Plant Fort Worth Conference

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Smaller rooms.
Better conversations.

The main sessions give us a shared vision. The breakouts are where it gets practical. Over two rounds, you'll choose a room built around your role and the season your ministry is in — led by practitioners who have walked it, with time to ask your own questions.

Two rounds. Breakouts 1 on Tuesday at 3:45 PM; Breakouts 2 on Wednesday at 11:00 AM. Each runs about an hour.

Choose one per round. You'll pick your two sessions when you register. Bringing a team? Split up and cover more rooms.

Come ready to talk. Every breakout leaves room for Q&A and conversation with the leaders around you.

Breakout Session Round 1

  • Tish Harrison Warren

    Embracing Seasons of Grief & Lament

    Tish Harrison Warren

    Every ministry leader walks with people through loss — and carries their own. Yet the church often rushes past grief toward resolution. Drawing on the historic prayers of the church and her own season of loss behind Prayer in the Night, Tish will help us make room for lament as a faithful practice, not a failure of faith.

    This session is for leaders who are grieving, and for those who shepherd people who are.

    You'll leave with:

    • A biblical and historic framework for lament in personal life and congregational care

    • Practices and prayers for walking with people through loss without rushing them

    • Permission to grieve honestly as a leader

    Best for: pastors, care and prayer teams, small group leaders, anyone in a hard season

  • Raising Leaders & Planters, in Every Church Season

    Jim Essian

    Multiplication isn't only for growing churches with surplus staff. Whether your church is launching, plateaued, rebuilding, or thriving, you can identify and raise up the next generation of leaders and planters. Jim will share how to build a leadership pipeline that fits the church you actually serve.

    You'll leave with:

    • A simple way to spot emerging leaders early

    • Practical next steps for developing them in your current season

    • How to send well, even when it costs you

    Best for: lead and senior pastors, elders, leadership development staff, potential future planters

  • Fostering Worship, in High & Low Seasons

    Julio Rivera

    Sunday comes every week, whether your church is celebrating or grieving. Julio will explore how worship leaders and teams can shape a congregation's worship to hold both joy and lament — and how to keep leading when your own soul is dry.

    You'll leave with:

    • Ideas for song selection and liturgy that serve a church in every season

    • Ways to care for your worship team and yourself over the long haul

    • How to lead worship that forms disciples, not just fills a set list

    Best for: worship leaders, worship team members, creative and service planners

  • Loving Your City, in Every Cultural Season

    Ricky Cotto

    Fort Worth is changing — and so are the needs of our neighbors. Ricky will help us read our city's cultural moment and respond with practical, gospel-shaped love that outlasts any single program or trend.

    You'll leave with:

    • A lens for understanding the needs and opportunities in your neighborhood

    • Models of local partnership and presence that endure

    • Ways to equip your people to love their neighbors well

    Best for: local and global outreach leaders, community and mercy ministries, pastors of neighborhood churches

Breakout Session Round 2

  • The Changing Tide of Society's Seasons

    David Kinnaman

    Follow-up to David's main session, with more time for the data and your questions. Drawing on Barna's research into how Americans — and especially the next generation — are thinking about faith, David will unpack what's shifting and what it means for the way local churches reach and disciple people.

    You'll leave with:

    • A clear picture of the cultural trends most shaping ministry right now

    • What the research says about younger generations and faith

    • Questions to take back to your team as you plan the year ahead

    Best for: lead pastors, next-gen and youth leaders, strategy and executive staff

  • Leading Your Church in Every Size & Season

    Todd Engstrom

    Every church goes through stages of growth and change, and each one calls for different leadership. Todd will explore those stages and how to lead the church you actually serve in the season it's actually in — not the one you wish you had.

    You'll leave with:

    • A framework for recognizing your church's current stage

    • What leadership looks like at each stage, and what to stop doing

    • How to lead change without losing your people or yourself

    Best for: lead and senior pastors, elders, executive and operations staff

  • Sharing the Gospel as Good News, in People's Needs & Seasons

    Ben Connelly

    The gospel speaks to every human need and every season of life. Ben will help us move beyond one-size-fits-all evangelism toward sharing Jesus in ways that meet people where they are — in grief, success, doubt, or the ordinary middle.

    You'll leave with:

    • A way to listen for the needs behind people's stories

    • How the gospel answers those needs as genuinely good news

    • Simple ways to equip your church for everyday conversations about Jesus

    Best for: anyone who wants to share their faith more naturally, discipleship and groups leaders, church planters