JACKSON — Messengers at the 2025 Summit are going to be facing tough decisions when it comes to choosing which breakout sessions to attend.
This year’s list of sessions includes a wide-range of topics and full lineup of renowned speakers.
Below is a brief overview of each session, including starting times and featured speakers:
Monday, Nov. 10
Noon–1 p.m. (Includes a $10 boxed lunch)
Topic: Mix it Up!
Leaders: Kathleen George, children’s ministry director, Englewood Baptist Church, Jackson
Location: Room D214, Second Floor
Overview: The gospel and its message stay the same but our approach when leading children must be different. Learn how to draw kids in so you can share the gospel with them in a fun and exciting way. Register for a boxed lunch and enjoy fellowshipping with some of the sweetest Children’s Ministers and Directors I know!
Topic: Now Arriving: What’s Now and What’s Next in Youth Ministry
Leaders: Marty Estes, associate pastor of students and discipleship, Sand Ridge Baptist Church, Lexington, Ky.
Location: Room E216, Second Floor
Overview: Join fellow youth pastors and youth ministry leaders for a roundtable discussion on current and future trends in youth ministry. Don’t miss out on this opportunity for fellowship and learning from one another!
Topic: Beyond 100 Years: Tennessee Baptist Collegiate Ministry’s Contributions to the Ministry Pipeline
Leaders: The Baptist Collegiate Ministry staff, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Location: Room E222, Second Floor
Overview: Over the past 100 years, God has used the Baptist Student Union/Baptist Collegiate Ministry as a catalyst to call out, equip, and send out tens of thousands of ministers and missionaries. Our time together will be celebrating this work of ministry pipeline among past and present alumni from across Tennessee. We will also share about the bright future of collegiate ministry into the next 100 years.
Topic: Foster Care, Adoption, and the Church: Pure and Undefiled Religion
Leaders: Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home staff, Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home
Location: Room E118, First Floor
Overview: Thousands of children in Tennessee need safe places to call home. For many of them, foster care is the most beneficial way to meet that need. Families who open their homes to foster children need local support to succeed. Join experts from Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes to better understand the role of the church in helping families through the process and fulfilling the mandate of James 1:27 to visit the fatherless in their affliction.
Topic: Estate Planning
Leaders: Sam Warner, president and treasurer, Tennessee Baptist Foundation
Location: Room D220AB, Second Floor
Overview: An estate plan consists of a will, medical and financial power of attorney documents and an advance care directive. We at the Tennessee Baptist Foundation want to help you in putting all this together and much more. We will show you how to take care of your loved ones after the Lord calls you home and how to give to Kingdom causes until the return of Jesus.
Topic: refresHER – Women Serving Women
Leaders: Tika Scoles, women’s ministry director, Northside Baptist Church, Murfreesboro
Location: Room E111/112, First Floor
Overview: Serving and leading women in the church can feel like an overwhelming task — but it doesn’t have to be! Let’s break down ministry to women in manageable pieces. You’ll walk away not only equipped and resourced, but refreshed and energized about how God is working through women across our state!!!
Tuesday, Nov. 11
Noon – 1:30 p.m. (Includes a $10 boxed lunch)
Topic: Strengthening Gospel Leaders
Leaders: Joe Sorah, Strengthening Gospel Leaders team leader, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Location: Room E216, Second Floor
Overview: Ministry burnout. Compassion fatigue. Leader failure. Pastor resignation. Ministry family pressures and division. Ministry can take a toil. Join us as we examine what we have heard from Tennessee Ministry Leaders and how we plan to address the greatest needs of Gospel Leaders in the coming year.
Topic: Multiplying Gospel Leaders
Leaders: Josh Franks, Multiplying Gospel Leaders team leader, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Location: Room E222, Second Floor
Overview: It’s the Leader Pipeline Launch Party. We’ll unveil the Nine31 Leadership Campaign and walk you through the new Nine31 Leader Development Pathway that’s designed to multiply trustworthy leaders in your church and across our state. Come hungry for inspiration (and lunch), and leave with a clear plan to transform your church’s future.
Topic: Strengthening Evangelistic Disciples
Leaders: Ryan Keaton, Strengthening Evangelistic Disciples team leader, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Location: Room D220AB, Second Floor
Overview: We’ll share some wins from this past year, give you simple tools to help you grow and multiply your faith, and let you in on what’s coming with new discipleship cohorts starting in 2026. Good food, great conversation, and a chance to be part of what God’s doing.
Topic: Multiplying Evangelistic Disciples
Leaders: Roc Collins, Multiplying Evangelistic Disciples team leader, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Location: Room E108, First Floor
Overview: Do you want to see Tennessee transformed by the gospel as people call on Jesus for salvation? Join us for lunch as we will talk about cultivating an evangelistic culture in our churches and personal lives.
Topic: Strengthening Healthy Churches
Leaders: Daryl Crouch, Strengthening Healthy Churches, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Location: Room D214, Second Floor
Overview: This is our moment! We’ve been listening to the Lord and to you. Although burdened by the increasing lostness around us, we do not despair. We are the people of hope, and this is the moment for every church to return to the Lord trusting Him to renew every church in every corner of Tennessee so that every neighbor has every opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel. Join us as we invite every church to return to the Lord together and to join a church renewal movement in Tennessee.
Topic: Multiplying Healthy Churches
Leaders: Lewis McMullen, Multiplying Healthy Churches team leader, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Location: Room E118, First Floor
Overview: Imagine healthy, multiplying churches in every corner of Tennessee! In this breakout, you’ll discover what Tennessee Baptist leaders are saying it will take to make that vision a reality. Come ready to listen, share, and help shape the framework for a bold multiplication strategy that could transform our state.
Topic: Prayer Matters
Leaders: Nancy Duggin, prayer catalyst, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Location: Room E107, First Floor
Overview: At the Tennessee Baptists Mission Board, we believe that prayer is not simply a spiritual discipline, but the very foundation upon which the church is built and the mission of God advances. Developing a culture of prayer invites God’s presence into every aspect of our lives. Join me to learn what Tennessee Baptists shared during our listening/sharing sessions and what our plans are to assist in enhancing or laying the foundation for prayer within our churches.
Topic: Growing Acts 1:8 Disciples
Leaders: Vickie Anderson, executive director / treasurer, Tennessee Women’s Missionary Union; Wes Jones, TBMB disaster relief specialist; Beth Moore, TBMB compassion ministries specialist
Location: Room E111/112, First Floor
Overview: Join us to discover how your church can mobilize every member — from preschoolers to senior adults — to live out Christ’s mission from your Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Whether you’re looking to spark missions awareness in children, equip adults for crisis response, or create meaningful pathways for ministry involvement, this lunch will offer practical ways to build an Acts 1:8 culture that engages everyone in missions and ministry. Don’t miss this opportunity to discuss how Tennessee Baptists can pray, give, and go!
Tuesday, Nov. 11
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Topic: Multi-Service Churches
Leaders: Danny Sinquefield, Harvest Field Team Leader, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Location: Room E216, Second Floor
Overview: Whether you are planning to move to multiple worship services, considering an additional service or campus, or have been in this model for a long time, the breakout session for multi-service churches will be both practical and helpful. During our time together, you will hear stories from experienced pastors as they discuss some of the “best practices” for managing multiple worship services. They will also share some very helpful “lessons learned” through the process of adding additional worship services in their context. There will also be a Q & A for those attending to get real time and real-life help from guys who have been there and lived to tell the story. These pastors will share their candid stories of issues they faced as well as the pros and cons of multiple worship services.
Topic: Pastoring in Small Towns
Leaders: Joe Sorah, Strengthening Gospel Leaders team leader, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Location: Room E222, Second Floor
Overview: Based on the book with the same title, Pastoring Small Towns will explore the unique challenges of serving in small towns and rural places. Small town life is different from life in the big city. If you serve in such a context, this breakout is for you!
Topic: Bivocational Pastors — Strength for the Long Haul
Leaders: Roger Britton, bi-vocational ministry specialist, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Location: Room E111/112, First Floor
Overview: With the challenges of bivocational ministry, God gives us “Strength for the Long Haul” as we run with endurance, encourage one another, and share the gospel where He places us to faithfully serve in the journey He has set before us. Come join us for an engaging, and energetic breakout session designed to refresh, inspire, and equip you for your unique journey in bivocational ministry.
Topic: Understanding Ministerial Tax Issues and Housing Allowance
Leaders: Art Tennille, representative from GuideStone
Location: Room E108, First Floor
Overview: Ministerial tax issues can be hard to navigate. Join GuideStone in this session to get answers to practical questions like these faced by you and your church: Who is a Minister for Tax Purposes, and is that person an employee or self-employed for tax purposes? How do Social Security rules apply to ministers, and how do they pay their taxes? What is minister’s housing allowance, and what is an accountable reimbursement plan?
Topic: Worship and Ministry Leaders
Leaders: Wayne Causey, worship specialist, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Location: Room E107, First Floor
Overview: Worship and music ministry leaders, this breakout is designed just for you! We will be discussing/talking about how you can move your worship and music ministry into the next decade with a spirit of cooperation and collaboration!
Topic: Off The Grid
Leaders: Kevin Perrigan, manager of Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
Location: Room D220AB, Second Floor
Overview: Hear the heart behind the Off The Grid Project. You will hear why intentional time in a different environment can bring clarity, renewal, and restoration to those in ministry. Off the Grid Project is an initiative to take pastors into outdoor environments to step away from the noise, disconnect from daily pressures, and refresh their spirit. During this seminar you will hear testimonials from pastors of their experiences in years past and be informed of new trips for 2026. This is a seminar that every pastor needs to attend.
Topic: Developing a Gospel Leaders Pipeline in Your Association
(Directors of Missions / Associational Mission Strategists ONLY)
Leaders: Greg Hauss, director of missions, Fayette Baptist Association
Location: Room D214, Second Floor
Overview: How can you as an Associational Missions Strategist/Director of Missions help your pastors and churches in your association develop a viable pipeline for the next generation of Gospel Leaders? Hear best practices from several Tennessee pastors from across the state who are currently finding and training gospel leaders in their churches. Let’s talk about the next steps of developing a pipeline as AMS/DOM’s in our Associations.
Topic: Turning Compassion into Action: Leveraging a Care-Sharing Technology to Love Our Neighbor Well
Leaders: Julie Hogue, representative from CarePortal
Location: Room E118, First Floor
Overview: What if your church could be instantly alerted when a local family is in crisis — and respond with the love of Christ in real time? This breakout session explores how care-sharing technology can empower churches to partner with child-serving agencies and meet urgent needs in their own neighborhoods. Participants will hear stories of transformation, learn best practices for implementation, and explore how technology can help the Church become a frontline responder to brokenness — bringing hope, healing, and the message of Jesus to families who need it most. B&R
