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Kat Armas
General Session Host
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Kat is a Cuban-American writer and podcaster from Miami, FL, who holds a dual MDiv and MAT from Fuller Theological Seminary. Her first book, Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us About Wisdom, Persistence and Strength (Brazos Press) explores the intersection of women, Scripture, and Cuban identity. She also engages these topics on her podcast, "The Protagonistas", which centers the voices of Black, Indigenous, and other women of color in church leadership and theology.
Amy Julia Becker
Leading Together
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Amy helps people reimagine the good life through her writing and speaking on disability, faith, and culture. She is the author of To Be Made Well, White Picket Fences, Small Talk, and A Good and Perfect Gift and the creator of the Reimagining Family Life with Disability workshop. She is a guest opinion writer for national publications and hosts the Reimagining the Good Life podcast. Becker is a graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary (MDiv). She lives with her husband and their three children in western Connecticut.
Dr. Christina Edmondson
Being Together
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Blessed by an array of academic, professional, and lived experiences, Christina is committed to bringing people together to promote personal and team flourishing.
Christina holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Tennessee State University, an MS degree from the University of Rochester in Family Therapy, and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Hampton University.
For over a decade, Christina has served in a variety of roles, including recently as the Dean for Intercultural Student Development at Calvin University. Within the Higher Education sphere, she continues to serve as an instructor and partners with several universities to develop ethical and impactful leaders. Additionally, a Certified Cultural Intelligence facilitator, public speaker, and mental health therapist, Christina is often contacted by churches to consult about leadership development, anti-racism, and mental health issues. Her writing has been seen and referenced in a variety of outlets, including Essence.com, YourBlackWorld.com, and Gospel Today magazine. She is also one of the co-hosts of the Truth's Table podcast.
Joey Jimenez
Going Together
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Joey is a graduate of Pepperdine University, where he earned degrees in religion and theology, as well as psychology. Joey began his relationship with Christ through the Young Life ministry in San Antonio, Texas. He has been on staff with Young Life since 2004, taking a short break to serve as the executive pastor at New Life Church (Downtown Congregation, Colorado Springs) from 2014 to 2018. He has held leadership positions in Young Life’s field ministry, Camping department, International Development, and as the chief of staff in the Office of the President. Joey and his family love spending time outdoors. He is an avid fly-fisherman and loves white water rafting.
Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah
Growing Together
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Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah holds a Th.D. from Duke University with concentrations in theological ethics and church history. He holds a D.Min. with a concentration in urban ministry and a M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He also received a Th.M. from Harvard University with a thesis on the immigrant church. His B.A. is from Columbia University, where he majored in political science and history/sociology.
Dr. Rah joined the faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary in 2021 as the Robert Boyd Munger Professor of Evangelism. Prior to joining Fuller, he served as the Milton B. Engebretson Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary.
Dr. Rah has authored or coauthored over a half dozen, many award-winning books including The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity, Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church, Return to Justice: Six Movements that Reignited Our Contemporary Evangelical Conscience, Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery, and Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith. Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times was touted by The Englewood Review of Books as one of the Best Theology Books of 2015 and on Relevant Magazine's Top 10 Books of 2015.
Breakout session speakers | Day Two
While Mosaic breakout sessions are designed with specific contexts and topics in mind, the insights and practices shared are valuable for all attendees. We encourage you to dream beyond your current role, explore unfamiliar perspectives, and challenge yourself to imagine what more could be possible, is possible for your community, your ministry, and yourself.
Kat Armas
Resisting Empire
This workshop explores how empire’s values quietly shape our lives, communities, and ministries—and how real change begins by confronting that formation within ourselves. Together, we will reflect on the ideologies of empire, name their presence in our daily practices and beliefs, and consider what it looks like to resist through intentional unlearning and re-formation.
Dr. Vincent Bacote
Black + Evangelical
Can the word "evangelical" still be associated with "the good news?" In this workshop, we will discuss the making of the documentary and discern together the opportunities and challenges of being "good news people.
David Bailey
Building Reconciling Communities
This workshop is for leaders who sense that reconciliation cannot be sustained through statements, sermons, or goodwill alone. It focuses on the practical work of shaping communities that can embody reconciliation over time. Drawing on Scripture, systems thinking, and guided reflection, participants examine why reconciliation efforts often break down at the communal level and how shared practices, leadership dynamics, and institutional structures shape what a community becomes over time, beyond any single leader. Leaders will explore how to move beyond intention toward building rhythms, practices, and systems that help communities remain present and faithful amid difference. Participants leave with greater clarity about who must be engaged in their context and concrete frameworks for how they can begin building with their community.
Rev. Dr. Sarah McKenney
Philosophy of "How"
When we ask if someone can or can't do something, we risk limiting one another and God. In this session, Rev. Dr. Sarah McKenney will explore the power of the word "How" in her personal journey and experience with disability, as well as in her professional career supporting individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities in their spiritual lives. Join us and make an important shift that opens opportunities for people with disabilities to belong and fully participate in ministry.
Shayne McNichols
Listening Beneath the Behavior: Trauma, Children, and Meaning-Making
Children’s behaviors are often expressions of unmet needs, unspoken emotions, and lived experiences rather than defiance or “misbehavior.” This interactive session invites caregivers and professionals to look beneath the surface, exploring how trauma shapes a child’s meaning-making and how attuned, compassionate listening can foster safety, regulation, and healing.
Yonathan Moya
Faithful Presence in a Divided Nation
Join Border Perspective for an engaging session exploring immigration through a global, national, and local biblical lens. Through story, reflection, and interactive activities, we’ll seek to build nearness and understanding around a complex topic that impacts us all. You’ll leave with practical tools, spiritual encouragement, and resources to help you engage this conversation with courage and compassion.
Timotheus Pope
Fundraising as Evangelism
In this session, we will discuss some common misconceptions of fundraising as a means to an end and cognitively reframe how we think of donors so that we use our strengths and evangelistic gifts to address the rich person’s plight as identified in Luke 18:24.
Dr. Carlos Thompson
Meeting Jesus on the Journey From Me to We
In this session Dr. Carlos aims to bring together Scripture, the lived example of Jesus, and
reflections on life in the Friendship House at Western Theological Seminary to articulate faithful
leadership as interdependent stewardship within the Body of Christ. We will reframe human
need, interdependence, vulnerability, and the lived experience of insufficiency as essential for
fidelity in ministry. Then we will lay out how stewardship can be lived out as a central value that
enables us to do ministry together—disabled and temporarily able-bodied alike—faithfully.
Shayne McNichols
Beyond Burnout: Understanding and Addressing Compassion Fatigue
Compassion fatigue goes beyond exhaustion, it reflects the emotional and relational cost of sustained caregiving and helping roles. This interactive session combines reflection, discussion, and practical exercises to help participants identify signs of compassion fatigue, distinguish it from burnout, and build sustainable practices that restore resilience, boundaries, and meaning in caregiving work.
Dr. Virginia Ward
Visualizing and Mobilizing Community Assets
Every community has assets to offer its residents, especially youth and their families. This session will equip you to see and serve the people in your communities, connecting with the assets God has provided. Let’s learn how to become stronger together!
Tasha Taylor & Elizabeth Pearson
Design for Belonging
What if every kid who walked into club — regardless of ability, background, or learning style — could truly belong and participate? In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore how the principles of Universal Design can help us reimagine club so that every kid experiences belonging. Together, we’ll identify the barriers that keep some students on the margins and learn creative, practical ways to remove them — from visuals and pacing, to sensory supports, to how we structure games, talks, and music. Through stories, examples, and hands-on redesign, we’ll move from “making exceptions” to building inclusion into everything we do.
Kat Armas
Exploring an Abuelita Faith
In this workshop, we’ll wrestle with the question: what if the greatest theologians the world has ever known are those the world has never recognized as theologians at all? Drawing from the wisdom, stories, and spiritual practices of our abuelitas and ancestors, we’ll explore abuelita faith as an embodied, communal theology—one that challenges dominant ideas about whose knowledge matters and invites us to reimagine faith as something lived, shared, and passed down. Together, we’ll consider how honoring ancestral wisdom can deepen our communities, strengthen our ministries, and shape more resilient, liberating ways of being together.
Breakout Session Speakers | Day three
While Mosaic breakout sessions are designed with specific contexts and topics in mind, the insights and practices shared are valuable for all attendees. We encourage you to dream beyond your current role, explore unfamiliar perspectives, and challenge yourself to imagine what more could be possible, is possible for your community, your ministry, and yourself.
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Amy Julia Becker
Reimagining the Good Life
In this session, participants will consider how the American version of "the good life" contrasts with Jesus' understanding of what makes life good. With reference to Matthew 5 and Luke 14, we will explore how Jesus invites human flourishing through belovedness and belonging instead of materialism or moralism. Participants will learn how to invite students and families who experience marginalization within our cultural context to know their belovedness, move toward belonging, and reimagine the good life.
Heather Faulkner
Anti-Trafficking 101: Prevention, Awareness & Action
This session provides a foundational introduction to human trafficking with a specific focus on how it impacts young people. Participants will learn what trafficking is (and what it is not), common myths and misconceptions, and the risk factors that make young people vulnerable. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of human trafficking and exploitation, insight into vulnerability and risk factors affecting young people and practical guidance for prevention and safe response.
Mason Keller
What is YL One and how to develop it
Join us to learn about designated Young Life ministries serving youth experiencing foster care, homelessness, incarceration, and trafficking. You will gain insight into how we connect with these populations and learn next steps for a potential launch of YL ONE in your area.
Mike Newton
From Assets to Allies
A seminar that builds on the Stronger Together seminar from Day 2 (community asset mapping) and is designed to help leaders move beyond identifying resources to cultivating real, mutual partnerships. Together, we’ll learn how to recognize the people, places, and cultural strengths around us and engage them as allies who share ownership in reaching kids and creating spaces of belonging.
(While it builds on the concepts from Stronger Together, this seminar is fully accessible and valuable whether or not you attended that session.)
Eric Scofield
Why Banquets Still Matter — and How to Make Them Unforgettable
There are some that say that “banquets are of the past,” and Eric will show that banquets are alive and well, and can do more than just raise funds for an area. There is a system to follow… the system will fill a room, take some work, raise some funds, and, more importantly, raise a community around your mission.
John Webster
Young Life Genesis | Indigenous: Charting a New Path Forward
Indigenous ministry within North America is gaining momentum, with new leaders and communities beginning to take shape. This session will highlight our current progress and the growing need for a more intentional, culturally grounded approach to serving Indigenous teens and families. Together, we’ll explore the opportunities ahead and how we can respond with humility and commitment.
Va'a Wong
Raising Up Leaders from the Community
Legacy is watching kids grow up, stay connected, and return as leaders of the community that formed them. This session invites us to consider how homegrown leadership transforms ministry from something borrowed into something that truly feels like home.
Bre Baldwin, Christine Florczynski & Christen Morrow Ara
Look Up & Look Out: Including Students of Color with Disabilities Where We Already Are
In this breakout session, we invite staff to look up and look out beyond their current scope of ministry and consider students with disabilities we may not yet be reaching.
Together, we’ll explore how knowing our communities, building trust, and partnering across teams—whether across the cafeteria or across the city or region—can open doors to meaningful inclusion. This session is not about starting something new, but about moving toward one student, one family, or one trusted partner grounded in prayer and shared mission.
Erika Smith & Greg Moore
Seeing Gen Z Dads Clearly
Sometimes, the way we were taught about responsibility, masculinity, and fatherhood doesn’t match the lived experiences of Gen Z dads. This session will help bridge the gap, offering insight into how to interpret Gen Z values and behaviors without letting them clash with our upbringing. We’ll focus on creating ministry environments where generational differences become opportunities for connection. Expect a safe space for self-awareness, connection, and practical tools to create a culture of belonging with teen dads.
Kaitlyn Ousley & Sara Webb
Discipleship That Takes Root
We all long to help our friends become more like Jesus… but do you ever wonder where to begin? Using the simple visual of the Leadership Tree, this breakout invites us into a conversation about discipling with intention. Together, we’ll explore how to create a culture of discipleship by paying attention to who God has put in front of us, naming giftedness, and creating meaningful opportunities for our friends with and without disabilities to grow and serve.
Myrna Bittar & Travis Johnson
Making it Stick: Sharing The YoungLives Story with Clarity and Power
Whether you're inviting a new leader to join your team, speaking at a church, or sitting across from a potential donor, how you share the YoungLives story matters. This seminar will help you cast a compelling vision for the heart of the ministry in a way that is consistent, personal, and aligned with your audience. We’ll walk through the key elements of “vision that sticks,” explore storytelling tools, and practice crafting short, powerful narratives that move people to action—whether that’s giving, serving, or praying. You’ll walk away with confidence, clarity, and a refreshed passion for inviting others in.
Kirk Foote, Brandon Morel, Angelica Taveras & JulieMarie Hernandez
Building the House Together: Young Life and Catholic Leaders Reimagining Ministry
This session explores how Young Life can collaborate fruitfully within Catholic spaces by first understanding the Church—its structure, its rhythms, and its pastoral needs. Together, we will examine how relational evangelization aligns with Catholic ministry and strengthens the way we accompany teens in their faith journey. Participants will gain practical insight into building partnerships that honor the Church while expanding its capacity to reach young people with the love of Christ.
Cassie Coats & Lisa Mamin
Mobilize and Multiply: Building YoungLives Teams that Go and Stay
Some teams are full of passion—but never seem to get out the door. Others burn bright for a season and disappear just as quickly. In this workshop, we’ll explore how to build a team culture that’s both mobilized and sustainable. Learn how to inspire vision, equip your team for action, and cultivate a sense of ownership and belonging that makes people want to stick around. Whether you're building from scratch or rebuilding after burnout, this session will offer tools to activate your people and keep them in the game for the long haul.