Impor­tant update to appli­ca­tion process

Impor­tant update to appli­ca­tion process

Leadership Now Past Conference Resources

2026 Leadership Now Conference | Fully Alive: Leading with Conviction in a Changing World  #

Pick almost any moment in church history, and you’ll find that leadership is always hard- especially for those called to lead institutions grounded in the Christian faith and oriented toward the common good. 

Take, for example, the witness of Irenaeus, the second century bishop of Lyons in what is now modern France.  

Irenaeus understood the cost of leadership. He had been discipled by Polycarp, who was mentored by the Apostle John. Polycarp was ultimately burned at the stake for refusing to renounce Christ. Many of Irenaeus’s fellow priests and believers were also imprisoned or killed during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Upon returning from a mission to Rome, Irenaeus was appointed bishop to succeed Pothinus, who was martyred just days earlier. 

As a leader, Irenaeus faced significant financial and strategic challenges. He worked to sustain the ministries of his parishes amid persecution and sought to defend the faith against Gnostics like Marcus the Magician, who taught that creation was evil and that only spiritual enlightenment (not the body) mattered. 

In response, Irenaeus doubled down on the doctrine of the incarnation. He led by example and preached that God made the world good, and that He chose to redeem it through the bodily life, death, and resurrection of his Son. 

In his most famous book, Irenaeus offers what might be considered a mission statement for hard times: 

“The glory of God is the human being fully alive.” 

This bold affirmation pushed back against the disembodied spirituality of his age and re-centered the Christian imagination on the reality of the incarnation, that God is not distant from our human experience, but deeply invested in it. 

Leadership Now 2026 will explore what it means to lead organizations of people that are “fully alive,” as Christ was during his earthly ministry. In a moment marked by cultural polarization, rapid technological shifts, deep sector fatigue, increased need, and emerging financial constraints, we believe the call to incarnational leadership has never been more urgent or more hopeful. 

Indeed, Jesus promised his followers: 

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these.” (John 14:12) 

This year’s gathering will explore how leaders can build organizations that are faithful, resilient, and deeply rooted in biblical truth. Our speakers and workshops will focus on the practical application of Scripture and strategy through three essential dimensions of incarnational leadership: 

Grounded in the Murdock Trust’s investment in strengthening the nonprofit ecosystem, shaped by the wisdom of leaders across sectors, and in response to current nonprofit realities, Leadership Now 2026 will encourage and inspire you to lead with confidence in the promise of Christ, and the power of a life fully alive. 

Below are links to the video recordings from the 2026 Leadership Now Conference.  

Workshop Sessions: 

On Wednesday, April 22, we offered breakout workshops during an extended lunch session. Q&A and group discussion was edited out of these (audio-only) recordings to preserve privacy.  

2025 Leadership Now Conference | Co-Creating the Future: How Nonprofits Grow Gardens in Challenging Landscapes #

All the way back there in the Garden, God invited men and women to join Him in the care and development with everything that was originally called good. 

Unlike other religions of the ancient world, the Jewish-Christian conception of the world placed human beings as the co-regents of a divine mission, rather than being helpless and hopeless bystanders subject to the violence of nature and the whims of the gods. The challenge is how we join God in creation without fostering God-complexes that forget the God who created and continues to create. God is everywhere and often shows up in unexpected ways. God invites us into a mutual and sacred exchange that transforms us, the people we are called to serve, and the places that we inhabit. 

God has always invited us to do something unprecedented with the good gifts He’s given us. And this is why we do what we do in our organizations — we are proud co-creators modeling the brilliance of the One “in Whom we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). 

Sometimes mission-based nonprofits are confronted with problems that seem insurmountable — often doubting that societal change might actually be beyond reach. But time and again, we are encouraged by seemingly impossible conditions that are no-match for the gospel and great ideas coupled with brilliant execution. 

Anything is possible when innovation meets capacity building genius. Whether it is being able to de-salinize water to provide drinking water to arid places or experiments in rethinking received wisdom to find new products and services, every nonprofit should be considering ways to reinvent themselves for a sustainable future to serve the common good with the power of the gospel. 

Below are links to the video recordings from the 2025 Leadership Now Conference. 

Workshop Sessions

This year, we hosted workshop sessions over the lunchtime hour to provide opportunities for participants to go deeper in the practical application of our conference topics. We audio recorded the lecture portions of these workshops and edited out the Q&A sections to preserve privacy.  

2023 Leadership Now Conference | The Power of the Gospel in Healing #

Our 2023 conference theme was The Power of the Gospel in Healing. In the wake of the global pandemic, our nation has remembered anew that when catastrophe strikes, it is our doctors, nurses, and mental health professionals who come to our rescue time and again. But as is all too often the case, large sectors of society have forgotten the origins of medicine flowing from our culture’s origins in the traditions rooted in the Good News of Jesus Christ. From its inception, the Church engaged the healing arts not least because its founder, Jesus of Nazareth, healed the sick during his ministry (cf. Matt. 9; 10:8; 25:34-36). The early Church not only endorsed medicine, but also championed care for those infirmed or dying. From these roots in Judeo-Christian compassion until the present day, those in the Church have been on the front lines of healing ministries through hospitals, relief organizations, hospice movements, and more. This year’s conference theme considered the Gospel’s legacy in society in caring for our embodied human selves and how the legatees of Christ’s peoples have changed the world through charity, healing, medicine, and other social services through time.

Below are links to the video recordings from the 2023 Leadership Now Conference.

2022 Leadership Now Conference | The Beauty That Will Save the World #

Our 2022 conference theme was The Beauty That Will Save the World. When Dostoevsky uttered these famous words, he was not referencing only art or aesthetics. Rather, the great Russian novelist witnessed to the true and glorious Christian faith – which carries unique, compelling, and unchanging beauty. “The Beauty That Will Save the World,” finds its exemplars in God’s people through acts of good will in their incarnational work (like Murdock Trust grantees!) In times of suffering, it is the presence of awe and the wonder of grace that make all the difference. Throughout the ancient life of the Christian community up until this very moment, we always find that it is the Gospel of Christ – which esteems not the wise, nor the noble, nor those of high standing or position, but the bearers of good news – that brings true beauty. It is the glory of the cross and resurrection – that brings solace and hope to a watching world which waits for the One who says, “Behold, I make all things new” through the lives of those who confess the promise of the coming Kingdom. (Rev: 21:5)

Below are links to the video recordings from the 2022 Leadership Now Conference.

2021 Leadership Now Conference | Resilience for Our New Reality #

For many leaders, whose challenges are great and resources too few, the past year felt like an unwelcome sort of “piling on.” We’re committed to help you navigate the times because we are witness to your indefatigable dedication. At the helm, like legendary captains at sea, you keep your institutional missions going through uncharted waters and stormy seas. You speak, show, stand, and stay. As the Latin American proverb goes, “The world tried to bury me, but it didn’t know I was a seed.” At the Murdock Trust, we’ll side with the seeds. 

Below are links to the video recordings from the 2021 Leadership Now Conference.

2020 Leadership Now Conference | Called to Serve in This Moment #

Listen to the plenary sessions as podcast episodes. Your experience as a leader in 2020 in a Wordcloud

2019 Leadership Advance Conference | Listening to Wisdom: Hearing the Voices of Our Neighbors #

*Please note: due to technical difficulties, the audio recordings from this conference are of poor quality. We hope the content is still of value despite the challenges.

2018 Leadership Advance Conference | Listening to Wisdom: Hearing the Voices of Our Great Cloud of Witnesses #

2017 Leadership Advance Conference | Telling THE Story: Telling YOUR Story #

2016 Leadership Advance Conference | Preparing for the Future: The Vital Work of Developing People #

2015 Leadership Advance Conference | Understanding the New Millennium: Reexamining the Cultural Narratives #

2014 Leadership Advance Conference | Word Made Flesh #

2013 Leadership Advance Conference | Convicted Civility: Candid Conversations in a Conflictual Culture #

2012 Leadership Advance Conference | Leadership in a Changing/Unchanging Time #

2011 Leadership Advance Conference | Shaping the Soul of a Leader #

2010 Leadership Advance Conference #

2009 Leadership Advance Conference #