Breakout Sessions

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.

Kate Downing has been serving in Student and Girls Ministry for the last fifteen years at churches in Virginia, Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma. She currently serves as the Student Director at BattleCreek Church in Tulsa, OK and works alongside several ministries helping to teach and equip the next generation of ministers. Through teaching and writing, she loves to help others come to know Jesus and fall in love with God’s Word.

Joe Novenson has spent over 40 years shepherding God’s people with a pastor’s heart and a deep love for Christ. He came to faith in high school through the compelling witness of Barb—now his wife of nearly 50 years—and soon sensed a call to ministry. Joe studied at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he was shaped by leaders like Ed Clowney and Jack Miller, and went on to serve churches in Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, most notably as senior pastor of Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church. These days, he pours into younger pastors through mentoring and preaching, which he considers sacred privileges. Joe and Barb delight in time with their three children, five grandchildren, and the many friends God has placed in their lives.

Chris Martin is the director of content at Moody Global Media, an author, and a digital media consultant. He has written two books about social media and our relationship with it: Terms of Service and The Wolf in Their Pockets. He writes weekly at ChrisMartin.FYI. Chris and his wife Susie life outside Nashville with their daughters Maggie and Daisy.

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).

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.

Jennie Landreth

Jennie Landreth, a graduate of Covenant College, began volunteering at her local pregnancy center at just 19 years old. Her passion for life, family, and the Church has fueled over three decades of involvement with Choices Pregnancy Resource Center, where she served as a volunteer through various seasons of motherhood and now works as Development Director. She also formerly served as Vice President of Pathway for Healing, a ministry supporting families of adopted and foster children. Jennie homeschooled her three (now grown) children from kindergarten through graduation—an accomplishment she’s proud of, though she swears it took a few years off her life. After more than 30 years in pregnancy help ministry, her passion for protecting the unborn and promoting abundant life in Christ has only grown stronger.

Tiffany Soyster

Tiffany Soyster, a native of East Tennessee and graduate of Bryan College, spent over 13 years serving as an educator and education director at a pro-life pregnancy help medical clinic before moving into executive leadership within the organization. She has worked extensively with students and parents, promoting healthy lifestyle choices and offering guidance on proactive parenting. Her leadership experience gave a front-row seat to the complex realities of abortion and the vital role of both the Church and the pregnancy center in responding with truth and compassion. Passionate about strong families, Tiffany believes children thrive best in homes with two married, loving parents. Married for 19 years, she and her husband Paul have four active children (ages 15 to 6), a dog, and a deaf cat. When she’s not working, she’s usually at a sports practice—still hoping to be taller than at least one of her kids (though it’s not looking good).

Gianna Rakes came to New City Fellowship from Maryland while studying at Covenant College. She has been involved in youth ministry at the church since 2008 when she started as a volunteer. In 2012, she took the role as assistant youth director and has been on staff for the last 14 years. She met her husband Daniel at New City when he started volunteering with youth group. She loves discipling middle and high school girls, and going on trips to cultivate wonder and fellowship among students while pointing them to the person of Jesus. Gianna and Daniel have two sons, James and Graham, and a daughter, Harper. They enjoy all the outdoor activities, and lots of games nights!

Kevin served as a youth pastor and worship leader in Indiana for 14+ years prior to relocating to Nashville, Tennessee in 2020. After years of leading teenagers on short-term missions, he now serves as the Team Liaison with Students Living a Mission (SLAM) to encourage other youth pastors to consider missions as a beneficial long-term discipleship tool while meeting the needs of immigrant, refugee, and other marginalized people domestically and globally.

When he is not volunteering with his wife Sandra in children’s ministry or being a dad to their four adopted children, he enjoys flying in any contraption he can buy or build (yes, actual human flight), ad-libbing silly songs on the guitar, and brainstorming new business ideas that can advance ongoing generosity and ministry. He wants to be better at remembering family vacations, engaging in biblical conflict resolution, and taking selfies that could be used for future headshots.

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.

Brian Preston serves as the NextGen Pastor at BattleCreek Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Known for his creativity and visionary thinking, Brian jokes that he comes up with six wild ideas before breakfast—and wisely talks himself out of five by lunch. With a deep love for the local church, he has served in a variety of churches and is especially passionate about reaching the next generation for Christ. Brian thrives on trying new things, building and developing healthy teams, and creating environments where students can encounter Jesus. He and his wife, Jenn, are proud parents to two incredible kids, Ezekiel and Selah.

Chris serves as the Next Gen Catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, where he equips, builds networks, and encourages leaders who are reaching the next generation. Wendy is a travel agent who specializes in Disney destinations and creating memorable family experiences.

Together, they served for 17 years at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia, where Chris was the Middle School and Student Pastor. With over 30 years of youth ministry experience, Chris and Wendy are passionate about pointing teenagers to Jesus and investing in the parents and leaders who influence them.

Married for 31 years, they now live in Marietta, Georgia. Chris is the former co-host of The Longer Haul Podcast (2018–2022) and currently hosts The Youth Ministry Podcast for Volunteers. Together, Chris and Wendy co-authored The Longer Haul: A Field Guide for Longevity (YM360).

Jeff currently serves on the Student Leadership University Team as the Chief Strategic Officer.  Jeff is nationally known as an urban ministry pioneer, communicator, innovator, and mentor. For 23 years, Jeff has served as Pastor of Youth Development at Peace Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia, where he oversaw all of the children, student, and young adult programming and then he transitioned to the role of Executive Pastor.  Jeff is also the Founder of FrontLine Urban Resources, Inc., which is an organization that provides resources and trainings to help leaders engage an evolving generation of families as well as teaching them how to redefine and reshape their traditional views of urban ministry and urban culture.

Jeff received his undergraduate education from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and his Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Indiana Wesleyan Seminary in Marion, Indiana, and his PhD in Organizational Leadership from Southeastern University.

Jeff has produced several resources designed to empower and equip youth ministry leaders, parents, and students in a variety of contexts and environments. He is the author of Urban Ministry from Start to Finish, co-author of Everybody’s Urban, Urban LIVE curriculum, The Skinny on Communication, and 99 Things Every Guy Should Know. He is a writer in the Simple Truth Bible and a contributor in Reggie Joiner’s Creating a Lead Small Culture book.

Jeff enjoys doing life with his wife Quovadis and three boys, Jeffrey, Christopher, and Cameron.

Jason and his wife Lori have served in student ministry since 1999. After serving in 2 churches for a span of 22 years, Jason now serves as Executive Director of PACT Ministries – a ministry specializing in serving youth pastors and spouses across the country. Jason and Lori have been married for 25 years, have 4 children, 1 cat, a lizard, and currently live in Columbia, SC. You will routinely find Jason and Lori traveling to unfamiliar places, eating great food, and reading informative books.

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.

Justin Park lives in Chattanooga, TN with his wife Amy, his partner of 27 years, and their three college-aged children. For over 20 years, Justin has dedicated himself to leading students and families, currently serving as the Family & Student Ministry Director at RockPoint Church in Chattanooga where he has been on staff for 13 years. Justin is an outdoor enthusiast, passionate soccer fan, and devoted pickleball player who’s always ready for a friendly match.

Justin received his biblical studies degree from Criswell College in Dallas, TX, which laid the foundation for his ministry work with youth and families. An Enneagram 7 who loves finding the next spontaneous adventure, Justin can often be found exploring the beautiful outdoors around Chattanooga, cheering on his favorite soccer teams, or enjoying quality time with his family when not pouring into the next generation at RockPoint.

Courtney lives in Chattanooga, TN with her husband Todd, her son Camp, and their therapy dog Teddy. Courtney previously 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 in private practice as a Licensed Counselor. She primarily sees teens, parents, and women working with anxiety, depression, relationship and trauma work. Courtney loves hiking, cooking, spending time with family and friends, and always up for the next adventure.

Deidra Love works for the Hamilton County School system in Chattanooga, TN as the social emotional facilitator of professional learning, where she supports children with emotional and behavioral needs, leads training workshops and coaches school staff. She is a mom of 4 children ages 11-24, including an adopted daughter, and she has spent the past 25 years in her professional work serving children and families as a teacher, behavior support coach and early interventionist. She is a Trust-based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner, and she feels fortunate to be part of this work each day– helping families, community partners and teachers build trusting, healing relationships with the children in their care.

Chase and Jess Acuña are followers of Jesus, and serve with Standing Stone Ministry out of a deep love for the church. Over the past two decades, they together have served in various ministry, and leadership roles, including church planting, worship leading, running skate ministries, overseas missions, and working with local missions, youth, and young adults. Additionally, Chase is a trained coach and mentor, a certified personal fitness trainer, and a pastoral counselor with the National Christian Counselors Association. Jess is also a trained coach and a certified spiritual director.

Together, the Acuña’s are passionate about caring for and encouraging the growth and health of pastors, missionaries, leaders, and their spouses, with the goal of fostering flourishing and long-term well-being in those serving in ministry roles. They firmly believe that healthy leaders create healthy churches, which in turn are better equipped to spread the Gospel in their neighborhoods, communities, and cities.

In their free time, they enjoy spending time with their two wonderful sons, drinking good coffee, reading, learning, working out, bodies of water, and being outdoors.

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.