Arizona Pillar Network holds Aspire Conference

The 2025 Pillar Aspire Conference, held Feb 21-22 at Happy Valley Baptist Church in Glendale, was designed specifically with leadership and discipleship in mind.

Each preacher, teacher and discussion panelist was a local Arizona pastor. There were no big names or personalities, and no one claimed the stage as their own.

The Pillar Network seeks to advance the gospel in Arizona through local churches coming together to equip local spiritual men for the purpose of pastoral ministry. For years, church planters and church revitalizers have poured into the state from the outside, and while we thank God for sending people here, the task of advancing the gospel through discipleship lies squarely upon Arizona churches.

The pastors in the Arizona Pillar Network of churches believe that by equipping local leaders, we can, by God’s grace, disciple the next generation of pastors, planters and revitalization leaders. When the men in our churches rise to the challenge of “aspiring” to the “fine work” of pastoral ministry in their local church, and support the faithful men who already serve as pastors, the gospel will begin to flourish more freely across our great state.

While multi-campus models for church multiplication are becoming more popular in the West, Pillar churches focus less on franchising churches and more on multiplying leaders through multi-elder ecclesiology. We believe that when churches embrace healthy multi-elder leadership, the shared pulpit will result in more amply equipped leaders for future kingdom needs.

Dan Diffey and Cody Bishop, both former elders at Foothills Church, are prime examples of this model. Both men have stepped into pastoral leadership roles at nearby churches in the Valley who needed a new pastor.

The Aspire Conference serves as a unique opportunity for Arizona pastors to meet together for fellowship and equipping men for leadership in local churches. It will continue to foster cooperation between local seminaries and churches so our men can have the advanced tools and training needed to learn how to shepherd well. We hope the conference will continue to connect local pastors and help advance the gospel in the West.

Luke Panter is pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Maricopa and is regional director of The Pillar Network – Arizona.