By Julia Bell, Special to the Message
MEMPHIS, TENN. (LBM) — Baptist collegiate ministry leaders from across the country will gather May 1-3 for the 2024 Collegiate Summit held near Memphis, Tennessee.
The equipping event is held every three years and features valuable resources, well-known guest speakers, and networking opportunities for campus ministers and church college leaders looking to enhance their ministries to students.
More than 700 participants are expected at the event, organized by the Baptist Collegiate Network.
Planning Team Leader Ryan Scantling says participants can expect the interactive event to “help college ministry leaders capture God’s vision for their life and ministry, while forming layers of encouragement and accountability for it.”
Collegiate Summit will be held at Collierville First Baptist Church, located in a Memphis suburb. Event activities begin at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1, and conclude with a morning session on Friday, May 3.
Guest speakers include Bill Elliff, Shane Pruitt, Dr. Tom Richter, Zane Pratt, and Paul Worcester.
A new micro-conference for large church college ministry leaders has been added this year with breakout session topics designed to better equip these leaders and to help create a network for them moving forward.
These sessions will be offered on Thursday, May 2, and led by Luke Harper of Cross Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas; Daniel Harris of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis; and Austin Davis of Pinelake Church in Starkville, Mississippi.
According to Scantling, today’s college campus is “the most strategic mission field on earth. Collegiate Summit will equip and encourage folks to continue ministering to and reaching these students with the gospel.”
Hannah Zirbel, college minister at Woodland Heights Baptist Church in Conway, Arkansas, highly recommends the experience to college ministry leaders looking to become connected with others.
“Collegiate Summit provides a space for people from across the nation to have community with other college ministers, and especially for those who may not have that locally. It has been comforting for me to discover that we are all striving for the same thing and, truthfully, probably struggling with the same things.”
Collegiate Summit has been one of the most helpful resources for Adam Venters in his role as a Baptist Collegiate Ministry director on campus at the University of South Carolina.
He says conference leaders represent the spectrum of campus profiles beyond just two-year or four-year schools, to include those with challenging faculty or administrations, those requiring fund raising support, and even geographical challenges, for example.
Sessions provide “soul-nurturing encouragement and practical advice on best practices. Collegiate Summit has it all. You will come away challenged, excited, and equipped to reach students.”
Bridgeway Church College Pastor Truman Loupe, of Starkville, Mississippi calls the Summit “the whole package. Each Summit I’ve attended has been both convicting and encouraging after a long year of ministry. I’ve learned tools, developed strategies, and made connections. But the best part is the friendships I’ve made.”
Early registration is $99 and ends February 14. Registration continues through May 1. Registration costs increase as event date approaches, and discounted rates are available for spouses.
The full schedule, list of event personalities, breakout session topics, lodging, and registration information may be found online at www.CollegeMinistry.com/events/CollegiateSummit.
