Thrive 2008 Leadership Conference Draws 2,400

Post a Comment » Written on April 29th, 2008     
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ROSEVILLE, CA (April 29, 2008) – More than 2,400 people attended the Thrive 2008 leadership conference at Bayside Church Granite Bay last week.

The fourth-annual conference held Wednesday through Friday attracted people from a dozen states, several countries, 231 different congregations, and multiple denominations.

Bayside Church initiated Thrive 2008 as a conference for church leaders to be encouraged and learn from each other. According to pastor Ray Johnston, “People go to other church-hosted conferences to learn their methods. At Thrive we provide an occasion for people to be encouraged, blessed, and learn from each other, rather than simply teach our methods and strategies.”

Conference planners drew from the wider family of the Evangelical Covenant Church for workshop leadership resources. Bob Stromberg returned to provide comic perspective for the main sessions. Workshops were led by Dave Olson, director of church planting for the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism; Alan Forsman, leadership and congregational coach for the Pacific Southwest Conference; Evelyn Johnson, conference superintendent; and David Chae, pastor of Great Exchange Covenant Church in Sunnyvale, California.

Among the featured speakers were Brennan Manning, author of the Ragamuffin Gospel; Francis Chan, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California; Sherwood Carthen, pastor of Bayside of South Sacramento; and Miles McPherson, pastor of Rock Church in San Diego, California. (Rock Church was one of the sites to which residents of Mt. Miguel Covenant Village were evacuated during last year’s wildfires that threatened the Covenant retirement community).

North Park University was one of 29 displayers at the event, which attracted many people from Covenant churches, says Mark Olson, the school’s dean of enrollment and director of church relations.

Bayside at Granite Bay was launched 13 years ago and averages 10,000 people at its five weekend celebrations. Eight other congregations in the Sacramento and Roseville area are under the Bayside umbrella.

Editor’s note: Covenant News Service is appreciative of the contribution of Mark Olson, who provided content for this article.

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