YOU’RE INVITED TO
ETCH 2026
- Reviving worship with hundreds of believers
- Skill-sharpening breakout sessions from trusted experts
- Timely wisdom from seasoned NextGen ministry leaders
- Powerful encouragement highlighting God’s faithfulness in seasons of doubt, uncertainty, and exhaustion.
YOU’RE INVITED TO ETCH 2026
- Reviving worship with hundreds of believers
- Skill-sharpening breakout sessions from trusted experts
- Timely wisdom from seasoned NextGen ministry leaders
- Powerful encouragement highlighting God’s faithfulness in seasons of doubt, uncertainty, and exhaustion.
SPEAKERS
SCHEDULE
1:00pm - Pre-con Check-in Begins
1:30-3:30pm - Pre-cons
3:00pm - Regular Check-in Begins / Solutions Zone & ETCH Market Open
4:00pm - Breakout 1
5:00pm - Dinner (on your own)
7:00pm - Main Session 1
8:00am - Morning Break / Solutions Zone & ETCH Market Open
9:00am - Main Session 2
10:45am - Breakout 2
11:45am - Lunch (provided)
1:00pm - Breakout 3
2:00pm - Breakout 4
3:00pm - Break / Solutions Zone & ETCH Market Open / State Meet-ups
4:00pm - Main Session 3
5:30pm - Dismiss for Dinner / Night Out (on your own)
8:00am - Solutions Zone & ETCH Market Open
9:00am - Breakout 5
10:00am - Breakout 6
11:15am - Main Session 4
12:15pm - Dismiss
PRE-CONFERENCES
Monday, October 5, 1:30–3:30 p.m.
$35/person
BE ALL IN: SPECIAL NEEDS INCLUSION ESSENTIALS FOR NEXTGEN MINISTRY
Sandra Peoples & Jana Magruder
Creating an inclusive NextGen ministry can feel overwhelming, but every church can take meaningful steps to welcome and support kids and students with disabilities and special needs! In this session, we’ll cover the foundations of inclusion through three key principles: being aware of the needs in our churches and community; being accepting of every child and student; and being accessible in our environments, programs, and communication. We will also explore discipleship tools that help make the gospel accessible to every child and student.
Participants will leave with practical strategies, simple tools, and a clear starting point for building a ministry where every person can belong and grow in their faith.
Room: Wilson Hall A–B
REGISTERGENERATION ALPHA AND NEXTGEN MINISTRY
Shane Pruitt & Shelley Melia
Generation Alpha is growing up in a world shaped by algorithms, anxiety, artificial intelligence, and shifting views of identity and truth. This session will explore the cultural forces shaping this emerging generation and what those shifts mean for preschool, children’s, student, and family ministry.
Room: Inman Chapel
REGISTER
PREPARED TO
RESPOND:
EQUIPPING YOUR MINISTRY FOR
ABUSE DISCLOSURES, MENTAL HEALTH
CONCERNS, AND FAMILY CRISES
Shelley Spence
When a child discloses abuse. When a student mentions self-harm. When a parent reveals a family crisis. What happens next? Many NextGen leaders find themselves navigating difficult conversations and high-stakes situations with little preparation and no clear ministry pathway.
This interactive, practical pre-conference workshop will help NextGen leaders and volunteers develop a practical framework for responding to crises with confidence. Every participant will leave with the foundation of a ministry crisis framework, implementation steps for their church, and practical strategies for training staff and volunteers for when difficult situations arise.
Room: Wilson Hall E–F
REGISTERBREAKOUTS
Breakout 1
(Monday, October 5, 4:00 p.m.)
Execute with Excellence: Leading Well Start to Finish
Great ministry ideas are everywhere. Faithful execution is rare. From planning events and developing teams to communicating vision and following through on details, this session will help you build systems and habits that create trust and long-term impact.
Creating Space for Each Child to Belong
Explore how to intentionally design environments, volunteer roles, and ministry rhythms that prioritize children who may need extra support and help every child feel safe, included, and known.
Thinking Theologically and Strategically About A.I. in Kids Ministry
Artificial intelligence is changing how we communicate, create, and connect. Explore theological grounding and practical discernment for where A.I. can serve ministry and where caution is needed.
Hard Conversations, Healthy Leadership
Learn how to give feedback with clarity, receive correction without defensiveness, and build a culture where honest conversations strengthen your ministry team.
The “No-One-Wants-Training” Training
Discover creative strategies that make ministry training something leaders actually want to engage with and develop your team without adding another night to the calendar.
Good God, Hard Questions: Guiding Students When God Feels Distant
Students today are asking deeper questions about faith, suffering, and doubt and many youth leaders feel unprepared to answer them. In this breakout, we will help you navigate meaningful conversations when students wrestle with disappointment, pain, and spiritual uncertainty. Let’s talk about practical ways to create safe spaces for honesty, point students toward biblical hope, and disciple teenagers through seasons when God feels distant.
How to Build a Student Leader Team from Scratch
Starting a student leadership team can feel overwhelming … where do you even begin? This breakout will walk you step-by-step through how to identify, invite, and develop student leaders from the ground up. You’ll leave with a clear framework, practical tools, what works (and what doesn’t), and real examples you can implement right away. Whether you have 3 students or 300, this is for you.
Designing the Handoff: The Healthy Transition Between Kids and Student Ministry
One of the earliest, and most overlooked, exit points in the church’s NextGen discipleship is the transition from children’s ministry to student ministry. In this breakout, leaders will explore how to design and align a healthy, relational handoff that involves children’s ministry, student ministry, parents, and volunteers working toward shared discipleship outcomes. Drawing from ministry experience and research, this session will help leaders move beyond a simple “graduation moment” toward a thoughtful, shepherded transition process.
Keeping the Ministry in Ministry
It’s easy to become consumed by the day-to-day administrative tasks and not make time for people. Ministry is about relationships. As leaders, we must follow Christ’s example of caring for others. Join us as we discover intentional ways to make ministering to people a priority.
Guiding Preschool Parents Toward Meaningful Discipleship
Experience a Parent Commitment or Parent-Child Dedication class you can implement right away. This session provides a ready-to-use framework to equip parents to lead their families well. Learn how to help parents spend time in God’s Word, choose connection over screens, and build routines that center their homes on Christ. Walk away with practical tools and a clear plan for partnering with parents in lasting discipleship.
Building Faith Habits in the Preschool Years
In this breakout, we’ll explore age-appropriate ways to introduce preschoolers to spiritual habits like prayer, worship, Bible-reading, and service. Learn practical, playful, and meaningful ways to help preschoolers practice faith habits in everyday moments.
Why So Anxious?
Anxiety among Gen Z and Gen Alpha is rising, but what are the cultural forces driving it? In this breakout, we’ll unpack the postmodern shift away from objective truth, the rise of safetyism in modern parenting, and the impact of social media and devices on the developing mind and soul. Understanding these forces is essential for any NextGen leader who wants to minister effectively to the generation sitting right in front of them.
Breakout 2
(Tuesday, October 6, 10:45 a.m.)
VBS 2027 Sneak Peek
It’s never too early to talk about VBS! Come get a sneak peek of what’s coming for the summer of 2027 and discover how Lifeway’s VBS will help your kids and students hold fast to the steady faithfulness of God through all life’s ups and downs.
Keeping the Gospel at the Center of Your Kids Ministry
Explore simple ways to make sure your programs, leaders, family connections, and ministry environments consistently point kids toward Jesus and His good news.
Metrics That Matter: Measuring Spiritual Growth in Teenagers
Learn ways to assess spiritual growth using relational and discipleship metrics rather than relying only on attendance and event participation.
Find Your People: Building Community Outside of Work
Ministry can surround you with people while still leaving you isolated. Many leaders spend so much time caring for others that they slowly lose meaningful friendships and community for themselves. This breakout will help you intentionally build relationships outside of your ministry role, so your identity, joy, and support system are not dependent on your job title.
Equipping Your Team to Support Kids and Students with Disabilities
Including children and students with disabilities is one of the most meaningful things a NextGen ministry can do. But without the right people and systems, it can feel overwhelming or even impossible. This breakout will walk you through a model for buddies and volunteers, give you practical tools for recruiting and training support teams, and leave you with sustainable strategies that make inclusion feel achievable. You’ll walk away ready to build a ministry where every child, student and family truly belongs.
Engaging the Whole Church in NextGen Ministry
Discover how every member of your church can play a meaningful role in NextGen ministry. This session will highlight the need and value of involving the whole church and provide practical, actionable ways to invite people to step in and make a lasting impact.
Beyond Discussion: Growing Gospel-centered Small Groups That Form Students
Together, we’ll explore how to build and grow small groups for students that don’t drift toward crowd control or content dumping and that avoid chaos. Our small groups must be anchored in the story of Jesus; train leaders to facilitate gospel conversations (not just ask questions); and create a culture where students are known, challenged, and invited into transformation.
Giggles, Wiggles, and Wonder: The Secret Sauce of Preschool Ministry
Preschoolers don’t need perfection—they need connection, consistency, and a whole lot of fun. This breakout dives into the heart of what makes preschool ministry so special. Learn how to embrace the wiggles, celebrate the giggles, and simplify your approach without losing impact. We’ll talk about practical ways to create joyful, memorable environments where little hearts begin to understand big truths.
How to Stay When Everyone Else Quits: Building Ministry Longevity in a Burnout Culture
Many church leaders love ministry but are exhausted by the pace, pressure, criticism, and constant demands that often come with it. In a time when burnout and turnover have become common, staying healthy and faithful for the long haul requires more than good intentions. In this breakout, we’ll talk honestly and practically about what helps leaders last. We’ll cover rhythms, boundaries, identity, relationships, disappointment, emotional health, and the habits that build staying power over time. If you want to lead faithfully without burning out or fading out, this session will offer practical help and real hope.
Making Vision Clear to Make it Count
An unclear or unspoken ministry mission can lead to a wandering ministry. When the why isn’t clear, neither is the way. This breakout will emphasize the importance of strategic ministry vision casting and communication with leaders, kids, and parents in order to provide clear ministry goals, direction and expectations. Taught vision is caught vision!
Not Quite Kids, Not Yet Students: Engaging Every Preteen
This session will explore the unique challenges of ministering to preteens and preteens with various special needs—a group often exposed to mature content through social media while still developing emotionally and spiritually. You’ll gain practical insight on how to create environments where preteens feel known, engaged, and grounded in their faith. We’ll discuss ideas for retreats, Bible studies, and activities that keep preteens connected and growing. Walk away with practical tools to build relationships, increase engagement, and help this often-overlooked age group develop a faith that lasts.
The Sauce: Building a Healthy NextGen Ministry Culture
A healthy ministry culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s created through clear leadership, intentional communication, strong relationships, and a shared mission. In this breakout, you’ll learn practical ways to build a NextGen ministry where leaders become a team, kids and students feel genuinely known, and families experience consistency across every environment. Walk away with practical tools for strengthening team culture, reinforcing your mission, improving communication, and creating a ministry atmosphere that leads to long-term spiritual growth.
Breakout 3
(Tuesday, October 6, 1:00 p.m.)
When God Rewrites Your Plan: 5 Leadership Lessons from Gideon
Like Gideon, most of us have had our Plan A taken away. Learn five truths from Gideon’s life that can help ministry leaders navigate discouragement, uncertainty, and change.
More Than a Moment: Building Lifelong Faith in Kids
Consider key principles that help children move beyond a single spiritual moment toward becoming gospel-transformed, Jesus-loving, lifelong followers of Christ.
One Minister, Many Hats: How to Manage Multiple Roles
Most ministry leaders aren’t just leading one thing anymore. You’re planning events, teaching lessons, managing volunteers, answering parent texts, running social media, handling budgets, setting up chairs, the list goes on! This breakout is designed for leaders carrying broad responsibility with limited time, energy, and support. You’ll learn practical systems for prioritizing what matters most, organizing your week, delegating effectively, and building sustainable rhythms that keep you from constantly living in survival mode. If you’ve ever felt stretched thin, scattered, or exhausted by the pace of ministry, this session is for you.
From Surviving to Thriving: How Churches Can Support Families Raising Vulnerable Children
Parenting children from hard places, with trauma or special needs can feel overwhelming, leaving families in survival mode. The church has an amazing opportunity to walk alongside these families so they’re not just surviving—they’re thriving! Explore ways our ministries (Foster and Adoption Ministry and Special Needs Ministry) can offer support and create a culture of belonging for foster, adoptive, and special needs families. We will work together to see how the gospel calls us to transform challenges into opportunities for hope, healing, and flourishing.
Rewiring of the Brain: Understanding How Kids and Students Are Learning to Think
You can’t ignore the research: technology is reshaping the way young minds develop. This breakout takes an honest look at the real dangers that devices and social media pose to developing brains, from toddlers to teens, while grounding the conversation in how God designed the mind to grow and flourish naturally. You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of the mental and emotional toll that technology is taking on the next generation, as well as gain practical tools to help the kids, students, and families in your ministry navigate it well.
Organized for Success: Making Much of the Weeks, Months, and Monies of Ministry
There is more work to be done in youth ministry than any one leader can possibly accomplish, so what do we do? Like actually, what do we do? Let’s talk about how to best steward our limited time, energy, resources and attention without burning out or drifting from what matters most? This breakout is for youth pastors that want to move from reactive busyness to intentional leadership. We’ll explore how to organize ministry around priorities instead of pressure, how to think in weeks, months, and years (not just in days or events), and how to build simple systems that serve your people faithfully. This session is for anyone who feels overwhelmed but still deeply called.
Don’t Wing the Year: How to Build a Strategic NextGen Framework & Calendar
If you want a healthy NextGen ministry, you must have a strategy built on purpose, planned in advance, and aligned from birth through college. In this breakout, we’ll explore why strategy matters, how to build a ministry map around your core values, and how to develop a yearly theme that gives your ministry a unified direction. You’ll walk away with a framework for planning key moments (not just weekly rhythms), so that every stage of a child or student’s journey is connected and intentional.
Building Momentum in Middle School Ministry
Middle school students are unlike anything else, they are energetic, curious, hilarious, and constantly changing. In this breakout, discover how to effectively reach and disciple Gen Alpha middle schoolers with engaging programming, relational leadership strategies, and practical tools that connect with students and support their families. Whether you’re launching a new ministry or strengthening an existing one, you’ll walk away with actionable ideas to ramp up towards a momentous, thriving, life-changing middle school ministry.
Engaging Families Through Preschool Events
The early years of a child’s life are sacred and strategic. In this session, discover how to use preschool events as intentional opportunities to engage families through the early childhood years. Learn how to connect with preschoolers and their families, build lasting relationships, and create meaningful experiences create meaningful event-based experiences.
Play It Again! Bible Review Games that Stick
Preschoolers love to play, and God designed them to learn that way! We’ll explore playful, easy-to-lead activities that help preschoolers remember key Bible truths through movement, laughter, and repetition.
Invite Culture: The Most Important Pivot You Make in Student Ministry
We want students to invite friends, but most ministries never build a real invite culture. Students want to bring people with them, but fear, awkwardness, and lack of direction often get in the way. This breakout will help you create a ministry where students inviting friends becomes normal, personal, and contagious. Learn how to build simple systems, shape student confidence, and create moments students actually want to invite friends into.
Enlisting and Retaining Preschool and Kids Leaders
Many preschool and kids ministry leaders feel stuck in a cycle of constant recruiting—relying on the same people and struggling to build a consistent team. This session shares a simple, repeatable system to help you connect with and invite people who aren’t even serving yet into leaders serving weekly. Learn how to recruit with purpose, engage new volunteers, and create a culture where people feel valued and want to stay. Walk away with practical steps and a clear framework to build a strong, dependable team.
Breakout 4
(Tuesday, October 6, 2:00 p.m.)
Team Dynamics: Working Better Together
When teams are made up of unique individuals with different communication styles, strengths and weaknesses, and leadership dynamics, you will encounter some learning curves. This breakout will take a practical approach on how to be an effective team member, build real trust with your team, and collaborate in ways that make the whole ministry stronger.
Less Chaos, More Connection: Managing Behavior in Kids Ministry
Gain practical techniques to calm the room, strengthen relationships, and guide children’s behavior in ways that reflect the love of Jesus.
Built Not Borrowed: How to Help Your Students Own Their Faith
Too many students borrow faith instead of building one they actually own. Retreats, camps, mission trips, and big moments can create spiritual momentum—but what happens when students get home? This breakout will help leaders move beyond emotional experiences and build intentional discipleship pathways that help teenagers take responsibility for their walk with Jesus. Learn how to create rhythms, reflection practices, conversations, and follow-up systems that help students process what God is doing and turn moments into lasting formation.
Leading When the Hurt Runs Deep: Soul Care for Leaders
Unresolved pain can quietly shape how we lead, parent, serve, and disciple the next generation. In this practical and encouraging breakout, we’ll explore what biblical forgiveness is (and what it is not), why it matters for our spiritual and emotional health, and how it impacts our ability to minister effectively to children, students, and families. This session will give leaders tools to navigate church hurt, relational wounds, self-forgiveness, and navigating disappointment toward God.
Essentials of a Healthy NextGen Ministry
Fueled by the latest generational research, this breakout equips ministry leaders with the tools and insights needed to build an effective NextGen ministry from birth to launch. We’ll unpack the key essentials—discipleship planning, spiritual pathways, and innovative teaching models for every age and stage—and you’ll walk away with practical solutions tailored to your unique ministry context.
Audience Advocacy: The Art of Effective and Accessible Communication
Your NextGen ministry includes everyone from committed church families to first-time guests, toddlers to teenagers, and students at every stage of faith. In this breakout, you’ll learn how to better understand the people in your ministry, communicate to different ages and spiritual backgrounds, and create welcoming environments that consistently point kids, students, and families to the gospel. Walk away with practical tools for connection, engagement, follow-up, and discipleship in today’s diverse ministry landscape.
Preteen Ministry 101
Preteen ministry can feel like a lot—lots of energy, opinions, emotions, and fun. In this session, we’ll focus on how to love, lead, and equip preteens well as they grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We’ll also talk about how to help them begin taking ownership of their relationship with Jesus.
A Family Portrait: Observe & Identify Your Ministry Context
Every church serves a variety of families but not every church truly understands them. In this breakout, discover how to create a clear Family Portrait of your ministry context by identifying the real rhythms, challenges, and spiritual needs of the families in your church. Learn practical ways to gather insight through surveys, conversations, and observation so you can move from assumptions to intentional discipleship. When leaders truly know their families, they can better equip them to hold fast to their faith and stay rooted in Christ through the challenges of real life.
Hold Fast: Creating Leadership that Lasts
Ministry was never meant to be carried alone. This breakout explores what it looks like to move beyond managing programs toward intentionally building a leadership pipeline that multiplies your impact for years to come. Rooted in the call to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, we’ll dig into how to identify, develop, and release leaders who are anchored in Christ and not dependent on you. You’ll walk away with a practical framework for building a team that doesn’t just fill volunteer spots, but grows into the next generation of faithful, capable ministry leaders.
Don’t Drop the Ball: Making Sure Students Graduate to College Ministry
Combat the drop-off and drop-out rate by thinking about graduation now! Too many students disappear from church life the moment they graduate high school. This breakout will help you build intentional bridges between student ministry and college ministry, so students don’t feel like they’re starting over after graduation. Let’s talk about practical and partner strategies for creating better handoffs, building the right relationships before students leave, partnering with collegiate leaders. Stop treating graduation like an ending and start seeing it as a launch point for lifelong discipleship!
Simple Ideas for Engaging Preschoolers
Preschoolers learn best when they move! Learn easy games, brain breaks, transition strategies, movement activities, and simple engagement tools you can use immediately in preschool ministry.
Navigating Suffering: Caring for Kids, Families, and Yourself in Crisis
This session will explore how to shepherd kids and families during seasons of struggle, suffering, violence, and crisis—while also tending to your own heart. You’ll gain practical ways to talk with children about hard things, along with honest encouragement for remaining steady in the storms.
Breakout 5
(Wednesday, October 7, 9:00 a.m.)
Faith in Action: Giving Kids Real Ways to Live What They Learn
Kids don’t just need to hear the Bible—they need opportunities to live it out. In this breakout, you’ll discover practical ways to create meaningful experiences and service opportunities that move faith from something kids learn to something they actively live.
Drowning in Dopamine: Meaningful Student Ministry & Spiritual Formation
Understand how distraction and instant gratification are shaping students and discover practical strategies for deeper discipleship and healthier rhythms.
Leading Courageously in Uncertain Times
Leadership often comes with uncertainty, but we are never alone. In this session, you’ll be encouraged to trust God with both your life and your leadership calling, remembering that nothing you face is too difficult for Him. He is faithful in every step. As you follow Jesus, you can lead with confidence—not because you have all the answers, but because He does. Learn to release control, depend on Him, and walk forward in trust.
Helping Preschoolers (and Their Parents) Flourish in an Anxious Age
In an age where anxiety is shaping childhood earlier than ever, preschool ministry leaders and parents have an opportunity to intentionally shape how preschoolers learn to navigate their big feelings. This session will explore the difference between normal developmental struggles and behaviors that may reflect emerging patterns of anxiety requiring additional care and attention.
Understanding Your Students’ Worldview Today
This breakout will help you better understand the realities students are facing while leading them toward a clear biblical foundation. You’ll gain practical tools to build trust, engage culture thoughtfully, and guide students into deeper discipleship.
Deconstructing Ministry Myths
Many ministry models were built for a different era. This session exposes common assumptions that quietly shape NextGen ministry and may hinder spiritual growth. Leaders will evaluate their current practices and begin reconstructing a ministry strategy that reflects today’s cultural realities while staying rooted in biblical discipleship.
Building Bible Skills That Spark a Love for Scripture
Research tells us that reading the Bible is one of the key indicators of lifetime spiritual growth. Helping kids create a lifelong love for regular Bible reading occurs by practicing one Bible skill at a time. Join us as we look at games and activities to incorporate Bible skills each week.
Called Not Qualified: Dealing with Imposter Syndrome in Ministry
Ministry has a way of making even faithful leaders feel like frauds. Whether you’re leading your first small group, stepping into a new role, or carrying responsibilities that feel bigger than your experience level, the pressure to “have it all together” can quietly drain your confidence and joy. This breakout will help ministry leaders confront imposter syndrome through the lens of Scripture, identity, and calling. If you feel like you are waiting to be found out, come find this breakout.
6 Gospel Truths Families Can Live Every Day
In the ordinary rhythms of family life, the impact of the gospel doesn’t have to be abstract—it can be seen, felt, and experienced. This breakout explores six core truths—like belonging, forgiveness, and invitation—and how families can intentionally live them out daily. Discover how simple, everyday moments can echo the heart of the gospel and shape our families from the inside out.
The Conversation We Can’t Ignore: Talking about Porn with Kids, Students, and Parents
By age 8, many children are already exposed to pornography and for teens, it’s one tap away. This session creates a safe, honest space to face the reality head-on. We’ll look at current statistics, the impact on kids and students, what Scripture speaks into this issue, and how to respond with wisdom, grace, and truth. You’ll walk away equipped to have confident, life-giving conversations with both students and parents—and to help the next generation navigate purity with confidence and hope.
Breakout 6
(Wednesday, October 7, 10:00 a.m.)
Discipling Every Child: Teaching with All Abilities in Mind
Classrooms include kids with a wide range of needs—ADHD, autism, learning differences, sensory challenges, and more. This session equips leaders with practical strategies for adapting lessons, managing attention and behavior, and creating a classroom rhythm where every child can learn and belong.
Stop Begging: How to Recruit a Healthy Influx of Student Ministry Volunteers
Move from desperation recruiting toward developing a healthy, steady pipeline of leaders through culture, clarity, invitation, onboarding, training, and appreciation.
Teamwork Makes the Discipleship Pathway Work
It’s easy for NextGen ministry leaders to drift into silos—each running their own program, their own vision, and their own version of discipleship. But what happens when a NextGen team actually works together? In this breakout, you’ll hear directly from a NextGen pastor, student pastor, and children’s minister who built and launched a discipleship pathway together. We’ll dig into what discipleship should look like at every phase from birth through high school, how to align preschool, kids, and student ministries around one unified vision, and how to create consistency in language, values, and spiritual habits across every stage. We’ll also tackle how to design key handoff moments that keep kids and students moving forward in their discipleship journeys.
Better Leadership, No Extra Meeting Required
You do not need another leadership book or another hour on your calendar. You need simple actions that work in the rhythm of real church ministry every week. This breakout will discuss the CORE 4 framework that can help you stay focused on what matters most as you lead kids, students, and adults. You will learn how to lead with clarity, build trust, and create a team culture people enjoy being part of. You will leave with practical habits you can use right away without adding anything new to your schedule.
The Relationship Business: Why Relational Equity Is Your Greatest Ministry Strategy
Gen Alpha is the most digitally connected generation in history, yet they’re more personally isolated than ever. Ministry that actually sticks is built on leaders who show up, listen, and walk alongside kids, students, and families over time. That kind of consistent, intentional presence builds trust, which is where real spiritual growth happens. This breakout will challenge you to stop chasing polished production and start prioritizing authentic relationship, because we’re not in the program business. We’re in the relationship business.
Why Do Kids and Preteens Need Spiritual Disciplines?
What comes to mind when you hear the term, spiritual disciplines? Do you envision super spiritual individuals engaged in quiet, monastic habits? If so, you probably wonder why kids and preteens would want to learn about spiritual disciplines, much less practice them. Let’s explore how introducing kids to spiritual disciplines can be part of your discipleship strategy.
Practical Tips to Share with Your Kids Ministry Teachers
Great ministry happens when great volunteers feel equipped. Your volunteers want to lead well … they just need the right tools. This breakout gives you a collection of simple tips you can pass along to your teachers to help them feel confident, prepared, and supported. Expect practical tools, real examples, and ideas that make Sunday smoother for everyone.
Turning Preschool Chaos into Purposeful Learning
Preschool classrooms are full of energy, and it’s easy to feel caught between maintaining control and keeping kids engaged. In this session, you’ll see how learning centers and guided play can work together to channel that energy into meaningful Bible learning. We’ll talk about how to create environments where hands-on play is intentional and naturally leads children to Scripture. You’ll walk away with simple, practical ideas you can use right away to help kids stay engaged, learn deeply, and build a foundation of truth that lasts.
The Ministry Balance Myth
The reality is that there is no perfect formula for balancing personal life and ministry. However, establishing clear boundaries, aligned expectations, and intentional goals can create a healthy structure that helps prevent burnout. In this workshop, led by a single, adoptive mother with over 29 years of first-hand ministry experience, we will explore practical strategies for cultivating sustainable rhythms between home and church. You’ll leave equipped with tools to serve faithfully and effectively in ministry for the long haul.
HOTELS
Hampton Inn & Suites
Nashville/Franklin/Cool Springs
7141 South Springs Drive
Franklin, TN 37067
Hilton Garden Inn
Nashville/Franklin/Cool Springs
9150 Carothers Parkway
Franklin, TN 37067
Hyatt Place
Nashville/Franklin/Cool Springs
650 Bakers Bridge Road
Franklin, TN 37067
Homewood Suites
Nashville/Brentwood
5107 Peter Taylor Park
Brentwood, TN 37027
Get a glimpse into the last
ETCH Conference.
