Questions & Registration

For any questions you may have regarding the GO conference, or to register,  please contact Bill Thornburg at
1-616-224-0848 or
 bthornburg@crcna.org

Global Outreach Missions Conference

What is it?

The GO Conference (Global Outreach), is a one day missions conference to help your congregation gain critical information as you answer the call to global outreach. The conference addresses key issues and gives practical information on various aspects of global missions including workshops from World Missions, World Relief and sometimes Home Missions, Back to God Ministries or other local organizations. 

Do you need new energy for cross-cultural missions in your church? Looking for new ideas on how to maximize your short-term missions program? Trying to find focus in your missions committee? Need help in setting priorities for all of the missions funding requests? Are you interested in making your missions partnerships (with missionaries, projects or another community) healthier? Do you want to learn more about ministry among Muslims or what the Bible says about poverty? Do you want to learn more about being a missional church in your own neighborhood?  If so, this conference is for you!

Upcoming GO Conferences

Who should attend?

The GO Conference is a one day conference for anyone interested in missions: World Missions Advocates, World Relief Champions, local church leaders including pastors, elders and deacons, mission committee or outreach committee members and anyone interested in missions.

Workshops @ the Chino Go Conference

1. Bringing the Learning Back Home: Short Term Missions (a.m. only)
Trish De Jong (Missions Resource Consultant, CRWM)
Discover how the excitement of overseas short-term missions can inform, ignite and open doors to personal growth and other ministry opportunities in our communities back home.

2. Global Partnership: Are You Ready? (p.m. only)
Trish De Jong (Missions Resource Consultant, CRWM)
Interested in developing a "sister church to church or community relationship"? Would you like to learn what a "focused approach" to missions looks like? We'll discover the goals and characteristics of a Global Partnership, indicators to help assess if your church may be ready for a partnership, and how to pursue next steps.

3. Are Missionaries Still Needed?
Steve Van Zanen (Director for Missions Education & Engagement, CRWM)
The world and missions methodology is changing dramatically. Explore how Christian Reformed World Missions is adapting its methodology to a new situation.

4. Ministry Among Muslims
Bill Thornburg (Missions Resource Consultant, CRWM)
Islam is the second largest religion in the world after Christianity and is growing at a faster rate than any other religion. In the United States Muslims make up between .5 and 2% of the population and Islam is growing. We'll look at some of the basic beliefs and practices of Islam and learn why loving Muslims is biblical.

5. Poverty in the Bible
Karl Westerhof (Church and Community Consultant, CRWRC)
Almost 3,000! That's how many verses in the Bible refer to poverty. In this seminar we will take a fresh look, and discover how the Bible can help us discern together something about kinds of poverty, and what are appropriate responses for us as individuals, groups, congregations, networks of global Christians.

6. Christian Community Development in Bellflower (a.m. only)
Ryan VerWys (Catalyst, Kingdom Causes)
We’ll go over a case-study of Christians working together for community transformation in the local context of Bellflower, California.

7. Power of Presence - The Church as a Holy People Who Bring a Holy Presence (p.m. only)
Terri Larson (Strategic Program Director, Kingdom Causes)
We’ll go over a participatory exercise and discussion on the role we play in bringing God's hope, love, and mercy to our own communities because we are called to bear His image.

Workshops @ the Ottawa GO Conference

1. Short Term Missions -- Long Term Impact (a.m only)
Trish De Jong (Missions Resource Consultant, CRWM)
Learn the markers that will help gauge whether the time, effort and finances invested in short-term missions (STM) is truly making a long-term impact on the character of your church. Through a strong vision for global outreach and an intentional debriefing process, discover how STM’s can not only have a lasting impact in the lives of participants, but can also propel change within the local church. Come discover how to avoid the trap of missions experiences becoming “just another good trip.”

2. Lifelines for Missions Committees & Teams: Developing a Strategic Plan (a.m. only)
Al Karsten (CRWM North America Director)
Knowing your missions priorities, what to say no to, and how to involve and inform the church are key to being effective. Learn how to develop a missions strategy that is focused, effective, and fun.

3. Missionaries In Our Communities (a.m. and p.m.)
Sheila Murphy (Outreach Ministry Developer for Classis Eastern Canada, Home Missions)
The church today has moved far away from the vitality, relevance and transformation that characterized the early church. Often people in the community view the church as irrelevant and out of date. In this workshop will look at what it means to be the salt and light of Christ in fresh and transformative ways in our communities. No matter who you are or what your context is, God’s plan is for you is to be engaged in his redemptive mission here on earth.

4. God Centered Missionary Care (p.m. only)
Trish De Jong (Missions Resource Consultant, CRWM)
Is missionary care by churches really necessary or just a good thing to do? We’ll explore the biblical heart of the “sender/sendee” relationship, when care is critical, and practical examples of what excellent care looks like.

5. No Diamonds on the First Date – Global Partnerships (p.m. only)
Al Karsten (CRWM North America Director)
Discover the ways in which churches can connect to global ministry and how to discern the best fit for your church. Learn the key principles to a healthy church-to-church or church-to-community partnership.
 

Previous GO Conferences

What are people saying about previous GO conferences?