CCSN 2026 SUMMER WORKSHOPS and CONFERENCES in Communication
1. Registration is now open for all 6 summer events.
2. Format: All 6 events are offered in the virtual environment through Zoom and are from 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT (with one exception, see Workshop No. 6 below), on Monday and Thursday beginning June 1 and ending June 25. Recordings of each event are available for purchase. Contact rwoods@theccsn.com to purchase a recording.
3. Student discounts available for all events. (Promo Code: STUDENT) ($20.00 off regular price)
4. Summer passes to cover all 6 summer events at a discounted price are available. LEARN MORE
5. Group and institutional summer passes and discounts for all events are available. LEARN MORE
6. Sponsorships for all events are available, which provide you with time in the schedule to share about your program or organization or latest initiative. Please contact rwoods@theccsn.com if you have questions.
7. Kristos Logos Paideia Undergraduate Honor Society members can attend all workshops for free. Contact Director Brandon Knight (BKnight@wmcarey.edu) for details on how to access all summer events if you are a KLP member.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the CCSN’s Executive Director, Robert Woods (rwoods@theccsn.com).
Sincerely,
Robert Woods
CCSN Executive Director
No. 1
Word-Gardening: From Seed (Idea) to Fruit (Publication)
Lead Presenter/Facilitator: Rodney Clapp, Editor, Cascade Books
Date/Time: Monday, June 1, 2026 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: Drawing on nearly fifty years’ work editing newspapers, magazines, and books, Rodney Clapp offers tips and guidance for the span of the writing process—from nurturing an idea, to effective writing, to publication. This workshop will focus on book writing and publication. It will be of special interest both to scholars and those writing for a more general or popular readership. Clapp will begin with a discussion of arriving at and cultivating a book idea. He will then discuss what makes for successful (and enjoyable) writing. Finally, he will zero in on crafting appealing proposals and presentations to book publishers. Throughout, he will provide glimpses behind the “Wizard of Oz’s” curtain, with what happens in the sometimes mystifying process of writing and publishing books. Clapp will encourage questions and suggestions from participants, who are free to bring their own ideas and experiences into the discussion.
Rodney Clapp is an editor at Cascade Books, focusing on the subjects of theology, theological ethics, and popular culture. He has been an editor at Oklahoma newspapers, Christianity Today, InterVarsity Press, Evangelicals for Social Action, and Brazos Press (which he cofounded). For five years, he wrote the American Soundings column for The Christian Century. He is the author of ten books, most recently Living Out of Control: Political and Personal Faith in Waning Christendom. Other, award-winning, titles include A Peculiar People: The Church as Culture in a Post-Christian Society and Tortured Wonders: Christian Spirituality for People, Not Angels. He has lectured at dozens of universities throughout North America, including the University of Virginia, Duke Divinity School, Baylor University, and Middlebury College. He now lives in Sweet Home, Oregon, with his spouse, Sandy, and a beloved chocolate labradoodle, Ury. Connect with Rodney here.
Registration Fee: $45.00
No. 2
Teaching the Introductory Communication Course: A Covenantal Perspective for Integration, Student Self-Inquiry, and Classroom Engagement
Lead Presenter/Facilitator: Bill Strom, Professor of Media + Communication at Trinity Western University
Date/Time: Thursday, June 4, 2026 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: The introductory communication course offers a special opportunity for instructors to lay a foundation for student expectations in the program and across the curricula at Christian liberal arts institutions. To this end, this presentation begins with diverse models of faith integration, proceeds to strategies for student self-inquiry, and concludes with assignments and activities to bring light and life to class. Attendees will be encouraged to consider new ways of designing their entry-level course to shape and empower students for thinking critically and Christianly at university and beyond. The workshop promotes the use of More Than Talk: A Covenantal Approach to Everyday Communication, with an eye for how covenantal ideas and ideals enlighten treatments on language and nonverbal communication to public speaking and media. Participants can expect to reflect on ideas, models, and practices and share their own materials with colleagues.
Registration Fee: $45.00
No. 3
Raising the Wise Digital Native: Parenting with Faith, Courage, and Clarity
Lead Presenters/Facilitators: Stacey Gerhart, California Baptist University; Garrett Gerhart, Life Bible Fellowship Church
Date/Time: Monday, June 8, 2026 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: Technology is no longer just entertainment for kids. It is how they build friendships, stay connected, and navigate social life. This reality makes parenting in the digital age far more complex than simply setting screen time limits or waiting until 8th grade. This workshop equips parents to be trusted guides rather than gatekeepers. Drawing from media ecology research, clinical mental health practice, and over 15 years of direct ministry with teens and college students, Garrett and Stacey Gerhart offer an evidence-based, values-driven approach that avoids both fear-mongering and permissiveness. Participants will learn how to translate insights from media ecology and mental health research into age-appropriate conversations with their children. The goal is to help kids develop their own wisdom about technology: understanding how apps are designed to capture attention, recognizing the real effects of screen use on their minds and bodies, and learning to evaluate for themselves whether a platform is worth the cost. The workshop also addresses the parent’s journey: processing the emotional weight of a child’s attention naturally shifting toward peers, dismantling shame about past tech decisions, and learning to discuss boundaries with other parents as naturally as we discuss food allergies or movie ratings. Participants will leave with practical tools for values-based boundaries that fit their family rather than a one-size-fits-all checklist, and a framework for ongoing conversations that build connection rather than conflict.
Stacey Gerhart (DMFT, Loma Linda University) serves as Director of the Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy program at California Baptist University. A licensed marriage and family therapist with over a decade of clinical experience, Dr. Gerhart has worked with clients ages 4 through adulthood on issues including parenting skills, family dynamics, adolescent mental health, and behavioral challenges. She previously served as Director of Student Development and Wellness at Hope International University. Her research interests focus on technology’s impact on mental health. She holds a Doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy from Loma Linda University. She is co-founder of the Center for Digital Wisdom and Wellness. Learn more about Stacey here.
Garrett Gerhart serves as Communications Director at Life Bible Fellowship Church, where he leads strategic communication and digital engagement initiatives. With over 20 years of experience in ministry and communications, Garrett specializes in developing comprehensive communication plans and digital strategies for faith-based organizations. He holds an M.A. in Communication with a specialization in Leadership from Spring Arbor University and has been featured in Outreach Magazine for his work in youth engagement through digital platforms. His expertise spans content marketing, social media strategy, and digital community building, and he has been a speaker at various church communication conferences, including the Church Communicator Conference and Cultivate Conference. Learn more about Garrett here.
Registration Fee: $45.00
No. 4
Stewarding Studentship: Navigating Faith and Learning in the Graduate Experience
Lead Facilitators: David Enns, GateWay Church; Elaine V. Fung, Regent University
Date/Time: Thursday, June 11, 2026 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: This workshop begins with communication graduate students sharing stories about how they integrate Christian faith into their student life. Next, a roundtable discussion will invite participants to exchange ideas and best practices for effectively stewarding studentship. The graduate student stories will address topics such as navigating academic environments with Christian conviction, cultivating supportive faith-based communities, developing habits of spiritual formation amid academic rigor, and integrating faith into learning, research, teaching, and campus engagement. Participants will be encouraged and equipped with practical ways to connect their faith with scholarship, teaching, and leadership.
Elaine V. Fung (ABD, Regent University), is working to complete her dissertation at Regent University. Her research interests include organizational and interpersonal communication. Elaine is also a Graduate Fellow with the CCSN. Elaine coordinates our summer workshops and conferences in communication, and supports our social media and content creation outreaches. Connect with Elaine here.
Registration Fee: $45.00
No. 5
Forming Institutions that Flourish: Integrating Faith and Academic Administration
Lead Facilitators: Donna Elkins, Campbellsville University; Robert Woods, CCSN Executive Director
Additional Presenters/Roundtable Discussants: Tom Carmody (Vanguard University); Shane Garrison (Campbellsville University); Jeff Groeling (Taylor University)
Date/Time: Thursday, June 18, 2025 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: Administrators shape the conditions under which Christian teaching, scholarship, and community life either flourish or quietly erode. Many campuses emphasize faith‑and‑learning integration for faculty, yet far fewer help administrators reflect theologically on hiring, budgeting, decision‑making, or the daily stewardship of institutional mission. This workshop invites Christian administrators to think rigorously and prayerfully about their work as a calling—one that requires wisdom, virtue, and a clear understanding of the distinct sphere of education. Participants will explore how Christian character, institutional priorities, and mission‑aligned practices can animate administrative leadership. Through guided reflection, case studies, and collaborative discussion, attendees will learn how to discern the difference between data‑informed and data‑driven decisions, how to resist mission drift, and how to cultivate administrative habits that foster shalom, justice, and flourishing across their institutions. Administrators will leave with a clearer theological framework for their work and practical tools for aligning policies, budgets, and personnel decisions with a Christ‑centered academic mission. Questions the workshop will include but are not limited to the following:
- What distinguishes the sphere of Christian higher education from business, church, or family life?
- How do Christian virtues shape administrative judgment, priorities, and tone?
- How can budgets, policies, and hiring practices reflect and advance a Christ‑animated mission?
- Where are administrators most vulnerable to mission drift, and how can they guard against it?
- How do administrative challenges in higher education help develop personal spiritual characteristics?
Robert H. Woods Jr. (PhD. JD, Regent University) served as Professor of Communication and Media at Spring Arbor University for 20 years. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Christianity and Communication Studies Network (CCSN) (www.theccsn.com), a non-profit network providing resources and training on faith-learning integration in the field of communication studies. He is the editor-in-chief of the CCSN’s imprint, Integratio Press. Dr. Woods has served as the President of the Religious Communication Association (RCA) and was named Scholar of the Year by RCA. He is the recipient of multiple research and scholarship awards and the editor/author of over a dozen books. Most recently, Dr. Woods is the co-author with Paul Patton on Everyday Sabbath: How to Lead Your Dance with Media and Technology in Mindful and Sacred Ways and Professing Christ: Christian Tradition and Faith-learning Integration in Public Universities. His book co-authored with Kevin Healey (University of New Hampshire), titled Ethics and Religion in the Age of Social Media: Digital Proverbs for Responsible Citizens received the Book of the Year Award from RCA. He recently served as a visiting scholar at Trinity Western University. Connect with Robert here.
Tom Carmody (PhD, Regent University) currently serves as a Professor of Communication in the Communication Department of the Patty Arvielo School Business and Management at Vanguard University where he has taught for over 35 years. His research focus ranges from nineteenth-century American sermonic rhetoric, comic books and graphic novels to Anglican Studies. He is an ordained Anglican priest in the Anglican Church in North American and serves both the diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others (C4SO) and his local parish, Holy Trinity Anglican Church, in Costa Mesa, CA. As CCSN’ Chaplain in residence, Dr. Carmody will provide prayer, reflection, and other devotional material and activities to address the intellectual work and spiritual lives of those serving in the Academy. We are blessed to have him. Learn more about Tom.
Registration Fee: $45.00
No. 6
Integrating Faith in the Intercultural Communication Classroom
Lead Presenters/Facilitators: L. Ripley Smith (Bethel University, St. Paul); Lily A. Arasaratnam-Smith (Alphacrucis University College, Australia)
Date/Time: Thursday, June 25, 2025 | 3:00 pm – 6:30 pm EDT
Description: Teaching intercultural communication at Christian universities has become both necessary and complicated by increasingly plural and polarized societies and student bodies. When faced with interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds, many students either avoid it, don’t recognize its value, or fail to connect principles of their faith to the practice of living at peace with their ethnic neighbors. This workshop will begin by offering a biblical perspective to understanding intercultural communication so that students understand the ‘why.’ Using concepts from our book, Communicating in Intercultural Spaces (2025), we offer insights, activities, and strategies for facilitating difficult conversations that move intercultural communication from a “required class” to one of the most meaningful experiences of a student’s semester. The presenters bring more than 30 years of combined experience teaching intercultural communication, both in the classroom and in study abroad contexts. Join us for an interactive conversation sharing some best practices and honest mistakes, to inspire and stimulate your approach to intercultural communication.
Registration Fee: $45.00