Schedule & Focus Sessions

Here is the schedule for the 2024 Conference! View Focus Session topics below.
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This year’s conference theme is Create Within. Our goal is to help you learn to create for your church in the way God uniquely designed you to. 

Monday, October 7, 2024

8:00 AM – Doors Open – Meet & Greet – Coffee Provided

9:00 AM – Main Session 1

10:30 AM – Focus Session 1

12:00 PM – Lunch (provided)

1:00 PM – Main Session 2

2:30 PM – Focus Session 2

3:30 PM – Main Session 3

5:00 PM – Dinner (on your own)

5:00 PM – Song Innovators Co-Writing Event (Optional Add-On) 

 

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

8:00 AM – Doors Open – Meet & Greet – Coffee Provided

9:00 AM – Main Session 4

10:30 AM – Focus Session 3

12:00 PM – Lunch (provided)

1:00 PM – Focus Session 4

2:00 PM – Main Session 5

3:00 PM – Conference Ends

 

(All Times are CST)

**subject to change

2024 Focus Sessions: 

Focus Session 1 – Monday @ 10:30 AM

  • How to livestream on a budget
    Taught by Ryan Zimmer, Advanced Ministry Tech
    Are you currently using an iPad to stream your service and want to find an upgrade without breaking the bank? There are plenty of options to integrate quality livestream without spending $10,000 or more. In this breakout, Ryan will go over the fundamental pieces of livestream and how to put together a system that’s expandable and provide quality viewing to your online congregation.
  • Navigating Ministry On-Ramps, Highways and ExitsTaught by Susan Troth, Cedarville University
    Susan Troth (Associate Professor of Worship, Cedarville University)//In her years in ministry (Minister of Worship, Pastor’s Wife, Worship Professor, Volunteer) she has learned how to navigate the caution lights, avoid the stop lights and know when to proceed in ministry. Susan will discuss the skills needed to start your ministry position, keep your job and how to wisely navigate the exit ramp.
  • How to Manage a Large Mix
    Taught by Sweetwater
    It’s easy for things to get lost in a large audio mix. Can you hear each part of the worship team? Are the vocals intelligible? Getting the mix right is essential, but the more inputs you have, the harder that task becomes. In this session, we’ll teach you techniques for mixing a large number of inputs and keeping your cool when the mix seems too big to manage.
  • How to elevate your worship tech with WorshipTools
    Taught by Adam Meyer, WorshipTools
    See the WorshipTools apps – Presenter, Planning, Charts, and Community – in action! We’ll walk through the different apps and their various functions so you can see just how easy-to-use and feature-packed these tools are. Join us and discover how you can equip your volunteers and enhance services with WorshipTools!
  • Becoming a Healthy Leader from the Inside Out
    Taught by Amber Peairs, The Worship Life
    Spiritual Growth and Identity, Importance of Physical and Emotional Self-Care, Strategies for Balancing Ministry and Family Life, & Conflict Resolution.
  • How to be a Creative Surrounded by Non Creatives
    Taught by Jason Squires, The Creative Launch
    Being a creative on a staff with other people who aren’t can be a challenge. Your lead pastor doesn’t get you and the person watching the bottom line is supportive of your ideas. It’s frustrating! Let’s talk about it and discuss some strategies to help you connect better with the non-creatives on your team.
  • Six Hats of the Worship Leader: How to get it all done AND shepherd your team.
    Taught by Rich Kirkpatrick, Author
    Worship leaders wear many hats and have many responsibilities. Learn how to handle it all, delegate and scale your ministry
  • How to Run a Band Rehearsal
    Taught by Wade Huggins, Production Director & Janson Roberts, Worship Director
    Learn top tips for running a smooth band rehearsal to make sure your team isn’t wasting time and is ready to go on Sunday.

Focus Session 2 – Monday @ 1 PM

  • How to play modern worship keys
    Taught by David Pfaltzgraff, Sunday Sounds
    In this session you’ll gain a greater understanding of the role that keyboards play in modern worship music. Whether you’re a keys player, a pianist, or a worship leader it’s never been more important to define the way the keyboard fits into your band. During this breakout you’ll gain a practical perspective on this often-misunderstood position, and learn high impact concepts that you can use at your very next rehearsal.
  •  How to Get the most out of your In-Ear Monitors!
    Taught by Doug Gould, WorshipMD
    If you are already using personal monitors for your worship team, you may still want to know how to make better use of them; if you are still using wedges(floor monitors) you may be wondering how to begin the process of transitioning to them; What does they cost? What products are best suited for our church? How do we implement them into our present system? These and many other questions will be addressed in this workshop.
  • How to Energize and Inspire Your Youth Worship Ministry
    Taught by Daniel Mattix, Moody Bible College
    In this practical workshop, learn three vital “tools of the trade” that will give you a renewed vision and passion for leading young people in worship. Yes, this breakout is for instrumentalists, vocalists, sound team members, and anyone involved in helping lead in your local context.
  • How to make sure your church is fully licensed
    Taught by Nate Scott, CCLI
    Licensing can be complicated, but it doesn’t have to be! Learn from the leaders of licensing for churches on how to make sure everything you are doing in your worship services is covered.
  • How to use Multitracks in worship
    Taught by Loop Community
    Using tracks in worship can elevate the sound of your band, keep your band together and fill in for missing musicians. But getting started can be challenging. Learn how to get started with tracks at your church, how to help your team get used to a click track, how to customize tracks to work for your church and more!
  • How to Achieve Harmony and Blend: A Joyful Journey in Group Singing
    Taught by Sherii Gould, Vocalist Expert
    This dynamic session dives into innovative techniques for mastering harmony and achieving that seamless vocal blend. Discover the secrets to uniting diverse voices into one soul-stirring ensemble.

 

Focus Session 3 – Tuesday @ 10:30 AM

  • How to use the Sunday Keys App for worship
    Taught by David Pfaltzgraff, Sunday Sounds
    You don’t need that new red keyboard to get great worship keys sounds. In fact, you don’t need to buy a new keyboard at all. In this hands-on session you’ll discover how to use your existing keys gear along with the Sunday Keys App for iPad and Mac to instantly transform your old gear into an all-in-one worship keys rig.
  • How to build & maintain a great relationship with your senior pastor
    Taught by Ryan Zimmer, Advanced Minsitry Tech
    If you’re a worship leader, you and your senior pastor are the most “recognized” faces in the church. Your relationship is also one of the most noticed. A strong relationship with a senior pastor can create a dynamic and thriving ministry. An unhealthy relationship can create a toxic environment. This session dives into how to have a dynamic and open relationship with your senior pastor that sets a foundation for your ministry together.
  • How to be Creative in Service Planning 
    Taught by Jason Squires, The Creative Launch
    2 songs, announcements, 2 songs, offering, 1 song, message, dismiss. Getting stuck in a rut is very easy to do. This session is going to talk about creative elements you can add into service planning as well as tips on how to write a good set list.
  • How to Engage the Church in Worship
    Taught by Amber Peairs, The Worship Life
    We will cover: Creating a welcoming atmosphere,  song selection and arrangements, leading with passion and clarity, and bridging the generational gap.
  • Creative Leadership: How to leverage the creative process to lead, grow, and bear fruit. 
    Taught by Rich Kirkpatrick, Author
    This not just about being creative with fun ideas but about how creativity helps us in spiritual formation and leadership. 

Focus session 4 – Tuesday @ 1 PM

  • Navigating Ministry On-Ramps, Highways and Exits
    Taught by Susan Troth, Cedarville University
    Susan Troth (Associate Professor of Worship, Cedarville University)//In her years in ministry (Minister of Worship, Pastor’s Wife, Worship Professor, Volunteer) she has learned how to navigate the caution lights, avoid the stop lights and know when to proceed in ministry. Susan will discuss the skills needed to start your ministry position, keep your job and how to wisely navigate the exit ramp.
  • How to make the right choice and placement for your Loudspeakers!
    Taught by Doug Gould, WorshipMD
    Investing in high-quality professional loudspeakers and configuring them correctly in your venue will make mixing live sound easier and will provide a more enjoyable listening experience for both the performers and the audience. Live sound reproduction requires reliable performance and consistent coverage throughout the listening area, so professional loudspeakers are worth the investment. This chapter will help you pick out the best loudspeakers for your budget and set them up so that you get the best results.
  • How to Improve your Live Stream Audio
    Taught by Sweetwater
    Now more than ever, churches are taking their services online to stay connected to their congregations and to reach more people from their community and around the world. For many churches, the audio feed in the church’s live stream isn’t as good as it could be. In this session, we will discuss three of the most common problems and their solutions.
  • How to elevate your worship tech with WorshipTools
    Taught by Adam Meyer, WorshipTools
    See the WorshipTools apps – Presenter, Planning, Charts, and Community – in action! We’ll walk through the different apps and their various functions so you can see just how easy-to-use and feature-packed these tools are. Join us and discover how you can equip your volunteers and enhance services with WorshipTools!
  • How to Energize and Inspire Your Youth Worship Ministry
    Taught by Daniel Mattix, Moody Bible College
    In this practical workshop, learn three vital “tools of the trade” that will give you a renewed vision and passion for leading young people in worship. Yes, this breakout is for instrumentalists, vocalists, sound team members, and anyone involved in helping lead in your local context.
  • Advanced Multitracks in Worship 
    Taught by Loop Community
    If you already use tracks in worship, it’s time to take them to the next level. In this workshop we will cover how to help your team rehearse with tracks, advanced audio routing, advanced MIDI controller techniques, and syncing your lyrics and lights with your tracks.
  • How to Boost Your Vocal Power: 10 Essential Exercises for Every Day
    Taught by Sherri Gould, Vocalist Expert
    Kickstart your vocal routine with ten impactful exercises designed to bring out your best voice every day.

MORE TO BE ADDED & SUBJECT TO CHANGE

 

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