Breakout Sessions

Amanda Mejias serves at Lifeway as the Specialist for girls ministry and women who lead in student ministry. She is passionate about equipping church leaders as they minister to and disciple students. She is living the dream, especially with her husband and two small kids by their side. Amanda is always down to hear a cheesy joke, grab coffee, and talk about golden retrievers.

Dr. Tate Cockrell is the Director of Doctor of Ministry Studies and the Fulp Chair of Biblical Counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. He has been in ministry for 34 years. He preaches and teaches on marriage, family, grief, parenting, men’s issues, and pastoral health in the U.S. and internationally. He has been married to Wendy for 31 years, and they have 3 adult children.

Kaitlyn Schiess is an author, speaker, and perpetual theology student. She is the author of The Ballot and the Bible (Brazos, 2023) and The Liturgy of Politics (IVP, 2020), and her writing has appeared in Christianity Today, The New York Times, Christ and Pop Culture, RELEVANT, and Sojourner. She is a co-host and Senior Editor of the Holy Post podcast, and the host of Curiously, Kaitlyn. She has a ThM in systematic theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and is currently a doctoral student in theology at Duke Divinity School.

Doug Franklin started LeaderTreks in 1994 to see students reach their potential. For over twenty years, he has trained students and youth pastors alike, developing them into leaders serving in God’s Kingdom. Before starting LeaderTreks, Doug was a youth pastor for twelve years but discovered his true passion was discipleship and leadership development. He is married to a wonderfully creative woman named Angie, and they live in Wayne, Illinois.

Courtney lives in Chattanooga, TN with her husband Todd and their dog, Teddy. Courtney served as the Youth Director at Rock Creek Fellowship for 7 years while completing her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Richmont Graduate University. She and Teddy are working at the Christian Counselor Cooperative where she is a licensed counselor as part of the Elbow Tree Group. Courtney loves hiking, cooking, spending time with friends, and always up for the next adventure.

Jonathan serves as the Vice President of Institutional Advancement for Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He completed an M.Div. and PhD in Christian Ethics at Southeastern. Jonathan has served churches in Georgia and North Carolina in various pastoral roles. Jonathan is married to Sally, and they have four children. They live in Wake Forest, NC. The Six family are members of Faith Baptist Church in the Wake Forest area.

Brian has been working full-time with families since 1993. He has had the privilege of speaking at more than 600 conferences, schools, churches, and camps from coast to coast as well as several international locations. Brian is a prolific writer for parenting magazines, most notably Parenting  Teenagers, Parent Life, and Homeschooling Today with more than 80 articles published. He is the author of four books: Engaging Your Teen’s World, Tech Savvy Parenting, How You Always Meant to Parent, and Raising Responsible Teens in a Digital World. Brian has been featured as a parenting coach on more than sixty radio shows and TV programs including FOX, ABC, and NBC affiliates.

Brian has had the privilege of being just a small part of the process as God turns the hearts of parents toward their children as well as children toward their parents. After serving for thirteen years in positions ranging from a youth pastor to a camp director to a school administrator, Brian stepped out and created 360 Family in September 2004. Most recently, he launched Screen Smarts—a one of a kind technology course for parents that now includes tens of thousands of parents!

Zac currently serves as the Student Ministry Specialist for Lifeway Students. Zac is also the co-founder and network lead for Youth Ministry Booster. Zac is a voracious reader, avid gamer, car-camper, folk musician, black coffee-drinker, beard aficionado. Enneagram 7 & ENFP.  Zac received his undergraduate education from Oklahoma Baptist University and his Master’s of Divinity from Duke University. He loves to eat breakfast food at new places with his wife Karen and two wild boys Isaiah & Gideon.

Natalee Barbier has been an Educator for 22 years. She has specialized in Special Education and has used her gifts to help lead individuals and churches to better reach students with disabilities. She is dually certified in Elementary Education and Special Education.

Natalee has a heart for parents and students and wants to see them flourish in the faith. She received her education from Southeastern Louisiana University and is a native of South Louisiana. The Barbier Family moved to Tennessee in 2011 for her husband’s ministry. Natalee enjoys working alongside of her husband as he serves as Youth Specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

Natalee finds joy in travel, decorating, and Walt Disney World. She is blessed with two beautiful children, Caleb 22 and Mary-Clare 20. She also has a beautiful daughter-in-love named Whitley. Natalee has been married to Jay for almost 26 years.

Over 20 years ago she became the mother of a daughter with Down Syndrome, this impacted her and she has given her life to reaching and teaching children!

Jason and his wife Lori have served in student ministry for over 23 years. Most recently, serving as the Executive Director of PACT Ministry, a ministry that specializes in life-on-life coaching of youth pastors. Before serving with PACT he served in 2 churches over the span of 22 years in Carrollton, GA and Columbia, SC. Jason and Lori have been married for 23 years, have 4 children and 2 cats and currently reside in Columbia, SC. You will routinely find Jason and Lori traveling to new places, eating great food and reading a great book.

Heather loves Jesus, youth ministry, and laughing at silly things. She is married to her husband Rodrigo and they have one beautiful daughter. She is a gifted teacher and speaker with nearly twenty years of youth ministry experience. Heather loves helping youth leaders get better at discipleship by understanding Jesus from His Jewish context. She holds a master’s degree in youth ministry leadership from Huntington University and is the Founder of First-Century Youth Ministry, www.firstcenturyyouthministry.com.

Chris serves as the Next Gen Catalyst at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. Wendy works as a travel agent specializing in Disney travel.

They recently wrapped up 17 years at Johnson Ferry Baptist in Marietta, Georgia where Chris served as the Middle School and Student Pastor. They have a passion for pointing teenagers to Jesus and investing in leaders and parents who are impacting the next generation for Christ.

Now empty nesters, they live in Marietta, GA. They have three grown up kids, Dillon & Sarah (married in May, 2023) and Abby. As an “old guy” in youth ministry (now 30+ years), Chris co-hosted The Longer Haul Podcast (2018-2022), and now hosts The Youth Ministry Podcast for Volunteers. He and Wendy also co-authored The Longer Haul: A Field Guide for Longevity (YM360).

Chris Hargrove joined YM360 in 2024 as the Managing Editor of Youth Pastor Resources. Before joining the YM360 team, Chris served in youth ministry for 15 years in various church sizes, including smaller and multi-site churches. He finds joy in encouraging, equipping, and supporting youth leaders through coaching, writing, speaking, building relationships, and encouraging them as they pour into the next generation. He still loves serving students (especially those wild middleschoolers), challenging them in ping-pong, and helping them discover who God is and who God calls them to be.

Chris holds a Master of Arts in Discipleship and a Master of Divinity in Leadership from Liberty University. You can often find him enjoying a member’s only pizza slice combo from the famous Sam’s Club with his family throughout the year. Chris is happily married to his wonderful wife, Carrie, who homeschools their two daughters.

Shane serves as the National Next Gen Director for the North American Mission Board (NAMB). He and his wife, Kasi reside in Texas, with their five children. He has been in ministry for over 20 years as a denominational leader, church planter, lead pastor, and student pastor. Shane is also a traveling communicator, evangelist, and Bible teacher. Every year he speaks to over a hundred thousand people about the good news of Jesus Christ. He is the author of two books, 9 Common Lies Christians Believe: And Why God’s Truth Is Infinitely Better and Calling Out the Called: Discipling Those Called to Ministry Leadership, and is also one of the hosts of The Gensend Podcast.

Dr. Tate Cockrell is the Director of Doctor of Ministry Studies and the Fulp Chair of Biblical Counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. He has been in ministry for 34 years. He preaches and teaches on marriage, family, grief, parenting, men’s issues, and pastoral health in the U.S. and internationally. He has been married to Wendy for 31 years, and they have 3 adult children.

SWAT was founded in 1992 by Jon Messarra out of Colbert, GA. Jon had a vision for students leading students at Disciple Now. Jon started his first Disciple Now with 15 students. 6 months later, it grew to 60 students, then 120 students, and ultimately over 200 students were attending Disciple Now weekends at Colbert Baptist Church. Jon’s vision for students leading students has now become commonplace on Disciple Now Weekends.

SWAT has grown over the years and we provide more resources than just Disciple Now for the local church. Our experience has given us the ability to launch new events to equip the next generation to live drastically different lives than what the world is telling them. Each of us has been commanded to go and make disciples (Matt 28:19-20). We want to provide the tools and resources to help individuals and the local church fulfill that commitment.

Doug Franklin started LeaderTreks in 1994 to see students reach their potential. For over twenty years, he has trained students and youth pastors alike, developing them into leaders serving in God’s Kingdom. Before starting LeaderTreks, Doug was a youth pastor for twelve years but discovered his true passion was discipleship and leadership development. He is married to a wonderfully creative woman named Angie, and they live in Wayne, Illinois.

Jay Fowler – Jay grew up in Chattanooga, where he played football, basketball, and baseball at Tyner High School. In 1987, he was selected as Greater Chattanooga/Southeast Tennessee FCA Christian Athlete of the Year. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1991 and was commissioned as an officer in the Army upon graduation.

Jay served in the Army for five years and worked in business for three years before coming on staff with FCA in Middle Tennessee. In August of 2001, he was named Director of the Greater Chattanooga/Southeast Tennessee FCA and has served in this position for 23 years. Jay and his wife Beverly worship at Covenant Presbyterian Church. They have four adult children.

Terry Knecht – Terry is a graduate of Ooltewah high school and Bryan College. He got a degree in Christian Education with an emphasis in Student Ministry. He is married to Carrie Knecht and they have 3 children.

Terry served as a teacher/coach for 14 years and then transitioned into student ministry for 8 years. He currently serves as an Area Representative for FCA and has served for 2 years.

Andrew serves as the Pastor of Students and Families at Westwood Baptist Church in Cleveland, TN. Andrew is a graduate of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, with a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Apologetics and Culture from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Andrew is passionate about discipleship, biblical fellowship, evangelism, and world missions, seeking to help spur the body of Christ to walk in obedience to Jesus’ command to fulfill the Great Commission. He and his wife, Ashley, have two girls, Graysen Elyse, and Emersyn Leigh.

Joshua (Lazrus) Reaves is a full-time Fortnite streamer and creator who has 10 years of student ministry experience. Josh first started gaining traction on TikTok as the “God in Fortnite Terms guy” where he has made videos explaining God, Jesus, and salvation in Fortnite terms. Josh’s unique approach to becoming a full-time streamer and creator has led him to partner with the Christian Ministry Alliance on a groundbreaking initiative to empower Christian gamers and streamers as fully funded digital missionaries, providing them with the support and resources to spread the Gospel online.

Josh currently resides in Chattanooga, TN. He has been a drummer for 15 years and has served in the area of worship since he was 18 years old. He loves to spend time with his family, watch the Dune movies, and read the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown.

He is married to Rebecca Reaves and they have two beautiful children: Maverick and Nova.

You can find Josh’s streams and watch his content on Youtube, TikTok, and Twitch.

Chad has been speaking biblical truth into students’ lives for years. He believes in the importance of relationships and seeks to get to know people when he is away from the stage. Ultimately, Chad hopes to see students moved into a deeper relationship with Christ through the power of God’s Word. In turn, those students will impact their community and world for Christ’s sake. Chad is currently the Teaching Pastor at Grace Bible Church. He is the co-host of the Hold On Podcast and is the founder of Through-line Cohort – a ministry that exists to develop communicators of the Bible. He is married to Hope and they have three sons (Shepherd, Charlie, and Alder) and a daughter (Noli).

Kerry 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. You can connect with Kerry on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook at @kray2u.