Pre-Conference 2026

with Chris Sasser and Kerry Ray!
9:00 – 11:30am

Register Now!

PRE-CONFERENCE          $10          SLYC ’26          9:00-11:30pm

With Chris Sasser and Kerry Ray        AUG. 28, 2026

SYLC Pre-Conference — Friday, August 28, 2026
Brainerd Baptist BX | Chattanooga, TN

Join us for a morning of practical, focused training designed for student pastors and youth ministry leaders — new to ministry or years in. Whether you want to build a stronger ministry to parents or need a clear-eyed look at where youth ministry is headed in the coming years, this pre-conference workshop will equip you with tools you can use right away.

Chris Sasser

Chris Sasser (a.k.a. “Sass”) is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Port City Community Church in Wilmington, NC. He has served in full-time ministry since 1993, working with children’s, middle school, high school, college, and parent ministries. He has a passion for equipping and encouraging parents and leaders to help the next generation walk with God. Chris shares thoughts and ideas at www.equipandencourage.com and loves to share with students, leaders, and parents. Chris is married to Karin, and they have two children, CJ, and Kylie. Chris is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and has done some graduate work at Fuller Theological Seminary and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Chris serves as a lead consultant with Ministry Architects, engineers content for Ministry to Parents, and is the author of Bags: Helping Your Kids Lighten the Load.

Session: Building a Practical Ministry to Parents

We all know that parents play the most important role in the discipleship of the next generation but turning that conviction into a practical ministry can feel overwhelming. How do you engage parents? What if you don’t feel like the expert? And who has the time to build another ministry from scratch?

The good news is that building a ministry to parents doesn’t have to be complicated. In this workshop, you’ll discover practical, sustainable steps your church can take to equip and encourage parents to lead their families well. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to strengthen what you’re already doing, you’ll leave with simple ideas and tools you can begin using right away.

Kerry Ray

Kerry Ray is the Director of Publishing for YM360.com. Prior to joining the YM360 team, Kerry was a youth ministry veteran with 27+ years of experience serving and leading in churches of various sizes, denominations, and multi-site strategies. After nearly 3 decades immersed in all things youth ministry, Kerry is quick to tell you that he still finds immeasurable joy and life in every opportunity he has to engage teenagers and youth workers whether that be in the form of camp/retreat speaking, writing, content creating, coaching youth workers, developing young leaders, enlightening parents on adolescent development, church consulting, or training youth ministry teams. Kerry and his wife Stefanie live in Birmingham, AL, with their two children.

Session: Shifting Tides In Student Ministry

The tides in student ministry have shifted, and many of us are still navigating by old maps. The students walking into our churches are not the students of ten years ago, and the assumptions we built our ministries on are quietly taking on water. In our time together, we’ll confront four shifts we can no longer afford to ignore and wrestle with the question every student pastor must answer: Will I react to what’s already happened, or anticipate what’s coming? Let’s learn to navigate these shifting tides together.