24 from Mission Ohio attend ETCH in Nashville

“In recent years there has been an awakening in children and student ministries.  This awakening has taken shape in various ways including conversations on how to align children and student ministries’ vision with the church’s vision, how to serve families of the children and students in a more effective way, and how to mobilize children, students, and families for mission in their local communities.  This growing swell of desired partnerships with families and cooperation between children and student ministries in the local church has led many in church leadership positions to abandon former tried and true events and silo ministry approaches to a new and seemingly unknown ministry model moving toward cooperation and not competition between the ministries.  

Lifeway Christian Resources has observed this growing desire and provided the ETCH Family Ministry Conference held in Nashville, Tennessee from October 3-5, 2016.  The ETCH acronym stands for “Equipping the Church and Home”.  The conference included main stage speakers such as Eric Geiger, Russ Moore, and Lisa Harper who encouraged and led the attendees to see the influence they have, embrace the place of ministry in which they find themselves, and be encouraged that ministry to children and students is worth the effort.  Breakout sessions ranged from how to build a family ministry from the ground up to how to equip parents to be the primary disciple-makers in the home.  The ETCH Family Ministry Conference is a new concept for Lifeway and for those attending which provided for both positive and negative responses.  However the positive feedback outweighs the negative feedback in that as the conference gains a hearing and grows over the coming years, there will be more attention given toward a balanced conference across the ministries from cradle to college.  

I am thankful to have been a part of the 24 ministry leaders from the state of Ohio representing 12 churches at the ETCH Family Ministry Conference.  As the conversation continues and interest grows toward cooperation between children and student ministries in the local church, the ETCH Family Ministry Conference will definitely be a necessary event to attend to refresh, pray, and dream about all God is leading churches to embrace as they lead children, students, and their families!”

Because He bled,
Patrick Stalnaker
Pastor to Students and Families
First Baptist Church Kettering