Group Life Update

From Greg Bowman

During the first months of 2009 the Group Life team and the WCA have been evaluating new strategies and technologies to better serve the local church during tough economic times. I want to update you on some of the resulting changes to the 2009 Group Life Conference that will impact our guests.

We are shifting the fall conference to a one-day event with a laser focus of equipping small group leaders in the local church. We will offer two events like this each year, one in the fall and one in the spring, and each will be unique in its training content and theme.

We are also moving to a broadcast only model, an expansion of our 2008 partnership with the Church Communications Network (CCN). This move makes the conference accessible to every church in the US and Canada with no blackout zones or exceptions. As a result, the conference will be available to your church leaders exclusively through this CCN broadcast.

We have worked to make the event affordable and accessible to volunteer leaders. With a price point as low as $39 per person for a full day of training, our hope is that your entire church can participate in a training event even in these tough times. Simply put, you can now equip 15 leaders right in your home church for the same cost as sending one person to Chicago for last year’s event.

Our fall event will be on October 24, 2009. The title of the event is “This Changes Everything,” and our focus will be on the spiritual formation in small groups. Our goal will be to envision and equip small group leaders to intentionally lead their group in this area. We are privileged to have a world-class lineup for this one-day event: Andy Stanley, Mindy Caliguire, Henry Cloud, David Johnson, Heather Zempel, Russ Robinson, and Bill Donahue.

To find out more information on hosting or attending this event, or to simply find out more information please go to www.ccn.tv/grouplife.

We hope you will join us for the Group Life Conference 2009 live via CCN on October 24!

In Him,

Greg Bowman
Brand Architect—Small Groups Movement
Willow Creek Association

Group Life Conference 2008 - Date Update It's still in the "dead" of winter (at least in Chicago) but we just made your fal...Group Life Value #1: Community Life is Catalytic As mentioned in my previous blog I have begun a new role with Willow Creek Community Church. As we...Group Life Conference 2008 Preview - Main Session Four After a full day of breakouts on Friday, October 17, we'll head back to the main auditorium on...

Comments

June 17, 2009 07:58 AM #

Greg and WCA GroupLife Team,

I commend you all for your willingness to change. While I'm a huge fan of the "traditional" grouplife conferences (I think I've been to four or five of these), I think this new approach has the potential to impact far more people. Equipping and encouraging more small group leaders will hopefully mean more changed lives. Thank you for your commitment to grouplife and your continued service to our Creator!

Jon

Jon Stolpe

June 18, 2009 08:19 AM #

I can understand and applaud the advances in what you are doing to reach and teach more and more people. I am disappointed that there is no onsite training at Willow this year. The conference is only half of the experience and the bonding that takes place getting away for a few days with our leaders. My hope is that in the future there will be both.

Thanks for all you do and keep up the good work,

Bryan

Bryan Sagmoe

June 18, 2009 12:45 PM #

So am I misreading this or is the whole conference really now a one day event that we do not travel to Chicago for?

Warren

June 19, 2009 12:55 PM #

Thanks for the comments. Warren, you are correct that there will not be an event in Chicago you can attend. We are directing people to the CCN host sites. In these fiancially tough times you can take 15 or more leaders to the CCN broadcast for what one person would pay for travel, food, lodging and registration to the three day event in Chicago.

We are, in fact, planning an event for 2010 that will allow staff and point leaders to gather in the retreat type setting that church leaders have come to value at the confernece. Stay tuned for more details.

For group leaders and churches one option we are suggesting is that they consider a Friday night gatehring for just their leaders and then join the broadcast on Saturday. That way you can have the best of both at a fraction of the cost.

What are the other aspects you would miss about the on-site event? Perhaps we can work them into the broadcast event.

Greg