2026 Spring Gathering

Pre-Conference Workshop
Church Safety and Security - Jay Kieve, CBF Global

Check-in/Exhibits open

Dinner and Business Session

Keynote Presentation
Hope Beyond the Headlines: What National Research Says About Why People Leave Church—and Why They Might Return - Colin Kroll, CBF Global, and Rex Foster, More in Common

Many pastors are shepherding faithful communities in a season marked by fatigue, polarization, loneliness, and real questions about trust and belonging. While we know that across the U.S., young adult church engagement is low and loneliness is widespread – the data from our recent study tells a more hopeful story than we often assume.

Drawing on a national mixed-methods study of nearly 2,000 adults ages 18–44, we explore what people are saying about faith, belonging, trust, and community today. What emerges is not a rejection of Christianity, but a longing for churches that embody credibility, care, service to community, and spiritual depth in lived, relational ways.

Together, we’ll explore seven research-based insights and reflect on how churches might prayerfully discern faithful responses in their own contexts, honoring the call to be a source of hope and love in our communities.