Small-Town Pastors Conference 2026
COST
Early-bird registration (before April 6)
Pastor only - $130
Pastor & spouse - $170
Full-time student - $70
Full-time student - $70
Full-time student and spouse - $110
Regular registration, non-refundable (begins April 6)
Pastor only - $150
Pastor & spouse - $190
Full-time student - $90
Full-time student and spouse - $130
SCHEDULE
Monday, April 20, 2026
3:00-5:00 pm - Check-in
5:15 pm - Supper
6:30 pm - Plenary Session with Mark Yarbrough
8:00 pm - Ice Cream Social
Tuesday
8:00 am - Prayer Meeting
8:45 am - Seminars
10:15 am - Plenary Session with Brandon O'Brien
11:30 am - Lunch
1:00 pm - Seminars
5:15 pm - Supper
6:30 pm - Plenary Session with Mark Yarbrough
Wednesday
8:00 am - Prayer Meeting
8:45 am - Seminars
10:15 am - Plenary Session with Brian Croft
11:30 am - Lunch
1:00 am - Seminars
2:30 am - Ladies’ Tea and Men’s Dessert
5:15 pm - Supper
6:30 pm - Closing Plenary Session with Mark Yarbrough
SEMINARS
1, 2, 3 Jesus Loves Me!: Sharing the Message of Salvation with Children
Dr. Francis Schaeffer said, “There is only one Gospel for both adults and children . . . sharing the Gospel with a child is not a different Gospel, but only a translation problem.” This fast-paced workshop introduces a hands-on, visually powerful tool used worldwide to clearly communicate the Gospel to children and lead them to Christ.
Speaker: Jill Hostetler
Balanced Shepherding
Rural church pastors are often solo pastors. This seminar is about keeping three major aspects of pastoral leadership in balance as a solo shepherd in a rural setting.
Speaker: Marty Giese
Bells and Whistles: Preaching to a Distracted Church
In this seminar we will ask what God desires in our worship. We'll then explore ways technology potentially distracts us from that worship and encourage pastors to think critically about how we adopt technology in our churches. Finally, we will present practical suggestions for pastors who want to help their church engage in worship that proclaims the glory of God to the nations!
Speaker: Daniel Bennett
Biblical Church Revitalization: Building a Plan to Bring New Life Back to Dying, Declining, and Struggling Churches
Eighty percent of North American churches are plateaued or declining. Many pastors seek quick-fix solutions through some church growth fad. We will turn to the Scriptures to see that God can and does breathe life back into struggling churches through faithful pastoral ministry, and share some practical tools on how to make a plan to implement God’s design for your church
Speaker: Brian Croft
Come Listen to Jesus Pray for You
Let’s slow down to soak in John 17 and receive what Jesus says. To help us, we will address some common ways we resist the glory He gives us.
Speaker: Kathy Peterson
Confronting the Theology of Culture: Rightly dividing Christianity and Culture in the Rural Church
Like Christians everywhere, rural church members carry a set of cultural values and preferences so familiar that they may be confused with biblical truth. This seminar will help rural church leaders identify some areas in which “rural isn’t right” and lead their congregations toward a biblical correction of cultural assumptions.
Speaker: Marty Giese
Designing a Ministry for Your Context
Small town and country communities are unique, complex, and changing. Copy-and-paste approaches to ministry are unlikely to serve the people in our care. We need local ministries customized to local realities. The goal of this seminar is to provide tools for developing a ministry as unique as your ministry context.
Speaker: Brandon O’Brien
Every Hour I Need You (for women)
God designed us to depend on him in everything, including ministry life. In this seminar for pastors’ wives, we will explore how our need is part of God’s plan, consider the sufficiency of Christ, and connect truths about God’s character to our roles and responsibilities as wives, mothers, and church women.
Speaker: Katie Faris
Help! We Need Kids and Young Families in Our Church!
Child Evangelism Fellowship partners with local churches to equip them to reach out, connect with, and minister to children and their families. This seminar will present practical ways your church can connect with your community by focusing on children's ministry, with the ultimate goal of establishing both children and their families in the local church for further spiritual growth and Christian living.
Speaker: Katrina Forseth
Honest Hope In The Messy (women)
Jesus has come, but until he comes again, we still spend most of our lives dealing with the messy. How do we live in hope when our culture honors cynicism as a way to cope with the messes out there, and self-deprecation as a way to cope with the messes in here? Let’s explore Jesus’ way to live honestly in the messy.
Speaker: Kathy Peterson
How Not to Get Lost and Lonely in Your Husband’s Ministry (women)
While being a pastor's wife is a privilege, it also brings unique challenges, including feeling lost and lonely at times. How do we face these challenges with faith? Through God's Word and the real-life stories of experienced ministry wives, this seminar will remind us who we belong to and why that matters for the long-haul.
Speaker: Katie Faris
Ministry Resources for the Rural Pastor
This interactive session will explore resources designed for those in rural ministry – highlighting helpful tools for the pastor and his leadership team as well as rural networking ministries. We will also invite attendees to share what has worked in their own contexts.
Speaker: Mike Boyle
Preparing and Preaching an Expository Sermon Series
Sunday morning is relentless. It doesn’t care how many people we visited in the hospital or how many families were in crisis – it arrives right on schedule. It can be daunting to prepare a single sermon, much less an entire series. This seminar lays out a methodology and practical suggestions to help prepare and preach an expository sermon series.
Speaker: Daniel Bennett
Rural Ministry 101
This seminar is an orientation to rural ministry, geared primarily for pastors and spouses who are just getting started in rural ministry. Seasoned rural pastors and spouses are welcome to attend for a refresher course!
Speaker: Barney Wells
Small Church Conflict Is No Small Matter
One of the worst things in this world is when a small-town church has a big-time fight. In this seminar we will discover ideas about how to Prevent, Survive, and Recover from the damaging effects of church conflict. But we will also look at how God can redeem the worst situations to accomplish good.
Speaker: Mark Underkofler
Speaker: Mark Underkofler
Social Media and the Town and Country Pastor
Social media has become a way of life in our society. It is time for pastors to think through both the opportunities and dangers of the use of social media for the pastor, his family, his church, and his community. This seminar will walk through many of the key questions and concerns.
Speaker: Jeff VanGoethem
The Big Challenge of the New Rural Poor
Over the past 40 years, rural villages have become pockets of inner-city-like poverty. Differing from the traditional rural poor in many ways, these new rural poor can present challenges to the church in the smallest of towns. We will learn what makes this ministry so challenging and some successful strategies for engaging it.
Speaker: Barney Wells
The Healing Power of Intimacy with God
Pastoral work invites many difficulties and troubles. Can prayer and intimacy with God help us? This seminar will examine scripture, the practice of prayer, and the helpfulness of drawing near to God in the midst of the battles of life and ministry.
Speaker: Jeff VanGoethem
The Small Church in the Bible
“Bigger is better” is not in the Bible. Instead, throughout the Scriptures, God delights in doing extraordinary things through ordinary leaders and unimpressive groups. The goal of this seminar is to root our confidence in the “strategically small church” in the big story of Scripture.
Speaker: Brandon O’Brien
The Unhurried Pastor: Redefining Productivity for a More Sustainable Ministry
Many pastors feel trapped in a ministry life and schedule that is full of busyness, noise, and constant running. This commonly leads to burnout, depression, joylessness, and simply leaving the ministry. In this seminar, we will look at a different approach to pastoral ministry that can lead to more productivity, greater personal joy, and longevity in the ministry.
Speaker: Brian Croft
Speaker: Brian Croft
What Pastors Can Do to Train for Catholic Dialogue
There are many factors that reduce dialogue with Catholics in rural communities. We will explore removing roadblocks, reducing Evangelical missteps, training congregants, and suggesting helpful resources they can use.
Speaker: Jay Lindstrom
Why Training Rural Evangelicals to Reach Catholics is Needed
In many rural communities, the unsaved are the “religious lost.” They are good, hardworking people, but many are trusting their justification in something other than the Gospel. We will look at the need to increase Gospel dialogue for our congregants.