



CHURCH INFO
Madison Park Church of God
6607 Providence Dr.
Anderson, IN US 46013
Hotels
FAIRFIELD INN AND SUITES
2400 East 64th Street
Anderson IN 46013
765.374.6300
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS
6720 S Scatterfield Road
Anderson IN 46013
765.779.0111
BEST WESTERN PLUS
2114 East 59t Street
Anderson IN 46013
765.649.2500
HAMPTON INN
2312 Hampton Drive
Anderson, IN 46013
765.622.0700
Additional lodging options are available at Exit 210 off I-69.
Indiana Schedule
Tuesday |
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11:45 AM – 1:00 PM | Pre-Conference Elective: WOMEN IN MINISTRY LUNCHEON Pre-Conference Elective: WORSHIP LEADERS LUNCHEON Pre-Conference Elective: YOUTH LEADERS LUNCHEON Pre-Conference Elective: CHAPLAINS LUNCHEON |
1:00–2:30 PM | Pre-Conference Elective: FLOURISHING IN MINISTRY Pre-Conference Elective: CHAPLAINS CONFERENCE |
3:00–4:30 PM | Pre-Conference Elective: A STUCK CHURCH IN A CHANGING WORLD Pre-Conference Elective: CREDENTIALS | LEADERSHIP FOCUS Pre-Conference Elective: ATLAS INTRODUCTION |
5:00 – 7:00 PM | Check-in and registration vvvvvvvvvvv |
7:00 – 9:00 PM | Opening Session |
9:15 PM | Advancement Reception (sponsored by Everence) |
Wednesday |
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8:00 – 9:00 AM | Check-in and registration |
9:00 AM – Noon | Panel/Discussion/Presentation/Q&A |
Noon – 2:00 PM | Lunch Break CARE Luncheon Christian Women Connection Luncheonxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
2:00 – 5:00 PM | Panel/Discussion/Presentation/Q&A |
5:00 – 7:00 PM | Dinner Break |
7:00 – 9:00 PM | Evening Worship, Speaker with Q&A |
Thursday |
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9:00 – 11:00 AM | Closing Session vvvvvxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxvvvvvvvvvvvv |
Virtual registration gives you live streaming access to the main sessions of the June Regional Conference. Registrants will receive their access link and password by email the week before the event. Deadline for virtual registration is June 1.
Speakers & Special Guests

LOCATIONS: Fremont, Anderson
Brian Bennett
Brian Bennett, lead pastor at Pathway Church in Vero Beach, Florida, is a passionate Christ-follower who loves life, the beach, and being a part of God’s movement in the world through the local church.
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He is from Michigan (don’t hold it against him!) and has pastored vocationally since 2003. Brian has been married to his wife Cindy since 2001, and they have four awesome children. Before moving to Vero Beach, the Bennett’s enjoyed their time living in southwestern Michigan and planting Overflow Church and Mosaic Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), a nonprofit organization that is transforming lives in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Brian has a doctorate from Fuller Theological Seminary and is the author of Go Now and Be the Church, a book highlighting the first five years of the Bennett’s church plant.

LOCATIONS: Fremont, Anderson
Justin Brown
Justin Brown is Daddy to three children, husband to an amazing wife, and lead pastor of a church body in southern Indiana. He will readily admit that he does not have all the
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answers as to who and what the Church is and should be, but he is passionate about pursuing those answers with God and others. He earned his masters at Warner University not to have a piece of paper on the wall, but to widen the net of individuals in his life and tools to use to help on that journey. He is a Chapter 4 Institute fellow and member of the Youth Ministry Team.

LOCATIONS: Fremont, Anderson
Abbie Craig
Abbie Craig is currently pursuing a master of theological studies at Anderson University School of Theology and Christian Ministry. Prior to seminary, she served for eight years as the
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youth pastor at Church at the Crossing in Indianapolis and director of the 365 Indiana State Youth Convention. She lives in Indianapolis with her husband Brock and four-year-old son Roman. They are looking forward to a new addition to their family this summer.

LOCATION: Anderson
Ra’Lynn Kelley
Ra’Lynn Kelley is passionate about cultural representation and using her gifts to minister, uplift, and connect communities. She’s currently the digital media specialist at Church of God…
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LOCATION: Anderson
JIM LYON
Jim originally dreamed of a career in politics and found himself representing northwest Seattle in the Washington State House of Representatives in the early 1980s. But ultimately, it was Christian ministry that became his passion.
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He served in pastoral ministry in both the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest. From 1991 through 2013, he served as senior pastor at Madison Park Church of God in Anderson, Indiana. In August 2013, he became the general director of Church of God Ministries. An articulate preacher, teacher, and motivational speaker, Jim has also anchored the ViewPoint broadcast since 1996. Helping people see Jesus at work in their world has become his life’s work; engaging the world for heaven’s sake has become his life’s calling.

LOCATION: Anderson
Bob Rognlien
Bob Rognlien is a pastor, speaker, author, consultant, and guide with a passion for illuminating the ancient Way of Jesus to empower missional disciple-makers. For nearly thirty years,
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he has led unique spiritual pilgrimages in the historical footsteps of Jesus and Paul. Author of six books, Bob is founder and director of the Footsteps Experience movement, director of 3DM West, and spends his summers writing books at the family cabin in Montana. He and his wife Pam live in Los Angeles, where they love sharing life and mission with their extended family. For more information, visit www.bobrognlien.com.

LOCATION: Anderson
Rev. Heather Semple
Rev. Heather Semple is currently the lead pastor at Madison Park Church of God. Prior to Madison Park, she served on 12Stone Church’s Central Campus Leadership Team in Atlanta,
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LOCATIONS: Fremont, Anderson
Richard Smith
Richard Smith grew up in Baltimore and still calls the city home. He earned a bachelor of arts in sociology at McDaniel College, and both a master’s degree and a PhD from Temple University.
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He now teaches at McDaniel College and holds the position of associate provost for equity and belonging.
His academic expertise includes African American culture, race and justice, and ethics. Richard is also the lead pastor at a Church of God near Baltimore called The Movement Church, a Leadership Focus graduate, and a Chapter 4 Institute fellow. Widely published and respected, Richard has been recognized for excellence with multiple awards, including the Multicultural Leaders’ Most Valuable Faculty Award in 2015.

LOCATIONS: Fremont, Anderson, Orlando
Carla Sunberg
Carla Sunberg was elected the 43rd general superintendent for the Church of the Nazarene in June 2017. She has been a missionary, an educator, and a minister in the Church.
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She began her ministry as a registered nurse, but was later ordained in the Russia North district, where she and her husband were serving as missionaries. After they returned to the United States, she and her husband pastored Grace Point Church of the Nazarene in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and went on to become the first couple to serve as co-district superintendents. In 2014 Carla took on the role of president of Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City. She has authored and edited numerous books, including Why Holiness?, Color: God’s Intention for Diversity, and the soon-to-be-released Faithful to the Call: Women in Ministry. She and her husband Chuck are the proud parents of two adult daughters, Christa and her husband Iain, along with their son Theodore, who live in Manchester, England; as well as Cara and her husband Justin, and their three children, Mackenzie, Alice, and Halston, who live in Kansas. Chuck Sunberg copastors Shawnee Church of the Nazarene with his daughter Cara.

LOCATIONS: Fremont, Anderson, Orlando
Jason Varner
Dr. Jason Varner serves as an assistant professor of the history of Christianity at the Anderson University School of Theology and Christian Ministries. After earning bachelor’s and master’s
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degrees from Anderson University, Dr. Varner moved to Scotland where he studied early modern history at the University of St Andrews. Upon completion of his MLitt and PhD at St. Andrews, Jason returned ‘home’ to Anderson University, where he enjoys teaching courses in the history of Christianity, intellectual and American history, philosophy, worship, and biblical studies.
Dr. Varner’s research interests include European encounters with ‘the Other’ in seventeenth-century America, the changing notion of the ‘self’ in modernity, and the early years of the Church of God movement. Most recently, Dr. Varner presented a paper titled “The Transformation of Trauma: on Liminality and Identity in Seventeenth-Century New England” at the European Association for Early American Studies’ annual conference at the University of Poitiers (France) in December 2021. The 2021 conference theme was “Colonisations, Revolutions, and Reinventions in early America and the Atlantic World, 1492–1848.”
Dr. Varner is actively engaged at Catalyst (Church of God) in Pendleton, Indiana, where he leads worship and serves on the teaching team.

LOCATIONS: Fremont, Anderson
Nathan Willowby
Nathan Willowby is the dean of the School of Theology and Christian Ministry at Anderson University. He grew up in Anderson, Indiana, attending Park Place Church of God, camp
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meetings, and Anderson public schools. After high school, Nathan attended Anderson University, where he earned degrees in Bible and religion, and business administration. He studied one year at the Anderson University School of Theology before eventually earning a master of divinity from Duke Divinity School and a PhD in theology and ethics at Marquette University (where he wrote on holiness and political theology). An ordained minister in the Church of God, Willowby served as pastor of Crossroads Church of God in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for seven years. He was active in statewide unity services and was the president of the Wisconsin Assembly of the Church of God, 2013–2016. In 2016, Nathan began serving at AU as a professor of theology and ethics. He also currently serves as the General Assembly’s appointed historian of the Church of God. Nathan and his family live in Indianapolis and attend Church at the Crossing. He is passionate about Church of God commitments to racial and Christian unity, holiness, and full support of women in ministry.
Pre-Conference Electives
TUESDAY EVENTS
June 21, 11:45AM–1:00 PM
WOMEN IN MINISTRY LUNCHEON
Exploring Revitalization, Restart & Release
Female clergy are invited to a conversation with the senior pastor of Teays Valley Church of God to discuss the unique joys and challenges of being a woman in ministry.

June 21, 11:45AM–1:00 PM
WORSHIP LEADERS LUNCHEON
Worship leaders, join us for a time of encouragement, food, and fellowship; experience the blessings of coming alongside one another in life and ministry.
June 21, 11:45AM–1:00 PM
YOUTH LEADERS LUNCHEON
Join other youth pastors and youth leaders for a time of connection, celebration, and camaraderie. We promise to not feed you pizza!

June 21, 11:45AM–1:00 PM
CHAPLAINS LUNCHEON
An informal gathering for chaplains to connect, learn, be challenged, and grow while enjoying a meal together.

JUNE 21, 1:00–2:30 PM
FLOURISHING IN MINISTRY
FLOURISHING IN MINISTRY
This conference will introduce you to biblical strategies that can prevent burnout, promote wellbeing, and sustain healthy ministry leadership. Learn about the four, research-based, interrelated dimensions of Flourishing in Ministry: Daily Wellbeing, Resilience, Thriving, and Authenticity. It will be led by Dr. Chris Adams, who currently serves as the executive director of the Azusa Pacific University Center for Vocational Ministry.

June 21, 1:00–2:30 PM
CHAPLAINS CONFERENCE
The chaplain endorser will help you spark interest in your sermon among those who are not part of a church, but belong to an organization (military unit, hospital, federal agency). Issues involve content, selection of text, wording, mannerisms, and evoking response. Bonus feature: “How to preach the two-minute sermon.”

June 21, 3:00–4:30PM
CREDENTIALS | LEADERSHIP FOCUS
Discover how assemblies and credential teams best partner to provide an ongoing environment where we can share resources, adopt best practices, learn about new developments in Leadership Focus, and understand changes and updates to the Credentials Manual.

June 21, 3:00–4:30PM
ATLAS INTRODUCTION
Discover how assemblies and credential teams best partner to provide an ongoing environment where we can share resources, adopt best practices, learn about new developments in Leadership Focus, and understand changes and updates to the Credentials Manual.
June 21, 3:00–4:30
A STUCK CHURCH IN A CHANGED WORLD
Exploring Revitalization, Restart & Release
Churches are facing unprecedented decisions after the upheaval of the last two years. We want you to know that you are not alone and to encourage you that where fear sees a crisis, faith sees an opportunity. This 90-minute workshop, moderated by Rev. Handel Smith, will give you a better understanding of the options available for churches in decline. Rev. Tom Planck will share about a program working well within the Church of God that will guide you through a revitalization process. Rev. Dr. Dan Turner will share about the restart work he is doing in coaching churches to embrace the uncertainty of death to make way for the hope of resurrection. Rev. David Griffith will share about the process of a legacy release for congregations who are ready to release their assets so that new ministries can be formed in the Church of God. You will leave this workshop with some free resources, new connections, and a better sense of your next steps.




WEDNESDAY EVENTS
June 22, 12:15–1:45 PM
CARE LUNCHEON
“What the New Grant Means for Church of God Pastors”—Find out what the third major Lilly Endowment grant could mean for you. Celebrate what pastors and church boards are saying about the ongoing impact of CARE.
