Summit Agenda
Explore our comprehensive timeline from registration to keynotes and dynamic breakout sessions. Plan your day at the Essential Summit.
Defending the Faith
Join renowned author and apologist Frank Turek to learn the practical evidence, logical reasoning, and conversational tactics you need to confidently answer tough objections and effectively defend the Christian faith in today's public square.
Frank Turek
President
Practical Help from the State of Ohio
In this session, Director Kara Wente will discuss the creation of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth in 2024 and its mission today. Pregnancy centers interested in accessing state funds to serve families will learn more about the grant process. Kara will also address concerns for private faith-based ministries accessing public funds and explain why taking advantage of these funds can help pregnancy centers thrive and expand their much-needed services.
Kara Wente
Director
Sexuality and Biblical Worldview in a Culture Bent on Destroying Children
Sexual ethics are a vital component of a Christian worldview. Author Rosaria Butterfield will discuss how Christian schools should play a role in grounding students in a sexual ethic that is rooted in the created order.
Rosaria Butterfield
Author and Speaker
Shepherding Your Church Between Secularism and Politicized Faith
Drawing from his book "Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer," historian John Wilsey will guide pastors through a principled approach that avoids the pitfalls of both aggressive secularism and a hyper-politicized faith. Church leaders will walk away with a robust framework to defend their congregation's constitutional freedoms while preserving the Church's prophetic, Gospel-first witness.
John Wilsey
Professor
The Rise and Fall of Woke Capitalism
Doug Napier, CEO of the 1792 Exchange, offers a captivating look at the crumbling "woke" corporate empire. A massive 65 percent of Fortune 500 companies have recently fled the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. You’ll be encouraged to learn how common sense made its way back to the boardroom and what that means for your business.
Douglas Napier
CEO
Understand the Times, Know How to Respond
This timely panel explores the critical cultural and societal shifts that are coming down the pipeline. Dave Yost, Senior Counsel and Vice President of Policy Innovation at Alliance Defending Freedom, and David Mahan, Center for Christian Virtue's Policy Executive Director, will give pastors and ministry leaders practical guidance on how to proactively equip and shepherd their congregations for what lies ahead.
David Mahan & Dave Yost
Policy Executive Director • Senior Counsel and Vice President of Policy Innovation at Alliance Defending Freedom
Solving the Challenges of Growing Christian Schools
We are in a time of unprecedented access to and growth of Christian schools. However, that growth brings challenges associated with facilities and quality faculty. Learn how CCV's Ohio Christian Education Network has provided solutions to both of those problems from Teach for the Kingdom Director Valerie Jones and School Expansion Director David Arrell.
Valerie Jones & Dave Arrell
Teach for the Kingdom Director • School Expansion Director
How the Sexual Revolution Changed Everything
The breakdown of the connection between sex, marriage, and baby-making has led to our current cultural abortion crisis that results in the death of a million children each year. In this eye-opening talk, author Rosaria Butterfield will also discuss what should be at the core of our ministry to address the root issues of abortion rather than just highlighting the symptoms of cultural decay.
Rosaria Butterfield
Author and Speaker
Living Out Your Faith in the Workplace
Christians in the marketplace have a unique opportunity to minister the Gospel during the day-in, day-out out of business. Author and apologist Frank Turek will share how business leaders can boldly live out our faith in the marketplace.
Frank Turek
President
Session Topic TBA
Matthew Spalding
Vice President & Dean
The AI Challenge for Christian Schools
Christian schools have entered a new world full of opportunities and challenges offered by Artificial Intelligence. Keith Coe, Managing Partner of AI Data Management, will answer the question: Is it possible for Christian schools to take advantage of AI opportunities while mitigating the harms and risks associated with them?
Keith Coe
Managing Partner
Predatory Gambling
The harmful impacts of online predatory gambling are just beginning to be felt in our state. Executive Director of Stop Predatory Gambling Les Bernal will help Christians understand the threat the gaming industry poses to our communities and families, and explore how the Save Ohio Sports Act aims to protect children and families from yet another billion dollar, addiction for profit industry.
Les Bernal
National Director
Data Centers in Ohio
Plans to build and expand data centers throughout Ohio have sparked endless debates. To cut through the misinformation, Bret Swanson brings a balanced analysis of the impact of data centers, energy demands, and how they affect our communities.
Bret Swanson
President, Entropy Economics & Technology Fellow
Navigating the New Frontier of Family Ethics
From modern reproductive technologies to the rapid redefinition of the family, our culture increasingly views children as commodities designed to fulfill adult desires. Founder and President of Them Before Us Katy Faust will equip pastors to flip the script, moving from an adult-centric model to one that fiercely protects the spiritual and emotional well-being of kids. Church leaders will walk away with a robust biblical framework to shepherd families through complex modern ethical dilemmas while unashamedly advocating for the most vulnerable among us.
Katy Faust
Founder and President
The Political and Cultural Landscape of Abortion in Ohio
Center for Christian Virtue Senior Fellow for Strategic Initiatives Peter Range will review Ohio’s latest abortion statistics, outline the campaign to address the abortion pill, speak to the efforts to create a pro-life Ohio for years to come, and finally address practical non-profit help for families in Ohio, which could grow the capacity of our pregnancy centers.
Peter Range
Senior Fellow for Strategic Initiatives
Classical Education and the American Republic
How to Leverage AI for Maximum Impact
Artificial intelligence isn't going away, but it doesn't have to be something to fear. Keith Coe, Managing Partner at AI Data Management, will help business owners understand how to safely and ethically use the tool to efficiently run and grow their companies.
Keith Coe
Managing Partner
Defenders of Truth: Standing Firm When Culture Shifts
The first casualty of the culture war is truth. In this session, Bishop Wooden will share key insights on how the Body of Christ can boldly defend it.
Bishop Patrick Wooden
Bishop
Biblical Practices for Families of LGBTQ Prodigals
Designed for church leaders walking alongside struggling families, author Rosaria Butterfield will outline a Gospel-centered framework for navigating the relational heartaches of prodigal children with Christlike grace and theological depth. This session explores how to anchor parents in God’s sovereign love, continuous personal sanctification, and persistent prayer, reframing severe family trials as opportunities for gospel endurance rather than divine punishment.
Rosaria Butterfield
Author and Speaker
Why Fixing the Family is Fundamental to Address Abortion
Katy Faust, Founder and President of Them Before Us, will share her personal journey from a comfortable Christian to a high-risk Christian. Her testimony will encourage our ministries to challenge the status quo of our approach, so pregnancy centers don’t inadvertently perpetuate single motherhood. Katy will also outline the largest threats to children in the years to come, including the IVF and surrogacy issue, and how the pro-life movement can holistically offer help to women and men in our communities.
Katy Faust
Founder and President
