Vintage Conference reminds leaders to always keep the gospel at the center

At Vintage Conference, leaders were reminded that the gospel needs to be at the center of the local church.

On Feb. 25-26, more than 650 church leaders attended Vintage Con at Christ Church in Gilbert to help be equipped to lead and disciple their churches. Check in was easy, the hospitality was excellent, there were plenty of sponsor tables to peruse, and people laughed and smiled catching up outside. But inside there was a clear message in the worship, main sessions and workshops — the gospel is too important to not be intentional about it.

The main sessions, led by Adam Bailie, Mike Bullmore, Tony Merida and H.B. Charles Jr., focused on making disciples with gospel clarity, identity, proclamation and protection.

Adam Bailie, senior lead pastor of Christ Church, Gilbert, explained that 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 shows that “gospel clarity orients everyone as the church, elevates only One for the church, and identifies each one with the church.”

Mike Bullmore, founding pastor of Crossway Community Church, Bristol, Wisconsin, reminded attendees that 2 Corinthians 5 declares their identity in Christ. “Today, what is needed is a people who are sure of who they are, out of which will come kingdom lives.,” he said.

On the importance of consistently proclaiming the gospel, Tony Merida, senior pastor of Imago Dei Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, stated, “Some of our best church leaders aren’t even Christians yet.”

And in the closing session, H.B. Charles Jr., senior pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida, stressed the need of gospel protection, explaining that the church needs to “abide in the Word of God, abide in the Spirit, and stick to the Scriptures.” He asked, “Are you standing on the Word of God?”

Vintage Con also featured more than 30 breakouts meant to equip in areas including worship, teaching, next gen, human resources, elders, outreach, spiritual formation and more. These breakouts covered everything from practical application to the heart and meaning behind ministry.

On “Communicating with Influence,” Beau Hughes, Lead Pastor of The Village Church, Denton, Texas, shared that the heart of a leader’s voice is his or her character and that a leader’s voice and character are inseparable.

Michelle Filleman, director of business for Christ Church, explained that building a great team consisted of laying a foundation (compliance with laws and organization standards), building a team (the right people in the right place) and growing together (healthy culture and consistent development).

On scaling up teams, Jeff Carlson, senior executive pastor of Christ Church, reminded leaders that “the Holy Spirit makes churches grow, but we can position ourselves to take advantage when the Spirit moves.” He gave six strategies to scale up teams: communicate clearly to the church, embrace change, mobilize people, enhance ministry, strengthen planning and leverage technology.

In a later breakout on Elder Teams, Carlson said elders need to be unified in four areas: perspective of the work (role as shepherds), affection for the people, priority of the Word and team values.

Leaders came away inspired, encouraged, and equipped to lead their churches.

“Vintage Con was an informative and inspirational time of worship and fellowship with like-minded leaders seeking new ways to lead and love their people more effectively,” said Ryan, a youth and connection pastor .

“I left Vintage Con with practical steps on how to create gospel-centered worship services and how to encourage my team members to live gospel-centered lives,” said Josh, a worship and production director.

Vintage Con 2026 will take place on Feb. 24-26, 2026. You can get more information at vintageconference.com.

Tony Young, a freelance writer living in Phoenix, is executive pastor at Cityview Church in Phoenix.