Ignite Youth Leadership Conference – 2026 Recap
March 13 & 14 • Grace Church • Des Moines, Iowa
On March 13, 2026, youth groups from across the Midwest gathered at Grace Church in Des Moines, Iowa, for the Ignite Youth Leadership Conference—and what a weekend it was. During the Friday session, keynote speaker Shane Pruitt boldly shared the gospel, and more than 200 students responded, stepping into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. On Saturday Morning, Anthony Evans, gospel music artist shared about God’s work in our lives and Saturday Afternoon, Dr. Mark Jobe, President of Moody Bible Institute gave a call to students to say “Yes” to God in obedience instead of holding back and many again came forward. God is on the move in this generation, and we are seeing it firsthand.
Ignite was launched with a clear mission: to equip youth ministries to make a greater impact in their local context. By God’s grace, 23 years later, that vision is stronger than ever. Students and leaders now travel from Ohio to New Mexico to South Dakota and everywhere in between, to experience four powerful keynote sessions and more than 30 breakout sessions in one weekend. They return home energized, equipped, and ready to build up their churches and advance the Kingdom of God.
Angela from Manchester, Iowa shared, “Ignite brought me closer to Jesus and to the students from our church who attended. This is my first year as a youth leader and my first Ignite conference—and I can’t wait to come back next year. Thank you for putting this on!”
Ricardo Renteria from Alliance Church in Mountain Lake, Minnesota added, “Thank you again for all your work and dedication to Ignite. It’s something we look forward to every year. Among the many students who gave their lives to Jesus on Friday night were four from our own group. Praise God—this is what it’s all about!”
We praise God for all He did across all three Ignite locations this year (Des Moines, Colorado Springs & Oswego, IL) and we believe this is just the beginning.
To learn more about the conference, visit: Ignite Youth Leadership and for specific questions, feel free to email jonathan@igniteyouthleadership.org.
