Join us at the 2023 SA State Conference.
2-step registration process in 2023
We are excited, this year, to introduce a 2-step registration process, which will see staff from our CSA member schools register individually for State Conference. You can find out more information in the 'How to Register' section, below.
Event Information
The theme for our 2023 events is:
A Place to Grow:
The formation of practice | the practice of formation
During our 2023 State Conferences, we will look at how the Christian story speaks to and resonates within the cultural landscape of 21st Century Australia. How does a school community most effectively embody this story?
An overview of the programmed sessions is provided below:
Session 1 Focus: the personal formation of staff within CSA member schools.
Session 2 Focus: the cultural waters in which we swim, and the opportunities schools have for bringing hope and meaning by teaching and living out the Christian story in a school context.
Session 3 Focus: applying the principles discussed in session 2 within individual school/team contexts.
Detailed Event Information
The SA State Conference will be held in person at Futures Church, Paradise Campus (formerly Influencers), located at 57 Darley Rd, Paradise.
An overview of the program is detailed below:
- 8:00am Arrive & Coffee
- 8:45am Welcome & Worship
- 9:00am Introduction with Host, Mark Ryan
- 9:10am Devotions
- 9:25am CSA Welcome with Dr. Daniel Pampuch
- 9:35am Keynote 1: Living Faith on the Battlefield of Ideas with Max Jeganathan (via videolink)
- 10:30am Morning Break & Exhibition
- 10:55am Keynote 2: Public Faith for a Parched World with Dr. Natasha Moore
- 12:30pm Lunch Break & Exhibition
- 1:30pm School Spotlight
- 2:20pm Keynote 3: Lead like it Matters with Craig Groeschel (via videolink)
- 2:50pm Prayer & closing remarks
- 3:00pm Close of State Conference
Please note this program is subject to change.
Speakers
Max Jeganathan
Max Jeganathan is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity CPX. A former lawyer and political & policy adviser, Max was educated at the Australian National University and the University of Oxford and is undertaking a PhD in Law. Max speaks on the intersection between faith, culture, economics, finance, technology and moral reasoning. He has spoken in businesses, universities and political institutions, including Samsung, Lego, Goldman Sachs and Amazon. He loves movies, good wine with his wife Fiona and making his kids laugh.
Dr. Natasha Moore
Dr Natasha Moore is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity (CPX). She has a PhD in English Literature from the University of Cambridge and is the author of For the Love of God: How the church is better and worse than you ever imagined (2019), winner of the 2020 Australian Christian Book of the Year, and The Pleasures of Pessimism (2020). Her writing has appeared, among other places, in The Sydney Morning Herald, ABC News, ABC Religion & Ethics, SBS, The Spectator Australia, Eureka Street, and Christianity Today, on topics that include domestic violence, Scripture in schools, war, Thanksgiving, singleness, freedom of speech, death, and taxes. Natasha recently moved from Sydney to Adelaide where she lives with her husband and a comically large dog.
Craig Groeschel
Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of Life.Church, an innovative multi-site church that began in Oklahoma. Together with his wife Amy, Pastor Craig started Life.Church in a two-car garage in 1996 as a place where people could come just as they are to experience the life-changing love of Jesus. Though the church now meets in physical locations across the U.S. and globally at Life.Church Online, the mission remains the same: to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Under Pastor Craig’s leadership, the church has become known for its innovative use of technology to spread the Gospel, launching the first church online experience in 2006 and creating YouVersion, the most downloaded Bible app in history. A New York Times bestselling author, Pastor Craig has written more than 15 books on topics like marriage, prayer, purpose, church leadership, and more. His most recent book, The Power to Change: Mastering the Habits That Matter Most, was released in February 2023. Pastor Craig and Amy live in Oklahoma and have six children and five grandchildren. To learn more about Pastor Craig, visit craiggroeschel.com
Your Host, Mark Ryan, CSA State Executive Officer, SA
Mark Ryan has been part of the CSA team since 2019 in the role of Executive Officer, SA. Mark has previous experience in leadership roles at Temple Christian College and has degrees in both education and theology. He has also held pastoral roles in a number of churches. Mark serves as a Director on the Board of Compass and with such an excellent grasp of biblical literacy, worldview and its application to culture, learning and vocation, is well-placed to lead CSA's national portfolio of, Christian Formation.
How to Register
We are excited to introduce individual registration this year! Staff from CSA member schools are able to register themselves individually to State Conference. Incorporated in the registration is a 2-step registration process, which is outlined below for your information:
- Click "register" on the right (you will need to be signed in to your account) and follow the prompts to register (ensuring you click 'proceed to checkout').
- Check your inbox for an email with "Action Required:..." in the subject and click on the "url link" within this email and complete your registration by filling out the relevant fields and submitting your registration.
Once you have completed these steps, you will be registered for conference.
If you're having trouble logging in to your CSA online account or registering for this event, please contact your school admin team.
Detailed Session Information
Please refer to information below about each of the sessions being presented at the upcoming conference.
Keynote 1: Living Faith on the Battlefield of Ideas with Max Jeganathan
In a world increasingly polarised and uncertain, the marketplace of ideas can seem more like a battlefield. How can personal formation play a role in enabling us to meaningfully engage with the big issues of the day? In this session (provided by videolink), Max Jeganathan will consider the philosophical, sociological and cultural currents shaping 21st century society. He will then set out the relevance and beauty of the Christian story through the frame of three fundamental issues that are central to our cultural moment: Truth, Suffering and Success.
Keynote 2: Public Faith for a Parched World with Dr. Natasha Moore
In a time of anxiety, tribalism, and social upheaval, it’s easy to be sucked into a narrative of “culture wars”. But what if we saw the places where we disagree less as battlefields and more as soil in need of careful tending - parched ground in need of living water - furrows where seed can be sown? Touching on religious freedom, youth spirituality, and the gospel foundations of so much that characterises contemporary culture, Dr Natasha Moore sketches a path across no man’s land that Christian educators might tread with creativity, confidence, and persistence.
Keynote 3: Lead like it Matters with Craig Groeschel
Our relationship with God affects our leadership and influence. Our faith influences everything we do and has direct impact on others and how we lead. Formation of our faith is foundational to who we are and how we lead in Christian schools. In this session (provided by videolink), we will hear a little bit around Craig's own personal and spiritual formation/development, as well as hearing some of the principles from Craig's recent book, Lead Like it Matters, This session will specifically look at your personal formation and how to hold onto it.
Qualify for CPD Hours
A certificate of Professional Learning (for 5 CPD Hours) will be issued following the event and accessible via your member dashboard. The event will address the following AITSL standards and newly released Christian Distinctive Focus areas:
AITSL professional teacher and leadership standards:
» 6.2 Engage in Professional Learning and Improve Practice
» 6.3 - Engage with colleagues and improve practice
» 6.4 - Apply professional learning and improve student learning
» 7.4 - Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities
Christian Distinctive Focus Areas:
» 6A - Engage in professional learning which aids the development of a philosophy of Christian Education based in Biblical principles
» 7A Knowledge about and engagement with the school, its Christian ethos and vision
» 7B Contributes to the development of distinctive Christian practice in the school, profession and wider community
Want to learn more about the CSA Christian Distinctive Focus areas? Click here.
Cancellation
If you are needing to cancel your State Conference registration, please ensure you make contact through your school administrator. Schools may notify us of cancellations to the respective CSA state office in writing. Unfortunately, no refunds will be issued after 15 days out from the event start date. Any cancellations made after this date will be charged the full registration fee. 'No Shows' to the event will be charged the full registration fee.
The event program is subject to change and we may not be able to provide prior notice.
Please note that registration fees do not include insurance to cover loss of any fees/deposit through cancellation of your participation in the event or through cancellation of the event itself.
A full refund will be issued if the event is cancelled by the organiser (CSA) due to COVID-19 restrictions or any other reasons out of the organisers control.
COVID-safe Information
We are committed to the health and safety of our member community and are following government guidelines regarding the spread of COVID-19.
Learn more about how we are keeping you safe at CSA events.
Event Sponsors
We are so grateful to our conference sponsors who have helped to make this event possible.
Platinum Sponsors
The School Photographer
The School Photographer is currently enjoying 36 years of operations throughout NSW, ACT, South Australia, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. We pride ourselves on producing high quality photographic student packages from our modern production facilities and superior customer service. Our innovative “360 Virtual School Tour” and our “Fly Through Video” products are proving to be an invaluable marketing tool to showcase the very best images of your school. Additionally, we can produce for your school a wide range of marketing products such as window film, pull-up banners, fence banners, tear drop banners, school prospectuses, report folders, stationery and much, much more. We have implemented COVID-safe measures throughout our company to ensure the safety of schools and their communities.
Tabor
Tabor is a medium-sized college that offers tertiary education for community professionals such as teachers, counsellors, leaders, youth workers, pastors, and creative communicators. They provide a range of courses from Undergraduate Certificates to Postgraduate Degrees, with a strong focus on practical learning and personal support. Tabor has achieved a 94% positive rating for student support, making them the top Higher Education provider in Australia for overall satisfaction at both the Undergraduate and postgraduate levels*. Their teaching is infused by a Christian ethos and they welcome students of all backgrounds. Tabor's Millswood campus is situated to the south of the city, just a five-minute drive away, where numerous students opt for a mixed mode of learning that incorporates both online and on-campus components.
*QILT Course Experience Questionnaire 2021.
Mercer
At Mercer, we believe in building brighter futures. Together, we’re redefining the world of work, reshaping retirement and investment outcomes, and unlocking real health and well-being. We do this by meeting the needs of today and tomorrow. By understanding the data and applying it with a human touch. And by turning ideas into action to spark positive change. For over 75 years, we’ve been providing trusted advice and solutions to build healthier and more sustainable futures for our clients, colleagues and communities. Welcome to a world where economics and empathy make a difference in people’s lives. Welcome to brighter ...
Premium Sponsor
Christian Education Publications
For 100 years, CEP has been producing school curricula for Australian, New Zealand and international schools. No small milestone for an Aussie publisher.
Today, the mission of CEP remains the same: to provide you with contemporary, engaging and thought-provoking material that will commend Jesus and the Christian life for the most eternally significant lesson of the week—your biblical studies class.
Credit Union, SA
At Credit Union SA, we offer all the same services as a bank but with one very important difference - our highest priorities are our members and our community. As a customer owned banking organisation, we are not driven by the need to return dividends to shareholders in the manner of the major banks. As a result, we're able to channel the profits we generate back to our membership and broader community. This is achieved in the form of innovative new products and services, low fees, great interest rates, high levels of personal service, and community development initiatives and project funding.