ATLANTA — Some 150 pastors and church leaders attended last week’s Kingdom Advance conference for pastors at Christ Covenant Church in the Buckhead section of Atlanta. Senior Pastor Jason Dees and his staff were all heavily invested in ensuring that the conference succeeded in meeting the needs of the pastors in attendance.
The conference is a product of Dees’ Duck and Goose ministry network. The name comes from Dees’ time as a student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dees moved into a large house with some of his friends near the seminary campus. The house quickly became a gathering place for parties, informal banquets, hymn singing, and discussions about theology, culture, and current events.
“Somewhere along the way,” recalled Dees, “we picked up a pet duck and goose and the seminary house acquired that name – the Duck and Goose."
The name is reminiscent of iconic establishments such as the Eagle and Child and the Swan and Castle, two of Oxford, England’s most notable pubs. Discussions at the Duck and Goose house were often like the kinds of dialogue C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien had as they shared a like-minded interest in languages, poetry, myth, storytelling, and the Christian faith.
The friendships Dees developed at the Duck and Goose became meaningful and lasting, and inspired him to craft a pastors’ conference that would emulate the experiences he had at his “big house” during his seminary days. “Our house traditions, prayers, and conversations formed deep friendships that have lasted long after seminary,” Dees said. “I have learned that to survive in Christian ministry, friendship is necessary.”
Members of the Christ Covenant staff were instrumental in the success of the conference.
Sallie Barrett, director of events and hospitality at Christ Covenant, was responsible for the communication of the event, coordination of meals, registration and signing in of the attendees, providing the lanyards, overseeing the setup/tear down of equipment as required for the various events during the conference, and facilitated the spaces and equipment for the sports and leisure time. Shannon Smith, Dees’ executive assistant, acknowledged that the preparation and implementation of the conference was a team effort. Her responsibilities included communicating and marketing the event to pastors, contacting the program personalities, and helping to host them.
The conference of the conference was to discover a love for what the gospel is and focus on Kingdom advance. Dees explained, “God is regularly described as king over the entire world. Similarly, the emphasis of Jesus’ teaching was the kingdom of God. The church is called to demonstrate now the kingdom that is yet to come.”
Attendees were encouraged and inspired to make connections for the purpose of striving together for the advancement of God’s kingdom.
Josh Price, lead pastor at Fortified Hills Baptist Church in Dallas, Ga., said, “The conference provided great content for ministering in our current culture and offered the perfect setting for creating friendships with other pastors. I walked away from the conference with new pastoral friendships. I have discovered that those relationships are essential to a ministry of fruitfulness and longevity. I left the conference with a new sense of joy and purpose.”
Brian Fox, who is on the pastoral staff at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, said “We heard an army of inspiring speakers, but I was particularly struck by the intimacy that was built during the times of fellowship.”
Among the high-profile speakers and facilitators were Albert Mohler, Bryant Wright, Crawford Loritts, Dhati Lewis, Jordan Kauflin, Keith Getty, Randy Pope, Trevin Wax, and others.
“Michael Keller, son of Tim Keller and the founding pastor at Redeemer Lincoln Square in New York City, encouraged and energized all of us,” Fox said. “He gave us some practical information on how to understand our culture and how to meet the needs of the culture.”
Fox continued, “Matt Carter, the vice president for the North American Mission Board’s Send Network, asked a probing question that prompted all of us to search our hearts and minds: ‘If you had 24 hours to live, what choices would you make?’”
One of the distinctive features of the conference was the time allotted for sports and leisure, which included pickleball, basketball, and weightlifting.
Dees stated, “So many conferences have you sitting for hours on end. We had a sports and leisure time built into the program to give our attendees an opportunity to build the body as well as the soul.”
The response from those who attended the conference has been such that Dees hopes to build on the success of this year’s conference by hosting another in 2026.