How to Prepare for the Child Discipleship Forum

As you plan your new children’s ministry season, have you asked yourself, “Why are kids leaving the church after high school? What if the strategy to change this started in children’s ministry?” The Awana team created the Child Discipleship Forum for children’s ministry leaders, senior pastors and parents to gather together and help answer these questions. Read on to learn how to prepare for the Child Discipleship Forum, Sept. 16 and 17 in Nashville, Tennessee and online! 

Registration is Still Open

The first step is to register for the Child Discipleship Forum if you haven’t already! This is a critical moment for us to shape the future of the Church and make the greatest disciples the world has ever seen. At the Forum, you’ll collaborate, dialogue, pray and learn about the most critical factors that shape long-term discipleship in children. You’ll hear from leading voices on cultural changes, child advocacy and local church ministry; gain practical research about children and the church; and go home with resources to bring child discipleship to your church. What are you waiting for? Whether you’re excited to travel to Nashville for the event or would prefer to participate online from your location, we have the option for you. Save your seat today!

Learning is best with others. Therefore, we want to invite you to encourage your friends to join you! Is there someone in your life you think could benefit from this conversation, as well? Or someone you’d simply like to learn with, share the conference link with them.

Now that you’ve signed up, read on for more event details! 

Child Discipleship Forum Schedule

To help you prepare for the Forum, please refer to the schedule below! Note, all times are listed in Central Time and are subject to change. A two-hour delayed broadcast will also be available for Pacific Time online attendees.

On-Site Attendee Information

If you are joining us on-site at Rolling Hills Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee, hotels are filling up fast. You’ll want to book today if you haven’t already! The Awana team suggests the Franklin/Cool Springs area near Nashville. It’s an excellent location for restaurants and any other amenities you may seek outside of the event. You may consider making dinner reservations ahead of time, as well. We pray this will be a time of community both on-site and in your downtime as you fellowship with other child disciple makers.  

The latest news may have you wondering about the potential impact of COVID-19 on the event. The Child Discipleship Forum team is actively monitoring the situation. We are evaluating federal, state, and local guidelines and recommendations and are responding accordingly. The FAQ section of the website will be updated Aug. 26 and Sept. 9 with any status update related to the event. At this time, there are no significant disruptions to the Forum. Common-sense protocols are encouraged; masks are recommended for anyone who is unvaccinated or has a higher risk or concern. The event will be set with reasonable accommodations for social distancing, and additional hand sanitizer will be provided throughout the venue.

Online Attendee Information

For our online attendees, the Awana team has partnered with in:ciite Events to create a webpage with all the FAQ’s you’ll need to prepare for a successful online forum. If you have any additional questions or need assistance on the day of the event, the in:ciite team is available to help! You can reach them by chat, phone, text or email: 

• Chat – inciiteevents.com
• Phone – (888) 235-7948
• Text – (888) 235-7948
• Email – info@inciite.com

You’ll receive the link and password via email on Monday, Sept. 13. The link will go live 45 minutes prior to your hosting time. Log on early to set up. There will be music, slides and a countdown clock during this time.

Equipment Testing

To help ensure a smooth experience, you’ll want to ensure all your hardware and software are updated to the latest versions and that you test the online event link ahead of the first day of the forum. The in:ciite team has published a testing schedule on their host site page. We cannot stress enough how important it is for you to test all your equipment in the location that the simulcast will occur so that you don’t have any issues during the event. All streaming technologies and platforms are different. (I.e., you may be able to play a YouTube Video, but that does not mean the simulcast will buffer and stream smoothly.)

If you do not test, we cannot ensure your event will be a success. We suggest you choose an early date to test in case you need to make any updates or changes and test again.

Still have questions? Be sure to review our FAQ page or reach out to the in:ciite team! 

Pray With Us for the CDF

Finally, the Awana team would be honored for you to join us in preparing for the Forum by praying through the requests on our CDF prayer calendar. We can’t wait to invest in child discipleship and the future of the Church with you, both locally and globally! 

If you have any additional questions as you prepare for the Child Discipleship Forum, the Awana team is happy to help. You can reach our Partner Care Team by phone at (866) 292-6227 or by email at partnercare@awana.org!