EQUIP 2026: Youth Ministry has an Eternal Impact

Charlotte, North Carolina was the site of a powerful time of ministry, training, and fellowship during EQUIP 2026, taking place April 20- 23. The biennial event hosted youth leaders, volunteers, and officers of The Salvation Army’s USA Southern Territory under the banner of “BEYOND” with the theme verse Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

The week included four general sessions of worship and impactful teaching centered on how to grow the Kingdom and empower youth leaders. An inspirational message from Southern Territorial Leaders Commissioners Kelly and Donna Igleheart helped set the tone for the event from the first session.

“You have an invitation and an opportunity to lean in this week,” Commissioner Donna encouraged, “and to listen to what our Father has for you.”

The challenge from Commissioners Igleheart fit seamlessly into the overarching goal of the week, which Emma Edelman, EQUIP planner and territorial ministry leadership development & camp program coordinator, describes as “to encourage, strengthen, and equip youth leaders, corps officers, local officers, and volunteers for long-term, Christ-centered ministry.”

“Youth ministry can sometimes feel isolating, exhausting, and overwhelming. EQUIP creates space for leaders to worship together, learn from one another, and remember that they are part of something much bigger than themselves,” says Edelman. “We also want EQUIP to help leaders think beyond just surviving ministry moments and instead build sustainable, intentional ministries that make a lasting impact in the lives of children, teens, and young adults.”

Reverend Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World and founder of One Day’s Wages, was the keynote speaker of the opening session, teaching on John 21. He happily shared his personal affinity for The Salvation Army’s work. “One of the reasons why I so deeply respect and appreciate The Salvation Army is because you care for the whole person, and not just whether they are in the seat for a 65-minute service on a Sunday,” said Reverend Cho. “You also care about their relationships, their friendships. You care if they’ve actually eaten that day.”

In the second and third sessions of the week, EQUIP attendees were inspired by the words of Heather Flies and Andy Jung. Flies, an accomplished author and 30-year youth pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, urged the youth leaders to persist in their ministry, thanking God for “a spirit of faithfulness and consistency” that we can offer to young people.

Jung, senior director of the Fuller Youth Institute, preached on the story of the Good Samaritan, charging attendees to both lead with empathy and continue building their teams. Jung cited consistent research that young people with at least five Christian adults in their lives, outside of their parents, are significantly more likely to hold onto their faith into adulthood.

“Each of our major speakers brought something unique to the week, but together they shared the same message of encouragement and hope,” says Edelman. “We were reminded that youth ministry is not just about programs or events; it’s about relationships, discipleship, and faithfully investing in the next generation. And we were also challenged to remain firmly rooted in Christ, to be authentic leaders, and to continue sowing seeds even when we cannot see the full harvest. Their words spoke directly to both the realities and the joys of ministry. We truly believe God used each speaker to speak exactly what many leaders needed to hear.”

In each of the sessions, transMission, the territorial praise team, led powerful worship that helped shape the tenor of the event. In addition, the Territorial Arts Ministries (TAM) team offered a thought-provoking dramatic presentation called “Beyond the Garden,” which poignantly illustrated that while youth ministry can sometimes feel repetitive, the work being done is both meaningful and necessary, producing results that can have an eternal impact.

Beyond the general sessions, workshop leaders came from three Salvation Army territories and a wide variety of professional backgrounds to pour into the delegates.

In the final session of the conference, Majors Matthew and Jamie Satterlee, territorial youth secretaries, challenged attendees to not let God’s Word be forgotten. They spoke from 2 Kings 21-23, shedding light on how The Salvation Army can provide not only “places of entertainment” for young people, but rather places where they can belong and find their identity in God.

“Matt and I, what we’re asking – what we’re begging you to do – is to be seed planters,” said Major Jamie. “We are asking you to take these nuggets of God’s Word and to bury them, not hidden away behind a wall, but in the soil of kids’ lives, that they might be, as the Word says, ‘rooted and established in love.’”

Edelman describes a “genuine spirit of worship, unity, and expectation present from beginning to end” at EQUIP 2026, and that permeated each of the week’s general sessions, breakouts, pre-conference sessions, and moments of fellowship.

“Leaders from across the territory came together with a shared passion for reaching and discipling young people, and you could truly feel that throughout every part of the event,” says Edelman. “The week was filled with meaningful conversations, practical learning opportunities, creative ideas, and moments of spiritual renewal. Leaders left with new tools and resources, but also with renewed vision, encouragement, and purpose for the ministry God has called them to.”

EQUIP 2026 also provided an impactful reminder to every youth leader that every moment in their ministry journey matters, whether seemingly small or prominent. “We may not always see the results right away, but we trust that God is working through every seed that is planted,” Edelman shares. “EQUIP reminded us that even in the small, everyday moments of ministry, God is still moving and changing lives for His glory.”