Join us for OneAccord 2023.

We all affirm the importance of holistic development for those we serve—but how can we promote flourishing in our own lives and leadership?

OneAccord invites us to apply a holistic lens to our lives and work, emphasizing being, knowing, and doing through parallel tracks on programs, marketing & fundraising, people & operations.

Together we’ll explore who we are becoming, how we can apply our knowledge to serve with excellence, and how we can flourish in each of these areas. 

Whether you are an Accord member or not; whether you have come before or not; we warmly invite you to join with us.

OPEN TO ALL!

Timeframe:
Start: Tuesday, Oct. 17, 5:30p
End: Thursday, Oct. 19, 1:15p

Venue:
Ridgecrest Conference Center
Ridgecrest, NC
30 min from Asheville (AVL)
2 hrs from Charlotte (CLT)

Pricing:
Members: $440
Non-Members: $540
Pre-Event Intensives: $99-$139  Post-Event Intensive: $125
Hotel Rooms: $166 & $176, no tax
Sponsorship Opportunities

Schedule

MONDAY, OCTOBER 16
Pre-Event
5:00 pm Formation & Care Intensive

TUESDAY, OCT 17:
7:00 Clouds Cafe Open

Pre-Events 9:00am - 4:00pm

1. Formation & Care Intensive Cont'd.
2. Spiritual Metrics Intensive
3. Christian Economic Dev. Intensive (11:30 am start)
4. WASH Intensive (8 am start!)

OneAccord Begins
5:30     Dinner / Plenary

8:00    Accord Research      Faculty & Grad Student Group

WEDNESDAY, OCT 18

7:00    Cloud Cafe Open

9:00    Morning Plenary
10:15   Breakout #1
11:45   Lunch / Plenary
1:45     Breakout #2

3:15     Breakout #3
5:30     Dinner

7:00    Climate Gathering 7:00    Fellows & NextGen Mtg

THURSDAY, OCT 19

7:00    Cloud Cafe Open

9:00     Morning Plenary
10:15    Breakout #4
11:45    Lunch / Plenary
1:15      -OneAccord Ends-  2:00    Women's Refresh Begins

Event Tracks--Breakouts

Programs - First Floor

Flourishing through Program workshops & learning:

• Kingdom Impact Learning Community (Wed 10:15-11:30)

  • Are you interested in learning from others how to measure spiritual impact? Join us as we launch the Kingdom Impact Learning Community, a gathering of organisations committed to improve spiritual impact measurement through shared metrics, insights and best practices. ​ James Waters of Kingdom Impact Ltd & Dr David Bronkema of Eastern University

• Building Consensus: How do ACCORD Members understand poverty? (Wed 1:45-3:00) 
  • ​This workshop will explore the results of the survey sent prior to OneAccord that sought to better understand and illuminate the ways in which Accord Members viewed poverty, its root causes, and how they work to address those root causes.   Russ Debenport of Living Water;  Maria (Mafer) Fernanda of Compassion Int'l; Shawn McCabe of CAMA Services;  Josh Ayers - PhD candidate at Georgia Tech
• Reframing Human Centered Development (Wed 3:15-4:30)

  • Are we designing and implementing our programs in a God-centered or human-centered way? In this workshop, we are going to confront our programs and propose alternatives to consider God as the center of what we do and achieve. Accord Fellow Victor Cortez of Water Mission & Kevin Herr of Water Mission.

• Creating Programs that Flourish through our “Ministry of Reconciliation” (Thur 10:15-11:30) 
  • In this workshop, we will explore an approach to the Christian ministry of reconciliation which is at once theological, contextual, and practical, and has been effective in Accord member work from the Great Lakes of Africa to Northeast Asia. Marc Asobee of Congo Initiative and Chris Rice of Mennonite Central Committee (co-author of “Reconciling All Things”), hosted by Accord Fellow Emma Smith Cain of Mennonite Central Committee”

Marketing & Fund Development - Second Floor (across from main hall)

Flourishing through Marketing & Fund Development

• Theology matters...in fundraising too!  (Wed 10:15-11:30) 
  • More than even our intentions, our theology shapes our fundraising.  Through real world contexts, we will look at how scripture can and should shape our fundraising.  ​Ryan Brown of Open Doors & Jordan Gustafson of Food for the Hungry & joined by: Olivia K Mulerwa of MissionOne; executive leader Brenda Long and Benjamin K Homan of Langham Partnership. 
• New Wineskins: Thinking Creatively about the Future of Donor Impact (Wed 1:45-3:00) 

  • Three experienced practitioners of faith-driven investing will share how Accord members and their donors are using the “new wineskin” of impact investment alongside philanthropy to grow impact and expand operations into new areas.  With this workshop, OneAccord kicks off what we hope might be a series of conversations on New Wineskins: Thinking Creatively about Donor Impact.  ​Randy Tift of Accord & Oxford House & Andre Mann at Apex Impact Management, Lynn Turpin Hendricks of Buckner Int'l, and Lori Chambers of Hope Int'l. 

•  Maximize the Middle:  Caring for Midlevel Donors - your Biggest Fans (Wed 3:15-4:30)
  • ​We are going to look at real data from a nationwide study of midlevel donors and why organizations should focus on midlevels.  We will discuss together how to begin or improve our work and ministry with midlevel donors. Mike Meyers of CRISTA Ministries and NonProfit DNA, as well as author of Maximize the Middle will champion this session. 
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Opportunity and Challenges (Thur 10:15-11:30)
  • ​To demystify current trends in Artificial Intelligence through a cross-disciplinary conversation. Christian NGO leaders will be better equipped to think proactively about harnessing AI for human flourishing and integral mission.  Russ Debenport of Living Water International will facilitate learning together with a panel of experts including: Richard Zhang of Google; Micah Voraritskul of Verified Human; Eric Sowers of Living Water; and Doris Suzuki Esmerio of World Vision Int'l.

People & Operations - Second Floor (across from main hall)

Flourishing through People & Operations

• Real-Life, Practical Solutions to Hiring and Supporting Global Staff (Wed 10:15-11:30)
  • Save yourself time and money by learning from others’ HR mistakes. You will be equipped with helpful information and gain increased confidence in your ability to ask the right questions and source the right resources.  ​Beverly Elmore of American Leprosy Mission, Jeff Miller of Hope Int'l and Jonathan Schinzler of Living Water.
• Formation & Care Community of Practice (Wed 1:45-3:00)
  • ​Exploring the relationship between our spiritual vitality, the health of our souls, our dimensions of flourishing, and our work in the world.  We believe understanding this relationship is key to sustained integral mission.  Facilitated by Colleen Strachan of Compassion Int'l along with Odoi Odotei of World Vision Int'l and others from Accord's Formation & Care Community of Practice (CoP). 
• Creating Flourishing Employee Cultures (Wed 3:15-4:30)
  • ​Workplace culture determines employee engagement and well-being, and employee engagement
    and well-being determine organizational success. Join us for proven strategies on how to develop
    a workplace where motivated employees contribute to a creative, productive, and agile culture. Accord Fellow JoAnn Flett of SPU & Al Lopus of Best Christian Workplaces
• Conversation about a new CoP for leadership development (Thur 10:15-11:30) 
  • This session casts vision for a new Community of Practice for leadership development and gathers feedback about its formation.  Beth Birmingham of The Christian Alliance for Inclusive Development & Tom Mangham of Center for Leading in Community

Deeper Dive - Second Floor (across from main hall)

Flourishing in Kingdom Opportunities

• The Christian Alliance for Inclusive Development - Goals, Strategy and Q&A (Wed 10:15-11:30) 
  • ​Beth Birmingham, Chief Facilitator The Christian Alliance for Inclusive Development 
•  Growing Entrepreneurial Grit: Nurturing Grit In Marginalized Communities (Wed 1:45-3:00)
  • ​Join us as we provide an overview of Partner Worldwide's findings on grit and business outcomes during the pandemic from our survey of 270+ global entrepreneurs from 22 countries.  The session will be an interactive look at our Grit Toolkit (& online course) designed to increase business resiliency in marginalized communities. Accord Fellow JoAnn Flett & Roxanne Addink de Graaf and Debora Velis of Partners Worldwide
• Climate & Flourishing (Wed 3:15-4:30)
  • Serving the global poor in an era of climate change.  This session will workshop the following questions: 
    • How does climate impact the problem that I’m working to solve?   
    • What can I do that actually helps? 
    • How do we mobilize Accord members to adapt to this changing world?
  • Scott Sabin & Christi Huizenga Renaud of Plant with Purpose & friends from Compassion
• "Building Bridges with USAID: Cultivating Partnerships that are Built to Last" (Thur 10:15-11:30) 
  • Partner workshop, facilitated by USAID's Katie Thompson and Amanda Vigneaud, including an overview of USAID, a deep dive on the Strategic Religious Engagement Policy, a tutorial on WorkwithUSAID.org, and table exercises for participants. This can also serve as an extended time for other participants to connect with USAID leadership.   Randy Tift of Accord & Oxford House will host.

Tuesday Evening:  Faculty & Grad Student Group:  8 pm in Johnson Springs 23AD 

• Accord Research Alliance (ARA) Faculty Group is convening a meeting of all interested faculty at the Accord annual conference on Tuesday, October 17, at 8:00 pm EST.  Purpose: 1) Update on what the group has been doing, 2) brainstorm on how to increase its breadth and scope in terms of participation and activities.  This will be a hybrid meeting. The location at the Accord conference will be Johnson Springs 23AD. The Zoom link for those of you coming in virtually is https://eastern.zoom.us/j/99335566526.   Lead by Stephen Offutt of Asbury Theological Seminary. 

Wednesday Evening Informal Gathering on Climate: 

• Flourishing in a Changing Climate: An open discussion on how Accord members respond to the challenges of a degrading environment. (Wed 7pm)
  • The impacts of changing and extreme weather patterns are felt across multiple fronts—food security, water resources, internal displacement, healthcare, education, livelihoods, and more. Thankfully, God is at work amid these complex challenges.  Join us for an engaging discussion. This is your opportunity to share your experiences and insights as part of a critical initiative to equip the Accord Network to thrive in this evolving landscape. Our discussion will be facilitated by Plant with Purpose and Compassion International.
• Accord Fellows and NextGeneration Leaders (Wed 7 pm)
  • If you are a student or new to the sector and would like to connect with some seasoned talent for networking and learning come for an informal meet and greet with the Accord Fellows. 

Pre-Event Intensives

Formation & Care Intensive 
hosted by the Formation & Care Community of Practice

A Community of Practice (CoP) connecting Christian relief and development professionals who are passionate about deepening the spiritual formation and care of individuals who serve with or are served by them.

The intensive’s theme is “Flourishing through Formation & Care” – A time for practitioners focused on (or interested in) learning more about how to support the spiritual formation and care of our staff/volunteers. 

The intensive will provide space for the participants to:

• Learn and connect on critical realities and promising practices in spiritual formation and care from organizations like:
  • ​World Vision International
  • Compassion
  • International Justice Mission
  • Ministry Aviation Fellowship
  • and many others
• Pause for their own spiritual formation, as time will be dedicated to biblical reflection, prayer, silence and solitude
• Offer input on the development of the Accord Network’s Formation and Care Community of Practice

October 16th, 5:30pm Dinner and evening sessions

October 17, 9am-4pm | Lunch included | $139

Spiritual Metrics Intensive 
hosted by the Accord Research Community of Practice

A Community of Practice (CoP) exists to connect, equip, and inspire Christ-centered relief, development, and advocacy organizations and practitioners in the Accord Network and beyond in their journey of listening, monitoring, evaluation, and research.”

Come to this Intensive to engage other program and M&E professionals and researchers on Spiritual Metrics:  Questions, Challenges, and Tools:  Together, we will:

• Answer specific questions organizations have about measuring spiritual impact.
• Help organizations become familiar with the patterns of challenges inherent in spiritual metrics and the reasons for why those challenges exist.
• Help organizations think through ways those challenges can be overcome in their particular settings to implement faithful and effective spiritual metrics.
• Provide access to a range of tools and processes that are being used to measure spiritual impact.

October 17, 9am-4:00pm | Lunch included | $99

WASH Intensive
hosted by the Accord WASH Community of Practice

The Cascade: How WASH Interventions Flow Toward Human Flourishing 

Scriptural Theme: I Corinthians 3:12-14 

Are WASH Implementers responsible for higher-order impacts of human thriving? 

Implementation using similar interventions and/or technology can vary widely in how effectively they cascade toward transformation. To what degree our outputs – typically physical improvements – drive long-term social, economic, and spiritual impact often depends on how well we align and contextualize them to broader sociopolitical and even spiritual environments in which we work. 

This requires clearly defining our role as WASH implementors, acknowledging our limitations, and how we interrelate within complex systems. It also necessitates innovative approaches and collaboration in behavior change communication, government and community engagement, innovative technology, financing, and monitoring. 

At the 2023 Accord WASH Intensive, we’ll take an interactive deep dive into these topics together as peers and WASH professionals working in various geographical contexts and methodologies. 

October 17, 8am-4:00pm | Lunch included | $99 | Breakfast/coffee at Clouds Cafe before 8 am - Clouds opens at 7 am.

Christian Economic Development Network
hosted by the CED Network

Speakers & Facilitators will include: Michael Cerna of Hope International & Accord; Gil Odendaal of Life in Abundance; Jared White of Plant with Purpose; and Roxanne Addink de Graaf of Partners Worldwide.   We will workshop together:

1. the future of Christian Economic Development through the lens of practical theology
2. practical applications of economic development through agriculture
3. a case study in Ghana to specifically apply collective learnings. 

It will be a highly collaborative day of learning and deepening CED's Community's of Practice

October 17, 11:30 am start with lunch included | $99

Post-Event Intensives

Women's Refresh Retreat
hosted by the The Christian Alliance for Inclusive Development

Join us for 24 hours of both spiritual retreats and guided professional reflection in a relaxed time together.  You'll have time to process the activities of the week at Accord and make your "next step" plans, as well as time to reflect on what God is speaking into your life and career in the development sector, and "feet up, coffee in hand" conversations on how we can encourage each other as women in this space and collaborate on ways to improve our organizations for the women who serve there.

Meals include Thursday dinner, Friday breakfast and take-away lunch.  We'll end on Friday in time for you to grab lunch and get on your way home.

October 19th, 2:00pm - October 20th 2:00pm | Thurs. dinner, Fri. breakfast, and Fri. lunch included | $125