TIES AND LEADERSHIP MEET
So, what we’ ve done is put an effort into growing the Filmcraft Festival in order to show attendees and our audience good examples of what churches can do and are doing— not just big churches, but regular churches. The Filmcraft Festival is an effort to recognize, demonstrate and celebrate this evolving art and media form, while also getting dialogue going around its importance: how to do it well, how to do it cost-effectively, and how to do it in a way that doesn’ t grind your whole church to a halt.
We’ ll recognize the winners of the festival on site, including the new CFX People’ s Choice Award, where CFX attendees will get to vote on their favorite project.
CE: Is there anything else potential attendees of CFX 2026 should know?
Wagner: We didn’ t talk about the impact and value of the Collectives when it comes to ministry teams. Philosophically, we understand this: When people go away and talk to other people, they learn, reveal and are supported in what they’ re struggling with. We know this. Accordingly, Collectives are smaller groups focused on learning, networking, mentoring, discussion and experience. People can come from the executive pastor group, the facility group, the tech group and really dig into leadership and development challenges— how they grow as a personal leader and how they grow their team. The group and the mentor help them develop a pathway to go home and approach these challenges. Let’ s take the executive pastor as a scenario. Many executive pastors might go to a church administrator conference, but many don’ t. So, the Collectives are sort of a hidden gem offered at the show. Our hands-on masterclasses are also very, very popular. Audio and video, safety and security— these are good, strong offerings of experiences and education that really can transform a ministry.
Lippi: I think what CFX offers is a really unique opportunity for church leadership— who oversees all the decision-making processes for the church itself— to attend with their team leaders who understand the unique challenges they’ re dealing with, who understand the needs of the church, and who understand the equipment needs, facility needs and so on. Having an opportunity in the Leadership Collective itself for each of those groups to connect with like-minded peers, and then be able to attend sessions together, walk the floor together and experience that team opportunity, allows them to have really great conversations that they wouldn’ t get to have if only one person attended. So, I know, like Jim mentioned, that an executive pastor might or might not attend a conference. But the value of attending CFX, specifically, with your facilities team, production team, safety, creative— all those people— is that it offers an opportunity to make an even bigger impact when you all get home.
As a senior or executive pastor, when you send your tech director or facilities manager to a conference, they’ ll have to try to convince you why changes need to happen. This approach gives you a chance to be a part of the experience yourself.
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