Inside Our Communications Toolbox
Session(s): D
Presented By: Steven Miori
Every church is different, but people often ask what tools we use to create and communicate at Champion Forest. In this session, I’ll give you a practical look inside our toolbox, from cameras and software to AI, subscriptions, and the everyday systems that help our team work efficiently. I’ll share what we’ve found helpful, what hasn’t been worth the money, and where we’ve made mistakes along the way. The goal isn’t to say, “Do it our way,” but to give you ideas you can adapt for your own church. We’ll spend plenty of time in an open Ask Me Anything conversation, so bring your questions about third-party services, workflows, AI, budgeting, or anything else related to church communications.
Beyond the Bulletin: Media Readiness for Today’s Churches and Nonprofits
Session(s): A, C, and D
Presented By: Susanne Simon
This session equips churches and nonprofits with practical strategies to build local name recognition. By the end of the session attendees will be able to:
Understand how to dominate local search
Identify which tactics drive specific outcomes (visibility, website visits, content sharing, etc.)
Know how to broadcast content across radio and podcasts
Empower their congregation with phone-friendly digital invite kits
Determine whether their website and mobile sites are ready for visitors.
Technology for Accountability and Discipleship
Session(s): B and D
Presented By: Jonathan Smith
Using technology to manage technology. How do we teach responsibility and provide accountability through technology? In this workshop, we will discuss what is out there and how to use it to do more than just spy on your kids.
Protecting the Kingdom: Reviewing Real Incidents and Current Threats for Steps Every Church Can Take to Protect Themselves (Intermediate)
Session(s): B
Presented By: Austin Bryan
Technology in the Church has become a needed tool to spread the Gospel. At the same time, ministries are being targeted more than ever before. Using real incidents, we’ll provide an understanding of how cyberattacks begin and their impact. We will provide practical and ministry-appropriate steps to mitigate that risk.
Sections include –
Real Incidents: Through covering examples that we and other organizations have seen, will be able to understand how incidents impact organizations, the main ways that incidents begin, and how they can be prevented.
Future of Threats
Practical Solutions
AI in Ministry 2027: A Live Demo on How Churches and nonprofits Are Actually Using AI (Intermediate)
Session(s): C
Presented By: Austin Bryan
Whether you’re brand new to AI or want to start utilizing it more fully, this session will give you hands-on ways to use AI tools to boost productivity, brainstorm faster, and serve your ministry more effectively. The content and examples will be based on discussions with churches that are effectively using AI in their day-to-day functions.
By the end of this workshop, attendees will be able to:
Understand how LLMs operate and how to use it to save time
Identify meaningful use cases and articulate what ethical AI use looks like in a ministry setting
Explore example prompts, workflows, tricks, and agents to begin automating their everyday tasks more effectively.
Cybersecure Business Processes: Identifying Risk and Building Safer Workflows for organizations (Intermediate)
Session(s): A
Presented By: Austin Bryan
Many cybersecurity risks are not caused by complex technical failures, but by everyday business processes that create unnecessary exposure. In this interactive session, attendees will examine common workflows, identify where risk is introduced, and have a back-and-forth discussion about practical ways to strengthen processes without slowing ministry or business operations.
By the end of this workshop, attendees will be able to:
Recognize how everyday workflows can introduce cybersecurity risk, and how to identify that risk
Evaluate real-world process examples and identify practical control points that reduce risk
Develop safer alternative processes that balance security, usability, and operational efficiency
Behind the Board: Building a Volunteer AV Team That Lasts
Session(s): A
Presented By: Matt Elliott
Your production team carries a lot of weight. When the tech goes right, nobody notices. When it goes wrong, everybody does. But most AV teams run on a few overworked volunteers, knowledge that lives in one person's head, and systems that only make sense to whoever installed them.
In this session, Matt Elliott walks through a practical framework for building an AV volunteer culture that lasts. Matt is a former church communications director, a CTS-certified AV professional, and the founder of AV Design Pros. You'll learn how to recruit for character and train for skill, set up a clear path from shadowing to running the board solo, and create rhythms that prevent burnout. You'll also see how smart system design can make your booth "volunteer-proof."
Whether you're leading a team of three or thirty, you'll leave with tools you can put to work this Sunday.
What attendees will learn:
How to recruit and onboard tech volunteers using a simple four-step training path
How to document your systems so knowledge doesn't walk out the door
How to set serving rhythms and post-service debriefs that build a healthy, grace-filled culture
How to recognize when the real problem is your system, not your people