Breakout Sessions

Take a sneak peek at what we’ll cover in our breakout sessions at the 2025 Forum.

 Breakout Sessions

Session 1 Breakout List

  • Speaker: Jeff Ward
    Discover how to strategically use Rock RMS tools—like reports, workflows, connection requests, and giver insights—to nurture discipleship and generosity in your church. Gain inspiration from real-life church examples and explore new Rock features to walk away with 1–2 practical strategies you can implement immediately.

  • Speaker: Dave Briggs
    Inflation has taken a toll on many individuals and families, leaving many in our churches grappling with financial challenges. This breakout session will equip you with practical examples and actionable strategies to help those in your congregation make wise financial decisions. Together, we’ll explore ways to mitigate the effects of inflation, regain control of personal finances, and foster long-term financial stability in your community.

  • Speaker: David Thompson
    Description: Raising up a new generation of givers is critical to the future of the church and its mission. This session will equip church leaders with practical tools and biblical principles for teaching children, youth, and young adults the value of stewardship and generosity. Discover age-appropriate strategies, resources, and creative ways to make generosity an integral part of discipleship, and inspire young people to live generously in a way that impacts their lives and the world around them.

  • Speaker: Kirsten Schwartz
    Creating a culture of generosity in your church can feel both exciting and challenging. In this session, you’ll gain practical insights and inspiration to help foster a spirit of giving within your congregation. Kirsten will draw from her extensive experience to share actionable strategies for encouraging biblical generosity and transforming hearts. She will introduce the Journey of Generosity small group experience, a proven approach to discipling people in generosity, and reveal the five key practices that set the most generous churches in America apart. Get ready to be equipped with tools and ideas to make generosity a defining characteristic of your church community.

Session 2 Breakout List

  • Speaker: Leo Sabo
    Fasting is often seen as a spiritual discipline for deepening our relationship with God, but its connection to stewardship and generosity is profound. In this session, discover how fasting can shape our hearts to align with God’s priorities, break the grip of materialism, and inspire sacrificial giving. Learn practical ways to integrate fasting into your church’s stewardship practices and explore biblical examples where fasting and generosity intersect. Leave equipped to teach and model fasting as a powerful tool for cultivating a generous spirit and fostering greater dependence on God.

  • Speaker: Courtney Markley  
    Building a thriving coaching ministry is challenging when participants lack follow-through, leaving volunteer coaches feeling discouraged. The solution? It starts with better communication. In this session, Courtney Markley, founder of the Center for Financial Discipleship, will share strategies for setting the tone to reduce no-shows and create engaged participants. Learn effective onboarding techniques, impactful language, and practical tools you can apply immediately.

  • Speaker: Cassy Cooper
    Learn how to equip your congregation with the tools to deepen and maintain their generosity after a Journey of Generosity retreat. This session provides church leaders a framework for guiding members through reflection, practical actions, and accountability, fostering a culture of ongoing generosity within your church community.

  • Speaker: MIke Kocolowski and Darren Key
    Discover how to expand generosity in ways that honor God through wise, creative giving methods. In this breakout session, we will explore powerful tools like donor-advised funds, qualified charitable distributions, and other innovative strategies that unlock new opportunities for giving. Learn how these approaches can empower your congregation to maximize their resources, align their financial decisions with their faith, and make a more significant Kingdom impact.

Session 3 Breakout List

  • Speaker: Scott Mozingo
    Our primary responsibility as church leaders is to make disciples. But what role do money and finances play in the disciple-making process? Are we asking the right questions to help shepherd our congregation in this way? And what are the inherent difficulties of our cultural moment that make financial discipleship so challenging?  We will dive into these questions while leaning heavily on the biblical narrative and the teaching of Jesus to discover the connection between generosity and spiritual formation. 

  • Speaker:  Donna Nicholson Stief
    Effective communication is the foundation of inspiring a culture of generosity within your congregation. Without clear and compelling messaging, the mission of stewardship can be misunderstood, undervalued, or overlooked entirely. This session equips you with practical strategies to craft concise and engaging language that ensures everyone in your church feels informed, inspired, and discipled as generous stewards. Learn how to connect your ministry’s vision with your congregation’s hearts, fostering deeper engagement and a lasting commitment to generosity.

  • Speaker: Shane Enete
    With financial knowledge at a historic low, traditional church workshops often overwhelm congregants with information, offering short-term solutions rather than lasting impact. Drawing on Stanford’s Initiative for Financial Decision-Making, this session will teach you to empower congregants with a decision-making process they can apply to any situation. By integrating this process with their identity in Christ, the goal is not just financial literacy but heart transformation in managing money.

  • Speaker Rodney Ross 
    With technology shaping how we connect and care for others, churches have a unique opportunity to harness their potential for ministry. This session will explore ways to leverage data and artificial intelligence to identify the right people to connect with at the right time and with the right content. We will share examples currently being used by Life.Church and future ideas for leveraging this rapidly evolving technology.