 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Who should go to Challenge?
If you are asking these kind of questions, then the Challenge conference is for
you:
If you are pastor or staff-worker and there are people in your church or campus that are asking these questions then the Challenge Coaches Conference is for you.
What happens at a Challenge Conference?
Talks
There will be two series of talks throughout the weekend
Bible Studies
Speakers from various networks will lead us in short Bible studies each day to set our vision on Christ and His kingdomChallenge to Ministry Talks
Phillip Jensen will challenge us from the Bible about how we can give up ours lives to serve Christ.
Discussion
Groups with Coaches
Throughout the conference you will be working in a small group in prayer,
Bible study and discussion with a Challenge Coach. This is a way of personalising
the conference and learning how to make decisions about ministry. These groups
will be streamed, representing your stage in decision-making (see Which stage
should I be in?).
Elective
Seminars
A number of elective seminars will offer information and advice about working
in various ministries, such as:
Ethnic, Working Class, Children's and Youth, Men's and Women's, Student,
School's and Church Planting
Interviews
A unique feature of the conference is the personal interviews with a Challenge Coach. Time is set aside to help work out particular issues in making ministry
decisions and to pray with you.
Don't worry! Challenge interviews are not like a job interview, nor are they
like an exam! There are no passes and fails! The interviews are informal,
relaxed and, most of all, are designed to be helpful (not stressful!) in your
ministry making decisions. In most cases your minister or staff worker at
your church or campus will interview you.
Typical Timetable
Friday
7.00pm – 8.30pm Registration
8.30pm – 9.30pm Welcome + Talk
Saturday
8.00am – 9.00am Breakfast
9.00am – 10.30am Morning Session – Talk/s
10.30am – 11.00am Morning Tea
11.00am – 1.00pm Ministry Discussion Groups
1.00pm – 2.00pm Lunch
2.00pm – 4.00pm Interviews + Freetime
4.00pm – 6.00pm Electives
6.00pm – 7.00pm Dinner
7.00pm – 9.30pm Evening Session - Talk
Sunday
8.00am – 9.00am Breakfast
9.00am – 10.30am Morning Session – Talk/s
10.30am – 11.00am Morning Tea
11.00am – 1.00pm Ministry Discussion Groups
1.00pm – 2.00pm Lunch
2.00pm Depart
What different programs are run on each weekend?
During each weekend there will be six different programs running:
1.
Ministry Candidates
For those considering their future ministry. People in this program are in
various stages (see What is the difference between the Stages):
Stage 1: First time at Challenge
Stage 2: Returning to Challenge
Stage 3: Doing MTS Apprenticeship or theological training next year
3.
Coaches
For those currently undertaking theological study or having completed theological
training and who work with us in coaching ministry candidates.
4. MTS Apprentices
For people currently training on the MTS Apprenticeship program.
The first year apprentices will attend a course on Evangelistic Preaching.
The second year apprentices will help lead the candidates’ Ministry Groups.
5. Coaches’ Wives
For wives of Coaches, theologs and apprentices who are not coaching in Challenge but who are attending the conferences
6. Children
We encourage families to attend the conference. There will be a children's
program running during the morning sessions for children between the ages
of 2 and 12. We will also be running a creche for children aged 0-2 years.
Which weekend should I go to?
Challenge is organised in a variety of networks: geographical, denominational
or ethnic. This is to facilitate the personal advising and coaching throughout
the year. At the conference each network will meet to build the friendships
and hear about plans for next year.
However, if you can not attend the conference, which has been set aside for
your network, please choose a weekend that best suits you.
The conferences for 2006 are organised as follows:
| September 22-24 | North / West | Merroo Centre, Kurrajong |
| September 29 - October 2 | Campuses and Asian | Merroo Centre, Kurrajong |
| October 13-15 | South / West | The Tops Centre, Stanwell Tops |
Which strand should I be in?
In Challenge it usually takes 3-4 years to decide whether or not to continue
in unpaid ministry or to train toward professional ministry. So we have staged
the conference according to four levels of decision making:
Strand 1: First time at Challenge
For those new to Challenge – What is ministry?
Strand 2: Returning to Challenge
For those returning to Challenge – What different ministry options are available?
What ministry am I suitable for?
Strand 3: Heading Into Professional Ministry
For those planning to start an apprenticeship or go to a theological college
in the following year
How do I register and pay?
You can register by either filling out a registration form on the brochure
(which you can get from your minister or staff-worker or by down-loading from
the web) or by registering on-line.
Full registration and payment must be made before the cut-off date for each
weekend
Fees
must be paid in full upon registration. Payment is via cheque/money-order
(pay MTS Limited) or credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Bankcard)
Can I register and pay on-line?
Yes, you can register and pay-online through our secure registration process.
Can I cancel my registration and get a refund?
In the event of a cancellation, the registration and accommodation fees are
not refundable within two weeks of the conference date.
Outside of a week of the conference, only the accommodation fees will be refunded.
Where do the fees go?
Conference Fees
This year the conference fees are split into three components- Registration
Fees, Accommodation Fees and Children’s' Fees. To work out your total
conference cost please add these three components together.
All Challenge Conferences are GST free events.
This helps to cover speaker & staff fees for the conferences (approx 15 individuals per conference), printing, transport and administrative costs, as well as helping to pay the Challenge Co-ordinator's salary.
Fees fixed by the venue for accommodation: including rooms, catering (breakfast, lunch, dinner, morning/afternoon tea & supper), venue and equipment hire. Fees vary according to the venue for each weekend.
Historically, due to the small nature of the conferences, we have not charged for children to attend, and have made a loss on the cost of the children’s fees imposed by the conference sites. However, with the steady growth of the conferences we are unable to continue paying the costs as it results in a significant loss of Challenge funds. As such it has been necessary for us to charge for children at Challenge.Please Note: If you have more than 3 children and are planning to attend the conference please email us and we will work out a child discount for you.
What accommodation is available?
Two types of accommodation are available - dormitory rooms and ensuite rooms.
Please note that ensuite rooms are limited in number and it is best to book
them early. Priority is also normally given to families needing ensuite accommodation
(see below)
Accommodation for Married Couples (no children)
Please note that married dormitory accommodation will not be available. Married
couples may chose to stay in ensuite accommodation together, or dormitory
accommodation separately (if available).
Accommodation for Families
We encourage families to attend the conference (see Is there a Children’s
Program?)
Depending on the age & number of children, families may choose either
ensuite or dormitory accommodation. Families of more than 3-4 (depending on
children’s ages) are accommodated in dormitory rooms.
In most cases the venues are able to accommodate families with 1-2 small children
in ensuite rooms. However, these places are limited and whilst we do our best
to 'accommodate' everyone we can give no guarantees that we will be able to
offer you your first preference.
Can I attend part-time? How much will it cost?
Yes you can attend part-time, but it is not recommended as the Challenge to
Ministry talks, Bible study talks and small group material are designed for
attendance over the whole weekend
- The minimum cost is the registration fees (even if people bring their own
meals and sleep in tents! – see Where do
the fees go?)
A. Registration fees
B. Accommodation + Site fees (to be confirmed):
|
Site |
Day Rate |
1 day + 1 night |
2 days + 1 night |
Children |
||
|
Dorm |
Ensuite |
Dorm |
Ensuite |
(4-11yrs) |
||
|
Merroo |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Stanwell |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
How do I get to the conference centres?
You will need to organise your own transport to the conference venue. If you
are driving to the site please click on a centre for a location map:
| Merroo Conference Centre |
| Stanwell Tops Conference Centre |
What do I need to bring?
You will need to bring the following to the Challenge conference:
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
  |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
