the annual gathering, reimagined

2026 Small Groups Conference

Sunday School. Life Groups. Small Groups. Kids. Students.
Different names. Same calling.

When: Saturday, September 199:00 AM to Noon
Where: First Baptist Church of HilliardHilliard, Florida
Cost: FreeLunch provided

Everyone registers themselves and picks their own two breakouts.

Group life is where people are formed, cared for, and sent. And the person carrying that in your church is usually carrying it without much help.

This is the Annual Gathering of the Northeast Florida Baptist Association, built this year as a practical equipping day. The goal is not to sell you one model. It is to strengthen disciple-making pathways that are faithful, contextual, and sustainable in your own context.

Rural or suburban. Large or small. Established or rebuilding. This day is designed to meet you where you are.

the shape of the morning

Eleven breakouts. You pick two.

9:00Main sessionA keynote to set the tone for the day.
10:05Breakout oneChoose from the sessions below.
11:00Breakout twoChoose again.
12:00LunchProvided on site. Stay and talk.

Bringing your team? Spread out. Send your people to different breakouts, then get around a table afterward and have each one teach the rest. One Saturday, and your church gets the whole conference.

the keynote

David Loveless

Leadership Coach and Pastor to Pastors, Clarity House

Keynote, and a breakout each hour

Twenty-nine years as founding pastor of Discovery Church in Orlando, one of the fastest-growing churches in the country. He now serves as a Leadership Coach and Pastor to Pastors with Clarity House, coaching ministry leaders in more than 50 countries.

"You can lead a thriving ministry without losing your soul."

find yours

Which one is for you?

for pastors and church leaders

Bringing your people? It is already written.

Getting your leaders here usually means writing the announcement, making the graphic, and remembering who to text. We did all of that for you. Nothing in the folder asks you to compose a sentence or design a thing.

Count your leaders. Every Sunday School teacher, group leader, host, co-leader, and substitute. Every kids and student volunteer. The list is longer than you think.
Announce it to all of them at once. The folder has the words for the platform, the bulletin, and an email.
Then make it personal. There is a graphic for each breakout with the message already written. Send each one to the person it fits.
Send them the link. Everybody registers themselves and picks their own two breakouts.

Open the promotional kit

Opens in Google Drive. Free to download and use.

What is inside

A two-page instruction sheet. Start here. It says which graphic goes to which person, and gives you the message to send with it.
Eleven session graphics. One per breakout, each one naming who it is for.
An announcement slide. A 16:9 image for your pre-service loop.
An invite card. A 4x6 to print and hand out. The QR goes straight to the details.
A bulletin blurb. Long and short. Copy and paste.
A pulpit announcement. About 30 seconds, read as written.
An email and a text message. Copy and paste.

Pro tip. Talk before anybody signs up. Spread your people across different breakouts, then get around a table afterward and have each one teach the rest what they learned. One Saturday, and your church gets the whole conference.

getting there

First Baptist Church of Hilliard

15850 County Road 108
Hilliard, FL 32046

Parking is available on site. The day uses several spaces around the campus. A detailed schedule and campus map will be shared closer to the event.

Open in Maps

our posture

Kingdom over turf.

This gathering is not about comparison, competition, or conformity. It is about honoring local church autonomy, sharing what God is teaching us, stewarding discipleship with faithfulness and wisdom, and strengthening churches across our region.

Kingdom over turf.
Faithfulness over flash.
People over programs.

september 19

Find your two. Bring your people.

Questions? chris@familyofchurches.us