ALPHARETTA, Ga. – The 2026 Replant Summit emphasized the spiritual work of renewal as nearly 400 pastors and church leaders gathered from 24 states and 181 churches, making it the largest Replant Summit the North American Mission Board (NAMB) has hosted.
The August 25-26 event focused on encouraging and mobilizing leaders as they serve in their churches. Through Scripture, teaching, and worship, the summit reminded leaders to keep a Kingdom-minded focus and to seek the King.
The NAMB Replant and Renewal team designed the summit to equip pastors to return home and focus on what is most important, with the desire to see every church mobilized and multiplied for the glory of God. Speakers shared a wealth of wisdom from years in ministry, their experiences, along with what they continue to learn serving in the arena of church renewal.
Through keynote messages, breakout sessions, worship, attendees were encouraged to seek the Kingdom and to walk in a deepened devotion to the Heavenly Father. With an emphasis on togetherness and partnership, the summit reminded leaders of the marks of a Kingdom-minded church and offered practical ways for the church to step out of what is comfortable and to cultivate a heart for the community around them. Attendees heard repeatedly about the priority of a deepened devotion to God, first in their own lives and then in the lives of their churches.
“As Mark Clifton said so many times, ‘Nothing about a dying church brings glory to God,’ so what I want to see is these churches thrive, not just to bring glory to the Lord, but to reach those in the community around them who don’t know Jesus. And so, to help them flourish is actually Gospel work, to go and see more people saved by Jesus,” said Matt MacNaughton, Replant team assistant.
“A Kingdom-minded church will receive God’s gift in abundance and will continually be renewed,” said Mark Clifton, executive director of the Replant team. “You want renewal in your church? Go back and begin with, ‘the world is bigger than you are.’ Go back and rejoice when God blesses somewhere else. Go back and radically share what you have with other churches. Go back and risk whatever your comfort might be for the benefit of the kingdom. Reassure those that are doing the work, and when that happens, God will not leave you alone.”
For attendees, the summit was a refreshing time of learning and fellowship as they gathered from across the nation to grow together in leadership and be encouraged as they reach their communities.
“I was grateful for the opportunity to be around other pastors and leaders who understand the unique challenges of leading a church back to health for the glory of God,” said Dustin Biggers of Oakwood Ga. “I am confident that West Hall Baptist Church, where I have the privilege of serving as senior pastor, will – Lord willing – experience the benefits and impact of this conference for years to come!”
Recognized at the summit was the 2026 Replanter of the Year. Clifton invited Larry Lewis, who retired as president of the Home Mission Board (precursor to NAMB) in 1997, to present the Billy Herford award, named for a soul-winning pastor, to Daniel Sanderson of McIntosh Baptist Church in Griffin, Ga.
McIntosh Church, founded in 1894, had faithfully witnessed to the community for more than a century, though the last several years saw a steady decline in the health of the body. After attendance diminished and leadership transitioned, the remnant faced a host of questions about the church’s future.
Through partnership with their association, the church began the road towards becoming a thriving body once again. The effort of replanting the church took shape as Sanderson was called as replant pastor, and in the months that followed, he helped cast a renewed vision for the church. As the Holy Spirit worked, the congregation began experiencing new life.
“The McIntosh replant wants to be another faithful church advancing God’s Kingdom. Being connected to other replants pursuing the same thing puts wind in our sails, and we believe it pleases God,” Sanderson shared. “We hope what God is doing at McIntosh can be experienced by other replants as well—an excitement to be who we are for God’s glory.”
The church is full of life once more, teeming with young families, retirees, and singles, reaching into and sharing Jesus with the community around them, a testament to the faithfulness of God and of His continued work in Griffin.
This year’s Replant Summit marked the first event since the Replant and Renewal team became part of Send Network, NAMB’s church planting arm that focuses on mobilization and church multiplication. The summit concluded with a commission from Mark Hallock, Director of Replant and Renewal for Send Network.
He highlighted the joy of being a multiplying church whose focus is on the advancement of the Kingdom: who walks by faith, gives courageously, and whole-heartedly believes that the church is better together. Through prayer, equipping the church body for the mission of the Gospel, developing leaders in the local church, and partnering with other churches, every church can become a multiplying church.
“God renews churches so they can help plant new churches, renew struggling churches, and join Him more fully in His mission,” Hallock stated.
This article was originally published by Baptist Press.