The Evergreen Summit
A different sort of event for church leaders and their wives...
Faithful ministry can be lonely and comes with pressures most people never see. Over time, church leaders and their families can get worn down or stuck in the same ruts. Instead of working on themselves and the ministry, they can end up stuck in the grind of just keeping up and barely surviving.
With this in mind, we’re reworking our pastors’ conference into The Evergreen Summit. We’re calling it “Evergreen” because the aim is to equip pastors, elders, and their wives for the long haul of ministry.
We’re going to do things a little differently in two main areas.
First, no keynotes. Frankly, most pastors’ conferences are largely a summons to hear “big names” preach sermons. We want something more practical and interactive. This isn’t about platform building for Christian celebrities or content generation for media-centered ministries.
Second, no recordings. We want presenters and attendees to be able to speak freely about the real challenges of ministry, so this event will not be livestreamed or recorded. We will provide printed materials for all attendees, but all workshops and mastermind group conversations will remain private.
So what will we do?
We’ll have three workshop blocks, each consisting of three back-to-back 20-minute presentations. Each block will be followed by a 15-minute break, and then the three presenters will take part in a moderated panel and answer questions from attendees. Our full lineup of workshop sessions is still being finalized, but it will include topics like How I Survived a Coup d’État, Cultivating a Leadership Pipeline, and Protecting Your Wife and Kids. We’re aiming to be very practical and brutally honest.
There will also be one workshop block just for ministry wives, led by Rosaria Butterfield, Emily Foster, and a presenter TBA. It will run concurrently with one of the main workshop blocks.
Another key component of the summit is the masterminds. These are small groups of six to eight people who will identify two real problems within the group and work together to find a path forward. There will be two mastermind sessions for the men’s track and two for the wives’ track.
We’ll also share meals together and have a catered party on Friday night for all attendees. The goal is to come ready to work on real problems and return home refreshed and ready to get things done.
We will not have childcare available, but babes-in-arms are welcome.
Presenters include: Michael Clary • Rosaria Butterfield • Chris Wiley • Michael Foster • Doug Ponder • Bryan Laughlin • Emily Foster • Brian Brown …and more to be announced.
Date
July 16-18, 2026
Location
East River Church, 299 Haskell Lane Batavia, OH 45103
Purchase Tickets here.