WA State Conference

Join us at the 2023 WA State Conference.

2-step registration process in 2023

We are excited, this year, to introduce a 2-step registration process, which will see staff from our CSA member schools register individually for State Conference. You can find out more information in the 'How to Register' section, below.

State Conference Overview

You will be meeting in your schools to participate in the event this year, where you will access the WA State Conference material, which is held online and can be accessed on demand.

The theme for our 2023 events is:

A Place to Grow:
The formation of practice | the practice of formation

During our 2023 State Conferences, we will look at how the Christian story speaks to and resonates within the cultural landscape of 21st Century Australia. How does a school community most effectively embody this story?

An overview of the sessions is provided below and further information about the State Conference can be found further down the page:

Sessions will cover:

Personal formation and the marketplace of ideas, which can seem like a battlefield
The beauty of the Christian story through the frame of truth, suffering and success
Strong formation for strong leadership
Religious freedom, youth spirituality, and the gospel foundations of so much that characterises contemporary culture - how can we tread with creativity, confidence, and persistence
Applying the principles discussed within individual school/team contexts

Detailed Event Information

A Suggested schedule of the 1 day program is detailed below:

8:45am Arrive and Check in
9:15am Worship and Welcome
9:40am WA State welcome and Introductory video
9:50am Session 1 (via video link): Lead like it matters
- Craig Groeschel (Senior Pastor Life Church, Author)
11:20am Morning Break
11:45am Session 2 (via video link): Living Faith on the battlefield of ideas
- Max Jeganathan (Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Public Christianity)
1:15pm Lunch
2:00pm Session 3 (via video link):Public Faith for a parched world
- Dr Natasha Moore (Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Public Christianity)
3:30pm Close of Conference

Please note this program is subject to change.

As a participant in the event, you have access to a workbook (Participant Guide) with space for notes, key take-aways and the questions you will need for discussion time, plus more. You have access to this online at the conference event site, or you can download it to print a hard copy through this link: Participant Guide

Speakers

Craig Groeschel

Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of Life.Church, an innovative multi-site church that began in Oklahoma. Together with his wife Amy, Pastor Craig started Life.Church in a two-car garage in 1996 as a place where people could come just as they are to experience the life-changing love of Jesus. Though the church now meets in physical locations across the U.S. and globally at Life.Church Online, the mission remains the same: to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Under Pastor Craig’s leadership, the church has become known for its innovative use of technology to spread the Gospel, launching the first church online experience in 2006 and creating YouVersion, the most downloaded Bible app in history. With a passion for serving the global Church, Life.Church gives away thousands of resources through its Open Network to help pastors and church leaders around the world grow their ministries and reach more people for Christ. He also leads people to give generously through the church to local and global mission partners so that people all over the world can find relief and restoration. A New York Times bestselling author, Pastor Craig has written more than 15 books on topics like marriage, prayer, purpose, church leadership, and more. His most recent book, The Power to Change: Mastering the Habits That Matter Most, was released in February 2023. Pastor Craig and Amy live in Oklahoma and have six children and five grandchildren. To learn more about Pastor Craig, visit craiggroeschel.com

Max Jeganathan

Max Jeganathan is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity CPX. A former lawyer and political & policy adviser, Max was educated at the Australian National University and the University of Oxford and is undertaking a PhD in Law. Max speaks on the intersection between faith, culture, economics, finance, technology and moral reasoning. He has spoken in businesses, universities and political institutions, including Samsung, Lego, Goldman Sachs and Amazon. He loves movies, good wine with his wife Fiona and making his kids laugh.

Dr. Natasha Moore

Dr Natasha Moore is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity (CPX). She has a PhD in English Literature from the University of Cambridge and is the author of For the Love of God: How the church is better and worse than you ever imagined (2019), winner of the 2020 Australian Christian Book of the Year, and The Pleasures of Pessimism (2020). Her writing has appeared, among other places, in The Sydney Morning Herald, ABC News, ABC Religion & Ethics, SBS, The Spectator Australia, Eureka Street, and Christianity Today, on topics that include domestic violence, Scripture in schools, war, Thanksgiving, singleness, freedom of speech, death, and taxes. Natasha recently moved from Sydney to Adelaide where she lives with her husband and a comically large dog.

How to Register - Individual Registration

We are excited to introduce individual registration this year! Staff from CSA member schools are able to register themselves individually to State Conference. This is a 2-step registration process, which is outlined below:

Click "register" on the right (you will need to be signed in to your account) and follow the prompts to register (ensuring you click 'proceed to checkout').
Check your inbox for an email with "Action Required:..." in the subject and click on the "url link" within this email and complete your registration by filling out the relevant fields (including location) and submitting your registration.

Once you have completed these steps, you will be registered for conference.

If you're having trouble logging in to your CSA online account or registering for this event, please contact your school admin team.

Detailed Session Information

Please refer to information below about each of the available session at the upcoming conference. Note that each session is followed by questions designed to deepen and solidify your understanding, found in the Participant Guide.

Session One: Lead like it matters with Craig Groeschel

Our relationship with God affects our leadership and influence. Our faith influences everything we do and has direct impact on others and how we lead. Formation of our faith is foundational to who we are and how we lead in Christian schools. In this session we will hear a little bit around Craig's own personal and spiritual formation/development, as well as hearing some of the principles from Craig's recent book, Lead Like it Matters, This session will specifically look at your personal formation and how to hold onto it.

Session Two: Living Faith on the Battlefield of Ideas with Max Jeganathan

In a world increasingly polarised and uncertain, the marketplace of ideas can seem more like a battlefield. How can personal formation play a role in enabling us to meaningfully engage with the big issues of the day? In this session (provided by videolink), Max Jeganathan will consider the philosophical, sociological and cultural currents shaping 21st century society. He will then set out the relevance and beauty of the Christian story through the frame of three fundamental issues that are central to our cultural moment: Truth, Suffering and Success.

Session Three: Public Faith for a Parched World with Dr Natasha Moore

In a time of anxiety, tribalism, and social upheaval, it’s easy to be sucked into a narrative of “culture wars”. But what if we saw the places where we disagree less as battlefields and more as soil in need of careful tending - parched ground in need of living water - furrows where seed can be sown? Touching on religious freedom, youth spirituality, and the gospel foundations of so much that characterises contemporary culture, Dr Natasha Moore sketches a path across no man’s land that Christian educators might tread with creativity, confidence, and persistence.

Before the day - Additional Information for Organisers

If you are responsible for running the Conference at your school, CSA WA has provided a video run down of the things you might like to consider before the event day such as music, catering etc (Link is coming soon).
Are you a big school with a smaller school near by? Why not invite them to join you in person on event day to learn and be encouraged together in your common mission?
Billing will be processed in bulk for the school at the completion of registration

Qualify for CPD Hours

A certificate of Professional Learning (for 5 CPD Hours) will be issued following the event and accessible via your member dashboard. The event will address the following AITSL standards and newly released Christian Distinctive Focus areas:

AITSL professional teacher and leadership standards:

» 6.2 Engage in Professional Learning and Improve Practice
» 6.3 - Engage with colleagues and improve practice
» 6.4 - Apply professional learning and improve student learning
» 7.4 - Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities

Christian Distinctive Focus Areas:

»  6A - Engage in professional learning which aids the development of a philosophy of Christian Education based in Biblical principles
»  7A Knowledge about and engagement with the school, its Christian ethos and vision
»  7B Contributes to the development of distinctive Christian practice in the school, profession and wider community

Want to learn more about the CSA Christian Distinctive Focus areas? Click here.

Cancellation

If you are needing to cancel your State Conference registration, please ensure you make contact through your school administrator. Schools may notify us of cancellations to the respective CSA state office in writing. Unfortunately, no refunds will be issued after 15 days out from the event start date. Any cancellations made after this date will be charged the full registration fee. 'No Shows' to the event will be charged the full registration fee.

The event program is subject to change and we may not be able to provide prior notice.

Please note that registration fees do not include insurance to cover loss of any fees/deposit through cancellation of your participation in the event or through cancellation of the event itself.

A full refund will be issued if the event is cancelled by the organiser (CSA) due to COVID-19 restrictions or any other reasons out of the organisers control.