The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Lutheran Church Extension Fund is holding its 2009 Fall Leadership Conference November 20 to 22 in Tampa, Fla.
The LCEF is the denomination’s church-development arm, and the theme of the Tampa conference is "Together in Christ—Rejoicing for Eternity." According to the LCEF Web site, the meeting will place special emphasis on missions, stewardship, and the revitalizing of congregations.
Planners expect 640 people to attend the conference, which will require 2,500 hotel room nights and provide $2.7 million in delegate spending, according to Tampa Bay & Company. The meeting will be held at the Tampa Marriott Waterside.
Conference sessions include motivational and informative general sessions, and small-group meetings. The small-group sessions will include Bible studies, roundtable discussions, and opportunities to interact with the plenary presenters.
Speakers include Bob Roberts Jr., founder of Glocal Ventures and the founding pastor of NorthWood Church near Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; and Paul Borden, executive minister of Growing Healthy Churches, a church-growth organization based in San Ramon, Calif.
The LCMS, with 2.5 million baptized members, is the second-largest Lutheran church body in North America.
