Ministers Gathering is an annual retreat for ABNWT ministers that focuses on refreshing, renewing, reconnecting, and retooling. It is our premier event to move the mission forward. Here are five reasons to come and bring your team to Ministers Gathering.

On May 10, 2023, over 260 pastors and ministry leaders from across the Alberta and Northwest Territories gathered for a roundtable, family forum-styled conference to discuss what it means to “Belong, Grow, and Serve” together in the ABNWT PAOC family. Here’s what we’re learning.

Were you able to join us at Ministers Gathering 2023? Over 500 ministers and their families joined us for a time of connection, renewal and equipping at the Banff Park Lodge in Banff, Alberta. This is a valuable family connection time and helps us support and encourage one another as we endeavour to reach the 4.1 million souls in our region.

Church Administration. Many leaders struggle because they see paper-pushing and data entry as non-ministry-related tasks. What if we could shift that mindset? What if we could see admin as a vital part of the ministry and the mechanism that allows churches to serve people better?

What will our next 75 years look like? While it is impossible to predict what society will look like in the future, we can be sure that we will strive to accomplish our four core values regardless.

Grade 6's moving into a group of older teens can feel uncertain and need to find acceptance. Here are five tips to help tweens happily find their place.

Lego is one of the greatest toys ever, isn’t it? It even says ages 4-99 on the box. It spans ages, genders, languages, and is as creative as you want it to be. This is why a Family Lego Event is fantastic for any size church.

As a church, this challenge is a great opportunity to meet the needs of families in your community. In 2021, we started hosting ONE DAY FUN DAY events on PD Days. We’re a small church and have seen amazing growth within our events and some of that growth has transferred to our weekend gatherings.

Over 500 attendees joined us in Banff or online for a time of refreshing, renewal and restoring. Every session was inspiring, challenging, and a reminder that none of us do this alone, we are Together. Check out how to playback the sessions.

We have found Bridge Events to be a great way to build better bridges for the people in our community. A Bridge Event is a community-focused activity designed to attract people who do not typically attend church.

We are now almost two years into a global pandemic. To say that vocational leaders are tired and discouraged would be a colossal understatement. On the front end of it, most seemed to quickly acknowledge, “this isn’t going to be a sprint, we’re going to have to lace up for a marathon.” And pastors did just that.

No matter where you’re reading this from, this past year has been unlike any other. The world has changed and perspectives have shifted. Norms, standards, and daily rituals, like getting up and driving to work, are no longer common practices. The upcoming generation is facing new challenges and circumstances that even 10 years ago we wouldn’t have given a second thought.

“You’re the boss now!” These were some of the most exciting yet terrifying words I had ever heard. Quite honestly, I never imagined myself as a lead pastor. I spent six and a half years serving as a youth and associate pastor in two different churches, and while I felt that God was going to refocus my ministry, I never imagined that He would point me towards a lead pastor role.

We know how difficult it can be to stay encouraged and find affordable resources when you are a small church. At the same time, we believe that small churches are essential to the mission God has for his Church in our local communities and around the world! We have listed and linked some resources that we have found useful, and we hope you will benefit from them too!

One of the lesser-known phrases that I’ve heard in the past year is that coming out of the pandemic, “all church leaders will need to think like church planters”. But what does that mean? What makes “thinking like a church planter” beneficial to leading into the future? Instead, let me suggest what “Thinking Like a Planter” might look like.

Young ministry leaders are aching for mentorship but statistics continue to show that they’re not finding it. The reasons are complex. Older leaders haven’t been mentored themselves or had bad mentoring relationships. They’re busy and need to give their time to others. They may feel that getting this close to an employee is risky. They don’t want to make themselves vulnerable. Possibly, established leaders don’t see the benefits of making this kind of investment, but they need to.

I was asked to share some of the things I learned since moving to Barrhead from Logan Lake, BC. Here are five things I discovered.

In the face of COVID 19, the ambiguous and disparate information about re-gathering congregations, Pastors are facing extreme pressure. Darrell addresses this issue in this blog.