Convention

COMBINED ACP & CCCA CONVENTION

TORONTO, ONTARIO

MAY 13-15, 2026

New for 2026, ACP and the Canadian Christian Communicators Association (CCCA) are teaming up for a joint conference uniting North America’s religious media leaders.


The combined convention, Reaching Across Divides, takes place May 13–15 in Toronto. Hosted at St. Paul’s Bloor Street Church and the Town Inn Suites, the program focuses on journalism and publishing skill-building, knowledge-sharing and collaboration across newsrooms and organizations. Attendees will gather to connect, exchange ideas and strengthen partnerships. More than 15 sessions on Thursday and Friday will cover grant funding, AI, audience trends, workflow innovation and more, culminating in our Awards Celebration on Friday evening.


Bring copies of your publication or other swag for our "Newsstand Showcase," displayed throughout the convention.  Join the group for an optional Fellowship Outing to Second City Toronto on Thursday evening, and celebrate the best of both ACP and CCCA with the Awards Banquet Friday night!


Conference location
St. Paul’s Bloor Church
227 Bloor St. E., Toronto, ON


Conference hotel:

Town Inn Suites
620 Church St., Toronto, ON
Room block rate: $249/night (link expires April 10)

If link is not working, please contact Kishan Panchal, kishan at towninn.com to make your reservation.


View the full conference program


Interested in sponsoring? Sponsorship offers high-visibility access to this influential audience and demonstrates your commitment to the future of religious journalism. Visit our sponsorship page for details and payment options.

Ticket Pricing


  • Individual Registration                                              $395.00

General registration includes Thursday lunch, Friday lunch and Friday awards banquet as well as our two keynote speakers, and a over a dozen professional development sessions.

  • Student or 2026 Graduate Registration               $200.00
  • Group Registration (3+ from same party)           $350.00
  • Awards Banquet Only                                                 $ 75.00
  • Not able to attend (Livestream Access)                $ 50.00

Livestream Access includes 3 general sessions and the keynote sessions.

  • Fellowship Outing at Second City                            $50.00


Note: If you are in the U.S. you need to have a passport to fly into Canada

Convention Schedule


Unless otherwise indicated, all convention activities take place at St. Paul's Bloor Church, 227 Bloor St E, Toronto, ON M4W 1C8. Note: the schedule is subject to change as we finalize speakers.


WEDNESDAY, MAY 13

Registration & Mixing Bowl 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm
St. Paul's Bloor
Real-life discussions on various subjects in self-selected small groups. Use our “Ask Me About” tags to identify subjects where you can be a resource or use our table prompts as a jumping off point for discussion.


Opening Worship 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Great Hall, St. Paul's Bloor

Opening sermon by Rev. Dr. Jason Byassee, senior pastor at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church in Toronto.


Opening Reception 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Pizza Party at convention hotel, Town Inn Suites, sponsored by Shanley & Associates


THURSDAY, MAY 14

Registration and Networking all day
St. Paul's Bloor Church, Cody Hall


Opening Prayer 8:30 am – 9:00 am
Cody Hall


Session 1: 9:15 am —10:30 am Workshops and roundtable discussions led by industry experts, on a variety of topics. The schedule will be posted as it becomes available.


Food for Thought
"Crossing the Denominational Divide"
How can publications and communicators cover divisive issues while bringing their audiences together?


Journalism skill builder
"Understanding Audience"
Alexander Carpenter of Spectrum shares the organization's experience with an audience survey we conducted in late 2025, a focus on intentionally inviting critical questions and using short vertical video and other social media distillations to amplify content. 


Revenue / Marketing
"Mailchimp Analytics"
What your numbers mean and how you can improve engagement. Heidi Thompson draws on her marketing expertise as a consultant with Shanley & Associates to navigate audience analytics to create actionable strategies to improve audience engagement."


Take a BREAK
10:30 am —10:45 am Connect with others.


General Session
10:45 am —noon

AI in Journalism and Communications


Lunch with Keynote Speaker
Noon – 1:30 pm Lunch with Keynote Speaker Brian Stewart
Brian Stewart is the host of CBC Newsworld international affairs show, CBC News: Our World and Senior Correspondent of CBC's flagship news program, CBC News: The National.  See Brian Stewart's Bio.


Take a BREAK
1:30 pm —1:45 pm Connect with others.


Training & Discussion tracks—Session 2
1:45 pm —3:00 pm Workshops and roundtable discussions led by industry experts, on a variety of topics. The schedule will be posted as it becomes available.


Journalism Skill Builder

"Visual Storytelling Without all the Words"

Randy Hobson of PCUSA will share the visual storytelling tips that have made him an award-winning video journalist, elevating stories and connecting with audiences.


Revenue / Marketing
"The Art of the Ask"
Top 15 Keys to Unlocking Generosity for Your Media Organization, with Trisha Elliott, Executive Director Broadview


Food for Thought

"Caring for yourself and others as a journalist" 


Take a BREAK
3:00 pm —3:30 pm Connect with others.


Business Meeting
3:30 pm —4:00 pm Annual meeting of ACP with a review of our work in 2025 and a look towards the future.

3:30 pm - 4:00 pm Annual meeting of CCCA


Explore and Dinner

4:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Explore Toronto and enjoy dinner on your own, but make sure to come to the Second City for the show at 8 pm.


Group Outing
8 pm SHOWTIME!  Second City Toronto, 110 Harbour St, Toronto, ON M5J 0B6.  Join fellow convention attendees for an evening of fun and laughter, with premium, assigned seating.  Additional cost applies.


FRIDAY, MAY 15

Opening Prayer 8:30 am – 9:00 am
Cody Hall


Training & Discussion tracks—Session 1
9:15 am —10:30 am Workshops and roundtable discussions led by industry experts, on a variety of topics. The schedule will be posted as it becomes available.


Food for Thought 

"Intergenerational Communication"

Speaking across generations from A-Z; or how can news media and communicators serve the needs of diverse audiences?


Journalism skill builder

"Decolonizing Journalism"

Jocelyn Bell of Broadview moderates a panel of thought leaders about how journalists can become more aware of the colonial past and how it shows up in institutions and coverage.


Revenue / Marketing

"Turning socials into dollars"


Take a BREAK
10:30 am —10:45 am Connect with others.


Training & Discussion tracks—Session 2
10:45 am —noon Workshops and roundtable discussions led by industry experts, on a variety of topics. The schedule will be posted as it becomes available.


Revenue / Marketing
"Five Audit Takeaways"

Learn from Presbyterian Outlook's case study of their recent SEO audit, presented by Rose Taylor


Food for Thought

"The future of religious communication in Canada and the U.S."
Town Hall style meeting about the landscape of religious communication and journalism, led by John Longhurst, freelance journalist and longtime board member of Canadian Christian Communicators Association and Rebecca Snyder, executive director of Associated Church Press.


Journalism Skill Builder

"Asking the Right Questions"

Understanding the interview skills that can unlock your source.


Lunch with Keynote Conversation with Molly Thomas and John Longhurst
Noon – 1:30 pm Lunch with Keynote Speaker
Molly Thomas is the Host of TVO’s show, Big [If True] which exposes disinformation and misinformation in everyday life. She is an award winning Anchor, Correspondent & Producer who has worked for all three major networks in Canada. See Molly Thomas's Bio.


Explore the city
1:30 pm —5:30 pm FREE TIME.


Reception
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Pre-dinner Reception

Cody Hall


Awards Dinner & Program
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Winners of the 2025 contest will be honored for both the ACP and CCCA contests in a combined presentation.


SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES

Platinum Sponsor - $5,000 (1 available)

  • Premium brand recognition on all promotional materials leading up to and during the event (print, digital, pre-roll)
  • Premium branding on all Awards Program streams
  • Opportunity to address conference wide session for 5 minutes
  • Opportunity to present a mutually agreeable award or special recognition at awards dinner
  • Complimentary full registration for two
  • Exhibitor Booth with premium positioning
  • Two sponsored emails to ACP membership
  • Three sponsored posts on ACP social channels
  • Above-the-scroll logo on bi-weekly member e-newsletter for one year
  • “Why Faith Matters” social reels inclusion
  • Insert (up to 8.5” x 11”) in each attendee’s registration folder
  • Registration list before the conference - with email addresses; includes promotional space on attendee list provided at registration.
  • One-year logo placement and click-through link from ACP website
  • Once-annual story placement on the ACP website in keeping with the mutual goals of your organization and the ACP
  • Affiliate membership included at no additional charge


Gold Sponsor - $3,000

  • Brand recognition on all promotional materials leading up to and during the event (print, digital, pre-roll)
  • “Brought to you by” branding on all Awards Program streams
  • Opportunity to address conference wide session for 3 minutes
  • Complimentary full registration for two
  • Exhibitor Booth
  • One sponsored email to ACP membership
  • Two sponsored posts on ACP social channels
  • Above-the-scroll logo on bi-weekly member e-newsletter for three months
  • “Why Faith Matters” social reels inclusion
  • Insert (up to 8.5” x 11”) in each attendee’s registration folder
  • Identified as sponsor on attendee list provided at registration.
  • One-year logo placement and click-through link from ACP website
  • Affiliate membership included at no additional charge


Silver Sponsor - $1,000

  • Brand recognition on all promotional materials leading up to and during the event (print, digital, pre-roll)
  • “Brought to you by” branding on all Awards Program streams
  • Opportunity to address conference wide session for 3 minutes
  • Complimentary full registration for one
  • Exhibitor Booth
  • One sponsored posts on ACP social channels
  • “Why Faith Matters” social reels inclusion
  • Identified as sponsor on attendee list provided at registration.
  • One-year logo placement and click-through link from ACP website


Bronze Sponsor - $750

  • Brand recognition on all promotional materials leading up to and during the event (print, digital, pre-roll)
  • “Brought to you by” branding at coffee break stations
  • Complimentary full registration for one
  • “Why Faith Matters” social reels inclusion
  • Identified as sponsor on attendee list provided at registration.
  • One-year logo placement on ACP website


Affiliate Membership highlights your organization year round

$500  (included in Platinum and Gold sponsors)

  • Sponsored email to ACP Update list (450 strong) annually, which is also distributed through social post
  • Logo on scroll at bottom of ACP website homepage (theacp.org)
  • Preferential member pricing to Annual Conference, Best Practices Summit and all webinars
  • Appear as an educationally-focused guest on one episode of Associated Church Press Podcast.
  • Lead one Connecting Christian Communicators call with educational topic annually.
  • Listing as a Preferred Vendor on ACP website with the recommendation of at least one active ACP member.
  • Inclusion in ACP Member Directory; access to contact information for all ACP members in online Directory.
  • Logo on all ACP Update emails as an Affiliate Member.

Additional Affiliate opportunities:

  • Sponsor a contest category with your logo and 15 second congratulatory message in Awards broadcast. Includes cash prize to top winner of category. ($500)
  • Marketing message included on Associated Church Press Podcast episodes for the membership year ($500)