Speakers:

Ashley Belknap serves as the Director of Engaging Disability (the Special Needs Ministry of the PCA). A gifted communicator with a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary, Ashley has the ability to tackle challenging issues with creative and practical ministry applications. She served for four years as Director of Women’s Ministries at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson MS, where she led a wide variety of ministry initiatives. As the mother of a son with autism, Ashley has a personal passion to see families touched by disability reached with the good news of the gospel. Ashley and her husband, John, have three children and reside in Brandon, MS. 

Bethany Belue graduated from Western Carolina University with a degree in early childhood education. She has served on staff with 2 large PCA churches as the Children’s Director, Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City and Oak Mountain Presbyterian in Birmingham.  She currently works at CDM as the Executive Assistant to Stephen Estock and Certification Administrator.  She lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband Dustin.

Steve Collins is the Founder and Executive Director of Adults Protecting Children, which trains adults in how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Steve has comprehensive experience training adults and working with organizations in how to prevent the sexual abuse of children. His experience includes developing and implementing child protection policies. I have expertise in how communities can create child protection initiatives that can train enough adults in that community that the culture of the community is changed and becomes a safer place to raise children.

Stephen Estock is Coordinator for the PCA Committee on Discipleship Ministries (CDM). A former USAF officer, he has been in pastoral ministry for 20 years, serving churches in Montgomery, AL and St. Louis, MO. Stephen has also been an adjunct professor at Birmingham Theological and Covenant Theological Seminaries. His Ph.D. is in education, with an emphasis on competency-based learning and leadership training. He and his wife, Susan, have three children and live in Atlanta, GA.

Sue Jakes is mother of four, grandmother of eight, and lives in Atlanta, GA where she serves as Children’s Ministry Coordinator for the Presbyterian Church in America’s Committee on Discipleship Ministries. She is also a teacher trainer and consultant for Great Commission Publications and the PCA’s Special Needs Ministry. She has served as director of children’s ministry at Covenant PCA in Fayetteville, GA and is now serving as children’s director at Westminster PCA in Atlanta. Sue received a Masters Degree in Education from West Georgia College, taught in the public schools for seven years and home-schooled for twenty-two years.  She has been teaching children, youth, and women’s groups in the church for over thirty-five years. Sue is co‑author of “Heart of the Home”, a Bible Study ministry for moms and Teach Me To Worship, CDM’s children’s church online curriculum.

B.A. Snider has more than 20 years’ experience as a children’s director in PCA churches ranging in size from 200 to 4,000 but finds her passion is the same no matter how many children she’s serving. Show the children Jesus. B.A. began her formal ministry as a children’s director and consultant in 1993, but she has taught and led music for children since she was in junior high school. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee and taught college until the Lord called her to seminary and full-time ministry. She graduated with a master’s degree in Christian Education from Columbia International University. Speaking at conferences, consulting with leadership, and training teachers brought her to Great Commission Publications in 2014 as the Children’s Ministry Consultant and Marketing Director.

WORKSHOPS – SESSION #1

• Child Sexual Abuse in the Church: Its Prevalence and Prevention (Steve Collins) – We will look at the prevalence of child sexual abuse in the church and what steps can be taken to protect children. Participants will receive valuable resources that will help in writing and implementing child protection policies and procedures.
• Curriculum Development and Lesson Planning (Laura Tucker) – Taking what you have and applying it to who you have. How do we make the make the most of curriculums when it’s hard to find the perfect match for your ministry?
• Engaging Pre-Schoolers (Katie Flores) – Leading and loving Pre-Schoolers in worship and play is a crucial piece of Children’s Ministry. This workshop will discuss helpful hints for engaging and discipling our younger church body.
• Gospel Centered Parenting (Stephen Estock) – A deeper understanding of the freedom and power found in the gospel shapes the way parents raise their children in the Lord. This workshop explores how the good news of what Christ has done (and IS doing in the lives of parents and children) gives you freedom from the chains of parenting according to the shifting sands of contemporary culture. We will consider principles that you can convey as you interact with parents in your congregation.
• All Together: Teaching the Bible to Children of all Abilities and Learning Styles (Ashley Belknap) – We want all our children to learn God’s Word and grow in their understanding of who God is and what He has done for us through the gospel. How can teachers simultaneously and effectively address a wide range of learning needs in the classroom? And without spending hours prepping? This workshop will focus on strategies for the whole classroom: how to read and effectively reinforce the Bible story, methods for breaking down content, and ways to stretch attention spans. You will walk away with the tools you need to figure out how your children learn and how to teach the Bible to students of all levels of ability in the same classroom without “dumbing down” content and compromising what our children need most, God’s Word.
• The Priority of Prayer in Parenting (Tony Souder) -Prayer is the most basic aspect of the Christian life and yet it is an essential aspect of walking with God well. Prayer is God’s gift to us as His children to know and love Him deeply and intimately. It is through prayer that parents can show their children how to interact with God and know Him for themselves. In this seminar we will explore proven ways of creating a culture of prayer for, with and around our children.
• Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Volunteers (Angie Hoffman and Bethany Belue) – Volunteers are an essential part of a children’s ministry, but how do we effectively recruit, train and retain our church members to be a part of investing in the next generation of our church body? This workshop will talk through big picture ideas as well as practical tips to help you in your ministry.

WORKSHOPS – SESSION #2

• Coming Alongside Parents: Connecting the Home and the Church (Dan Edwards) -What are the best methods of encouraging and equipping your families in their discipleship journeys? How is communication working both ways, uniting home and church? This workshop will talk about the importance of healthy communication between home and church as well as practical tips!
• Nursery from A to Z: 6 Must Haves for the Church Nursery (BA Snider) – A thriving nursery is an important part of children’s ministry. Come learn about the essential elements for establishing a great nursery from infants to 3-year-olds. We’ll also consider strategies for adapting as your ministry changes and grows.
• Our Theology Makes a Difference: Why Covenant Theology Changes the Way we Teach (Sue Jakes) – How does Reformed and Covenantal theology define our ministry to children? From foundational principles to basic teaching methods, let’s compare typical children’s ministries to what we should be expecting as we seek to make kingdom disciples.
• My Secure Family (Shane and Heather Hammett) – How do we foster open communication with our children, establish safeguards, and monitor activity on internet equipped devices? Whether you are a parent or a children’s ministry leader working alongside families, this workshop will be an enlightening conversation.
• Special Events and Outreach: How to Reach the Community through your Children’s Ministry (Barbara Lindsey) – The Children’s Ministry can be one of the most strategic and effective ways in your church to reach the community, but how do we do it? Join us for a time of tips and discussion as we think about developing a well-rounded outward-faced Children’s Ministry through our Sunday programs and special events.
• Special Needs: Ministering to the Whole Family (Joel Wallace) – Families touched by disability experience unique challenges and opportunities. We will look at these as we explore ways to foster spiritual, emotional and relational growth for the child and ways to help parents and siblings be able to worship and grow through various ministries of the church. We often think of ministry to the family as primarily about meeting their needs. We’ll look not only at how families living with disability need the church, but how we need them.
• Working with Children from Vulnerable Places (Ann Maura Hinton and Jennifer Ervin) – Learning how to equip, strengthen and shepherd the hearts of children and their families from vulnerable places. This includes children who have been adopted, are in foster care, or who have experienced trauma.

WORKSHOPS – SESSION #3

• Building or Rebuilding Your Children’s Ministry (Sue Jakes) – Whether building your church’s ministry from the ground up or strengthening an existing children’s ministry, what are the first steps and the most important parts to be considered? Mixed-age strategies applicable to small congregations and emerging church plants will also be discussed and considered.
• Classroom Management: A Gospel-Centered Understanding of Behavior (Ashley Belknap and Joel Wallace) – Our goal in Children’s Ministry is the effective discipleship of all our children. Yet managing a classroom with challenging behaviors can take away teaching time from the rest of the class. This workshop will challenge the way you think about behavior and how behavior is shaped and changed. True, almost every child presents challenging behavior from time to time, but for those wanting to understand the kids who have considerable difficulty being relaxed and engaged learners, this workshop is for you. At the heart of our discussion will be understanding what behaviors communicate and how we can positively support children with challenging behaviors so that they are better understood, enfolded into the classroom, and as a result, better able to learn the content of Scripture.
• Developing Ministry Programs For Foster and Adoption families (Ann Maura Hinton and Jackie Davis) – Developing ministry programs that resources and ministers to those who are fostering and/or adopting.
• Nursery Age Appropriate Discipleship (Bethany Belue) – Teachingin the nursery is sometimes the last thing on our mind. However, at the age where our children are learning faster than at any other time in life, we should be introducing them to Jesus. This workshop will talk about why we should be discipling children from a young age, but also specific ways to teach children from the time they enter the nursery ministry.
• Soul care in the midst of ministry (Stephen Estock) – You spend hours preparing for kids’ lessons and taking care of details to make the programming run smoothly, but what about your own soul? How do you make your walk with Christ a priority?
• Tips and tricks to engage kids in learning (Barbara Lindsey and Tim McCracken) – This workshop will help you think of ways to make learning fun and memorable using a variety of teaching techniques to help keep kids engaged in learning. Ways to take the Bible from 2D to 3D, capturing the imaginations of children so that God’s Word sticks in their hearts and mind.
• Training Children in Worship (Steve Hood) – God calls us to worship Him in all that we do. How do we include covenant children in that practice both at home and at church? How do we help them become worshippers in Spirit and in Truth? While parents are the primary spiritual leaders for their children, they often feel lost or defeated in leading their children. What are practical ways the church can train children for worship and also equip and empower parents to lead family worship and disciple children in their homes?

Location: Birmingham, AL

Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church
5080 Cahaba Valley Trace, Birmingham, AL 35242

(205) 995-9265

Conference Schedule: Birmingham, AL

Friday, January 25, 2019

2:00-5:00 pm – ESTABLISHED: Children’s Ministry 101 – Bethany Belue and Sue Jakes

Spend the afternoon reviewing the new book by this title, unpacking all the basics of beginning, developing and sustaining ministry to children in your local congregation.

2:00-6:00 pm – Individual Appointments Register for a one-hour appointment with:

• Ashley Belknap/Joel Wallace – Engaging Disability with the Gospel
• Steve Collins – Child Safety Policy Consultant – He will evaluate your church’s present policy and advise on suggested improvements.
• Stephen Estock – CDM Coordinator
• B.A. Snider – Great Commission Publications

Browse Bookstore and Exhibits

6:30-8:30 pm – Dinner and Opening Session

“Psalm 78 – The Great Value of Ministry to Children”

8:30-9:30 pm – Visit Exhibits and Bookstore

Saturday, January 26, 2019

8:00-8:30 am – Continental Breakfast

8:45-9:30 am – Introductions, Instructions and A Charge for the Day

“Psalm 78: The Great Hope that is Ours” – Sue Jakes, CDM’s Children’s Ministry Coordinator

9:40-10:40 am – Workshop Session #1

10:40-11:00 am – Break

11:00-Noon – Workshop Session #2

Noon – Lunch and Panel Discussion

1:15-2:15 pm – Workshop Session #3

2:30-3:00 pm – Closing Session

“Psalm 78:  Established – THE Covenant Promise” – Dr. Stephen Estock, CDM’s Coordinator of Discipleship Ministries

Pre-Conference Optional Training and Appointment Opportunities:

Friday, January 25, 2019

ESTABLISHED, Children’s Ministry 101 

Spend the afternoon reviewing the new book by this title, unpacking all the basics of beginning, developing and sustaining ministry to children in your local congregation.

Opportunity for individual meeting with one of our Team Members

Hotels:

Some suggested hotels in the area:

Media Kit:

Conference Promotional Materials are available.