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Small Church Summit

Calling all leaders of small churches in the Diocese of Southern Ohio! You are invited to join together for two days of worship, relationship building, collaboration, and learning with a specific focus on small church dynamics.
With teaching from the College for Congregational Development, congregations will learn tools for navigating healthy change, welcoming and incorporating all generations of newcomers, and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ as a small church in a big way. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to learn more about how to nurture disciples through lay-led Bible study and other lay-led ministries, create solid partnerships with area churches, and make a difference in the world through community engagement. The Rt. Rev. Craig Loya, bishop of the Diocese of Minnesota, will join as our keynote speaker on Friday evening.
April 17-18, 2026
4-8:30 pm on Friday (including Bishop Loya’s keynote presentation)
9-3 pm on Saturday
Registration
Clergy and lay leaders from any churches in the diocese that identify as “small” are invited to attend. Registration deadline March 27 or until capacity is reached.
Cost
$15/person for commuters
$30/person for a double-occupancy room in the Lodge
$50/person for single occupancy rooms in the cabins (shared bathroom)
$100/person for a single occupancy room in the Lodge
Questions about this event?
Contact the Rev. Derrick Fetz, missioner for stewardship, at dfetz@diosohio.org.
The Rt. Rev. Craig Loya is the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Minnesota, which comprises one hundred faith communities, spread across rural, suburban, and urban contexts, regularly worshipping in six languages. He was consecrated on June 6, 2020.
Loya is a third generation Mexican-American. He was born and raised in North Platte, Nebraska, and graduated from Hastings College and Yale Divinity School. He was ordained priest in the Diocese of South Dakota in 2003. His first ministry was serving four congregations on the Rosebud Reservation. He later served congregations in Massachusetts, on the bishop’s staff in the Diocese of Kansas, and as Dean of Trinity Cathedral in Omaha before being elected as bishop.
