Facilities Managers, Executive Pastors, Elder Boards, and administrative staff all share the burden of being good stewards over the building and business operations of the church. That’s why it’s important for them to have the knowledge and skills needed to carry out their roles as well as possible, and there’s no better place to build their knowledge and skills than the Church Facilities Expo (CFX), held this year in Dallas from October 24-26. As noted in last week’s focus on the Production Track seminars, CFX has three tracks of seminars. This week we’ll be looking at the Facilities and Operations Track, which will cover:
- Building design and construction trends and strategies
- AVL project scope, planning, and implementation guidance
- Facility operations and management
- Finance and insurance
- Church safety protocols
- IT and cyber security.
October 24
For the first time, CFX will be holding pre-conference masterclasses the day before the conference actually begins. The masterclass for the Facilities track will be “Church Safety & Security”, presented by national security expert Bobby Brasher. Brasher, the Director of Security at Brook Hill School, will be presenting an intensive workshop teaching attendees FBI Behavioral Analysis techniques of individuals in crisis, as well as how to select, test, equip, and train your own Church Security Team.
October 25
On the first full day of the conference, seminars include:
- Interior Space Design: What Makes Church Feel Like Home? by Eric Kennedy, Director of Facility Management and Project Manager for Stevens Creek Church
- Facilities Maintenance & Staff Management – Time for a Clean SWEEP by Joe Precup, Director of Operations at DTK Facilities
- Stage Drapery Fire Code Compliance and Care by Brad Davies, President of On-Site Drapery Cleaners
- Building Committees…Oops I Did it Again! Choosing the Right Team by Kent Sparks, Executive Pastor at Cross Timbers Community Church; Mark Ashcraft, Senior Architectural Project Manager at Parkhill; and Nick Cooper, Pastor and Client Manager at Parkhill
- How Not to Hate Your Church Management Software by Elliott Wood, Elder and Small Group Leader at Christ Community Church
- Security Planning: How to Leverage a Building Emergency Plan to Protect Your Church by Simon Osamoh, President and Founder of Kingswood Security Consulting
- Lessons Learned from 2 Decades in Church Facilities Ministry by Patrick Hart, Facility Stewardship Specialist at Smart Church Solutions
- Building Project Planning on a Budget by Aaron Blair, COO at Churches by Daniels; Alaina Butler, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Churches by Daniels; Chad Vanderpipe, Business Develpment at Churches by Daniels; and Charlie Daniels, President and CEO of Churches by Daniels.
October 26
The last day of the conference, facilities and operations management seminars include:
- Creating Space for Change: Transforming Your Facility with Your Mission in Mind by Nicole Thompson, President of Station 19 Architects
- 7 Steps to a More Secure Computer Network by Roger Blalock, Church Media and IT consultant
- Church Facilities: Revenue Generation to Support Your Ministry by Joseph Williams, Senior Program Director – Mid-Atlantic Region at Enterprise Community Partners Inc. and Ravi Waldon, Principal, Faith-Based Sector at Waldon Studio Architects dba Michael Graves Architecture
- How Can I Stop Chasing Facility Problems? by Tina Breckenfeld, Founder of Building Burro
- Succeeding in the Third Space: Community Partnerships & Your Building by Micah Simencek at Studio RED Architects.
To register for the conference, simply follow this link https://churchfacilitiesexpo.com/registration-packages-and-pricing/.
