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 Andy is the Senior Director of Church Engagement and Business Administration at the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI). He focuses on developing relationships with church, denominational, and network leaders, finding ways for FYI's research, resources, and training to support their ministry. Andy earned a BS in Math Education from North Carolina State University, an MDiv from Campbell University Divinity School, and a DMin from Fuller Theological Seminary in Youth, Family, and Culture. He has served as a youth minister for 20+ years and a senior pastor for five years. In addition, Andy also served as a state executive leader for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of NC for two years before joining FYI's staff in 2020. In addition to his work at FYI, he is a current ministry practitioner as he serves as the Minister in Residence for Young Adults at Trinity Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC. Andy lives with his wife Amy in Raleigh and is passionate about helping churches better love and care for young people so that teenagers and young adults can thrive in their faith. 

During this keynote you will hear best practices for congregations looking to grow younger.

 This keynote will be lead by Christina Albreacht, chair of West Ohio's Emerging Generations Ministry Team. Christina has been in ministry for over 10 years, serving several churches in various capacities with Emerging Generations. She currently serves as Director of Students and Outreach at Peace UMC Pickerington, is a volleyball coach for a local high school and club volleyball team. She knows first hand the struggles of emerging generations and the local church. 

During this keynote you will learn about the current state of the Church and the generations which make up our world today. You'll also hear from leaders who represent the generations that many of our local churches are missing.

Tavares Stephens currently serves as pastor of Suwanee Worship Center. Prior to his arrival at Suwanee, he served as pastor of Eastside UMC in Atlanta, Georgia and Associate Pastor at Saint James United Methodist Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. In his pastoral roles, he has served as pastoral lead for Christian Education, Stephen Ministry, Benevolence, and Young Adults. He also formerly served as a director of Children, Middle School, and Youth Ministry. 

Tavares was a recipient of the Candler School of Theology’s John Owen Smith Award for Preaching and was featured in By Faith magazine as a Harry Hoosier Spirit Award honoree for his diverse ways in proclaiming the gospel. Prior to receiving his call to ordained ministry, Tavares spent sixteen years as an educator. He is a former Teacher of the Year and was a recipient of Turner Broadcasting’s Teacher Appreciation Award. He also co-authored Reading Revolution, a book of biographies covering important contributions made to civilization by people of African descent and formerly served as a freelance education writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Learning Together Company – a company devoted to developing high engaging reading tutoring curriculum aimed at boosting student achievement. Additionally, Tavares served as a contributing author to the anthology The Secrets to Uplifting the Mind, Body, and Spirits of African American Male Students. 

Tavares is also an accomplished artist. He is a former member of Poetry Atlanta’s National Slam Poetry team and the creator of the spoken word CD, “Lend Me Your Ear.” He also authored Soulfood Café, a book of poetry, and wrote and produced the Ascension Project, a gospel music project that fuses praise and worship and spoken word poetry. Tavares also co-founded VerbalEyze, a non-profit specializing in the professional development of youth and young adult writers.

Tavares also serves as a content consultant for the non-profit Fearless Dialogues – a group which focuses on creating unique spaces (using art, music, and theory based modules called “experiments”) for unlikely partners to engage in hard, heartfelt conversations about taboo subjects. In his work with this organization, Tavares has aided multiple United Methodist conferences and dozens of United Methodist churches, across the country, in helping them see and hear one another with deepened empathy that can lead to radical hospitality, relationship building, and racial healing in their communities. In addition, he serves a mentor with the North Georgia UMC’s Committee on Race and Religion’s Racial Healing Cohort. In this role, he aids individuals who have committed to being vessels of racial healing develop ways and means of building beloved community within the churches and communities in which they serve. 

Tavares graduated with a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University and a Bachelor of Science in English Education from the University of Georgia.  He and his wife of twenty-one years, Nicole, have been blessed with two children, their son Simeon and their daughter Nia.  

During this keynote you will hear the importance of creating space for important conversations, like helping your congregation grow younger.