2010 Children's Ministry Conferences are Underway

Spring is always the busiest part of the conference season for the church world, and 2010 is promising to be the most interesting conference season yet for children's pastors and staff. With several new venues on the calendar this year, and a few churches trying their hand at spreading the word through their own conferences, there is no limit to the opportunities available to learn from some of the most innovative thought leaders in the church world today.

One of the inaugural conferences is being hosted by The Church at South Las Vegas. They've created the Napkin Conference from an idea born through the passion for children's ministries and imagination. "About Napkin" states, "Some of the biggest ideas in the world started as a little sketch on a napkin. We know you have ideas that you've written or thought about. We want to come together to bring these ideas to life. This is a conference, retreat, network and relationship building gathering of children's leaders unlike any other." The speaker list is impressively long for a maiden endeavor and includes such recognizable names as author and teacher, Jim Wideman, Pastor Benny Perez of The Church of South Las Vegas, Dave Wakerley, Children's Pastor of Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia, and Bruce Barry, founder and president of Wacky World Studios, a company full of ex-Disney employees putting their artistic skills to use for themed children's environments. The Napkin Conference will also feature a performance by the Blue Man Group straight from the Las Vegas Strip; the idea being that anything that brings inspiration can also bring imagination to a children's ministry.

Another upcoming opportunity is at the 2010 North American Children's Ministries Conference in St. Louis, MO. This conference kicks off March 1st and lasts all week. Full of great exhibits, workshops, labs and fabulous speakers, this conference will be one of the most comprehensive this year. Jason Noble, National Director of Children's Ministry Agency heads up the list of speakers, followed by Rob Bradbury, Family Pastor of Planetshakers City Church in Melbourne, AU. The three-hour lab sessions are broken up into specific areas in children's ministry so that no matter what niche a ministry fits, from varying age groups to church size, the attendees will be able to walk away with specific information for their particular ministry, and the tools to carry out their vision.

If you cannot make it to these great conferences there will certainly be more opportunities throughout the season. Churches may visit the websites listed above to look for any ancillary materials that may be available after these conferences close their doors. The wealth of knowledge offered is well worth the effort!