and identify one specific digital barrier their church can clarify or improve within the next 30 days.
4. Healthy Systems, Healthy Churches
Tim Strickland
Healthy systems enable people and ministries to flourish, while unhealthy systems create barriers to ministry in your church. This workshop will teach you how to implement healthy ministry systems using Biblical systems principles, modern systems theory and practical examples common to church ministry. Whether you are a pastor, ministry director, board member or lay leader, this workshop will inspire you to create the systems that strengthen your ministry impact.
5. Learning from History: The Preaching of Benjamin Beddome
Yuta Seki
Benjamin Beddome (1718–1795) was an 18th-century Baptist pastor who ministered for over five decades in one local church. Though Beddome is unknown today, you may be familiar with some of his contemporaries like John Gill, Andrew Fuller, and William Carey. In his day, Beddome was well-known as an effective and useful preacher. In this workshop, we will consider the life of this Baptist pastor and the theological convictions that undergirded his preaching. As you hear about Beddome and his ministry, I trust that you will be sharpened in your understanding of the task of preaching and be motivated to give yourself more faithfully to the sacred desk. Of course, the lessons concerning preaching will have application to other forms of Word ministry, such as teaching.
6. Principles and Practices of Team Leadership
Rick Buck
This workshop will focus on guiding principles for leading a team of staff or lay leaders, as well as address some of the practical tools and strategies needed to nurture healthy team function. Content of this workshop has a fairly broad application. All staff and lay leaders who are responsibly for leading others in the fulfillment of mission and vision. Especially relevant to staff leaders. A workshop for all churches who are in the process of building teams, will find this helpful.
7. Making Disciples Who Multiply Across Generations
Kelvin Kauffeldt
This workshop explores how to cultivate biblically grounded disciples who multiply across generations, reflecting the vision of Spirit-filled, thriving, reproducing churches. Rooted in Acts 19:20, “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily,” the focus is on forming disciple-making cultures shaped by Scripture, obedience, and mission. Kelvin will draw from his experience equipping churches to develop rhythms, relationships, and practices that intentionally pass faith from one generation to the next. His insights will help leaders understand how discipleship moves beyond programs to become a lifestyle that produces spiritual sons and daughters and future disciple-makers. Participating leaders will learn how to mobilize believers to follow Jesus deeply, teach others faithfully, and multiply generationally. As Matt Chandler reminds us, “The goal of the Christian life is not behaviour modification but heart transformation.”
3:45 PM
1. AI & the Next Generation: Navigating Innovation, Influence, and Integrity
Tyler LeGouffe
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping how we live, think, and engage. In this breakout, we’ll explore how AI can be a powerful tool for ministry: from content creation to communication and discipleship. But we’ll also confront the challenges — from ethical concerns to the ways AI can distort truth, identity, and worldview. Join us for a practical and thought-provoking session that equips you to engage AI with discernment, use it with purpose, and lead others toward clarity in an increasingly complex digital world.* *Written with the help of AI
2. Teaching the Bible in a Post Christian Culture
Dustin Boreland
3. The Heart of Revitalization
Jon Fitter
The Heart of Revitalization: examining the heart of the problem, the Holy Spirit power solution, and Jesus’ clear goal for His Church… and some tools for the transformation.
4. The Heart of an Outreaching Pastor: Leading Beyond the Walls
Robin Pifer
Reignite your church's outreach and develop a genuine heart for your community. This workshop delivers practical principles and actionable strategies to build a church that naturally reaches beyond its walls. Action Step - To prioritize and plan spiritual C.P.R. and understand the strategy of Jesus in your church
5. Administration in Kids Ministry
Jenn Gowing
Ensuring kids ministry runs smoothly week in and week out is no small task. From onboarding volunteers, creating schedules, maintaining policies and procedures, organizing curriculum, and keeping your Goldfish supply topped up, there’s a lot to be done behind the scenes.This breakout will cover some of the organizational structures you can put in place to keep things running smoothly. Action Step: Review the organizational structure of the kids ministry programs at your church.
6. Administration That Frees Ministry
Randy Roebuck
This workshop equips leaders—from single-pastor churches to multi-staff teams—with practical, efficient administrative systems rooted in the Acts 6 model of ministry support. We will focus on the 3 Pillars of clarity, consistency, and communication across finance, technology, and compliance (especially Canadian CRA/Safe Church requirements). Learn how efficient governance and smart delegation free up pastors and staff from the "busy work" to focus on shepherding and outreach. Your Action Step: Identify ONE administrative task you can successfully delegate or automate this week, thereby reclaiming ministry time.
7. Developing a Leadership Pipeline at your Church
Dwayne Cline
Leadership development rarely feels urgent—until it becomes unavoidable. Between sermons, pastoral care, budgets, and crises, investing in future leaders can slip to the bottom of the list. Yet churches do not drift toward health by accident. Without a clear pathway to identify, form, and release leaders, we risk overloading a few, burning out the willing, and leaving the next generation unprepared. After five years, a church has the leadership team it has—or hasn’t—intentionally developed. This workshop equips church leaders to build a sustainable leadership pipeline. You will gain practical tools to establish rhythms of coaching and discipleship and learn how to cultivate leaders at every level, from small group leaders to elders. Healthy churches require healthy leaders—formed prayerfully, intentionally, and over time, in community. Come ready to refocus and take your next step toward a culture where leaders are strengthened, trained, and multiplied.