FOUNDATIONS CONFERENCE 2026
October 8-9, 2026
Community Church in Oshkosh, WI
We’re so glad you’re here! Bring your team, grow together, and be encouraged together. Join us as our special guest, Karl Vaters, shares insights and encouragement gained from more than 40 years of hands-on ministry experience. Leave more aligned, more connected, and more prepared to serve side by side for the faith of the gospel.
Foundations is a gathering for pastors, ministry leaders, church staff, and ministry teams who want to be encouraged, strengthened, and equipped for the work God has called them to do.
A heartfelt thank-you to Community Church Oshkosh for hosting our Conference this year!
Early Bird Rate Available until July 1st!
Early Bird Rate: $119 / person
Group Early Bird Rate: $99 / person
(For groups of 4 or more people from the same church or ministry team)
Rates go up after July 1st - don’t wait to register!
Register by June 13th and you’ll be entered into a giveaway!
Meet the Speaker: Karl Vaters
Karl Vaters produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of five books on church leadership, including his newest, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next. His other books include The Grasshopper Myth and Small Church Essentials.
Karl also hosts a bi-weekly podcast, The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry, featuring in-depth interviews about topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context. He has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience.
You can follow Karl on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn, or Contact Karl to inquire about speaking, writing, and consultation.
Lodging
Free childcare will be available during all sessions, so you can focus while your kids are cared for. We’ll also share meals, enjoy encouraging worship, and connect with others who understand the highs and lows of ministry life.
Breakout Sessions:
Pulling Up before Bailing Out with Alan Cleveland
Letting Them Lead: Tactics and Systems for Engaging the Next Generation with Sam & Meg Prellwitz
Preaching is Not for Wimps! with Adam Utecht
….. and more!
