Toolbox Sessions

Join Rev. Beth Evers and Rev. Alyssa Lawther for an immersion into Wiggle Church, a worship service designed for the high-energy needs of infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their adults. You will leave having experienced the joy of praising God through Wiggle Church, as well as ideas about how to share the gospel message with families of young children.

Experience a shift from traditional pews to the dinner table in this immersive session on the Dinner Church movement. Led by Rev. Corey Moses, this workshop explores how sharing a meal can become a powerful vehicle for evangelism, belonging and spiritual formation. Participants will learn the theological foundations and practical logistics of launching a meal-based ministry that reaches those outside the traditional church structure. You will walk away with a moving experience of how to transform a simple dinner into a sacred space for deep community connection.

Move beyond isolated efforts and learn how to build transformative partnerships by hearing directly from a panel of leaders who have successfully navigated these collaborations. This interactive session uses guided conversation and real-world storytelling to uncover the practical “how-to” of forming and sustaining strategic alliances. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a deep-dive Q&A, gaining insights into the challenges and breakthroughs of working alongside community organizations. You will leave with a clearer roadmap for identifying potential partners and the tools needed to foster mutually beneficial relationships in your local context.

Many efforts to engage young adults fall short not because of a lack of passion, but because the connections between those efforts are missing. This workshop is designed for those who support young adults and focuses on building the “connective tissue” needed to create a strong, sustainable ecosystem around them. Participants will explore practical ways to engage young adults beyond the church walls, support those connected to campus ministries and encourage young clergy in leadership so that no one falls through the cracks.

Discover how to cultivate a thriving ministry environment when your primary resource is a dedicated team of volunteers. This session focuses on sparking innovation by actively listening to the real desires and needs of parents, children and youth, rather than relying on top-down programming. We will explore how to shift your approach from simply providing services to truly partnering with families in their spiritual formation. You will leave with a practical framework for building a sustainable, community-driven ministry where everyone’s voice helps shape the future.

Discover how to leverage the true power of connectional ministry by partnering with neighboring churches and conference networks to elevate your local impact. Instead of spending limited time and money recreating the wheel, this session will show you what shared resources are readily available and how to easily access them. We will explore successful, real-world collaboration models, highlighting how congregations like Sherman UMC are effectively pooling resources for “group together” youth and children’s ministries. Join us to learn how combining efforts can dramatically lower your programmatic risks while multiplying your ministry’s reach and effectiveness.

This workshop focuses on the leadership and lived realities of cross-racial and cross-cultural (CRCC) congregations. It is intended for clergy and laity currently serving in CRCC ministry contexts, those preparing to receive a CRCC appointment and those who may be open to such appointments in the future. Grounded in theological, denominational and cultural perspectives, the session provides participants with practical frameworks for effective leadership, collaborative ministry and the cultivation of congregational vitality within diverse contexts.

Horizon Texas Conference CFO/Treasurer Jeffrey Pehl will be available for an informal Q&A time regarding the proposed 2027 budget for the HTC.