Breakout sessions
3:20 PM Breakouts
Do you have a plan for discipling the adults in your church? In this session, join Robby Angle as he introduces a roadmap to help you craft a customized discipleship strategy for your church. Churches of all sizes will benefit from this framework.
Robby Angle is president and CEO of Trueface and discipleship advisor for RightNow Pastors+. Robby is an expert on discipleship and small groups ministry, and he’s the author of two groups ministry books: Embark and The Cure.
What if non-Christians are more open to Christianity than you think? Join Mark Matlock as he shares data-driven insights from Barna’s research and practical steps for engaging in conversations about faith. Gain tools and confidence for connecting with and guiding the spiritually curious toward understanding.
Mark Matlock is a senior fellow at Barna, executive director of Urbana for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and founder of WisdomWorks. Mark’s research provides insights into understanding younger generations and cultivating resilient disciples. He coauthored Faith for Exiles with David Kinnaman.
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Get a sneak peek of the upcoming State of the Church 2025 initiative, orchestrated by Barna and Gloo. Join Brad Hill for this session to learn about current research, new tools, and actionable next steps to help your church thrive. Phones encouraged.
Brad Hill is chief solutions officer at Gloo, where he’s responsible for serving and expanding Gloo’s network of churches, networks, and faith partners. Brad has been solving technology challenges for the church and helping further its mission for over twenty-five years.
Scars tell stories. Join Chris Seidman and save yourself some time and pain by learning from a few of his scars. You’ll laugh and wince and glean a little wisdom for your ministry from someone who has “been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt.”
Chris Seidman is lead minister for The Branch Church, a multi-site church in the Dallas area that seeks to help people become, grow, and live as disciples of Jesus. He has written three books and often preaches across the country.
In this session, examine the predictable small group stages every leader needs to know while learning to identify barriers that can keep real community from happening. Join Bill Search to explore good, better, and best practices that will take your group to the next level.
Bill Search is executive pastor at Crossings Community Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He’s the author of Essential Guide for Small Group Leaders and Simple Small Groups. Bill’s video curriculum The Armor of God can be found on RightNow Media.
This unique workshop focuses on the most legally significant group in your church—your governing board. In this session, Dustin Gaines will identify common mistakes that land board members in the courtroom and teach you to overcome them so your governing board meets the mark.
Dustin Gaines is a founding partner at My Church Law Firm, a national law firm that represents churches, religious nonprofits, and religious schools. He oversees the firm’s litigation practice and speaks regularly in churches, at conferences, and at staff trainings.
Much of today’s leadership advice sounds more like cowboy mythos than biblical wisdom. But Jesus never called pastors to be cowboys; he called us to be shepherds. Join Jeff Dunn as he illustrates the pastor’s role as shepherding the flock, not riding the herd.
Jeff Dunn is preaching minister at Huntsville Church of Christ in Huntsville, Texas, and the author of three books, including Alienated: Studies in 1 Peter. He is a sought-after speaker and consultant for churches and universities across the country.
In this session, you’ll learn the five necessary shifts for becoming more like Christ. Join Zairreus Patterson to explore what it means to participate in Christ’s fullness in every moment and discover how you can lead others to do the same.
Zairreus Patterson is campus pastor at One Community Church’s Plano campus in Plano, Texas. As the campus pastor, he is responsible for shepherding, care, and campus leadership, and he oversees the Lifeflow, Guest Services, Life Groups, and Adult ministries.
Making disciples is hard—but RightNow Media is here to help. We want to support you, whether you are discipling kids, adults, high-schoolers, married couples, or are simply trying to figure out your discipleship strategy. Join the RightNow Media team as we open our toolbox, discuss best practices, and answer your questions.
Taylor Empkey is director of senior account managers at RightNow Media, where he leads a team of people who help communicate the mission of RightNow Media to churches and schools.
Kenneth Payton is a senior account consultant at RightNow Media, where he coaches pastors and leaders on how to leverage RightNow Media for the work of their ministry. He is married to Brittany, and they have one daughter.
11:15 AM Breakouts
One of the great ironies of vocational ministry is we can insulate ourselves from those who are lost, encouraging others to live on mission while we experience “mission drift.” Join Chris Seidman and learn how to move your ministry from insulated to intentional again.
Chris Seidman is lead minister for The Branch Church, a multi-site church in the Dallas area that seeks to help people become, grow, and live as disciples of Jesus. He has written three books and often preaches across the country.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is seen as the best predictor of success in personal and professional life. In this session, Carolyn Taketa will discuss the core components of EQ and share practical tips to grow your EQ skills for greater effectiveness and joy as a ministry leader.
Carolyn Taketa is a leadership coach and ministry consultant with over thirty years of combined experience as a pastor, executive, attorney, speaker, writer, and podcast host for the Small Group Network. For more information about Carolyn, visit carolyntaketa.com.
In this session, explore strategies and insights that will help foster greater engagement within your congregation. Kelli Jo Smith and Ed Ollie Jr. will offer the tools and inspiration you need to drive meaningful engagement and build a thriving church community.
Kelli Jo Smith is vice president of church engagement and marketing at The MomCo, a nonprofit that serves moms of young children. She has been an advocate for growing Christian nonprofits and empowering moms for more than seventeen years.
Ed Ollie, Jr. is chairman of the board for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and a nonprofit leader with over thirty years of leadership experience. Ed speaks to boards and organizations across the country on leadership development, strategic vision, and change management.
Our beliefs are under constant pressure from the digital age, and many are struggling with our faith as a result. In this session, learn to confront and overcome the lies that screens tell us about God. Help keep your faith strong in this tech-driven world.
Dr. Kathy Koch is the founder and president of Celebrate Kids, Inc., an international keynote speaker, and the author of six books, including Parent Differently and Resilient Kids. Her teaching has impacted parents, teachers, and children in over thirty countries.
In the Scriptures, hospitality isn’t about tablescapes and decorations; it’s more about who we invite to our tables. In this session, Nika Spaulding will show how the Scriptures depict subversive hospitality for the followers of Jesus and how those examples can inform us today.
Nika Spaulding is a Bible nerd who studies and writes about the Bible and theology and cohosts the Honestly, Though podcast. She earned her ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary. Nika believes in her bones that God loves you.
The church isn’t immune to social media attacks and hit pieces in large publications. In this session, Dustin Gaines will provide general biblical, legal, and public relations principles and strategies so you and your team can be prepared to weather these storms with grace.
Dustin Gaines is a founding partner at My Church Law Firm, a national law firm that represents churches, religious nonprofits, and religious schools. He oversees the firm’s litigation practice and speaks regularly in churches, at conferences, and at staff trainings.
Much of today’s leadership advice sounds more like cowboy mythos than biblical wisdom. But Jesus never called pastors to be cowboys; he called us to be shepherds. Join Jeff Dunn as he illustrates the pastor’s role as shepherding the flock, not riding the herd.
Jeff Dunn is preaching minister at Huntsville Church of Christ in Huntsville, Texas, and the author of three books, including Alienated: Studies in 1 Peter. He is a sought-after speaker and consultant for churches and universities across the country.
The Apostle Paul addressed sexual immorality as part of his discipleship, and so should we. Pornography use among Christians is pervasive, addictive, and destructive, but addressing it can lead to transformational discipleship. Join Ted Shimer and learn a proven path that leads to lasting freedom.
Ted Shimer is founder of The Freedom Fight, an online porn addiction recovery program, author of The Freedom Fight: The New Drug and the Truths that Set Us Free, and a long-time mentor with Student Mobilization.
Jesus is the perfect model of having conversations that lead to salvation. Learn how every person in your church can engage others in leading “Good God Gospel” conversations. In this session, Dave Edwards will explore the strategy of turning everyone in your church into everyday evangelists.
Dr. Dave Edwards is pastor of discipleship movements at Church Project in The Woodlands, Texas and the author of more than thirty books. He’s a national speaker and consults with churches on accelerating the effectiveness of evangelism and discipleship.
12:45 PM Breakouts
In this session, examine the predictable small group stages every leader needs to know while learning to identify barriers that can keep real community from happening. Join Bill Search to explore good, better, and best practices that will take your group to the next level.
Bill Search is executive pastor at Crossings Community Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He’s the author of Essential Guide for Small Group Leaders and Simple Small Groups. Bill’s video curriculum The Armor of God can be found on RightNow Media.
You’ve led meetings, planned next steps, and then hoped God would bless your work. But what if you had paused first, listened to God, and let him lead you? Join RichRel and Reward Sibanda and learn to seek God’s voice first in all your daily ministry decisions.
Richard “RichRel” Reliford is the national lead for World Vision US ministry partnerships, and an artist, actor, and advocate for those on the margins. His ministry experience spans over twenty-five years and includes youth ministry, prison ministry, teaching, preaching, and leadership.
Reward Sibanda is senior director for national church engagement at World Vision and teaching pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. He has a heart for evangelism and travels the world speaking and preaching the gospel.
In this session, explore strategies and insights that will help foster greater engagement within your congregation. Kelli Jo Smith and Ed Ollie Jr. will offer the tools and inspiration you need to drive meaningful engagement and build a thriving church community.
Kelli Jo Smith is vice president of church engagement and marketing at The MomCo, a nonprofit that serves moms of young children. She has been an advocate for growing Christian nonprofits and empowering moms for more than seventeen years.
Ed Ollie, Jr. is chairman of the board for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and a nonprofit leader with over thirty years of leadership experience. Ed speaks to boards and organizations across the country on leadership development, strategic vision, and change management.
In this session, Dr. Kathy Koch and Wayne Stender will explore how our faith can help us build resilience. Come learn practical steps to cultivate the kind of faith that fuels and sustains passion and purpose—come ready to form a resilient faith.
Dr. Kathy Koch is the founder and president of Celebrate Kids, Inc., an international keynote speaker, and the author of six books, including Parent Differently and Resilient Kids. Her teaching has impacted parents, teachers, and children in over thirty countries.
Wayne Stender is operations director at Celebrate Kids, Inc. Formerly, he was the student and resident life director at Hillcrest Academy in Minnesota and a contributing writer for World Magazine and Breakpoint, a ministry of the Colson Center.
In the Scriptures, hospitality isn’t about tablescapes and decorations; it’s more about who we invite to our tables. In this session, Nika Spaulding will show how the Scriptures depict subversive hospitality for the followers of Jesus and how those examples can inform us today.
Nika Spaulding is a Bible nerd who studies and writes about the Bible and theology and cohosts the Honestly, Though podcast. She earned her ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary. Nika believes in her bones that God loves you.
Our view of God and ourselves shapes how we engage with others in community. Join Robby Angle in this session to explore how our theology influences our church’s culture of discipleship and to develop a vision for discipleship that operates through the lens of grace.
Robby Angle is president and CEO of Trueface and discipleship advisor for RightNow Pastors+. Robby is an expert on discipleship and small groups ministry, and he’s the author of two groups ministry books: Embark and The Cure.
The key to success in any endeavor—including discipleship—is not talent or IQ, but grit. In this session, you’ll discover that to succeed in making disciples of Jesus, you must cultivate a gritty faith yourself and unleash the power of grit as you invest in others.
Chase Durham is the student pastor and a teaching pastor at Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas. He has a master’s degree in discipleship, and he’s a doctoral candidate at Dallas Baptist University. Chase is married to Kendall, and they have three kids.
This generation is loaded with excuses for why we aren’t giving our best time or energy toward sharing our faith with our kids. It’s time to take discipleship seriously and equip families to go beyond the most basic understanding of what we believe.
Adam Griffin is lead pastor of Eastside Community Church in Dallas, Texas. He’s the author of several books and resources for families, and he hosts the Family Discipleship Podcast. Adam is married to Chelsea Lane, and they have three sons.
Making disciples is hard—but RightNow Media is here to help. We want to support you, whether you are discipling kids, adults, high-schoolers, married couples, or are simply trying to figure out your discipleship strategy. Join the RightNow Media team as we open our toolbox, discuss best practices, and answer your questions.
Taylor Empkey is director of senior account managers at RightNow Media, where he leads a team of people who help communicate the mission of RightNow Media to churches and schools.
Kenneth Payton is a senior account consultant at RightNow Media, where he coaches pastors and leaders on how to leverage RightNow Media for the work of their ministry. He is married to Brittany, and they have one daughter.
2:00 PM Breakouts
Pastoral ministry is undergoing changes that can be difficult for pastors to navigate. Join Ed Stetzer for this session as he presents statistics, missiological analysis, and his own expert observations to help pastors and staff members lead faithfully in today’s new normal.
Ed Stetzer is dean and professor of leadership and Christian ministry at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, general editor of RightNow Pastors+, and scholar in residence and teaching pastor at Mariners Church in Southern California.
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As the AI landscape unfolds, new tools are emerging that are truly helpful in the full lifecycle of your sermon. Join Steele Billings as he explores some of these practical tools and discusses the current state of AI through the lens of the pastorate.
Steele Billings is managing partner of Gloo Ventures & AI, where he helps pastors prepare their congregations for the emergence of artificial intelligence. Steele and his family live in Memphis, Tennessee where they are a part of Harvest Church.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is seen as the best predictor of success in personal and professional life. In this session, Carolyn Taketa will discuss the core components of EQ and share practical tips to grow your EQ skills for greater effectiveness and joy as a ministry leader.
Carolyn Taketa is a leadership coach and ministry consultant with over thirty years of combined experience as a pastor, executive, attorney, speaker, writer, and podcast host for the Small Group Network. For more information about Carolyn, visit carolyntaketa.com.
How can small group leaders help their members become more like Christ? What can we do to lead them toward genuine life change? Join Bill Search as he explores what we can learn from spiritual growth and small group leadership experts past and present.
Bill Search is executive pastor at Crossings Community Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He’s the author of Essential Guide for Small Group Leaders and Simple Small Groups. Bill’s video curriculum The Armor of God can be found on RightNow Media.
The Apostle Paul addressed sexual immorality as part of his discipleship, and so should we. Pornography use among Christians is pervasive, addictive, and destructive, but addressing it can lead to transformational discipleship. Join Ted Shimer and learn a proven path that leads to lasting freedom.
Ted Shimer is founder of The Freedom Fight, an online porn addiction recovery program, author of The Freedom Fight: The New Drug and the Truths that Set Us Free, and a long-time mentor with Student Mobilization.
This unique workshop focuses on the most legally significant group in your church—your governing board. In this session, Dustin Gaines will identify common mistakes that land board members in the courtroom and teach you to overcome them so your governing board meets the mark.
Dustin Gaines is a founding partner at My Church Law Firm, a national law firm that represents churches, religious nonprofits, and religious schools. He oversees the firm’s litigation practice and speaks regularly in churches, at conferences, and at staff trainings.
The key to success in any endeavor—including discipleship—is not talent or IQ, but grit. In this session, you’ll discover that to succeed in making disciples of Jesus, you must cultivate a gritty faith yourself and unleash the power of grit as you invest in others.
Chase Durham is the student pastor and a teaching pastor at Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas. He has a master’s degree in discipleship, and he’s a doctoral candidate at Dallas Baptist University. Chase is married to Kendall, and they have three kids.
What is your plan for the impossible and important work of raising your kids just right? In this session, Adam will show how walking with God is the only thing that addresses the anxiety, stress, and exhaustion of leading a Christian home.
Adam Griffin is lead pastor of Eastside Community Church in Dallas, Texas. He’s the author of several books and resources for families, and he hosts the Family Discipleship Podcast. Adam is married to Chelsea Lane, and they have three sons.
Beginning in 2010, Church Project started “doing church” as they observed it in the New Testament. Join Matt Rule for this session as he shows how Church Project is demonstrating that thousands who gather every week in their homes can rapidly multiply disciples under this New Testament approach.
Matt Rule is a pastor and church planter in the Houston, Texas area who planted Church Project North County in 2017. He also serves as Church Project Network coach for all Church Projects in the United States.
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