Plenary Sessions
The European Leadership Forum programme includes plenary sessions for all participants to attend each morning and evening. These sessions consist of worship, prayer, and teaching. The plenary live stream is available on our YouTube channel. See the schedule below for times, speakers, and topics.
Morning Plenaries
Having served as a pastor for 45 years, in London and Chicago, Colin Smith now serves as President of Open the Bible, a media ministry that opens the bible for people, helps them to open the Bible for themselves, and encourages them to open the bible with others. Colin is the author of many books, including: Fly Through the Bible, Heaven, How I Got Here, and Momentum: Pursuing God’s Blessings Through the Beatitudes. He is married to Karen, and they have two married sons and five granddaughters. His ministry can be heard daily on the radio broadcast, Open the Bible, and at openthebible.org.
The great need of our time is for a new generation of leaders who will hold the truth with a clear conscience and pursue godliness, living in the fear of the Lord. So how do you keep a clear conscience? What is godliness and how do you pursue it? And what does it mean to live in the fear of the Lord?
How should we regard Christian leaders? Paul says that we are servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Jesus told a parable about servants and stewards in which He identified the dangers and the delights of our calling. Knowing the pitfalls will help us to avoid them, and savoring the delights will help us to persevere.
The flock of God are blessed with faithful shepherds, and they are afflicted by thieves and robbers. How would you tell the difference between a thief and a shepherd? What does it take to be a good shepherd? And why would a person persevere in this calling?
Contentment is a journey in which we move from anger to peace, from frustration to satisfaction, and from anxiety to trust. Paul says that he learned to be content. But how did he learn? This session will trace what Paul tells us about his journey so that we can make it our own.
Evening Plenaries
Pablo was a European Leadership Forum Steering Committee member for more than 10 years. He currently works as a psychiatrist at a private practice in Barcelona. He has also developed an extensive itinerant ministry as a counsellor, speaker, and Bible teacher. He served as one of the vice-presidents of the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA). He filled the role of President of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance (1999-2009) and Professor of Pastoral Theology at several theological institutions. His books have been published in 17 languages. His most recent works are Mad or God?: Jesus, the Healthiest Mind of All (Inter-Varsity Press, England, co-authored) and Take Care of Yourself: Survive and Thrive in Ministry (Hendrickson Publishers and DictumPress). For more information see http://www.christian-thought.org.
'They made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I neglected' (Song of Songs). This sad conclusion is not unusual among men and women of God who did not learn to keep watch over themselves. The wisdom of the Bible warns us that finding rest, refreshment, and hope is an essential part of ministry. We must learn not only from Jesus’ doing but from His stopping. From His life we learn that a fruitful ministry is not the same as a full ministry. The problem is not working too much but resting and renewing ourselves too little.
David McIlroy is a practising barrister based in London in the UK. He serves on the editorial board of Law & Justice, teaches the Mission of Justice and the Theology of Law course at Spurgeon’s College, and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Notre Dame (USA) in England. He is convinced that justice matters enormously to God and He wants Christians to work hard to see justice done more and more in situations around the world. Through his books (A Biblical View of Law and Justice, A Trinitarian Theology of Law, The End of Law) and many articles, David seeks to deepen people’s reflections on justice and to inspire others to take up the challenge of acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God (Micah 6:8).
How and why are freedom of religion and freedom of speech increasingly under threat—and why should Christians care about defending these freedoms? Biblical and historical perspectives reveal why freedom of religion and speech matter not just for believers, but for the good of society. At the heart of the issue lies a deeper call to justice rooted in Scripture and a challenge to believers to think beyond self-interest as Christ’s witnesses in the world.
Helen Thorne-Allenson is the Director of Training and Resources at Biblical Counselling UK. She is an experienced speaker and author whose recent books include "Mental Health and Your Church," "Hope in an Anxious World," and "5 Things to Pray for a Suffering Friend." She is married to Nick, lives in Hampshire and, in her spare time, she enjoys gardening and eating Korean food.
Relationships are notoriously hard to navigate for ministry leaders. Isolation can lead to burnout and ungodliness. Enmeshed relationships can lead to disappointment or manipulation. Together, we will learn from Paul and his relationship with the Thessalonian church and see how he pursues intimacy and mutuality with wisdom and grace.
John Dickson’s story is eclectic. Starting out as a professional singer-songwriter, he now works as an author, speaker, historian, and media presenter. He was the Founding Director of the Centre for Public Christianity (2007-17). He has published over 20 books, two of which became television documentaries, with a third, For the Love of God: How the Church is Better and Worse Than You Ever Imagined, released in Australian cinemas in June 2018. John has held a variety of teaching and research positions before moving to Wheaton College, including in the Ancient History Department at Macquarie University (2002-2015), the Hebrew, Jewish, and Biblical Studies Department at Sydney University (2011-2021), Ridley College Melbourne (2019-2022), and the Faculty of Classics at the University of Oxford (2015-2023). A busy public speaker, he lives in Wheaton, Illinois, with his wife Elizabeth and the youngest of their three children.
Christian affiliation is declining across the West, leaving many wondering how evangelism can flourish in secular contexts. Yet history reminds us that the earliest Christians grew from a few thousand to over four million within ten generations—without armies, politics, or cultural power. This keynote explores how the Acts 2 portrait of the first church offers vital lessons for the church today—about our approach to theological learning, the nature of Christian community, and our zeal for God and a lost world amidst hardship. With historical insight and contemporary application, this session asks: What can the ancient church teach the future church about evangelism?