TeamWest

TeamWest is a partnership of the state Southern Baptist Conventions of the Western United States to jointly train, encourage, and inspire the Bible Study consultants in our states.  We are able to provide this training through networking together and partnering with Lifeway Christian Resources.  Lifeway provides funding and training that assists our organizations and allows us to offer greater training than we could provide on our own.

We are committed to joining together to provide the best possible training. It is our desire to have Kingdom-focused churches accomplishing Kingdom work in each of our state conventions.

History

In 1999, there became an awareness of the need for unified training among state Sunday School Directors in the west. TeamWest allows us to focus on our specific Bible study needs in the west. The first TeamWest event was conducted at Ponderosa Conference Center in Colorado. Tim Holcomb, David Wills, Randy Tompkins, Harry Piland, and Jerri Herring did the first leadership training. It was a very successful event. Other locations have included:

2000 – Casper, Wyoming

2001 – Layton, Utah

2002 – Albuquerque, New Mexico

2003 – Phoenix, Arizona

2004 – Reno, Nevada

2005 – Billings, Montana

2006 – Denver, Colorado

2007  – Anchorage, Alaska

Planning for TeamWest is done by the State Directors. The host State Director serves as the organizer/coordinator for the event each year. He/She works with Lifeway to enlist training teams. Because of the interaction between State Directors, TeamWest has become a very successful training event for the western states.

Lifeway has partnered with TeamWest over the years with travel expenses for 5-8 team members yearly. The partnership makes this event possible.

Lifeway trainers are included with trainers from larger partnering states on a rotating basis to keep TeamWest fresh each year. Excellence is at the forefront of our training. Rotating states and teams each year helps us keep the event fresh and cutting edge.

Participating conventions include Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah/Idaho, and Wyoming, Other state conventions that have been invited to participate include Hawaii, California, Canada, and Northwest.

Expenses

Each state convention pays a $200 participation fee to TeamWest. These funds are used for special budget items, notebooks, giveaway items, and miscellaneous expenses. An annual report is provided to the state directors of these funds.

Each state pays a minimum of $25 per participant for on-site expenses (banquet, on-site meals, breaks, etc.) to the host convention.

Transportation, food costs, etc. are the responsibility of the state convention. The state convention works with Lifeway Christian Resources for reimbursement using the current Lifeway policy.

FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact any TeamWest State Director for further insights and information.