Equip Life Group Conference

Matthew Gibbs (Adult Division)

Matthew is Adult Education/Evangelism Pastor at Second Baptist Warner Robins. Matthew has been at Second Baptist Warner Robins for the past 14 years, leading through multiple Life Group hours. Before going to Second Baptist Warner Robins, he served for five years as Minister of Education and Senior Adults at Calvary Baptist Church in Greenwood, Indiana. His passions are ministry and evangelism through the small group. Matthew also serves as the East Central Consultant for GBMB.

Matthew is married to Kathy and they have three children: Mary Beth, Daniel, and Aaron.

Breakout Sessions:

Evangelism through Sunday School (Session 1)
From its inception, Sunday school was designed to be a reaching organization. Sadly, many churches have forgotten or just abandoned the critical work of reaching though their Sunday school ministry. This session will challenge, inspire and prepare you to make reaching a priority and a success through your class.

Care Groups Are Vital! (Session 2 & 3)
What is a Care Group? Care groups are one of the most powerful ways to get people connected and committed to your S.S. class. In this session you will learn about the importance of intentional care and ministry within your Sunday school class, and how to successfully organize and do it well through Care Groups.

Topper Reid (Adult Division)

Topper is a leading church strategist who serves as the Vice President of Unlimited Partnerships, a non-profit organization committed to promoting church growth through Christian education and leadership development. As a leading church strategist, he has served as a Minister of Education for over 23 years. He served for 13.5 years at Hunter Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama where his Sunday School grew from 800 to 3,300 in attendance, with enrollment topping 8,000.

A graduate of Samford University and Southern Seminary, Topper is nationally recognized as a frequent writer and seminar leader for LifeWay Christian Resources. He previously acted as the Sunday School/Church Growth trainer for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, and Director of Church Development for Myrick, Gurosky and Associates (MG&A) in Birmingham, Alabama where he served for six years.

Breakout Sessions:

Organization and Execution of Adult Small Groups (Session 1 & 2)
Leading an adult small group is an exciting and rewarding endeavor. Understanding the purpose of small groups and the timeless principles upon which they function, will enable you to experience real joy as you lead your group. Join us as we share some ideas you can use to take your group’s ministry to the next level.

Teaching Adults for Results (Session 3)
Understanding the adult learner, an awareness of teaching tools and a little organization can be decisive ingredients in formulating an engaging Bible lesson. This session will provide a solid model for teachers to follow as they prepare to teach each week’s study.

Dallas White (Adult Division)

Since 2017, Dallas has served as Senior Pastor at The Grove Church in Acworth, Georgia (northwest Atlanta), where — by God’s grace — he has been able to help a once-dying church rediscover their Kingdom purpose. Today, TGC is a vibrant, multi-generational church making an impact in it’s community and around the world.

In 2019, Dallas joined the Georgia Baptist Mission Board team and today he leads the GBMB’s efforts to engage and encourage young leaders. In 2020, Dallas founded X FACTOR, an entity passionate about partnering with coaches to equip student-athletes with the core character traits that fuel life-long success.

Breakout Sessions:

Don’t Quit!  (Session 1 & 2)
In this session, Dallas will share seven leadership lessons from 2 Corinthians 4 designed to help God’s people persevere through challenging seasons of life and ministry.

Habits of Holiness (Session 3)
Hebrews 12:14 says, ‘without holiness, no one will see the Lord.’ If we want to see the Lord move in power throughout the ministries we lead, we must renew our commitment to pursuing personal holiness. In this session, Dallas will share eight principles of personal holiness designed to help you run the race and finish well! 

Steve Parr (Next Gen Division)

In forty-plus years of ministry, Dr. Steve Parr has assisted thousands of churches in strengthening their ministries by motivating and training leaders through seminars, conferences, preaching, and personal consultations. He is a graduate of Shorter University, has a Master of Divinity Degree in Christian Education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree in Church Growth and Evangelism from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Georgia’s largest association of churches, the Gwinnett Metro Baptist Network. 

Steve is married to Carolyn and has three adult children, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren.

Breakout Sessions:

Keys to Increasing Attendance and Participation (Session 1)

Enlisting Help and Organizing Your Group to Maximize Ministry and Growth (Session 2)

Investments That Keep Kids and Teens Connected into Their Adult Lives (Session 3)

Guest Services

Breakout Sessions:

Parking Lot, Ushers, Greeters, Medical (Session 3)