KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Spurgeon College welcomed nearly 1,000 students and youth ministry leaders to campus Jan. 23-24 to be equipped in their faith at the 2026 Ready Conference.
Attendees heard sermons from Trip Lee, Jared Bumpers, Jeremy Freeman, Sam Bierig and Tyler Greene, enjoyed a concert from Trip Lee and participated in various workshops designed to equip them to live out and defend their faith.
“The annual Ready Conference is one of the most strategic events we have on campus each year,” said President Jason Allen. “Our youth live in a chaotic culture, and they need to be equipped to defend their faith. That is one of the primary reasons the Ready Conference exists, and I pray that the Lord will produce much fruit in the lives of all who attended and were built up in the faith.”
Main sessions
Trip Lee opened the conference with a sermon from Hebrews 12:1-3 on endurance in the Christian life, urging students to see following Jesus not as a passive ride but as a race empowered by Christ’s grace.
Drawing from his own testimony, Lee recounted how he came to understand the Gospel as a teenager and called students to persevere in faith by “dropping” the hindrances and sins that weigh them down, “running” the race set before them through obedience and reliance on God’s means of grace, and “looking” to Jesus as the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
“It is a race, but the race is fixed. Even if you’re not fast or trained as well as you would like to be – even if you feel weary – you know that you will finish the race because Christ will carry you across the finish line,” Lee declared.
Warning all present of the serious nature of sin and the need to lay it aside, he added, “Sin is not just your little bad friend. Sin does not make friends – sin takes captives. This is not God trying to keep you from good things. When God calls you away from sin, he’s calling you to good things.”
Emphasizing that the race is ultimately sustained by Christ’s finished work, Lee encouraged students to trust in Jesus, who both begins and completes their faith, and to endure with their eyes fixed on Him.
The second speaker was Jared Bumpers, who preached from Titus 3:1-3, encouraging the students to live lives devoted to good works that flow from hearts transformed by the Gospel.
Drawing on the idea of influence, Bumpers challenged students to lead not for fame or personal gain, but for the glory of God and the good of others.
Recalling Paul’s instructions to Titus, he emphasized that leadership and influence are rooted in obedience and service: submit to authorities, be ready for every good work, speak kindly and graciously, avoid quarreling, be gentle, and show courtesy to all.
Bumpers then clarified that good works are the result, not the cause of salvation: “The basis of your relationship with Jesus is not your performance. It’s not your good works. It’s not your effort. Good works flow out of a heart that has been transformed by the gospel.”
Concluding his sermon, he connected faith with action, calling all believers present to live out their transformed hearts: “If you believed in God – the God who accomplished your salvation through the work of the Son and the application of the Holy Spirit – devote yourself to good works.”
Jeremy Freeman came next, speaking from Titus 2:11-15, emphasizing the transformative power of God’s grace in the life of the believer. He outlined three ways grace impacts every Christian: grace saves, grace trains, and grace sends.
He opened by reminding the attendees that salvation is not earned, but received through faith in Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice redeems and purifies believers for good works: “Jesus did not die saying, ‘Now you need to go earn this.’ He died saying, ‘I earned this for you.’”
Freeman went on to highlight how salvation begins a lifelong process of sanctification, in which God’s grace teaches believers to say no to sin and yes to righteousness, enabling them to live with an eternal perspective.
“Grace trains us to lift our eyes up. We are not just living for this moment – we are living for His return,” Freeman said. “And friends, when you know that Jesus is coming back, you live differently, you choose differently, you speak differently, and you suffer differently.”
Freeman illustrated this truth with a story from his family, where his son, Caleb, survived a life-threatening brain injury. He highlighted the faithfulness of God in sustaining His people through suffering and the power of prayer, stating that Caleb’s progress “reminds us that we serve a God of the impossible.”
Freeman’s final point encouraged students to live ready for God’s mission, declaring His truth boldly and living lives zealous for good works. “Grace does not produce passive Christians. Grace produces active, ready, on mission people because grace sends,” he said.
Sam Bierig preached next from the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 as the will of God for every Christian. He emphasized that Christ’s command to make disciples is not optional or reserved for a select few, but it’s central to Christian identity and obedience. “You don’t even have to pray about it. You should, but if you are a Christian, this is God’s will for your life,” Bierig said.
Bierig highlighted the passage’s four uses of “all”: Christ’s “all” authority, the call to go to “all” nations, the command to teach them “all” Christ commanded, and Christ’s promise to be with believers “always.” He argued that Christ’s universal lordship compels global mission and faithful discipleship. “This is not Navy SEAL Christianity. This is Christianity,” Bierig said.
He further argued that the often-overlooked core of the Great Commission is a vision of more – more churches, more missionaries, more Gospel shares, more baptisms, and more faithful Christian families.
He concluded with a call for students to cultivate disciplined, purposeful lives in service of the Great Commission – physically, spiritually, intellectually, and ambitiously – urging them not to waste their lives but to pursue faithfulness with resolve and courage.
Tyler Greene closed the conference with a message from Ephesians 4:1-3, calling students to walk in a manner worthy of their calling and to model Christlike character in the church. “When you put your trust in Jesus alone to give you new life, you are called to a standard,” Greene said.
He emphasized that Jesus Himself is the standard for the Christian life and that Christ also supplies the power to live up to that standard. Believers belong to Christ by God’s calling, redemption, and choosing; therefore, they are called to live in a way that reflects Christ’s transforming grace.
The call to live up to this standard – and the growth that comes as a Christian pursues this upward call – happens in the context of the local church, where believers encourage, challenge, and bear with one another. “You cannot meet the standard without other people cheering you on. You cannot meet the standard without other people challenging you. And you cannot meet the standard without other people who will bear with your faults, your weaknesses, and your sins,” Greene said.
He continued by outlining three marks of a life worthy of this standard: practicing humility, loving others with patience, and pursuing unity in the Church.
At the end of his sermon, he urged students to model these characteristics – pursuing reconciliation and peace and living in a way that reflects Christ to a watching world.
Concert and workshops
In addition to the main sessions, the conference featured musical worship by CrossPoint Worship and workshops. Led by professors from Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College as well as local pastors, workshops included:
- John Meade and Peter Gurry: “How We Got the Bible”
- Tyler Sykora: “The Case for the Resurrection”
- Campbell Terry: “Gender and Sexuality: Truth vs. Cultural Confusion”
- Preaching and Teaching Labs
- Rhythms for Endurance in Youth Ministry
Alongside main sessions and workshops, Friday late-night events offered students fun and fellowship with their fellow attendees and youth leaders. Highlighted by a concert by Trip Lee, late-night activities featured inflatables, food and games in the Mathena Student Center gym.
Full videos of all Ready 2026 plenary sessions will be available soon. To see photos of Ready 2026, click here.
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