The 2026 CCEF Preconference is an opportunity to learn more from CCEF faculty and guest speakers as we dive deeper into topics relevant to ministry and counseling. The preconference will be held in person at the Virginia Beach Convention Center on Thursday, October 15. We hope you'll join us!
This event is in person only and is separate from the national conference, so please register separately for the preconference. Full-day tickets (2 sessions) and half-day tickets are available.
1. When Your Adult Child Pulls Away: Living with the Pain of Estrangement (Darby Strickland)
2. Encouraging Faithful Care: The Why and How of Supervision for Biblical Counselors (Kyle Johnston)
1. Coming Home: A Journey Through the Ascent Psalms (Gunner Gundersen)
2. The Anatomy of a Trembling Faith: Anxiety as an Invitation to Intimacy with God (Blair Linne)
Estrangement often brings grief that is hard to name and even harder to carry. Parents are left with unanswered questions, shifting narratives, and a relationship that no longer feels secure. This interactive session offers a biblical framework for navigating this painful reality. Drawing on Jeremiah 29, we’ll explore how to live faithfully when relationships remain unresolved. Through teaching, case studies, and guided reflection, you’ll gain practical wisdom for responding with truth and gentleness and discover how a steady, Christ-centered life becomes an enduring witness of hope.
Gregory of Nazianzus famously described pastoral work as the “art of arts and the science of sciences”—a description that highlights the complexity of biblical ministry. It is this complexity that makes supervision so important, because good supervision helps counselors wisely connect the treasures of Scripture to the troubles of life. Yet many biblical counselors lack a structured framework for either giving or receiving supervision. In this session, we will discuss the multidimensional supervision model and consider how it can be used to encourage faithful care.
Psalms 120–134, the fifteen psalms titled “A Song of Ascents,” are a precious collection of pilgrim prayers. Beloved lines fill these psalms: “I lift up my eyes to the hills,” “unless the Lord builds the house,” “how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.” Yet far more treasure awaits. In this interactive session, we’ll journey through this collection of psalms, walking through its order and flow, exploring key passages, and drawing out practical insights for life and ministry.
Rather than a problem to overcome, anxiety can actually be an invitation to deeper dependence on God. In a Christian culture that often equates peace with the absence of struggle, those who battle anxiety can feel isolated or spiritually deficient. Together, we will examine how God meets us in our fears and uncertainties, using them to draw us closer to himself. This interactive workshop will include biblical reflection, guided discussion, and practical exercises to help us identify ways anxiety shapes our relationship with God and discover how a trembling faith can become a pathway to deeper intimacy with Christ.