Church Ministries Conference

Summer 2024 is in the books! We are so grateful for our amazing team that poured their hearts into serving campers this summer! Over 300 campers accepted Christ as their Savior, and countless others were encouraged and equipped to make Biblical, life-changing decisions while living out "life at its best" at Lake Ann Camp!

Campers and staff: we challenge you to stay in the Word, be in prayer, and always KNOW that the Lord is with you! (Isaiah 41:10)

We are so excited to see you all again soon at upcoming LAC retreats and eventually...Summer 2025!

2024 Summer Staff!

It was an amazing summer and this group served with all their hearts! They love Jesus, love others, love camp and campers!

We are grateful for each staff member, from counselors, kitchen workers, cleaning staff, and program directors, to office workers, campstore workers, life guards, and maintenance, as well as the full time staff, they all have sacrificed their summer to make camp happen!

We had 542 campers throughout the summer and 42 campers made a commitment to follow Jesus as well as many other decisions about their walk with God! (Read their Bible, pray, share their faith, get baptized)

Camp is such a great place for campers to spend a week, get away from technology, enjoy God’s creation, and focus on their walk with God!

The staff is the key! They serve endless hours making camp happen!

Thank you to the staff of 2024!

Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan
-John Bunyan

Pray for the many Bible camps like Lincoln Lake Camp
Pray for the training of summer staff and saff still needed.
Pray for the campers who will be there.
Pray for the year-round staff.
PRAY THAT GOD WOULD BE GLORIFIED!!

Camp Spotlight: Lincoln Lake Camp exists as an outreach of the local church using the unique atmosphere of camping to evangelize and disciple individuals through the Word of God.

Pray for the many Bible camps like Pine Ridge Bible Camp
Pray for the training of summer staff and staff still needed.
Pray for the campers who will be there.
Pray for the year-round staff.
PRAY THAT GOD WOULD BE GLORIFIED!!

Camp Spotlight: Pine Ridge Bible Camp 's mission is to share and model the message of Jesus in a safe, innovative, and relational setting. We believe that God’s Word, the Bible, is absolutely true and provides the world with a message of hope for eternity.

Pray for the many Bible camps like Camp Ao-Wa-Kiya
Pray for the training of summer staff and staff still needed.
Pray for the campers who will be there.
Pray for the year-round staff.
PRAY THAT GOD WOULD BE GLORIFIED!!

Pray for the many Bible camps like CranHill
Pray for the training of summer staff and staff still needed.
Pray for the campers who will be there.
Pray for the year-round staff.
PRAY THAT GOD WOULD BE GLORIFIED!!

Camp Spotlight: CranHill is Michigan’s choice campground, Christian summer camp, and retreat center focused on building relationships, strengthening families, and transforming lives into the image of Christ.

Pray for the many Bible camps like Lake Ann Camp
Pray for the training of summer staff and saff still needed.
Pray for the campers who will be there.
Pray for the year-round staff.
PRAY THAT GOD WOULD BE GLORIFIED!!

Camp Spotlight: Lake Ann Camp - At the heart of our camp ministry is a desire to positively impact the lives of young people for Christ.

Pray for the many Bible camps like Camp Michawana, Where Christ is First
Today was their 15th Annual Bible Trip for Scholarships!
Pray for needed summer staff.
Pray for the campers who will be there.
Pray for the year-round staff.
PRAY THAT GOD WOULD BE GLORIFIED!!

Camp Spotlight: Camp Michawana, Where Christ is First - To plant the Word of God into lives so that each camper will know Christ as their Savior and become unashamed in their faith, living purposefully for the Lord.

Pray for the many Bible camps like Pleasant Valley Bible Camp
Pray for needed summer staff.
Pray for the campers who will be there.
Pray for the year-round staff.
PRAY THAT GOD WOULD BE GLORIFIED!!

Camp Spotlight: Pleasant Valley Bible Camp exists to present the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and to promote a healthy recreational program in a Christian atmosphere. We teach the principles of the Word of God both by word and by example.

Webinar about Shielding Our Home & Equipping Our Kids.
"Because children are vulnerable, they need to be protected. After more than two decades as a family counselor, Julie Lowe has seen how important it is to help parents and caregivers think wisely and biblically about the dangers children face. Instead of living in fear or denial, parents and caregivers can equip children to assess people and situations and model for them how to live by faith in a world where evil exists."
Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention was one of our vendors this year.

Safeguards 4 Kids webinar Truth78 hosted this webinar for our ministry friends at the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention (ECAP).

Reformation Heritage Books is hosting an evening with Tom Karel, who will be speaking on the topic of "Mental Illness in the Church: Caring for Bodies, Minds, and Souls." Tom brings his personal experience as a psychologist and church elder to bear on this subject, applying scientific, practical, and biblical wisdom. Following the topic, there will be a time of Q & A, followed by a coffee and dessert reception.
A limited amount of tickets are left.

An Author Evening with Tom Karel: Mental Illness in the Church: Caring for Bodies, Minds, and Souls Tickets | Reformation Heritage Books Christian psychologist, Tom Karel, shares his experience as a clinician and church office-bearer caring for those who suffer with mental illnesses.

He is Risen!

Mission Cry, one of CMC's exhibitors this year, accepts books and Bible donations. You can bring these resources to their office or mail them. Be sure to visit their table this weekend and talk to them about how you can donate and help. To find out more go to

Donate Books – Mission CRY – Christian Resources International Book donations are the way that many of our companions first get involved. If you have any extra resources that you would like to donate, please bring them or mail them to our Headquarters. Below is a list that will help you!

Stop by the Keys for Kids Ministries booth to discover resources, how they support local ministries and organizations, and ways they are reaching kids, teens, and families for Christ worldwide!

Keys for Kids Ministries promotional video Keys for Kids Ministries exists to ignite a passion for Christ in kids, teens, and families worldwide. What does that mean? Watch the video.

Be sure to visit the many different camps during the Exhibitor/Vendor times. Here are some of the camps at the conference: CranHill, Pine Ridge Bible Camp, Lincoln Lake Camp, Camp Michawana, Where Christ is First, The Springs Ministries
For more of our exhibitors go to

Exhibitors - Church Ministries Conference Exhibitors 2024 Reasons for Hope CranHill Jeremy Gordon Grinnell Pine Ridge Bible Camp School of Missionary Aviation Technology New Creations Prison Ministries Student Statesmanship Institute Camp Michawana Church Growth Services Jeffrey Parker Architects George Brainard Life Matters Worldwide Cente...

Be sure to check out Reformation Heritage Books store at the conference!

Reformation Heritage Books Puritan and Reformed books at discounted prices.

PRE-CONFERENCE on Friday afternoon with ECAP (Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention) Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention . https://ecap.net/event/ecap-accreditation-preview

Transgender Movement, Helping Your Pastor, Intentional Discipleship, Effective Children's Ministry & Youth Ministry, Living Streaming, and more
http://grchurchministriesconference.com/workshop-session-4/

CHILD PROTECTION AND ABUSE PREVENTION: Learn the basics of child protection policies and procedures at a FREE, pre-Church Ministries Conference event on March 1 from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm at Trinity Baptist Church.
Child safety expert, Jeremy Herron will be sharing about governance, screening, training, operations, and response because your ministry is on the leading edge of protecting the vulnerable. How can you take reasonable measures to keep kids safe and know how to respond if/when abuse is reported? Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention
https://ecap.net/event/ecap-accreditation-preview/

Workshops in Session #3: Theological Convictions, Personal Bible study, Resolving Conflict, Purposeful Children's Ministry, and more
http://grchurchministriesconference.com/workshop-session-3/

Happy Friday! I was looking over the workshops this morning. So many great options from "Keeping Kids Engaged in Bible Lessons" to "Building Discernment in Students" to "Finding the Right Hills to Die On." This is the last Sunday before the pre-registration deadline, so be sure to register soon!

Workshop Session #2: Pastoral transitions, Leadership development, Modern Myths about Missions, Child protection, Gen Z discipleship and more
http://grchurchministriesconference.com/workshop-session-2/

CHILD PROTECTION AND ABUSE PREVENTION: Learn the basics at a FREE, pre-Church Ministries Conferencence event on March 1 from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm at Trinity Baptist Church.

Child safety expert, Jeremy Herron will be sharing about governance, screening, training, operations, and response because your ministry is on the leading edge of protecting the vulnerable. How can you take reasonable measures to keep kids safe and know how to respond if/when abuse is reported?
https://ecap.net/event/ecap-accreditation-preview/

Two Sundays left before the pre-registration deadline! You will love to attend the conference with others from your church. It always sparks new ideas! Think about who you could invite to join you this week!

Workshop session #1 has workshops on helping a variety of hurting people, praying for your church and other churches, developing disciplleship opportunities, leading, being missions and evangelism aware, becoming a better teacher.
For info about all of the session #1 workshops go to

Workshop Session 1 - Church Ministries Conference Conference Workshops Session 1 Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3 | Session 4 GENERAL Room 38 – How Can the Church Minister to the Divorcing?Kathey Batey, Divorce Support AnonymousThere is a great and silent need to minister to the divorcing within the church. Kathey will give practical tools and s...

The Church Ministries Conference has four workshop sessions and each session has workshops in all of the following tracks: General, Women's Ministry, Discipleship, Leadership, Missions/Evangelism, Worship Music, Children, Student Ministry. Go to http://grchurchministriesconference.com/schedule/ and click on each workshop session link to see what is going on each session.

Schedule - Church Ministries Conference SCHEDULE FRIDAY, MARCH 1 6:00 – 7:00 pm, Registration and Exhibits Open 7:00 – 8:15 pm, GENERAL SESSION #1 8:15 – 8:40 pm, Exhibits and Vendors 8:40 – 9:30 pm, Workshop Session #1 SATURDAY, MARCH 2 8:30 – 9:20 am, Workshop Session #2 9:20 – 10:00 am, Break/Exhibits 10:00 – 11:15 am, GE...

If your church has not received conference brochures let us know in the comments.

Would love to hear some summer ministry praises and blessings! What are some ways you saw God working in your church family this summer?

Mike Wittmer’s most recent book “Urban Legends of Theology” was recently reviewed by Tim Challies. Read the review and even more so read the book.

Urban Legends of Theology | Tim Challies For every truth of the Christian faith, it seems there is a corresponding fallacy. For every great doctrine there is an opposite misconception. It is a constant challenge to sort the good from the bad, the right from the wrong, the truth from the error. Yet that is exactly the…