Intensives communicate proven concepts, principles, and practices that grow and develop effective leaders and congregations.

Participants choose an Intensive and stay with the same group over two sessions that meet Thursday from 2:00 to 4:00 and continues on Friday from 10:00 to 12:00 Noon.

IN01:     Creating Missional Disciple-Growing Faith Communities
Dottie Escobedo-Frank, Craig Kennet Miller
Designed for first time attendees of the SCD, Dottie and Craig will share with you key concepts in congregational development that every church leader needs to know. Learn about the lifecycle of the church, settings for ministry, marks of a faith community, and the spiritual life of the leader.  Dottie is the Pastor of CrossRoads UMC in Phoenix and Craig is the Director of Pastoral Leadership at GBOD.

IN02:     Living the Wesleyan Way
Steven Manskar
Being a United Methodist is more than knowing about John Wesley and the history of the United Methodist Church. Learn the key principles of the Wesleyan movement and how they can fuel your congregation and ministry for growth. Steve is the Director of Wesleyan Leadership at the GBOD.

IN03:      Social Networking for Effective Ministry
Kim Cott
Current trends show more people connect meaningfully on Face Book, Twitter and other social
networks. Learn various ways to connect members of your congregation, as well as reaching
people in their networks. Kim is the founding pastor of River of Life UMC in St. John’s, Florida.

IN04:    Creating Systems that Drive High-Yield Churches
Olu Brown
Have you ever had more vision than resources or more dream than ability? Perhaps the missing link is in your systems. This intensive will be focused on the core systems of: innovation, marketing, hospitality, strategic staffing, and cell groups.  Olu is the founding pastor of Impact United Methodist Church in Atlanta, GA.

IN05:    Effective Cross-Cultural Outreach
Francisco Cañas, Nam-Jin Jun, Paul Kong, Anne Marshall, Vance P. Ross
As the United States moves towards greater diversity, it is becoming more important for congregations to reflect the makeup of their communities. Starting as a total group, learn key  principles for cross-cultural outreach. Participants will go in-depth in one specific context: Hispanic/Latino, African-American, Native American, and Asian-American.

IN06:      Effective Marketing and Communication for the 21st Century
Junius Dotson
Discover 10 integrated marketing principles that will help you develop a true millennium
ministry. Learn how to utilize technology to develop social networks within your congregation
and increase participation in your ministry. Junius is the Pastor of Saint Marks UMC in Wichita, Kansas.

IN07:      Small-Group Ministry
Brad Kalajainen
Dynamic small groups are vital for growing people in their faith and their connection to each other.  Learn the practical steps for creating a vibrant small group ministry in your church.  Brad is the founding pastor of Cornerstone UMC in Grand Rapids, MI.

IN08:     Simplifying Your Church Structure
Joe Daniels, Christie Latona
Infuse passion and purpose in your leadership by creating a structure for ministry that works.  Rather than restricting people, church boards, committees, and teams can release people to create ministry opportunities that change lives. Joe is the lead pastor of Emory United Methodist Church in Washington DC and author of Begging for Real Church. Christie is a member of Emory UMC, Path 1 consultant and organizational transformation facilitator working with GBOD.

IN09:     Developing a Culture of Hospitality
Kim Youngblood and Members of Providence UMC
Effective Biblical Hospitality is the intentional ministry of a congregation, new or old, to help strangers become friends and part of the family of God. Learn biblically-based practical steps toward becoming a place of hospitality in your community! Kim is the Hospitality Team Leader at Providence, a growing new church in Nashville.

IN10:    Structuring for Long Term Growth
Rob Huckaby
Both pastors and laity will explore structures and systems that are vital for the growth of your congregation. We will look at the values that drive your organization and ways to maintain growth in the midst of a changing world. Uncover the key to making your church’s vision a reality. Rob is the Executive Pastor of Brentwood UMC, a church that continues to grow through multiple changes.

IN11:    Developing a Discipleship System
Betsey Heavner, Sharma Lewis
Faith grows for people in congregations that have an intentional plan for forming disciples. Learn from our Wesleyan heritage and explore 21st century examples of congregations that meet people where they are and help them mature in faith. Betsey is Director of Leadership for Church Renewal at GBOD and Sharma is the Senior Pastor of Wesley Chapel UMC, McDonough, GA.

IN12:    Assessing the Readiness of Partner Churches to Launch
Paul Nixon, Gary Shockley
Just because a church is large or healthy does not necessarily mean it is ready to plant another church. Path 1 has developed a process for assessing partner church readiness. This intensive will share insights and practical steps for becoming a fruitful and effective partner church.  Paul and Gary are New Church Strategists for Path 1 at GBOD.

IN13:    Pentecost Journey: Moving Beyond our Culture- Preparing to Live Cross Culturally
Sam Rodriguez
This intensive is designed for congregations exploring starting a church of a different culture. Beginning with awareness of cultural understanding and sensitivity, participants will use the newly developed Pentecost Journey Planning Guide.  The Guide outlines steps for effective development a local church plan to start a Hispanic/Latino church/ministry that takes into account intercultural nature. Sam is Director of Hispanic/Latino New Church Starts with Path 1 at GBOD.

IN14:    Path 1 Coaching Network Facilitation Training
Harold Lewis, Phil Maynard
Develop facilitation skills beneficial for the coach of new church planting teams. Coaches help a local team as they make decisions related to their new church such including conversations around benchmarking, strategy changes, etc. This Intensive is intended for people who attended the Path 1 Coaching Forum in January 2010. Harold is Director of Black Congregational Development for the Florida Conference and Phil is Director of Congregational Transformation for the Florida Conference.

IN15:    Renewing Downtown Churches
Jim Ellison, Stephen Handy
For downtown churches, renewal means setting priorities to deal with multiple issues such as changing demographics, maintenance of aging property, memories of former glory days, and a need for renewed vision and leadership development. Learn principles from downtown churches that are renewing their ministry by renewing their neighborhoods. Jim is the senior pastor of Atlanta First UMC, Atlanta GA and Steve is the senior pastor of McKendree UMC in Nashville, TN