Popular author Robert Hall opens 2026 Stewardship Kaleidoscope Conference
Annual event draws record attendance to Baltimore
BALTIMORE — As some 300 attendees eagerly converged on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor on Monday for the annual Stewardship Kaleidoscope Conference, they learned not about its storied sailing ships but rather about three important ships in the practice of ministry from opening speaker, Robert Hall.
Relationship, stewardship and leadership.
Hall, a ruling elder at Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas, has authored more than 200 articles on leadership, strategic direction, culture and relationships. His most recent book is “This Land of Strangers: The Relationship Crisis That Imperils Home, Work, Politics and Faith.”
Opening his talk on “Leading and Growing a Relationally-Centered Stewardship Culture” with a moving story about how a relationship with a neighbor ultimately saved his family’s farm, Hall lifted up relationships as “the single most valuable, value-creating and value-releasing resource that we have.”
In addition to Hall, the plenary speakers at this year’s conference — themed “Doing more in BaltiMORE” — also include Bethany Peerbolte, an ordained PC(USA) minister known to many as the “TikTok Pastor, and Shane Claiborne, bestselling author and activist.
Conference preachers are the Rev. Christopher M. Lee, an ordained PC(USA) minister and Executive Presbyter for Grace Presbytery in Dallas, who gave a powerful opening sermon; and the Rev. Sarah K. Fisher, Bishop-elect of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, Kinston, North Carolina. Worship director and poet-in-residence is the Rev. Dr. Mark E. Parsons II, pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Dover, Delaware.
The grassroots conference, which was started by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) over 20 years ago, was joined in 2018 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) as a partner.
Now drawing leaders from across the PC(USA), ELCA, the Episcopal Church and other ecumenical partners, Stewardship Kaleidoscope is designed to ignite generosity in faith-based communities, give practical tools for cultivating generosity in congregations, expand the leadership capacity of those who lead stewardship initiatives, and cultivate adaptive approaches for funding Christ’s mission.
“Stewardship Kaleidoscope 2026 invites church leaders to explore faithful stewardship in a time of uncertainty,” said Caralee Wheeler, event co-chair and development program associate for the Presbyterian Foundation. “Together we are here to reflect on creative and adaptive approaches to generosity — with the hope that every attendee will walk away having named their next three actionable steps for ministry.”
The location for next year’s conference will be announced on Wednesday, the conference’s closing day.
Emily Enders Odom, a member of the Stewardship Kaleidoscope Planning Team, contributed this article.
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