Serving The Next Generation In The US - Relay 2026

An update from Jared Mellinger, Senior Pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church, Glen Mills, PA and Director of Publishing at Sovereign Grace Churches…

A founding generation of Sovereign Grace prayed from Psalm 90 that God would establish the work of their hands and show his power to their children (Psalm 90:16-17). Today, the Lord is answering these prayers. On January 5-7, 2026, nearly 600 college students and young adults (mostly 18-25 year-olds) gathered outside of Philadelphia, PA for our third Relay conference. 

God is faithful! He met with us once again and changed lives for his glory.  

The theme this year was “The Church: The Dearest Place on Earth.” Attendees came from near and far, representing 62 different churches. Relay provides a unique opportunity for young people in Sovereign Grace Churches to get to know each other across churches and regions. Together they are envisioned to personalize and carry forward our shared doctrine, values, and mission. 

A couple dozen young men gathered for an extended pastoral interest pre-conference. The content is new each year, and it was a blessing to have Jeff Purswell, Josh Blount, and Walt Alexander spend this time investing in the next generation. It is our prayer that God uses these gatherings to raise up a younger generation of pastors to serve in Sovereign Grace.    

Pre-Conference messages by Josh Blount and Nicole Whitacre reinforced the complementarian convictions we hold dear, envisioning young adults to pursue Biblical manhood and womanhood. 

From Jeff Purswell’s opening message on a Biblical Theology of the Church to Joel Shorey’s closing message on The Church Triumphant, the Spirit of God ministered to us through the preaching of his word. There were breakout sessions on biblical counseling, generosity, technology, living faithfully in the city of man, eagerly desiring the spiritual gifts, and lessons from John Calvin’s theology. In addition to the teaching, the conference included passionate singing, fellowship, prayer, and lots of fun and games. 

We are excited about the future of Relay, and we believe God is using this conference to strengthen our churches and prepare us for the future. Jon Payne and I lead Relay together, and it is one of our greatest joys to be able to be on the front lines of investing in the next generation of Sovereign Grace. 

We are already looking forward to the next Relay in January of 2028, and hope to see many of our young adults there!