Theme for 2026
Devoted to Wisdom
Being devoted to wisdom means not merely hearing but also skillfully applying God’s Word to every circumstance life throws at us (Jas 1:22-25). This year’s theme will seek to remind us that we are in desperate need of divine wisdom to navigate this fallen world in a God-honoring and biblically successful way. As our culture descends into greater chaos and confusion, we affirm that true wisdom cannot be found in anything this world has to offer (1 Cor 1:20-21). Rather real wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Ps 111:10; Prov 1:7; 9:10), is sought by prayer (Jas 1:5), trained by practice (Heb 5:14), and found in Christ alone (Col 2:3). The fruit of this wisdom is not intellectual, but moral and spiritual (Jas 3:13-18). And walking in this wisdom means learning to please God with every decision and redeeming our time for eternal purposes (Eph 5:15-17; Ps 90:12). Therefore, our prayer is that God would raise up a generation of young people who are wise beyond their years (Ps 119:98-99)!
Speakers for 2026
Dr. Ken Ramey
Ken Ramey serves as the pastor-teacher of Lakeside Bible Church. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Ken attended Word of Life Bible Institute and School of Youth Ministries in New York and then transferred to The Master’s College in Los Angeles, CA where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Youth Ministry. He went on to receive his M. Div. from The Master’s Seminary and joined the pastoral staff at Grace Community Church where he served as the High School Pastor for four years and as professor of Youth Ministry at TMC. He completed his D. Min. in Expository Preaching at TMS and authored Expository Listening. Ken and his wife Kelli were married in 1990 and have three children; Zachariah, Hannah, and Jacob.
Dr. Shane Koehler
Shane was born and raised in Alabama, where he came to Christ at the age of 17. After college, he served for two years as a missionary with the International Mission Board (IMB) in Hainan, China. Upon returning to the States, Shane served in the mission’s department at First Baptist Church in Woodstock, GA. In 2000, He graduated with his MDiv from The Master’s Seminary in Sun Valley, CA and went on to pastor for three years at East Columbia Baptist Church in Columbia, SC. In 2003, God called him to Faith Community Church in Woodstock, GA, where he currently serves as Teaching Pastor and professor of hermeneutics at The Expositors Seminary. Shane also has a PhD from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Tara have been married since 1996 and have four children.
Carey Hardy
Born in Cairo, IL, and raised in Houston, TX, with a background in Christian music, Carey left a career as a pharmacist to pursue pastoral ministry. Carey graduated from The Masters Seminary (MDiv) and was on staff at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA for 13 years, eventually serving as the Senior Executive Pastor and Personal Assistant to Dr. John MacArthur. In October of 2006, Carey became the senior pastor of Twin City Bible Church in Winston Salem, NC. He is on the faculty of The Expositors Seminary teaching biblical counseling and is also on the board of The Italian Theological Academy. He and his wife, Pam, are blessed with four adult children and two grandchildren.
Giveaway Resources for 2026
Expository Listening by Ken Ramey
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”––James 1:22 In many people’s mind, if they don’t get anything out of the sermon, it’s the preacher’s fault. But that’s only half true. The Bible teaches that listeners must partner with the preacher so that the Word of God accomplishes its intended purpose of transforming their life. Expository Listening is your handbook on biblical listening. It is designed to equip you not only to understand what true, biblical preaching sounds like, but also how to receive it, and ultimately, what to do about it. You need to know how to look for the Word of God, to love the Word of God, and to live the Word of God. In this way, God and His Word will be honored and glorified through your life.
Free to Be Wise by Kirk Youngblood
Keeping Your Balance by Pam Hardy
Keeping Your Balance looks at the challenge that Christians face in maintaining a biblical balance in seven key areas of life. These include the following: family and ministry; self-denial and liberty; patience and confrontation; the temporal and the eternal; the inner man and the outer man; reality and hope; and striving and trusting. In each of these categories, the author first highlights the balance that is clearly set forth for the believer in Scripture. Second, a discussion is presented of the symptoms that may be manifested when an individual loses balance in a particular area. The practical life consequences of that imbalance are also examined. An understanding of these tensions is absolutely vital for living a life to the glory of God.
An Article to Read
Regaining Our Focus: A Response to the Social Action Trend in Evangelical Missions by Joel James & Brian Biedebach
Today churches and missionaries are being told that to imitate the ministry of Jesus they must add social justice to their understanding of the church’s mission. As pastors and missions committees embrace the idea that social action and gospel proclamation are “two wings of the same bird,” the kind of work that they send their missionaries to do changes, and this has a negative effect on world missions. This article highlights those negative effects in an African context, offers historical, practical, and biblical critiques of the trend, and redirects the church’s attention to understanding and fulfilling the Great Commission in the way the apostles did in Acts and the Epistles.
Schedule
November 6-8, 2026
4:00-7:00 PM, Check-in & Registration
7:00-8:30 PM, Session #1
8:30-9:15 PM, Debrief & Prayer
9:30-11:00 PM, Fire Pit (Ivy) & Game Night Fellowship (Spillman)
7:15-8:15 AM, Breakfast
9:00-10:15 AM, Session #2
10:30-11:45 AM, Session #3
12:00-1:00 PM, Lunch
1:00-1:45 PM, Icebreaker Meet-N-Greet
1:00-5:30 PM, Free Time
5:30-6:30 PM, Dinner
7:00-8:15 PM, Session #4 – Q&A
8:15-9:00 PM, Debrief & Prayer
9:15-11:00 PM, Fire Pit (Ivy) & Game Night Fellowship (Spillman)
7:15-8:15 AM, Breakfast
8:15-9:00 AM, Pack, Clean, & Check-Out
9:00-10:30 AM, Session #5
10:45-12:00 PM, Session #6
12:00-12:30 PM, Departure