Co-Creator’s Academy
Friday, October 2, 2026, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM & Saturday, October 3, 2026, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Whittier First UMC, 13222 Bailey St, Whittier, CA 90601
Cost & Deadlines: The registration fee is $25. Register each member of your team separately by Sunday, September 20, 2026.
The Co-Creator’s Academy is an innovation collaborative experience that includes the necessary conversations and framing for curating new faith expressions. Participants leave the Co-Creator Event with a strong cohort community and support network, foundational tools for community listening and discernment, and a clear understanding of the start-up journey and how each step builds toward planting a new faith community.
- Participate in the Co-Creator’s Academy sessions.
- Shape your ministry idea into a simple, workable plan.
- Develop what you need to prepare for the grant application.
About the Class:
The Co-Creator’s Academy- Have you been discerning a new idea for innovative ministry in your community and you want to know how to convert that idea into a ministry action plan? The Co-Creator Academy is designed to help you take your idea to the next level by looking at the steps to implement innovation. You will learn more about the theology behind and movements to innovation, and the practical steps related to building contacts, team building, structures and funding this new idea.
Consultants- The Co-Creator event will be led by Rev. Rachel Gilmore, Director of New and Vital Faith in the Desert Southwest Annual Conference and Rev. Tyler Sit, pastor at New City Church and Associate Director of Multicultural Ministry for the Minnesota Annual Conference.
Teams: Churches are encouraged to bring a team of participants. However, each person should register and the fee applies per person. While teams are encouraged, there are no team rates. The Congregational Vitality EMT has subsidized the cost for all already.
Requirement for CV EMT Grant Funding for 2027: The Co-Creator’s Academy is the next step (after the Innovation Discernment Academy) in helping you and your team develop a ministry plan to reach and bless new people. For those who are seeking funding from Cal-Pac’s Congregational Vitality (CV) EMT and other sources of support and partnership, the Co-Creator’s Academy will help you formalize and articulate your ministry plan. The Co-Creator’s Academy is a requirement for those who are planning to apply for a CV EMT innovation grant for 2027. For further details about this process, please refer to the CV EMT website, www.calpacumc.org/vitality, or contact Rev. Dr. Sione Finau, nmchair@calpacumc.org, or Rev. Ken Suhr, ksuhr@calpacumc.org.
For questions about this event, please contact Rev. Ken Suhr, Director of Congregational Vitality, at ksuhr@calpacumc.org.