Electives are being progressively uploaded through April. Initially, just the session details. Correct dates and times will be added as soon as schedule of our 50 speakers is confirmed. Streams are indicative but not final yet.
| Governance Stream |
| People / HR Stream |
| Finance & Legal Stream |
| Fundraising & Communications Stream |
| General Stream |
| CEO Forum / Executive Leadership Stream |
| Tech Stream |
| DATE | TIME | INFORMATION | PRESENTED BY | SPONSORS |
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Venerable and Contemporary Organisations: lessons learned in heritage, continuity and innovation. Drawing on my experience with Bible Society and now Leprosy Mission, how do we approach the future for organisations with extensive pasts? |
Greg Clarke, CEO, The Leprosy Mission |
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Ringing the Bell: Marketing as Kingdom Stewardship Every generation has had its bell ringers – voices that called people to worship, to justice, to compassion and to mission. From prophets in the wilderness to reformers with pamphlets and missionaries with newsletters, God has always used communication to mobilise His people. Today, in an age of distraction and digital noise, Christian leaders are entrusted with stewarding attention wisely. In this strategic and reflective session, Kathy reframes marketing not as manipulation, but as Kingdom stewardship. The courageous, clear and consistent communication of truth. Drawing on experience across Christian schools and mission organisations, she explores how internal clarity drives growth, why confusion undermines mission, and how aligned communication becomes a multiplier of impact. Leaders will leave with a practical framework for stewarding influence with integrity transforming marketing from an afterthought into a vital expression of mission. |
Kathy Elliott, Associate Director at Wild Hive |
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Equipping authentic, thriving leaders who create safe spaces for people to flourish What you need in every level of leadership development for leaders to move from their leadership winter to spring. |
Dr Tammy White, Clinical Psychologist & CEO, Real Psychology |
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Governance Essentials: Managing Conflicts and Related Parties Many Christian ministry organisations and Churches operate in a way that presents unique challenges for managing conflicts of interest and related parties. Historically, the way that religious organisations work has been well understood by courts and regulators, but as the tenor of the times change, it becomes increasingly difficult to operate relationally and still manage compliance obligations. |
Elizabeth Shalders, Special Counsel | NFPs, Human Rights & Social Impact, Mills Oakley |
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The truth about high performance boards: 700 reviews later What truly drives board effectiveness – and why do some boards consistently outperform others? Drawing on insights from more than 700 board and committee reviews across sectors, this session cuts through conventional wisdom to reveal what actually matters. It explores the patterns, behaviours and disciplines that distinguish high-performing boards, and the common pitfalls that hold others back. With practical, experience-based insights, this session will challenge assumptions, sharpen judgement and provide a clear perspective on how boards can lift their effectiveness in service of purpose, stewardship and impact. |
Nicholas Barnett, Executive Chair, Insync |
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Navigating Conflict Without Losing Your Soul – or Your Mission
Most ministry leaders don’t fear conflict – they fear what conflict can do to people, witness and mission if it is mishandled. In this facilitated panel conversation, subject‑matter experts and executives with lived experience explore the real cost of conflict in Christian organisations and the surprising ways it can become redemptive when handled well. From boardroom tensions and staff breakdowns to public scrutiny, the panel will help leaders recognise early warning signs and choose interventions that align with Christian convictions while protecting both people and purpose. This session is practical, honest and grounded in experience, equipping Board and Executive leaders with tools they can take straight back into their ministries. |
Mal Cooke (Neometric), Heidi Rawson (Neometric) and Tanya Fletcher (Prolegis) |
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Simple Leadership. In our rapidly changing and unpredictable context, not-for-profit leaders are under increasing pressure to lead, but without a clear way to understand what’s actually going on. Conversations about leadership stay vague. Teams feel the friction, but can’t name it. Development often defaults to instinct, personality, or the latest framework. At the same time, there’s no shortage of leadership content. If anything, the problem is the opposite—too many models, too much complexity, and very little that translates into everyday practice. This session is designed to cut through that. Simple Leadership is not another model to add. It’s a practical framework that helps leaders make sense of what they already know, diagnose what’s limiting their effectiveness, and take clear next steps. Just as importantly, it gives them a simple way to do the same for the people they lead. |
Geoff Folland, National Director, Power to Change |
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Mission stewardship: holding fast to purpose when everything else is in motion. This session will examine the three pillars of mission stewardship: identity, integrity and impact, reflect on factors that influence organisational performance, and identify opportunities to embed values and accountability more deeply into everyday activities. |
Linda Kurti, Managing Director, Stillpoint Strategy |
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Beyond Good Intentions: Building Clarity and Evidence for Lasting Impact Purpose-driven organisations often create profound change but too often, that impact remains unseen or hard to articulate. In today’s environment, leaders need more than passion and good intentions; they need clarity, evidence, and a compelling way to show the difference they make. Many organisations operate on assumptions about the scope and significance of their impact. We assume our programs are effective and our reach is broad but without testing those assumptions, we risk missing opportunities for deeper transformation. A Theory of Change and an evaluation framework provide a structured way to challenge assumptions, uncover gaps, and strengthen strategies, ensuring efforts lead to the greatest possible impact. This session will demystify impact evaluation and show how these tools can transform the way an organisation plans, learns, and communicates. Far from just being a technical exercise, these tools help organisations tell their story with confidence, increase trust with supporters, donors, and funders, and make better decisions for lasting change. |
Amelia Pickering, CEO, Prison Network |
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The New Steward in the Room: What AI Means for Your Christian Ministry Something has quietly entered the room. AI is no longer a tool waiting for instructions. It acts. It decides. It executes. And it will reshape Christian ministry in ways most senior leaders haven’t begun to imagine. The change coming is bigger than email, bigger than social media, bigger than the internet itself. So how do we lead faithfully when a new kind of steward is already at the table? This session unpacks what AI actually is, why it matters for your ministry, and the stewardship questions every leader needs to wrestle with right now. |
Steve Fogg, Director, www.stevefogg.com |
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Faith, Trust, and Firewalls: Navigating Cyber Risk in Ministry Cyber security is no longer just an IT issue – it’s a core part of governance and stewardship. In this session, Abby explores the Australian threat landscape, shares real incidents from education and non-profits, and highlights key risks for ministries, including third-party providers and human factors in high-trust environments. Attendees will gain a practical understanding of “trust but verify” and leave with simple, actionable steps to strengthen their organisation’s cyber resilience and protect their mission. |
Abby Breytenbach, Cyber Resilience Manager, CSIRO |
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The Spiritual Formation of a Leader – Stewarding God’s reputation from the inside out In this session Nicholas invites leaders to look beneath the surface of ministry life to the inner life; the place where character is truly formed. Drawing on spiritual formation, leader care, relationally adaptive leadership and biblical human flourishing, he will explore how leaders can embody tov – life giving goodness – even in chaotic cultural conditions. You will learn:
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Nicholas Marks, Founder and CEO, Abound |
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Donor Confidence in Turbulent Times Donors are navigating cost-of-living pressure, global instability, and a shifting economy – and it’s changing how, where, and why they give. In this elective we’ll launch Dunham+Company’s 2026 donor confidence report and move quickly to what matters most: how your ministry should respond. Expect practical, tactical guidance for your upcoming appeals – what to say, what to ask for, what to stop doing, and where the opportunities are hiding in plain sight for ministries willing to lead with wisdom. |
David Hutt, Managing Director – Australia, Dunham+Company |
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Consider Well & Execute Well: Leading Capital Works with Clarity, Confidence and Care Boards and executives are not often aware of the hidden risks in capital project works from conception to completion, which can lead to costly consequence and governance risks. This workshop aims to equip leaders with the insight needed to guide capital works projects from vision to delivery. By clarifying purpose and strengthening understanding of the design, approval and construction journey, leaders will learn to ask the prudent questions at every critical stage. The session focuses on wise stewardship in architecture and planning—helping leaders protect their organisation, manage risk, and add long‑term value through clear intent, informed oversight and confident execution, ensuring that built-outcomes are well considered and will faithfully serve present and future generations. |
Shayne Evans, CEO, Stanton Dahl |
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Leadership Design & Practice for Cultural Continuity This presentation will focus on practical leadership structures and practices that support the preservation and enrichment of the desired cultural characteristics for the organisation. In particular, the Godly Cultural Characteristics in faith-based organisations. For instance, if integrity is a cultural characteristic that an organisation wants to be known for, what leadership practices, policy and processes must the organisation implement to promote integrity as a cultural norm amongst their staff and stakeholders? |
Leila and Rowan Armstrong, Directors, Enriched HR |
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