Seminars
When the New Atheists come to town
Hitchens. Harris. Dawkins. Dennett. Reading the New Atheists is kind of like reading the newspaper. So often, when you come to a topic of which you have a passing knowledge, you find that the journalist has messed the story up in some way. Perhaps it leads you to ask the question, if every time I know something about the story, the journalist gets something wrong, what should I assume about the rest of the stories where I don't have any expertise? When it comes to the story that matters most, the story of God’s Son, Jesus the Christ, well, the ‘New Atheists’ are just not accurate. They get their facts wrong and make unreasonable assertions and assumptions.
In this workshop, we will have a chance to read and evaluate some arguments from their books, examine the internal consistency of their version of the world-view they promote (Naturalism) and discuss the differences between Naturalism and Christianity. This will lead to an understanding of how best to promote our gospel against the backdrop of their attempts to win our hearts and minds.
Speaker: Lewis Jones
Understanding copyright law
Copyright law effects many things we may do within our church setting such as downloading images from the Internet for a PowerPoint© presentation, using clip art in the church outline, cutting scenes from a movie or using a snippet of a song to demonstrate a point in a sermon or taking images from the Internet to use on your church website. There are copyright laws that concern all of these scenarios and this seminar will help you understand better how we can obey these laws as we seek to serve the Lord Jesus. This seminar will include a half hour presentation and then a question and answer session.
Speaker: Karen Andersen
So, they want an interview - workshop
So, your local TV Station, Newspaper want to do an interview with you. They’ve got a photographer / camera crew. You know it’s good for your ministry to get some exposure but it can be risky. What if you muck it up? This workshop will help you prepare, stay on message and present well.
Speaker: Russell Powell
Media watch
How is Jesus traveling in the media currently? How are Christians being treated and represented? What prejudices and misconceptions are we wrestling with currently? Russell Powell has been a seasoned observer and player in the Australian media scene for over thirty years.
Speaker: Russell Powell
Raising your profile in the local media
So what’s a good story? Often our churches sit in prime position but aren’t considered part of the local ‘community’. This seminar will help you raise the profile of your church by issuing press releases, generating interest in stories and building relationships with local media. Russell Powell and Sharon Williams will help you think about ways to improve your profile.
Speakers: Russell Powell and Sharon Williams
Writing workshop
You might have heard the term ‘copy’. It just means a piece of writing. So, long copy? Short Copy? Big words? Small words? Is it interesting? What’s the right tone? Who’s the audience? Why is some copy more readable than others? Sometimes still waters are needed to write well. This workshop will include a presentation that looks at a variety of writing styles suitable for different audiences.
Speaker: Scott Monk
Graphic Design - the basics
Graphic design surrounds us - in print, on the web, public signs… in all sorts of places. In amongst this, Christian ministries are engaged in presenting the message of Christ. This seminar helps you do this by examining the core principles of Graphic Design including: defining the design brief, format and packaging, layout and composition, colour, imagery, typography and print production. This seminar will help the novice understand how to lift the quality of their graphic design across a wide variety of media. This is not a ‘hands on’ workshop.
Speaker: Justin Leon
Web stream
Internet evangelism
Christians have never been afraid to use technology to communicate the message of Jesus. The Internet has opened up all sorts of new communication possibilities. So what advantages and opportunities are there for evangelism in this brave new online world? How can we collaborate with other Christians to move the gospel forward online?
Speaker: David Horne
I'm not cheap, I'm entrepreneurial
Ministries typically run on the smell of an oily rag and websites, promotional material and general communications can sometimes reflect this. There are now a plethora of free (or low cost) online tools to assist with online collaboration.
From managing contact details for church members, sharing calendars and rosters, sending regular emails, sharing documents, conducting surveys to organising events, recording sermons and much more. This seminar will explore some of the best tools available and explain how you can maximise your productivity and communication.
Speaker: Steve Kryger
What is Social Media and why should I care?
What is the impact of Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, blogging and other social media on church life, evangelism, our children and Australia at large. This panel discussion will examine these questions and think about ways we can we use them to our advantage. Presentation and panel discussion.
Speaker: Steve Kryger
Arriving on the web with WordPress
Create a church website using the world’s most popular blogging software to get a basic and expandable church website up and running. For absolute beginners.
Speaker: Wayne Connor
Do more things with WordPress
Take WordPress to the next level with your church website. This seminar will be a discussion on ways to harness WordPress technologies for ministry activities such as putting sermons online, forums, registration forms, video and more. This assumes some WordPress knowledge or else attendance of ‘Arriving on the web with WordPress’.
Speaker: Wayne Connor
From pulpit to podcast - get your sermons online
An overview of everything to do with podcasting from how to record and compress the audio as well as information on the right equipment you should use.
Speaker: Wayne Connor
Techies wrap-up at Wayne’s World
Wayne’s background in electrical engineering and invention, together with insatiable curiosity, high energy and technical nouse mean he’s great at solving technical challenges. Reprogram the chip on the Breadmaker for a sour dough cycle? No problem! Wayne is a Presbyterian minister so he’s regularly thinking about how to do ministry effectively. Wayne is a problem solver so he’ll answer questions or else walk the plank. Wayne reckons ‘there is no technological question he cannot answer’. So come and take him on.
Speaker: Wayne Connor
10 tips to boost your website’s ranking in Google
It’s great to have a website, but how will people find it amongst the gazillions of other websites out there? Since the majority of people use search engine websites like Google and Yahoo! to find what they're after, it’s worth putting some time into making your website ‘tasty’ to these search engines so that links to your website appear prominently in those search results. Ben will show you 10 of the most effective ways to do this, specially tailored for church and Christian organisation websites. This session will appeal mostly to the more technically skilled, but some tips don’t even involve your website’s code at all!
Speaker: Ben Crothers
Web Stream - 10 Golden Rules for Writing for the Web
If our church and Christian organisation websites were people, what would they speak and sound like? Clear, engaging and interesting? Or ambiguous, verbose and confusing? Ben will borrow tips and techniques from fields as diverse as marketing, psychology, usability, and the good old schoolroom to bring you 10 golden rules to help you sharpen your website’s text. This session should appeal to all levels of ability.
Speaker: Ben Crothers
Don't make me think! Designing your website for usability
Know how web users think and how to make life easy for them.
Speaker: Nathan Swift
Online advertising - what, how and should you do it?
Speaker: Nick Walker
Help - I need resources!
Where to find images, videos, and other resources online
Speaker: Nick Walker
Website critique sessions
20 minute appointments throughout the day where attendees can meet with the web-stream presenters to review their sites and provide practical ideas for improving it. Websites should be supplied in advance (on the website at registration) to give reviewers time to prepare.
Graphic design critique sessions
20 minute appointments throughout the day where attendees can meet with top graphic designers to review their ministry literature, branding and identity and receive practical ideas for improvement. Samples must be brought on the day.
Presentation software critique sessions
30 minute appointments throughout the day where attendees can meet with experienced presenters to review their Powerpoint or Keynote presentations and receive practical ideas for improvement. Samples must be brought for review on the day.
Death by PowerPoint®
With PowerPoint® and Keynote1 (on the Mac) it’s possible to take the text of the passage that’s being preached on at church, a map or picture of a Bible location and project them electronically.... in fact, every word of a well prepared sermon can be accompanied electronically on the big screen... but just because we can, doesn’t mean we should! This seminar helps you explore the judicious and effective use of PowerPoint® and Keynote1 for use in the church meeting.
Speaker: Cameron Blair
Changing times, emerging trends: collaborating to engage with 21st century culture
To connect effectively with different subgroups requires collaboration and innovation. Australia has one of the most diverse populations on earth. From our growing cultural diversity to the ever-changing generations, in contemporary Australia one size does not fit all.
From his experience as a social researcher, Mark will give a snapshot of 21st Century Australia, the trends and characteristics that will be required to shape the future. Mark believes that a significant Christian impact will require the engineer and the artist, structure and innovation, the quiet expert and the public commentator.
Speaker: Mark McCrindle
Game theory
The collaboration that displays God to the world - some insights from 'game theory' and the Bible.
We’re all players in the game of life. 'Game theory' is a set of tools to help us think about human interaction. These tools are used in the fields of economics, sociology and politics to think about how individual choices translate into social outcomes.
From a Christian point of view, game theory can help us expose how corrupt choices result in dysfunctional societies, much as the apostle Paul shows in Romans 1. But game theory can also be used positively. This seminar will make some observations about the usefulness of game theory in evangelism.
Speaker: Ben Cooper
Effective teams
It takes a well-managed team to make things happen. How do we collaborate and manage our time effectively to get the best out of our teams? Particularly with a mix of paid and voluntary people. How do you inspire and motivate them? And how can you best care for them?
Speaker: Sharon Williams
Dangerous ideas
Agent provocateur Peter Kaldor will float some dangerous ideas. If we’re really serious about reaching people on behalf of the Great Co-Mission then maybe we need to jettison outdated church models. Peter will explore what the alternatives for the 21st century might look like.
Speaker: Peter Kaldor
Going for broke workshop
You have a great idea, but where to next? This workshop will help people with ideas for new ministry ventures to go forward. Peter will discuss the importance of collaboration in building a team as well as offering ideas on funding in order to see new ventures last.
Speaker: Peter Kaldor
Taking account of gender as we teach children
True or False?
- Boys do well under stress, and girls do badly, so girls should never be given time limits on a test
- Girls should take their shoes off in class because this helps them relax and think better
- You should not ask boys about characters’ emotions but only focus on what the characters did
The answers to these questions and more will be considered in the light of current thinking and practice regarding learning. Be equipped with useful ideas that will enable you to teach your children in a way that will best help them to learn and to engage with the gospel.
Speaker: Kerrie Newmarch
Creativity and collaboration: getting your organisation to engage effectively
This session will explore how creativity and collaboration can change the culture of your organization. Michael will examine the latest research on creativity and collaboration and present key principles that make organisations effective.
Creativity, rather than being an elusive quality is present in all of us and can be nurtured and taught in collaborative organisations. The session will conclude with a specific discussion about how creative collaborations can be established and maintained to enhance the effectiveness of the messages we create.
Speaker: Michael Anderson
Using your space more effectively - overview
When Christians gather their hope is that the community will want to join them in their place and space. Yet, we're so used to our site that we can stop noticing the image it projects to outsiders. This seminar will help you reassess and will address the following issues;
- Maximising your site
- Renovation (DA issues)
- Acoustics
- Lighting
- Colours, textures
- New technology options for your building
- Landscaping issues, safety, car parking, entertainment areas
- Signage
- Access for the elderly and disabled
- Project Management
Speaker: Ian Foster
Using your space more effectively - questions and answers
This session follows on from the ‘Using your space more effectively - Overview’.
This seminar is an opportunity to ask specific questions from our panel of specialists that are related to your ministry situation. Bring any documentation that assists in asking questions.
Speakers: Ian Foster and panel
Sound thinking
It’s time to talk about how we use the sound systems in our churches, school halls and in the streets. What do all those knobs do anyway? This seminar will examine the bigger picture of how to make sound work for the people we’re serving.
Bring along some questions to discuss. For example… What’s that whistling noise (called feedback)? Why does it happen and how can we avoid it? An opportunity for technical, musical and other interested people to talk about getting our message heard (“Hey! Let’s turn it up to 11!”). Black T-Shirts aren’t necessary!
Speaker: Ken Dodds
Film and video production
This workshop will look at the three major areas of film and video production, namely Pre-Production, Production and Post-Production. Attendees will be given a CD containing templates for scripting, story boarding and editing file structures.
This seminar is about filming technique and process and will help you advance beyond the basics and avoid common mistakes. It’s not a seminar for writing scripts or generating ideas for films.
Speakers: Jamie Cohen & Toby Trappel
Going the next step with church communications
Karen has regretfully had to cancel this session due to a family bereavement.
A seminar for medium to large churches to think about their internal and external communications. Medium to large churches are increasingly employing ‘Communications Directors’ to assist with the complex task of communicating both internally and externally. Karen will share how she approaches this important role in her church.
Speaker: Karen Dixon
Dramatic Bible reading – how to read the Bible without putting people to sleep
A workshop to improve public Bible reading and to gain the inspiration and tools to read with meaning and passion.
Speaker: Eugene Wong
Using drama in your public meetings
A workshop for anyone who’s interested in using drama in Christian ministry and who wants to better understand ways for using performance effectively to highlight, emphasise, challenge, teach, provoke and encourage in meetings or Christian presentations.
Speaker: Eugene Wong
Theatrecraft workshop
A workshop for would-be actors and directors to learn about basic acting skills, stage presence, characterization and impartation.
Speaker: Eugene Wong
Voice 1 - Technique
We speak the gospel so it’s important to know how to use our voices well. This seminar will help you to understand how to care for your voice and how to project and modulate with expression and tone.
Speaker: Dallas Watts
Voice 2 - Emotion
As unique creatures made in the image of God, we have a unique voice. But have we found it? This seminar will help you to make the most of the voice God has given you in order to speak passionately and genuinely about Jesus.
Speaker: Dallas Watts
Stunts and props
Australia is the land of the Big Pineapple, the Big Prawn… the big anything. But our church sites often convey a lack of life that fails to attract. This workshop will encourage you to create gospel opportunities by drawing attention to your ministry with stunts and props. Presented by the FEVA staff team, some principles and observations will be established with examples (from FEVA’s ministry as well as from other ministries). This fun workshop will pit attendees against each other in a race to turn the most heads.
Speakers: The Outreach Media Team
"Is Pornography a Big Deal?"
At a conference that talks so much about the Internet we can hardly ignore the topic of pornography. It’s pervasive and changing not just our view of sex and our sex lives but our very selves.
This seminar will first review the scope and scale of pornography. It will then look at the nature of our identity and our sexuality and what God intended it to be.
The session will conclude with a brief survey of findings on brain activity when exposed to explicit visual stimuli, the progressive spiral of addiction and the damage to the inflicted, looking at the wider repercussions on healthy intimate relations marred by distorted expectations. Some recommendations will be offered.
There will be opportunity for questions at the end.
Speaker: Derek Higgo
From Kernel to 'Pop'
Generating the right idea for the right medium. Ross and Simon will talk about generating the ‘big idea’ to promote Jesus in your context. They will explore why some ‘ideas’ work and others just don’t and will talk about ways to take the ‘big idea’ and make it work practically across a variety of media. Those looking to put into practice what they’ve learnt in this seminar should book into Kernel to Pop workshops sessions.
Speakers: Ross Dungey & Simon McGrath
Event management
Managing events can be a daunting prospect and yet they’re an essential part of church life – especially for evangelism, fellowship and fundraising. Topics such as working within a budget, marketing and managing volunteers will be covered to help you with your initial planning right through to turning the lights off at the end. There will be an opportunity to have your questions answered.
Speaker: Julia Willams
Developing and Online Strategy
We all know the web is important. Done well, an online presence has the potential to tranform your ministry and relationship with outsiders. A thought out online strategy will ultimately save you time and money as you define what you are trying to achieve with your web presence.
In this seminar we will cover the purpose of an online strategy, defining your audience, defining your interactions with your audience, planning for delivery and measuring success.
Speaker: Luke Willams