Now is a good time to look at your calendar and your budget so you can commit to some 2016 church communication events. There are a lot of good options this year:
- Jan. 17-19 – Advanced Certification Lab – Atlanta
- Feb. 10-11 – C3 Conference – Dallas
- March 3-4 – Catalyst West – Irvine, Calif.
- April 14 – Flow Conference – online
- April 17-19 – Certification Lab – San Antonio
- April 21-22 – Catalyst Cincy – Cincinnati
- April 21-22 – MinistryCom – Colorado Springs, Colo.
- April 21-23 – Q Conference – Denver
- April 26-28 – Exponential East – Orlando, Fla.
- April 27-29 – Orange Conference – Atlanta
- May 21-27 – Creative Missions – Vermont
- May 31-June 3 – Ideas to Impact Conference – Baltimore
- July 17-19 – Certification Lab – Nashville, Tenn.
- Aug. 11-12 – Global Leadership Summit – Chicago & sites around the world
- Sept. 20-21 – That Church Conference – Atlanta
- Sept. 21-22 – WFX – Louisville, Ky.
- Sept. 30-Oct. 1 – Why Christian – Chicago
- Oct. 3-6 – Exponential West – Los Angeles
- Oct. 5-7 – Catalyst – Atlanta
- TBD – STORY – Nashville, Tenn. (Usually in September or October)
- TBD – Salt: The Creative Arts Conference – Nashville, Tenn. (Usually in October)
For the full list of events, check out our calendar. Be sure to let us know if there are other events we should add!
A couple events we highly recommend you check out are Creative Missions and the Certification Lab:
Creative Missions
Not a mere conference, this is a missions trip. Creative Missions brings a team of 30 church creatives to serve in a different location each year, breathing creative life into local churches and helping them communicate better. This year they’re heading to Vermont. The application deadline is Jan. 15.
Certification Lab
We love church communication conferences, but sometimes you need something deeper. You need more help than a keynote speaker or a single workshop. The Certification Lab is your opportunity to go to the next level. These are two day, intensive, small-group experiences that dive into hands-on issues for church communicators. This year, we’ve got an Advanced Lab in Atlanta (Next week! Use code “lastminute” to save $400) and regular labs in San Antonio and Nashville. This is your chance to improve. Learn more about the Certification Lab.
Local Meetups & Online Chats
If these events sound awesome but your budget is nonexistent, consider checking out local meetups or our weekly #cmschat on Twitter. It’s important to connect with fellow communicators so you can commiserate and share ideas, so don’t let money hold you back. Connect with some locals or chat online.
However you do it, get together with some church communicators this year. You’ll be glad you did. (Now is also a good time to plan a personal retreat.)
