Ed Young, pastor of Fellowship Church, will host nearly 2,500 pastors and church leaders from around the world for the C3 (Creative Church Culture) at the main Fellowship Church Grapevine, Texas campus, the first of three locations that will also include San Diego next month and the east coast this fall.

The annual conference is designed to encourage, equip and empower global church leaders with innovative tools and vital resources to help them reach a constantly changing culture with the unchanging Gospel message.

In order to make an even greater impact and to help empower churches across the country, a new church partnership program – C3 Global – will be announced at this year’s conference. Focusing on structure, creativity, support and compassion, this new initiative will provide churches a “one-stop-shop” to share leadership insights, obtain training and receive practical guidance and tools to help them in the areas that most affect ministry in today’s world.

The C3 event will open at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday with the first of three evening sessions open to the public free-of-charge, with featured speaker Dr. Ed Young, Sr., pastor of Second Baptist Church in Houston; followed by Ed Young of Fellowship Church on Thursday; and Bishop T.D. Jakes, founder and senior pastor of the renowned 30,000-member Dallas-based church, The Potter’s House, on Friday.

During the day on Thursday and Friday, C3 participants will also be able to attend breakout sessions with these speakers, as well as other plenary sessions featuring additional presenters, including: Jentezen Franklin, senior pastor of Free Chapel, one of the top 30 churches in America, according to “Outreach” magazine; Dino Rizzo, founding pastor of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, La.; Dr. Samuel R. Chand, a leadership expert who consults, mentors and coaches pastors of some of the country’s largest churches; John Cross, senior pastor of South Biscayne Church in Miami, Fla.; Leon Fontaine, senior pastor of Springs Church, one of Canada’s fastest-growing congregations; and David Hughes, the lead pastor of Church by the Glades in greater Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Wednesday, Feb. 17 – C3 Night session featuring Jentezen Franklin and Ed Young begins at 6:30 p.m. (open to public/media)

Thursday, Feb. 18 – Conference sessions take place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (registrants/media only); C3 Nights featuring Ed Young begins at 6:30 p.m. (open to public/media)

Friday, Feb. 19 – Conference sessions take place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (registrants/media only); C3 Nights featuring Bishop T.D. Jakes begins at 6:30 p.m. (open to public/media)

Fellowship Church
2450 Highway 121 N
Grapevine, TX 76051

• The theme of this year’s conference is “Rise of the Iguana,” based on this reptile’s exceptional qualities of rejuvenating, adapting and discerning that are necessities for any healthy church.
  
  
• “No matter where God has placed us, He has provided us with a specific sphere of influence, and He wants us to make the most of every chance we have to reach those people,” Pastor Young said. “But more than that, we believe He wants us to embrace our diversity and unite together as the Church to reach even further. When thousands of leaders converge to learn from and encourage one another, the results can literally change the world — that is the heart behind C3.”
  
  
• The C3 Conference seeks to provide information and motivation to church leaders to spur action and bring a new level of excellence to the church experience.
  
  
• What began as a small gathering of a few hundred pastors in 1997 is now close to 2,500 leaders from 47 U.S. states and 11 foreign countries.
  
  
• For more information about the C3 conference and Fellowship Church please visit http://www.fellowshipchurch.com.

Media are invited to cover the conference on location. For information on credentials and/or interviews with Ed Young about C3, contact Julie Shutley at 214.457.1398 or [email protected].

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