Networking Table Topics

Preview discussion table topics and facilitators. This list is subject to change.

#1 Decoding Complaints: The Request Inside with Gavin Wark

Have you ever experienced a complaint that was harsh, caught you off guard or didn't expect? Come explore how we navigate complaints and learn what people are really asking for. 

#2 How to Experience Joy on Demand with Graham Gaessler

We are designed to live with the 'joy of the Lord as our strength'. Yet, many Christians struggle to live with joy. This roundtable will help you understand what joy is, how to experience it anytime you want, and how to help others do the same.

#3‍ Still Running: A Conversation About Legacy with Gen Epp

A discussion around trust and handing the baton to the younger generations well, because you still matter.

#4 Apprenticing Better: The Stuff Nobody Talks About with Martin Nieuwets

Practical ways to build real partnerships between younger and older leaders.

#5 Faith and Sports with Antoine Houle

In a world captivated by sports and athletics, there’s an incredible opportunity right in front of us—an entire field ready for harvest for Jesus. Athletes In Action and its partners accompany churches to reach their community with the gospel and make disciples through events like faith camps, public parks, school programs, and even through technical skills like bike workshops. We want to share our experience on how we are reaching vulnerable youth through sports in youth detention centers in Quebec.

#6 AI Artificial Intelligence: Helpful…or Harmful? with Dan Hamill

Artificial Intelligence is already shaping how we work, think, and create, and the church is no exception. From sermon prep to communication and creativity, AI offers powerful new possibilities. But with that power comes important questions. Is this just a helpful tool…or something that could quietly shape us in ways we don’t realize? Together, we’ll wrestle with how to use new tools wisely—without losing what matters most.

#7 Re-Churching Education: How Learning Meets Discipleship with Mike Swalm

Education is an important facet in discipleship, but robust learning with limited resources can be a serious challenge. Join Mike Swalm for a discussion on what it might look like to re-engage with education within the local church context to raise up disciples!

#8 Made to Multiply with E3 Ministry

Come share and explore how we equip God's people to evangelize His world by establishing healthy, multiplying, transformative churches and the part we as leaders play in it.

#9 The Art of Stabilization with Matthew Laker

The Core Vision: "Before a church can reach a new destination, it has to stop drifting. Stabilization is the work of anchoring the ship so it can eventually sail."

#10 Faithful with Finances: A Table Discussion for Church Leaders with Andrew Epp

A practical, candid conversation about the money stuff most churches avoid until it's a problem.

#11 After the Pulpit: An Honest Conversation on Life and Calling in Retirement with Claran Martin

So, you’re recently retired, or you’re soon to be. Now what? Let’s connect and share our hopes and challenges for retirement. We can learn from each other how to best follow Jesus in this new chapter of our lives. 

#12 Church Staffing Models: Building a Part Time Team with Nathan Schultz

Finding alternatives to hiring full-time positions and seeking people from outside the community is helpful in some church contexts. This discussion will focus on what it is like to hire locally and/or within, all while maintaining a strong team ethic and opportunity for discipling and developing leaders from within. 

#13 Trauma Informed Church with Matthew Parker & Arlene Gomez

Every church includes people living with trauma, whether from childhood experiences, grief, abuse, broken relationships, addiction, or ongoing adversity, and many pastors and lay leaders are serving them without much training or support. Come share stories and insights gained from working with people whose struggles and behaviours are often rooted in deep pain.

#14 Recovering from Grieving: A Look at Challenges We Face with Jean Winker

How to help as the bereaved grapple to answer, “Now that I am alone, who am I, and what is my purpose in the Kingdom of God?”

#15 Whole Church Ministry: How Strengthening Families Shapes The Church with Rebecca Doner

How can churches move beyond siloed program-driven ministry to intentionally partner with parents and caregivers as primary disciplers, fostering a culture where faith is lived out daily? This discussion explores the connection between the health of families and the strength of the church. When families are equipped, supported, discipled and unified in the home, the impact extends far beyond individual households—it shapes the spiritual vitality, unity, and future of the church resulting in a thriving, multi-generational church.

#16 Ancient Paths: Where the Way of Jesus Meets Disciple Making with Anthony Does

Jesus didn’t call the church to make converts — he called them to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Through Church Renewal practices and tools, pastors learn how to disciple their people to grow in a personal relationship with Jesus, become grounded in the truth of God’s word, pray to God and hear his voice, confess and repent of their sins, grow in their character and spiritual gifts, and minister inside and outside the church.

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