Third Thursdays Webinars
Free monthly educational programs on a wide range of topics
Just as our Publishing Company and Adjunct Company Members have had to adapt to changing technologies, sales channels and reading habits of our customers, PCPA has adapted, too, by launching our Third Thursdays webinar program!
As the name implies, these are 1-hour educational webinars on a wide range of topics of interest to those publishing for Protestant Christians. Generally, the facilitator speaks or offers a PowerPoint or video for 20 to 40 minutes, then the balance of the time is reserved for discussion and Q&A among the participants.
In addition, from time to time, we offer special webinars on timely topics on a day other than the "Third Thursday" of the month. These are also listed below in date order.
Please note: There is no PCPA Third Thursday webinar in April because of the work on our annual conference.
Interested in past PCPA Third Thursday webinars? They are recorded and may be found on our Vimeo Channel.
Do you have an idea for a topic or webinar presenter? Please contact Beth Lewis, Executive Director for PCPA.
Upcoming Webinars
Register to attend these upcoming webinars, which are all FREE for employees of PCPA member companies and are generally available about one week after the event at the PCPA Vimeo channel.
GenAI for Christian Publishers:
From Manuscripts to Multilingual Impact
Thursday, June 19, 2025
1-2 p.m. ET/noon-1 p.m. CT/10-11 a.m. PT
Webinar leader:
Chris Lim is an inveterate tinkerer who seeks to thoughtfully apply technology to advance the Gospel.
His company TheoTech produces spf.io, an all-in-one platform for translation and accessibility through AI with a human touch.
Married with two kids, Chris loves creating a home that is a foretaste of God’s Kingdom and building up the vitality and diversity of the body of Christ.
Description:
Generative AI is revolutionizing the publishing industry, offering powerful tools for translation, accessibility, and content creation. In this webinar, we’ll explore how Christian publishers can leverage AI to amplify their mission—reaching more readers, making content more accessible, and streamlining operations. Discover how AI-powered translation, voice cloning for audiobook production and more can help you serve diverse audiences while ethically expanding your impact. Whether you’re exploring AI for the first time or seeking ways to integrate it into your workflow, this session will provide valuable guidance on leveraging AI for both business growth and ministry outreach.
Who should attend:
Editors, Marketers, Production, Designers and publishing professionals from across the organization who want to explore the variety of ways generative AI can streamline your work to enhance both your productivity and your missional impact.
Improving your discoverability strategy
Thursday, June 26 , 2025
1-2 p.m. ET/noon-1 p.m. CT/10-11 a.m. PT
Webinar leader:
Sarah Arbuthnot is the Chief Commercial Officer at leading publishing website provider and PCPA Adjunct Member Supadü.
Sarah has worked for the company since it started in 2008 across customer services and business development. Her interests and experience have been focused on consumer behavior and specifically how consumers behave in the digital world in respect of what they buy and how they shop.
Description:
Join Supadu for a masterclass in discoverability: we will cover BISAC selections, improving your metadata, a view on a broad range of marketplaces and more. Supadu will specifically take you through their new extensive discoverability report for Christian Publishers and give them the report as a handout
Supadu’s report underscores the pivotal role of metadata in enhancing the discoverability of Christian books across online and physical marketplaces. Accurate BISAC code selection ensures proper categorization, boosting visibility in genre-specific searches. Optimizing product detail pages—titles, descriptions, and SEO keywords—directly influences search rankings on retailer platforms and Google. Effective metadata management, including keyword tagging and appropriate categorization, significantly increases a book's chances of reaching its target audience. For a comprehensive understanding of these strategies, readers are encouraged to explore the full report.
Who should attend:
C-Suite, sales, marketing, eCommerce specialists, designers, authors and anyone who wants to maximize discoverability of their books and other published resources.
New Understandings of Children’s Development, part 2
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
1-2 p.m. ET/noon-1 p.m. CT/10-11 a.m. PT
Webinar leader:
Karen-Marie Yust,
Josiah P. and Anne Wilson Rowe Professor of Christian Education at Union Presbyterian Seminary
In her teaching and research, Karen-Marie focuses on nurturing spirituality and encouraging theological reflection intergenerationally and across the lifespan. Her current research explores the effects of digital culture on spirituality, particularly among children, youth and young adults. She draws from findings in media studies, developmental psychology, and educational theory to describe how online participation shapes personal identity and communal relationships and then reflect theologically on how the Church might respond constructively to the realities of contemporary life.
She is also exploring the changing dynamics of congregational life and asking how these changes offer opportunities to develop new approaches to faith formation and new foci for educational ministries. She is interested in taking Christian education outside traditional programs to other venues, such as online sites and non-religious gathering spaces.
An experienced pastor and Christian educator, Karen-Marie is ordained with dual standing in the United Church of Christ and Disciples traditions.
Description:
Part 1 of this webinar, "New Understandings of Children’s Development" was held on Thursday, May 15. There was so much rich content, that we didn't get through everything, so we have added "part 2." Whether you were able to attend the first part or not, you will be welcome to attend and learn about new research in this important field.
New technologies have helped developmental psychologists gain new insights into how children think and learn. That means curriculum writers and church school teachers need to update their understandings as well. This webinar will highlight research findings that move beyond the universal stage theories typically included in ages & stages charts. Together, we will explore the ways that children are much more capable of engaging in their own faith formation than previously believed. We’ll also discuss how this new way of looking at children might affect how we write and teach children’s ministries resources.
Following the webinar, participants will be able to:
• Identify problematic assumptions about children’s development that need to change
• Name several new findings about children’s development
• Recognize the implications of these findings for resource development and teaching
Who should attend:
Publishers, editors, designers, marketers, writers, pastors, church school teachers.
Please register if you are interested in this topic and while we hope you will be able to attend the live webinar, all who pre-register will receive a link to the recording once it has been edited and uploaded to the PCPA Vimeo Channel.
Audiobooks: WHAT DO WE DO?
Thursday, July 17, 2025
1-2 p.m. ET/noon-1 p.m. CT/10-11 a.m. PT
Webinar leader:
John Behrens founded PCPA Adjunct Member Nashville Audio Productions (NAP) in 2017, after years of engineering audiobooks on his own. He has been in Nashville since 2010, having happily left behind his original career in chemical engineering to produce audio.
When the work emails are done he loves being with his two boys and labradoodle, reading, cooking, and devouring history podcasts. Whether in music or audiobooks, he is passionate about drawing out people’s visions and bringing them to life with excellence.
Description:
This webinar aims to educate participants about the world of audiobooks so they can evaluate their company’s approach from a position of grounded knowledge and future-oriented strategy.
NAP has been producing hundreds of audiobooks for more than 6 years, for the likes of Harper-Collins Christian, Crossway, and MacMillan. Our goal is to demystify audiobooks for publishers and equip them to take the approach that best suits their company’s current needs and resources, with an awareness of the critical importance of audiobooks both now and in the years to come.
Who should attend:
C-Suite, operations, editors, rights, marketing, finance, and anyone who wants a clear understanding of the world of audiobooks.
Title TBD
Thursday, August 21, 2025
1-2 p.m. ET/noon-1 p.m. CT/10-11 a.m. PT
A webinar led by PCPA Adjunct Member and Gold Keynote Sponsor Jason Malec of Gloo.
Webinar leader:
Jason Malec, Director for Gloo is helping to shape values-aligned AI at Gloo. (ai.gloo.us)
He’s been a founder or exec at Living on the Edge, American Bible Society, New Denver Church, ExploreGod, and North Point Ministries.
He and Meredith married in 1997, and have three grown children. He’s an avid cyclist, swimmer, and yogi, and earned second place in a sixth-grade speling be–—which was definately rigged.
Title TBD
Thursday, September 18, 2025
1-2 p.m. ET/noon-1 p.m. CT/10-11 a.m. PT
A webinar to be led by PCPA Adjunct Member and Gold Keynote Sponsor knkSoftware.
Title TBD
Thursday, October 16, 2025
1-2 p.m. ET/noon-1 p.m. CT/10-11 a.m. PT
A webinar to be led by PCPA Adjunct Member The Grandview Group.
Title TBD
Thursday, November 20, 2025
1-2 p.m. ET/noon-1 p.m. CT/10-11 a.m. PT
A webinar to be led by PCPA Adjunct Member Belmont University Executive Education
Title TBD
Thursday, December 18, 2025
1-2 p.m. ET/noon-1 p.m. CT/10-11 a.m. PT
A webinar to be led by PCPA Member Company Virtusales
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