Speakers

Dr. Charles Arn is Visiting Professor of Christian Ministry and Outreach at Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University. He teaches classes on change and conflict management in the local church, and has written and taught two online courses: “Newcomer Integration” and “Diagnosis and Prescription for a Healthy Church.”

Every church has a unique history, context, and a particular positive or negative momentum. On the other hand, churches face many similar obstacles, require many common ingredients for their “growth mix,” and benefit from many similar prescriptions. In this session Dr. Arn shares a potpourri of rules and ratios that any consultant will find useful as a reference, regardless of the unique situation facing each church.

Dr. Arn became actively involved in the study of church growth and health as his father (Dr. Win Arn) began to pioneer the study and application of church growth principles to North America in the early 1970s. He is past president of the Great Commission Research Network, an association of professors, executives, pastors, and consultants dedicated to the study of evangelism and congregational outreach.

He has authored 15 books, edited five others, and is a regular contributor to several nationally known pastoral websites. He is a popular speaker nationally and overseas.

Jim Barber is the executive director of the Society for Church Consulting and the president of Barber Church Consulting. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the Society, facilitates training conferences, conducts “How To” webinars, and coaches those aspiring to become consultants. In his consulting, he conducts various church assessments, facilitates strategic planning, and coaches churches through changes in leadership structure.

In this session, Jim will share from a change leadership model that he co- developed in his ministry and has refined in his consulting practice. The model is a disciplined practice that allows the church to keep its vision and strategies fresh and dynamic. Working through the staff structure, the model provides the church with a vehicle for changing its culture into healthier forms and greater effectiveness.

Jim served for 15 years as an executive pastor in a growing church, Constance Free Church, in MN. He also co-founded and served as president of a community nonprofit affiliated with his church called BridgeLink. From 1978- 1995, he had a corporate accounting management career with Honeywell and Alliant Techsystems.

Ron Edmondson is a pastor, teacher and church leadership consultant. He currently serves as senior pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington, Ky, which has a vision to “Gather, Grow, and Serve.” Ron believes the church should be a positive influencer for change in the community. Under his leadership, this historic church is experiencing a tremendous growth period.

In his staff oversight role, Ron has stated, “Everyone wants to enjoy their work. Whether that happens or not many times depends on the cultures we create as leaders.”

In this session, Ron will unpack some ideas to encourage stronger, healthier teams. Whether you are a consultant, pastor, or aspiring to ministry, this will add to your skill set, especially as you work with churches with multiple staff members. Ron has been in the ministry for 14 years and has led two church plants. Prior to his ministry, he spent 10 years in retail management, and then became self-employed.

Ron owned one of the fastest-growing insurance agencies in the state, and a small manufacturing facility employing over 35 people. Additionally, Ron served as an elected city councilperson and vice-mayor and on dozens of national, state, and local non-profit boards.

Dr. John Ewart, is Associate Vice President for Global Theological Initiatives, Dir. Southeastern Center for Pastoral Leadership and Preaching, and Associate Professor of Missions and Pastoral Leadership at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has a wealth of experience in the field of church consulting and is known for his fun and engaging teaching style.

Tom Harper is the CEO of Networld Media Group, a business-to-business online publishing and event company. In addition, he serves as president of the Society for Church Consulting.

It has been said that the church is not a business, but that it could benefit from business practices. On the topic of church staffing, there are many transferable business principles that can be applied to the church. Tom’s company has 35 employees in five states. From his executive management experience, Tom will share the top five staffing principles he has learned along the way. This keynote address will complement all of the advanced sessions of this summit.

Tom co-founded Networld Media Group and served as editor/publisher of its first site, ATMmagazine.com. He also co-founded the ATM Industry Association in 1997. In 2002 he co-founded Church Central and the Society for Church Consulting. He is the author of Leading from the Lions’ Den: Leadership Principles from Every Book of the Bible (B&H), and Career Crossover: Leaving the Marketplace for Ministry (B&H).

Tim Hester is the executive pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky. He came into ministry later in life when God called him on staff at Southeast in 2012. Prior to that, for 21 years he led York Companies, a $25 million Louisville-based staffing company with 1,200 employees in three states.

Tim’s session will address the fact that most turnover occurs within an organization, not because of a skill deficiency, but because of a lack of fit culturally. He will discuss how to identify key traits that help to define your organizational culture and then develop criteria to identify candidates that fit your organization and move you closer to the fulfillment of your goals. This kind of information will be invaluable to pastors, consultants, and other church leaders.

Tim and his family have worshipped at Southeast Christian Church for 15 years. He is member of the board of elders and the Lead Team along with pastors Dave Stone and Kyle Idleman. Tim oversees all of the staff of the church, allowing the pastors to focus on pastoring and preaching.

William’s ministry experience and church staffing firm made him our first choice to launch our event on this topic. William has been able to combine over 15 years of ministry experience as a senior pastor with the best practices of executive search to provide churches with a unique offering: a deep understanding of local church work with the very best knowledge and practices of professional executive search.

William studied executive search under a mentor with over 25 years of experience at the highest level. He also has experience as a manager in human resources in a Fortune 200 company, where he focused on integration of corporate culture and succession planning. Prior to executive search, William led growth and innovation in churches in North Carolina, Alabama and Houston. His book Next: Pastoral Succession That Works on effective pastoral leadership and succession was released through Baker Books in September 2014. William holds degrees from Wake Forest University and Princeton Theological Seminary.

Dr. Bob Whitesel is Professor of Christian Ministry and Missional Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary at Wesley University in Marion, Indiana. He leads a consulting practice called Church Change Consulting, Intl. He also serves on the board of the Society for Church Consulting.

In this session, Bob will share from his research on differing leadership styles and their importance to the effectiveness of a church. You will learn why churches should staff the right leaders in the right places and how barriers to change occur. Bob has stated in his book Preparing for Change Reaction, “Our leaders are not good at bringing about change. It is because we do not have tactical leaders in place.”

He is a sought-after speaker known for humor and applicability. He is the author of many scholarly and popular articles as well as 11 books in 13 years, including: The Healthy Church: Practical Ways to Strengthen a Church’s Heart, Cure for the Common Church: God’s Plan to Restore Church Health, Organix: Signs of Leadership in a Changing Church and Preparing for Change Reaction: How to Introduce Change to Your Church.