Conference Worship Previews
He Will Hold Me Fast
His Mercy is More
Lockdown. Social distancing. Suffering. Strife. Who could have imagined a year ago that these realities would highlight the timeliness and importance of CCEF’s National Conference topic, Created to Draw Near: Reclaiming the Priesthood of All Believers? Yet current circumstances have exposed the truth of the first half of that title, and the desperate need for the second.
Our plan had been to offer a hybrid approach to this year’s conference—meeting onsite for those of you comfortable doing so, and broadcasting online for those restricted from attending—but increased restrictions in Pennsylvania have now made that impossible. We are so disappointed not to see you in person this year, but because we no longer need to prepare on two fronts, we have become doubly excited about taking advantage of the online format. We are going to do everything in our power not only to bring you all the rich content you’re accustomed to, but also enable you to experience the personal touch you’ve always enjoyed. Toward that end, we will be hosting and streaming the general sessions live (complete with our regular conference giveaways), taking you behind-the-scenes with our faculty, partnering with WTS Books to provide a specially-created online conference bookstore, and providing a variety of avenues for you to connect with each other.
A pandemic may make it challenging to connect in person right now, but it can’t prevent us from experiencing the unity we have in Christ or the reality that we’ve been created to draw near.
1. Invited to Draw Near: Tabernacle as Meeting Place
2. Racism and Drawing Near: How the Gospel Speaks into a Broken World
3. Parenting in a Priestly Manner
4. Taking the Path of Our Great High Priest
5. Drawing Near When You Prayed and Nothing Changed
6. Repentance: Drawing Near to God and Others
7. Nearness Gone Wrong: When Leaders Fail
8. A Time to Step Back?: God’s Purposes for Relational Distance
9. Drawing Near When Sexual Impurity Feels More Exciting or Desirable
10. The Counselor as Priest: Offering Care to Help Others Draw Near to Christ
11. Collaborative Counseling: Working Well with Church Leadership
12. Closer: A Marital Enrichment Seminar for Couples Desiring to Draw Nearer
13. How Friends Help Us Draw Near to God
14. Created to Know and Experience Love
15. Living a Priestly Life: Teaching by Example
16. Drawing Near to Entrenched People
17. A Painful Past: Healing and Moving Forward
18. Watching the High Priest at Work
19. How Direct Access to God and the Priesthood of All Believers Changes Christian Marriages
20. Beyond Devotional Doldrums: Using Scripture and Prayer to Foster Intimacy with God
Building and Maintaining Christ-Centered Counseling Ministries in the Church and Community
Join us in this special session for counseling ministry leaders and staff. This session will feature a time of training, development, and networking for individuals and staff seeking to launch and lead counseling ministries both in their local church and in their community. CCEF’s director of counseling, Cecelia Bernhardt will be joined by Jonathan Holmes, executive director of Fieldstone Counseling for this three hour pre-conference session designed to equip and connect people committed to counseling in and alongside the local church.
Counseling Methodology in Biblical Counseling: Pursuing Excellence and Effectiveness
Pursuing excellence in counseling ministry entails thinking intentionally about what we do in the counseling room. This session will consider both the biblical framing of a counseling methodology as well as offer an introduction to some of the more important methodological components of effective counseling ministry.
Domestic Abuse: Setting Ministry Priorities
What is oppression? Why do people do it? How can we know when it is happening? Sadly, domestic abuse often goes unseen. To both see it and minister effectively, we must have a biblical understanding of oppression, and the damage oppressors inflict. In this pre-conference, we will learn how to unearth oppressive patterns in relationships so that you can engage victims in a loving and safe way. We will explore how to walk alongside both the oppressor and the oppressed, paying particular attention to how the local church can wisely respond and engage when they encounter abuse.
Introduction to Biblical Counseling
Biblical counseling rests on the conviction that Scripture speaks to all people, at all times, in all difficulties. God's Word to us is infinitely deep and offers powerful help to even the most severe and complex situations humans experience. So how do we access this deep wisdom in our own life, and in our relationships with others? And how does the Bible orient us to the field of counseling? How can we bring a unified approach to our Christian discipleship and our care for the counseling-related issues many face in our churches? In this pre-conference session, we'll orient ourselves to biblical frameworks of personal change, and discern how we can step into the lives of others with redemptive words that flow from a wise and compassionate use of Scripture.
The Conference
2020 Online Conference
Included:
Livestream of all eight plenary sessions
Access to all twenty breakouts
Speaker interviews and Q&A
Access to all conference content through midnight Saturday, October 10th.
Opportunities to connect with other attendees
A specially created online bookstore with live support, as well as free shipping on all domestic orders.
Additional Info
Important Times:
Conference begins at 9:00 am (EST) on Friday, Oct 2nd
Conference ends by 5:30 pm (EST) on Saturday, Oct 3rd
Pre-conference sessions begin at 9:00 am (EST) on Thursday October 1st
CEU:
CEUs will be available depending on the requirements of each state. More specific information on CEUs can be found here.
FAQ
Q: What happens to my hotel reservation?
A: If you booked a room with Hershey Lodge, your reservation will be automatically canceled (free of charge) by August 15th. If you booked with another hotel, you will need to contact them directly to cancel your reservation.
Q: Do you offer group pricing for watch parties?
A: Yes. We are now offering discounted rates depending on your group size. Hosted groups of 5-9 can register at $150 per person, hosted groups of 10-19 can register for $135 per person, and hosted groups of more than 20 can register for $125 per person. Hosted group pricing is available until Friday, September 18th at 11:59 pm (PST).
Q: Will the plenary sessions be live-streamed for free, as in years past?
A: No. Unfortunately, we cannot live-stream the plenaries for free this year.
Q: Will there still be worship this year?
A: Yes! The worship team from The Church at Brook Hills will be leading our worship time, just as in years past.
Q: I live in a different time zone. Can I see a recorded version of the plenaries after they are live-streamed?
A: Yes. All live-streamed plenaries will be recorded and posted for viewing within 6 hours of their original broadcast time.
Q: Are you still offering student and military discounts?
A: Yes. Active military can register at $150 per person. Full-time students can register at $125 per person.
Q: How will I access the conference live-stream?
A: You can access the conference live-stream page through your user profile on ccef.org. If you do not have a user profile yet, one will automatically be created for you before the conference.
Q: How long will I have access to the conference teaching?
A: You will have access from Friday, October 2nd – Saturday, October 10th at 11:59 pm (PST).
Q: Is the Pre-Conference now available online?
A: Yes, the pre-conference will now be held via Zoom Webinar. We have also reduced pre-conference tickets to $50 for a full day (2 sessions) and $30 for a half-day (1 session).
Q: Can I transfer my ticket to the 2021 National Conference?
A: Yes. If you would like to transfer your ticket to our 2021 National Conference, please email [email protected] Transfers are available until Tuesday, September 15th at 11:59 PST.
The Book
A walk with the author
