Electives are subject to modification at any time.
| 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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Thinking Christianly about AI and techno-enthusiasm Artificial intelligence and digital technologies are rapidly reshaping our world, bringing well-known ethical concerns around employment, privacy, and misinformation. Yet a Christian perspective presses us to ask deeper questions that are often overlooked: What does it mean to be human, made in the image of God? How should we understand consciousness and moral responsibility? Can machines ever be moral agents? And how might we honour God in the way we create, use, and rely on these tools? This session explores how Christian faith can help us navigate both the promise and the potential idolatries of our techno-enthusiast age. |
Daniel Lowe, Associate Director, ISCAST |
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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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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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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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Financial reporting update There are major financial reporting changes on the horizon. The changes include the removal of special purpose reporting, a new accounting standard designed for not for profits and changes to the presentation of the Profit and Loss. This session will walk attendees through the key changes, when they are expected to apply and what you need to do to be ready. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion, as we explore the impact of the changes. |
Jeff Tulk, Partner, Saward Dawson |
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Megatrends shaping the future of Australia: Insights, risks and opportunities for Christian leaders In our session you’ll learn the latest megatrends shaping the faith landscape including demographic shifts, social trends, generational change and the latest McCrindle insights. You’ll be equipped as a Christian leader or board member with concepts like ‘how to think like a futurist’ and you’ll get the latest generational intelligence, drawing from the latest demographic studies, innovative research approaches and broad range of research McCrindle has conducted. |
Sophie Renton, Managing Director and Geoff Brailey, Director of Solutions, McCrindle |
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Mind the gap: managing conflicts and related parties Everyone thinks they manage conflicts of interest well. But research shows and practice illustrates that there is a gap between what many people think is required, and what is actually required. As issues related to conflicts of interest and related party transactions move to the forefront of regulatory focus, it’s timely to review your organisation’s practices and check that you are meeting the standard required. This session will translate the technical requirements of law into practical clear guidance on these issues. |
Elizabeth Shalders, Special Counsel | NFPs, Human Rights & Social Impact, Mills Oakley |
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Managing employee performance in Christian organisations. This presentation will cover an employer’s legal obligations, Biblical perspectives on dealing with employees who fall short of performance expectations, and how to ensure that staff steward God’s reputation in their work. |
Natasha Sim, Partner, Turks Legal |
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Ringing the bell: marketing as Kingdom stewardship 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 multiplies impact. |
Kathy Elliott, Associate Director at Wild Hive |
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Financial oversight in resource-limited contexts: designing effective Controls This session will address maintaining robust financial and governance oversight. We’ll focus on board-level financial review processes that catch issues early and building layered accountability structures that don’t depend on specialized expertise. Participants will examine real-world financial reports, identify red flags boards often miss, and develop implementable oversight frameworks. The focus will be on creating financial and governance systems that are both legally sound and operationally realistic for resource-constrained organizations.monitoring mechanisms suited to resource-constrained contexts. The focus will be on creating financial and governance systems that are both legally sound and operationally realistic for organizations working within tight capacity limits. |
Rebecca Nilanjana Patra, VP Business Development & Growth, NobleRank (India) |
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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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Stewarding God’s reputation well – tales from the trenches In this Fireside Chat format, facilitated by Tanya Fletcher, a panel of team members from Prolegis will look at the CMA Conference theme by exploring some real-life stories. |
Tanya Fletcher (Facilitator) and panellists Allison Strickland, Tess Teh and Lucy Williamson from Prolegis |
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CEO Roundtable Discussion #1 This session is a continuation of the CEO Forum lunch, and is included in the lunch ticket. Prior registration is required for the lunch and roundtables, and entry is limited to CEOs, Senior Pastors and School / College Principals. Roundtables will each have a table host, and discussions will flow under the direction of Philip Curtis, the session facilitator. |
Facilitator: Philip Curtis, National Engagement Manager, CMA |
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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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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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DGR and tax effective giving options for ministries This session will help you gain:
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Jae Yang, Principal Lawyer, Charitas Law |
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Listening without losing the plot: leading change with conviction, clarity and care Over several years, our organisation has been shaped through an ongoing season of discernment, renewal and change, culminating more recently in a rebrand and name change after 25 years of ministry. This elective offers an honest leadership case study on navigating significant change while listening deeply to stakeholders, and learning how to hold discernment, strategy and unity even when people don’t all agree. I’ll reflect on what it looked like to journey with a board, staff team, church partners, donors and external experts through uncertainty, setbacks and discernment. This is not a blueprint, but an invitation to consider how leaders can balance listening, conviction and strategic direction when the path ahead is anything but clear. |
Rosie Kendall, CEO, Hope Economy (formally CAP Australia) |
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Let’s talk: lessons from the ministry boardroom In this interactive workshop, Michael Martin will draw from ECFA’s Lessons from the Nonprofit Boardroom to explore five practical lessons for healthier, wiser, and more God-honoring governance. The session will invite thoughtful discussion on how boards can stay focused on mission, steward trust well, and strengthen leadership around the boardroom table. |
Michael Martin, President & CEO, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) USA |
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Loving donors using philanthropic psychology Being donor-centred does not have to be a zero sum game where we prioritise donors over all other stakeholders. But we do need to shift away from traditional donor-centred approaches based on consumer psychology to a donor love-centred focus based on evidence-based giving psychology. As Christian organisations, we can be leaders in this space as we fulfil Christ’s call to “Love your neighbour as yourself”, which will have a flow on effect to donor relationships, communications and fundraising income. |
June Steward, Director, Creagivity |
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The interaction between faith and employment law This session explores how Christian organisations can faithfully live out their beliefs in the workplace while meeting legal employment obligations. Presented by Mark Dunstan, Partner, and Sarah Ryan, Senior Associate, this session considers the practical challenges of managing complex workplace relationships, including where expectations of faith, conduct and community life intersect with legal requirements. Drawing on experience in faith-based contexts, the presenters will outline key legal risks and offer practical, values-aligned strategies to support fair, respectful and compliant decision-making in sensitive employment situations. |
Sarah Ryan (Senior Associate) and Mark Dunstan (Partner), Prolegis Lawyers |
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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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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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Institutional liability and the duty to act: legal risk mitigation for faith-based organisations Detailed description coming shortly |
Tim Whincop, Director, Vocare Law |
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Why fundraising fails When we’re running faith-inspired ministries and serving God diligently, why is raising money so difficult? This session will explore how scripture helps us stay on course when fundraising falls short of our expectations. |
Ben Allsop, Marketing Manager, Saward Dawson |
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Can we measure Kingdom impact? How can Christian leaders faithfully steward “Kingdom Impact” in organisational life, particularly where spiritual faithfulness and fruitfulness, accountability and public trust intersect? This session will examine whether and how spiritual impact can be meaningfully discerned and stewarded without reducing “God’s work” to simplistic metrics. It will introduce practical frameworks that help boards and leaders clarify purpose, trace contribution and steward organisational mission with wisdom and integrity. |
Nicola Gibbs, Principal Advisor, Pluri |
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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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Integrity and accountability of the board Integrity and accountability in board leadership begin not with governance structures, but with the heart’s posture before God. Board members are stewards of a divine trust, called to serve God’s vision rather than personal interests, loyalties, or influence. Integrity is the alignment of character, convictions, and actions with God’s purposes; accountability is the willingness to answer first to Him for every decision made. Where leaders are guided by self rather than God, governance becomes compromised. Faithful stewardship requires humility, transparency, courage, and unwavering commitment to the mission entrusted by God. |
Valentine Gitoho, Co-Founder, African Council for Accreditation and Accountability (Kenya) |
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Discover your zone of unique value and stand out in a sea of same |
Chelsea Beech, Managing Director, BEECH Agency |
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From burnout to flourishing: what the evidence says about coaching church leaders In early 2025 You Who completed a research project that explored how coaching, mentoring and supervision contribute to church leader health, effectiveness and ministry outcomes. The research involved six coaching organisations, 66 coaches and nearly 400 church leaders across Australia and New Zealand. Findings showed that coaching meaningfully reduces burnout, strengthens leadership capacity, and supports healthier church cultures and ministry outcomes. These insights are increasing relevant for boards, particularly in light of new psychological safety obligations and growing expectations around pastoral supervision. We would share learnings and evidence from that research and reflect with leaders and board members on:
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Kelly Tulk, Senior Consultant, You Who Group |
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Legal update: key issues for Christian NFPs and boards in 2026-27 Detailed description coming shortly |
Rebecca Lambert-Smith, For-Purpose Team Leader, Moores |
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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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Getting the most out of your TBI Internship and Alumni experience. A roundtable conversation for TBI Interns and Alumni only, with lunch togher to follow |
Lucy Dessington (Peacewise Board and TBI Alumni) and James Baker (CMA Board and TBI Alumni) |
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CEO Roundtable Discussion #2: Better Together A facilitated discussion about significant matters such as strategy, policy, building your team and resolving tensions and/or conflict. Entry is limited to CEOs, Senior Pastors and School / College Principals. Roundtables will each have a table host, and discussions will flow under the direction of Philip Curtis, the session facilitator. |
Facilitator: Philip Curtis, National Engagement Manager, CMA |
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Reputation in governance. How to avoid your board becoming the risk. Jen will combine her PhD research findings with professional experience in this important and dynamic session. This presentation explores how “reputation” is emerging as a key component of governance in Christian organisations in Australia and examines how different approaches to reputation management may affect decision-making quality. This will be an interactive session as we consider the various reputational perspectives we can take, including God’s reputation, our organisation’s reputation, my reputation, and other people’s reputations. |
Dr Jen George, Community Governance Expert – Academic, Board Director, Consultant |
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Staying on mission – governance for purpose This session will explore governance in the context of for purpose Christian organisations including both strategic and practical tools for boards, CEOs and leadership groups. How this intersects with other governance requirements such as external regulation, legal and commercial frameworks as they intersect with faith and ministry aspirations. David will share his practical experience with opportunity for Q&A, sharing and discussion. |
David Slinn, CEO, Christian Finance |
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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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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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Why leader care? Why now? Around the world, church and ministry leaders are navigating increasing complexity, pressure, isolation, and fatigue. In this workshop on leader care, Michael and Brittney Martin will reflect on lessons ECFA is learning through lived experience and biblical conviction. Together, we’ll explore how boards and leadership teams can cultivate practical, contextualized care that supports the wellbeing, integrity, and long-term faithfulness of ministry leaders. |
Michael and Brittney Martin. (Michael is President and CEO of Evangelical Christian Credit Union (ECFA) USA |
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The hidden cost of conflict: when tension tests our witness Conflict costs more than we often realise. While Christian organisations tally the financial and operational damage, a deeper toll can go unnoticed: leaders burning out, moral injury quietly accumulating, faith eroding, trust networks fracturing, and our witness to the world slowly hollowing out. This session explores the hidden cost of conflict and makes the case that building leadership and organisational conflict competency isn’t optional, it’s how we steward God’s name and care for his people in our organisations. |
Tim Dyer, Director, Johnmark Extension, and Luke Morgan, Director, Communitas Australia |
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The ripple effect: how your personal risk attitude impacts your corporate performance. This presentation explores why personal risk-taking is not recklessness but a strategic leadership asset. We will discuss three ideas:
We’ll also address the personal barriers like fear of failure, personal reputation concerns, and stakeholder pressure that inhibit CEOs from taking the corporate risks they are called to take. |
Neil Bull, CEO, AIRS |
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Tax concessions and other compliance obligations – opportunities, risks and common errors A panel session providing an overview of the key tax concessions for charities, the risks that the regulators are focussing on and how to protect your organisation. In this session we will discuss GST, FBT, DGR status and Pay Day super, and highlight areas for management attention and governance focus. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion, as the panel members share their insights. |
Cathy Braun, Murray Nicholls , Helen Boucher and Shervy Dahliana from Saward Dawson |
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Supercharge your self-awareness with the Enneagram Self-awareness is the #1 predictor of leadership success* and the Enneagram is one of the most efficient and effective ways to unlock these insights. It’s an ancient, sophisticated personality system – beloved by diverse people like Father Richard Rohr (1) and comedian Amy Poehler (8) – that features nine different ways of seeing the world. It moves beyond behaviour traits to core motivation and delves deeply into spirituality. If you’re curious, come join us for an overview of the Enneagram and how it might help you experience significant growth in your leadership. |
Michelle Farrall, Director, Co-Create Consulting |
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The sacred tension The pulse beneath the pressure You’ve done the governance training. Built the strategic plan. And still the same tensions keep returning. They return because they’re unresolvable. In faith-driven organisations, the pull between mission passion and structural responsibility is born from serving purposes larger than organisational survival. Too much tension and leaders burn out. Too little and the mission slowly dies. Drawn from hard-won experience of success and failure across governance, executive leadership, and denominational life, this workshop helps CEOs and chairs hold the tension without collapsing it.
And find the pulse beneath it. |
Stephen L Baxter, Executive Companion & Author |
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The four journeys every organisation must automate to drive growth in 2026 Most fundraising teams do not need more disconnected campaigns. They need a small number of high-impact donor journeys running consistently in the background — journeys that recognise supporter intent, respond at the right moment, and guide people toward deeper generosity with less friction. This practical session identifies the four donor journeys every organisation should prioritise:
Rather than treating automation as a tool problem, the session shows how effective digital fundraising depends on the system underneath: CRM data, website behaviour, email engagement, campaign activity, content, decision logic and reporting working together. Attendees will learn how to design donor journeys around behaviour, intent and timing, how to avoid the most common automation mistakes, and how to identify whether their organisation is ready to run these journeys successfully. The session also provides a practical 30-day roadmap for starting with one journey, proving it works, and then scaling with confidence. This session is ideal for fundraising, digital, CRM, supporter engagement and marketing teams who want to move beyond batch-and-blast communications and build reliable, always-on engagement systems that improve retention, recurring giving, reactivation and long-term supporter value. |
Rob van der End, CEO, Heartburst |
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Helping local mission partners survive the test of time Many Australian Christian aid, development and mission organizations work through local partners in the countries where they operate. One of the challenges often faced, is the difficulty helping local Christian partners to become financially and organizationally sustainable and not reliant on our support to survive in the long-term. For over 50 years, International Needs Australia (INA) has been working through local partners around the world with a strong focus on building their long-term sustainability. In recent years, INA has honed it’s approaches and now has a number of local Christian partners around the world who have become financially and organisationally mature and sustainable, no longer needing INAs assistance for them to continue to deliver their life changing missions. In this session you will hear the details of INA innovative local partner approach and you will explore real life case studies of local Christian mission organizations who have successfully reached sustainability and the lessons they have learned along the way. This session is a great opportunity for anyone working with local mission organizations overseas who want to assist them become truly sustainable. |
Andrew Catford, CEO, International Needs |
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Chair & Board Roundtable Discussion
Flowing on from CMA’s recent discussions about Leader Care, this roudtable will enable conversation for Boards about the Board / CEO relationship, including Leader Care and additional issues as raised by attendees. |
Facilitator: Philip Curtis, National Engagement Manager, CMA |
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