Conclave encourages church leaders to overcome silos, rally all generations to reach the next-gen for Christ

More than 700 children, youth, college ministers and pastors from across Texas and beyond gathered in San Antonio, TX, October 7-8 to attend Conclave NextGen for a time of worship, breakout sessions, training and networking, learning how to invest in and win the next generation for Christ.

Creating belonging for the next generation in the church

Jana Magruder, strategic initiatives director of Lifeway NextGen, opened the conference with a message on discipling the next generation and teaching “a counter-cultural identity message that helps kids and students know who they are because of who God is.” She challenged attendees to create relationships that build belonging in students so that they can better understand their identity in Christ.  

“When we connect these two things together, belonging and identity, we are doing two really important things; number one, we are meeting the cultural need that this generation has to feel seen and known, and number two, we are answering the big cultural question that they have about who they truly are,” said Magruder.  

Magruder gave attendees a tool to help create relationships in their church for kids and students to feel like they belong. She gave attendees the acronym ‘FLIP;’ making sure they have a friend, leader, influencer and pastor investing in them. 

“Everyone is called to the urgent work of reaching the next generation,” said Magruder. “I want us as the church to fight for them because we want them the most because we know that the Father wants them the most… You have the most strategic seat in the church to lead this fight, and to rally every generation of your church and mobilize them around reaching [the next] generations.”

Attendee Lisetta Layer, preschool minister at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, said the idea of connecting next-gen leaders together in the church to help foster belonging stayed with her throughout the conference. 

“The theme that I keep hearing in the breakout sessions and, in the main, keynote speakers is just the importance of working together, connecting the next-gen team across preschool, children's, youth and then further connecting that to families and even to our senior citizens … so that we are not just in a siloed ministry, but that we're really working together and ministering to the entire church as we minister in our [city],” said Layer.

Giving younger generations a seat at the table

Over the two days, attendees had the opportunity to attend more than 30 unique breakout sessions on topics such as family ministry, evangelism, ministering to mental health, empowering volunteers, navigating social media and more. A specialized “Pastor’s Track” was offered for senior church leaders to learn from and form community with other pastors.

David Gonzalez, Congreso coordinator at Texas Baptists, led a breakout session on the first day titled “Bridging Generations: Expanding Church Outreach to Connect with a Diverse and Growing Church.” He explained that next-gen leaders can bridge the gaps between them and the next generations by empowering them to be involved in ministry and embracing the change that comes with it. 

 “[Students] want somebody to come tap on the shoulder and say, ‘I think you are capable of being in X, Y, Z ministry.’ And I think it's a step of faith in you taking the leap of faith and saying, ‘I'm going to put trust in you’ and loosen[ing] the reins just a little bit,” said Gonzalez. “Sometimes change has to be done for growth to happen … [So], bridging the gap is embracing change. We need to make sure that our younger generation also has a seat at the table,” said Gonzalez.

Joining God in ministry by looking to the cross

Mike Satterfield, founder of Field of Grace Ministries, concluded the first day with a message out of John 19:30, encouraging attendees that “it is finished.” He said the Greek word tetelestai meaning “it is finished”—is a word that helps us understand “the past completed act with present ongoing, permanent effect for all eternity.”

“It was in John 19… that I learned Jesus tasted bitter vinegar, completely sour, so we can taste the best victory in being completely saved. I’ve been bought with a price, I’m no longer my own. I have been set free,” said Satterfield.

Satterfield encouraged attendees to lay down everything hindering them from resting in Jesus’ words, “it is finished,” and join him where he is already leading their ministry.  

“Tetelestai teaches us that you cannot add to what God has already perfected and completed. It is finished. Stop trying to help God when all you have to do is join him where he's already at work,” said Satterfield. 

Displaying the friendship of Jesus and not doing ministry alone

Kicking off day two, Justin Whitmel Earley, lawyer, speaker and author of three books, including ‘Made for People – Why We Drift into Loneliness and How to Fight for a Life of Friendship,’ shared a message on “the holiness and the importance of friendship in ministry.” 

He referenced Genesis 2-3, encouraging attendees that they were made for people, and John 15:13-16, teaching attendees that Jesus confirms this idea by showing us what it means to be a friend. 

“Jesus is demonstrating here, not just how to be the best friend that you can be, he is also showing that one way to summarize the gospel is that God has taken the lonely, broken people and made them friends again; friends with God, and thus friends with the world,” said Earley. 

Earley challenged attendees, saying that friendship is at the center of “what the gospel calls us to,” and encouraged them to allow themselves to be fully known and loved by someone so they can fully know and love others in ministry. 

“If the call of the New Testament, think of Ephesians 5:10, ‘to be imitators of God.’ Well, if Jesus is friendship made flesh, then to become more and more like him is necessarily to become more and more like a friend,” said Earley. “So, go into your ministry knowing you were made for people, don’t do it alone and put the friendship of Jesus on display.” 

Returning attendee Daniel Salgado, student ministry intern at First Baptist Church in Tyler, said Earley’s message encouraged him not to do ministry alone but to seek community as he continues to serve students. 

“[My biggest takeaway is] that you cannot do ministry alone and that you need someone to be with you who can call you out,” said Salgado. “Seeking community and having people pour into me is going to allow me to pour into my students and teach them how they also need community with their walk with Christ, too.”

Investing in holistic church health

Bobby Contreras, pastor at Alamo Heights Baptist Church in San Antonio, led a “Pastor’s Track” breakout session on pursuing holistic church health by investing in spiritual, physical, mental/emotional, financial and relational health. He held an open discussion on these five areas, allowing pastors to speak into each other’s lives. 

“Healthy pastor, healthy family equals a healthy gospel community,” said Contreras. 

Contreras encouraged pastors that “using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade,” (Eccl. 10:10). He challenged them to use Conclave as an opportunity to “sharpen the blade” so that they can return to their ministry “more intentional and more biblical in how we are leading and how we're living within our ministry context.”

Contreras gave pastors resources, including pastoral and church health reports from the Baptist Health Foundation and social media pages for scripture intake, such as ‘The Daily Gaze.’ He invited Olga Harris, director of counseling services at Texas Baptists, to give a short presentation of the counseling options available for pastors and their families. 

“I want you, and Texas Baptists wants you in your ministry context for the long haul… so what we do now matters,” said Contreras.  

Being a vessel of the Holy Spirit 

Ed Newton, lead pastor of Community Bible Church in San Antonio, concluded the conference with a message out of 2 Kings 4 that charged attendees to empty themselves before the Lord daily so they can be used as vessels by the Holy Spirit to carry out the Great Commission. 

“The oil of heaven flows with empty vessels,” said Newton. “The thing that we should be longing for… ‘Anything in me that causes me to be filled with my dreams, my desires, my demands, my wants, whatever has filled me with me, empty me of [of it], and fill me with you.’”

Newton told attendees that to live in the “overflow of Heaven,” they must abide in Jesus daily. 

“Your daily commitment, every day, John 3:30, ‘You must increase, I must decrease,’” said Newton. “Your daily checklist; every day, put on the full armor of God; your daily covenant, you’ve got to remind yourself who you are in Christ Jesus… be first with Jesus and [then] ‘Come, follow me,’ (Matt. 4:19).”

Conclave NextGen 2025 is scheduled to take place on October 6-7 at First Baptist Church Arlington. The annual two-day event is made possible by faithful giving through the Texas Baptists Cooperative Program and support from the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation and the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions.

To learn more about Conclave NextGen, visit txb.org/conclave.