The Midwest Leadership Summit is an equipping conference for church leaders that takes place every other January in Springfield, Illinois. January 18–20, over 1,000 pastors and church leaders gathered from 12 Midwest states, representing 9 state conventions.

Iowa Church Leaders Equipped for the Great Commission at the 2022 MLS

The 2022 MLS featured large-group worship sessions and keynote speakers, breakout sessions in 12 ministry tracks, and a panel discussion with the State Executive Directors, including BCI Executive Director Tim Lubinus.

Breakout Sessions

The breakout sessions are the heart of the Midwest Leadership Summit and there were almost 70 individual sessions for attendees to choose from. BCI Church Leaders presented 9 different sessions to provide practical equipping and encouragement to church leaders. The BCI-led sessions were on broad variety of ministry topics including Church Planting, Spiritual Formation, and Ministry Wives:

  • Kari Minter – Learning to Thrive in Your Role as Pastor’s Wife
  • Chris Mavity – Developing a Small Group Ministry That Brings Increasing Value
  • Ed Gregory – Evangelism in the Small Church
  • Todd Stiles – Which Pastoral Traits Matter
  • Paul Miller – Steak Fries, BBQ and Men’s Ministry
  • Todd Stiles (and panel) – Multiplication for Normal Churches
  • Greg Baker – God and Government
  • Chris Eller (and panel) – Bringing Transforming Prayer to Your Church

Keynote Speakers

Keynote speakers for the event included many national leaders, including SBC President Ed Litton, SBC Executive Committee Vice President for Relations and Mobilization Willie McLaurin, NAMB National Next Gen Director Shane Pruitt, and LifeWay Christian Resources President Ben Mandrell.

Shane Pruitt spoke of the urgency to take the gospel message NOW to a world that has grown dissatisfied with the world. “2020 and 2021 had a lot of change. But not everything has changed. Jesus is the same. In a works that is constantly changing, lost people want something that will never change. The gospel is the same.”

Ben Mandrell emphasized the priority of faith in the Great Commission. “Our problem is that we rely on our strategies and our funds. Because we believe it depends on us, we aren’t desperate for God to do His work. We won’t see breakthrough until we learn to desperately rely on Him.”