2025 Conference Speakers

Main Speakers

  • Martin Giese serves as President of Oak Hills Christian College and the Oak Hills Fellowship (Oak Hills Christian College, Camp Oak Hills, Oak Hills Center for Native American ministries, and Oak Hills Church Ministries), in Bemidji, Minnesota. Previously, Martin served for 17 years as pastor of First Baptist Church of Parkers Prairie, Minnesota, and 23 years as Sr. Pastor of Faithbridge Church of Park Rapids, Minnesota.

    Martin grew up on a farm in western Minnesota, (Appleton) and came to personal faith in Christ at age 8.  He attended the University of Minnesota, Morris, St. Cloud State University, Oak Hills Bible College, Moody Graduate School, and Bethel University/Bethel Theological Seminary.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies with a concentration in Christian Education from Oak Hills Bible College (now Oak Hills Christian College), a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from Moody Graduate School, and a Doctor of Ministry in Executive Leadership from Bethel University/Bethel Theological Seminary in St. Paul, MN.

    In addition to his pastoral ministry Martin served for 10 years as an adjunct faculty member of the Billy Graham Schools of Evangelism – instructing church leaders concerning motivating Town and Country Churches for evangelism.  Martin also served as founder and director of the "Country Shepherds' Workshop," an interdenominational training seminar for pastors of Town and Country churches based at Oak Hills Christian College, Bemidji, MN. In addition to his pastoral duties, Martin travels as a conference speaker and consultant on Town and Country Church leadership throughout North America.

    Martin and his wife Marcia have four children: Anna (Shane) Long, Sarah (Jeff) Donatelle, Rachel Giese, and David (Sally) Giese, and thirteen grandchildren, and two step-grandchildren.

Dr. Martin Giese

Opening Main Session:

Delighting or Drifting? Theological Decisions for the 21st Century Church Leader

Few church leaders would debate the question “Is this the most complex era in history for church leadership?” Our culture is post-Christian and deeply divided politically and socio-culturally. Our world is unprecedently connected. Daily news brings the weight of global stress and conflicts from every continent to our homes. Longer life spans place not less than five generations together in regular relational contact – but not necessarily connectedness – in communities, businesses, and churches. If pastoring in 1950s America can be likened to piloting the church against the current of a gently flowing cultural stream, then pastoring in the third decade of the 21st century can be likened to piloting the church on the Niagara River – a few hundred yards above the Falls!

How are we as leaders, called by the living God to lead His church, to remain effective in our calling in the current context?

The foundational answer to that question is not ultimately psychological, technological, or sociological. The foundational answer to the question of effective church leadership in our current context is theological. It’s about who we are and become in our relationship with the Word of God and the God of the Word. Therein lies the answer and therein lies our hope!

In all the long years of the Church, the Lord of the Church has supplied the needs of the Church and its leaders. But if we are to enter into that supply and remain effective in church leadership there are some decisions we must make.

  • Rev. Kara Stromberg currently serves as the Superintendent of the Northwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, where, through the work of the conference and in partnership with a great ministry team, she serves churches and unites churches together in service throughout the Dakotas, Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Within this region over 60% of Northwest Conference churches are located in rural/small town settings. Kara and her team lead initiatives that start and strengthen churches, invest in the next generation through ministries with children, youth and families, and care for pastors by investing in their health and development. Being first called to vocational ministry as a teenager, Kara is honored and grateful to serve the church in this way.

    Born and raised in South Dakota, Kara attended Bethel College and Seminary and loves all that the Midwest offers.  Kara and her husband, Nate, have been married for 25 years and have three children: Ben, Greta, and Juniper.

Rev. Kara Stromberg

Closing Main Session:

Rooted and Resilient: A Call to Discipleship in Complex Times

In the face of today’s cultural, relational and political complexities, it is imperative for leaders to remain faithfully rooted in Christ through a life of devoted discipleship. Discerning what is mission critical to our calling can empower leaders to make intentional decisions that prioritize faithfulness, relational connections and perseverance, so that the church can flourish.

We know that those called to lead the church of today and tomorrow will face headwinds like never before. And yet…we know that through the hope we have in Christ, we can proceed with faithfulness and hope for the future as we call the generations to a living hope that is costly, transformative and rooted in Jesus.

RILC Worship Leader

Naomi Sands

Naomi Sands serves as the Director of Worship Ministry for Alexandria Covenant Church. She has long had a passion for worship and has actively participated in worship ministry since childhood. The daughter of a Covenant pastor, Naomi grew up in Poplar, WI, experiencing and participating in ministry in their rural setting.

Workshop Presenters

 

Joe Williquette

Joe Williquette shares a strong passion for working with churches, to come alongside them and serve them to help reach families in the church's local area. Joe has been the State Director of CEFMN for five years.  Joe served ten years in the Air Force, managed in several production industries, and pastored in rural churches for fifteen years prior to serving with CEF. 

 
 

Joseph Rukavina

Joseph Rukavina shares a strong passion for working with churches, to come alongside them and serve them to help reach families in the church's local area. Joseph has been involved in CEFMN for nineteen years and has been the Local Director for the Twin Cities Area Chapter for eight years.  Joseph is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute.

Bruce Dick

Bruce is a North Dakota farm boy whose dream was to farm with his extended family. But he also had a heart for ministry. So he went to Grace College of the Bible and Dallas Seminary and then returned home to the family farm for 12 years. Also, during this time he married Trudy and they started a family. In 1997, the Lord called Bruce and Trudy out of the farm and into pastoral ministry where Bruce served at Bethel Evangelical Free Church in Devils Lake, ND for 21 years. In 2018, the Lord then directed Bruce to begin a new work with Ambassadors for Christ International in a ministry called EvangelismSHIFT with the goal of launching and leading this disciplemaking ministry in the United States. Bruce and Trudy still live in Devils Lake, ND.

Glen Bloomstrom

Glen Bloomstrom, served as the Director, Faith Community Engagement at LivingWorks Education from 2012-2024. Glen is also a 30-year US Army chaplain and combat veteran.  Since retiring from the Army, he has served as an adjunct professor at Bethlehem Theological Seminary, training developer for the Department of Defense and for numerous state health and agricultural initiatives.  He is passionate to strengthen suicide prevention competencies in diverse community settings for clergy, counselors, veterans, and peer helpers.  Under his leadership, LivingWorks fielded an on-line suicide prevention-training program for clergy and ministry leaders entitled LivingWorks Faith.  Glen lives in Minneapolis Minnesota.

 
 

Brian Thorstad

Church Health Consultant Brian Thorstad works with a broad spectrum of evangelical churches and church leaders from coast to coast, helping churches thrive through blogging, speaking, coaching, training, assessments, interventions and mediations.

Brian makes his home in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. He is a veteran of one long-term pastorate and eight church-health-focused interim pastorates. He is the author of four NextStep Resources/ChurchSmart Resources books and the hundreds of blog posts which appear on HelpingChurchesThrive.com.

Chanda Winkels

Chanda Winkels serves as the Pastor of Children and Family Ministry at Alexandria Covenant Church in west-central Minnesota. She holds a BSN in Nursing and an MA in Child and Family Ministry from Bethel Seminary. Chanda has three Gen Alpha grandkids; she enjoys snowshoeing and creating loose-leaf tea blends.

Ryan O’Leary

Dr. Ryan O'Leary is a member of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe in northern MN and is the First Peoples Initiative leader. This is a ministry for all of the Indigenous peoples in both the United States and Canada. Along with leading the First Peoples Initiative, Ryan serves as the President of the National Association of Native Evangelicals in the United States and also serves on the board of directors for the National Association of Evangelicals based out of Washington DC. Ryan and his family, including his wife of almost 22 years, reside in Bemidji. 

 
 

Mary Hendrickson

Rev. Dr. Mary Hendrickson serves as the Director of Missional Vitality for the ECC.  She lives in Gresham, OR, and has three sons and two grandsons.  Mary’s ministry passion and call are in the areas of leadership development, congregational health and transformative discipleship.  She has the privilege of leading a national vitality team that has created a suite of resources to strengthen ministry and mission of ECC churches.  Mary’s post-graduate degrees are from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. In her spare time, Mary enjoys doing projects around her house and yard, especially decorating and gardening.

F. Remy Diederich

Remy has been in ministry for over 30 years. He is the Founding Pastor of Cedarbrook Church in Menomonie, Wisconsin where he led the church for 18 years. He is currently involved in coaching pastors, guest speaking and traveling to encourage pastors in primarily Mexico and Chile. Remy has written six books relating to overcoming various obstacles in life including shame, anger, loss, and spiritual abuse. He lives with his wife, Lisa, in Minneapolis. Visit his website at readingremy.com to learn more about his books, coaching and read his articles. 

Paul Klassen

Paul Klassen is Executive Director of Broken Strength Ministries, a Christian non-profit that is committed to partnering with the local church to help them disciple their men, specifically in the area of their sexual integrity.  He loves serving God in whatever capacity He makes available, feeling blessed to do this in the context of his own redemption story. Paul and his wife of 34 years, Becky, live in Buffalo, MN with their 2 youngest children and their pooshon Sammy. They also have 4 adult children, 2 of whom are married, and 2 granddaughters.

After graduating from UNW-St. Paul in 1990, Paul eventually pursued the calling to be a pastor. He received his M.Div from Phoenix Seminary in 1997 and worked as a youth pastor for about 10 years in the Phoenix area. Their family moved to Minnesota in 2007 to plant a church with the Evangelical Free Church. Paul pastored Birch Hills Community Church in Melrose, MN from it’s inception in 2011 until 2023, when he joined Broken Strength.