BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) — One of the most effective ways Lifeway Christian Resources serves the local church is by empowering church leaders with relevant resources that catalyze health, growth and impact. That’s the message the organization hopes messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in June will take away from their visit to The Lifeway Village in the exhibit hall.

“We’ve designed an experience that reflects Lifeway’s focus on serving church leaders,” said Lifeway CEO Ben Mandrell. “Church leaders who visit The Lifeway Village will clearly see and learn that ‘we exist to help you reach’ your congregants, communities and ultimately the nations.”

The 12,000-square-foot Lifeway Village will highlight different areas of church ministry and allow messengers to find many categories of resources for their specific needs — whether they are a pastor, kids ministry leader, student leader, discipleship leader, worship leader or women’s ministry leader. Messengers will also be able to have conversations with the people at Lifeway who are developing those resources.

Mandrell described how The Lifeway Village will be different from previous exhibits. “In previous years, we’ve designed our space to focus on selling products,” Mandrell said. “This year we’re focused on developing relationships and meeting the broad needs of church leaders. People will still be able to shop, but we hope they’ll find it to be a much more intentional and relational experience, and it will be easier for them to see all the ways Lifeway walks alongside church leaders throughout their ministry journey.”

Looking for ways to engage your congregation in Bible study? Lifeway staff will help messengers and guests plan and select the appropriate material for group Bible studies and offer information on Lifeway’s short-term studies and Sunday School curriculum, including Bible Studies for Life, The Gospel Project, Explore the Bible and YOU.

Other features include onsite demonstrations of Lifeway’s digital curriculum experiences and leader training, as well as live recordings of “The Glass House” podcast with Ben and Lynley Mandrell.

Ministry leaders are invited to sign up at lifeway.com/sbc for 45-minute consulting sessions to discuss churchwide discipleship and disciple-making in groups. Leaders can also register for free consultations with Lifeway’s Auxano team to discuss vision, mission and strategy. Visioneering Studios representatives will be available to talk with churches about intentional environments for ministry. And don’t forget to pick up a free copy of the latest Lifeway Research Insights Report on church switching trends.

Come discover and leave refueled

Guests in The Lifeway Village will find books on leadership, prayer, marriage, parenting and other Christian living topics, as well as devotionals, Bible studies and reference material for purchase.

Also available in the Lifeway Village will be a wide selection of CSB Bibles for men, women, students and kids. Published by Lifeway’s Holman Bibles, the CSB is now the fastest-growing Bible translation in the U.S. market. “It’s such an honor for our team to steward this translation on behalf of Southern Baptists and to get the Word of God into as many hands as possible,” Mandrell said.

“Messengers will want to stop by every day,” he said. “We’re going to be giving out some incredible books and resources that can help them go home feeling informed and refreshed. And did I mention the free coffee? We hope leaders will drop in and refuel with a cup of coffee.”

Mandrell said he hoped church leaders visiting The Lifeway Village will feel renewed and refueled knowing Lifeway is here to walk alongside them in their ministry. “We hope they gain new insights and learn new approaches for their ministries, that they connect with us in new and meaningful ways, and that they feel empowered by all of the resources we’ve created to equip them on their ministry journey.”

Free dinner and a movie

In addition to The Lifeway Village, Lifeway will be hosting a free boxed dinner and special screening of the Kendrick Brothers’ upcoming film, “The Forge,” Tuesday evening from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Lifeway has partnered with filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick and the film’s star Priscilla Shirer to provide a suite of resources to accompany the film and underscore its theme of discipleship.

Moviegoers can look forward to hearing from the Kendricks at the screening. Space is limited to the first 700 registrants. Learn more and save your seat here or in the SBC app.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Carol Pipes is director of corporate communications for LifeWay Christian Resources.)