Early bird registration ends Nov. 15 for APCE’s Annual Event
Participants are invited to attend the faith formation conference in Mister Rogers’ neighborhood
In the hometown of the late Fred Rogers, the beloved Presbyterian minister and creator of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” faith formation leaders will gather in January to explore what it means to be good neighbors in today’s church.
The Association of Partners in Christian Education will host its 2026 Annual Event Jan. 21–24 in Pittsburgh, with early bird registration closing Nov. 15. The conference theme, “Bridging the Gap: Love God. Love Self. Love Neighbors,” echoes Rogers’ ministry of radical hospitality and intentional education.
Pre-conference activities include a Jan. 20 workshop at the Fred Rogers Institute featuring “The Six Fundamentals of Learning,” along with tours of Pittsburgh’s cultural landmarks.
Spanish-language accessibility
The event marks a significant expansion in multilingual accessibility. In collaboration with Global Language Resources, APCE will offer a fully online Spanish-language experience Jan. 21–24, featuring four worship services, four plenary sessions, five live workshops with eight to 10 options, and community-building time. All content will be available in recorded format after the conference. Registration for the online Spanish event costs $15. This year, in-person attendees can access five English-language workshops interpreted live into Spanish, plus five workshops taught in Spanish by Spanish-speaking leaders to Annual Event Online Spanish participants. Recordings of all 10 Spanish workshops will be available after the event. All worship services, plenary sessions and Friday evening's denominational ministry celebrations will include Spanish interpretation for in-person attendees who’ve registered for the Spanish program.
Diverse and engaging leadership
The Rev. Dr. Theresa Cho will be the conference preacher. Cho earned a doctorate of ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary in leading congregational and organizational change and integrates visual and communal art with intergenerational ministry at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, where she's the pastor and head of staff.
In addition to their plenary presentations, the Rev. MaryAnn McKibben Dana and the Rev. Paul Roberts will be offering workshops at the event.
The Rev. MaryAnn McKibben Dana, author of “Hope: A User’s Manual” and creator of the newsletter “The Blue Room,” will lead a workshop on design thinking titled “Designing Your Ministry: From Surviving to Thriving.” McKibben Dana, a graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary, will address how churches can move beyond survival mode to embrace creative, faithful futures.
Roberts, president of Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary in Atlanta, will present “Sacred Disruption: Faith-Rooted Practices for Justice-Oriented Christian Education.” Roberts has more than 30 years of ministry experience and has redefined theological education through lenses of social justice and humanitarianism.
Rabbi Evan Moffic, leader of the Makom Solel Lakeside Congregation in suburban Chicago, will also serve as a plenary speaker. The author of seven books, including the national best-seller “What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Jewishness of Jesus,” Moffic is a nationally recognized speaker at churches and interfaith gatherings. His most recent book is “Reading the Old Testament Through Jewish Eyes.”
More than 80 workshops by seasoned and innovative practitioners
More than 80 workshops will address real challenges facing congregations, offering cutting-edge formation practices for children, youth, adults, older adults and intergenerational discipleship.
Several workshops will be led by members of the Christian Formation Collective, a collaborative network of faith formation organizations in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Joel Winchip, executive director of the Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Association, will offer two sessions: “Playing in the Dark” and “Games That Teach (and Preach).”
The Rev. Dr. Gini Norris-Lane, executive director of UKirk Collegiate Ministries, will lead sessions on evangelism and discernment, including “Burning Bush or Whisper: Navigating Big Decisions and Discernment” with the Rev. Zoë Garry of the Presbyterian Foundation.
Zeena Regis, managing director of community engagement at Compassion & Choices and a teacher within the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministry Network, will present two workshops on end-of-life care: “The Etiquette of Illness” and “Holy Conversations: Death Discussions That Span Generations.”
The Presbyterian Youth Workers’ Association will be represented by Kim Ness and the Rev. Courtney Pittman with their workshop “Are Youth Seeking a ‘Unicorn’ Church?”
According to Miatta Wilson, associate for Christian Formation in the Interim Unified Agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), APCE’s Friday evening program will not focus on annual awards but rather feature short video presentations showcasing innovative ministries from APCE’s partner denominations that can be replicated in various contexts.
Learning for every role and context
As APCE has evolved from primarily serving certified Christian educators in multi-staff congregations to supporting a broader range of leaders, including clergy, commissioned lay pastors, volunteers and leaders in emerging ministries, the annual event attracts nearly 600 attendees every year, drawing on leaders serving many diverse contexts.
“No matter the role — clergy, educator or volunteer — attendees will find learning that strengthens ministry in their unique context,” said Thom Cunningham, APCE’s executive director. “APCE equips everyone who forms faith — in every context.”
Register for In-person event registration.
Register for the Spanish online event.
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