2026 RECOMMENDED CHURCH MUSIC, WORSHIP, & PREACHING CONFERENCES & WORKSHOPS COMPILED BY DR. TONY MCNEILL
- tmcneill1971
- Nov 17, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Dec 26, 2025
Compiled by Dr. Tony McNeill
@drtonymac | drtonymcneill.com | drtonymcneill.com/jobs | info@drtonymcneill.com
Affiliate Professor of Worship & Seminary Musician Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA
Adjunct Professor, Master of Black Sacred Music, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
Are you seeking short-term or long-term learning opportunities? Do you desire to be in a community with other church musicians, clergy, Christian educators, scholars, and worship artists? Are you seeking ways to become more effective in your capacity as clergy or worship and music ministry leader?
Listed below are my 2026 recommendations for professional/artistic development for clergy, music and worship leaders, liturgical artists, worship arts administrators, and church music/worship enthusiasts. This list is not intended to be exhaustive. Not every conference will be listed. This list represents conferences I have attended as a presenter and/or learner or events I have observed from a distance that offer excellence in instruction, practice/performance, community-building, and hospitality.
I hope you will strongly consider any of the following conferences and workshops for your personal and professional development. I encourage you to bookmark this post and come back often as this list will be updated monthly. Feel free to tag/DM/repost this blog post. Hope see you at one (or more) of these amazing conferences/workshops in 2026 .
*Updated: 12:30pm, December 26, 2025
JANUARY 2026
— The Pastors Conference & Inaugural Music Institute
Hosted by Phillips School of Theology | Music Institute Visionary: Dr. Lisa Allen-McLaurin
January 05 - January 06
Atlanta, GA (Dunwoody, GA)
— Info Session: The Sacred Arts Collective (TSAC)
Candler School of Theology | Emory University
Virtual / Zoom Info Session | Atlanta, GA
January 12 @ 7:00 pm EST | Registration required. Link below.
The Sacred Arts Collective (TSAC) at Candler focuses on engaging Atlanta-area congregations to imagine how to nurture and grow the faith of children through the integration of the arts in worship. Through drama, dance, photography, music, and visual arts immersions, congregations are exploring and implementing the arts in their worship experiences, with children taking the lead.
TSAC is now recruiting congregational teams for its 2026-2027 cohort to intentionally engage with and hear from children, facilitate intergenerational participation in creative arts, and develop networks for ministry leaders to engage in collaborative dialogue and enrich congregational ministries.
Join the information session on Jan. 12, 2026, both at 7 p.m., via Zoom.
For more information, contact Kristina Johnson at krjohn9@emory.edu.
— State of the Black Church Conference
Dr. Brianna Parker, Co-Host | Dr. Jamal Harrison Bryant, Co-Host
New Birth Baptist Church | Atlanta, GA
January 15 -17
— Let's Talk Production Conference
Audio | Social Media | Video | Lighting | and Worship
Atlanta, GA
January 22 - 23
FEBRUARY 2026
— Young Pastors and Leaders Conference
Rev. Dr. Charles B. Jackson, Sr., Convener
Brookland Baptist Church | Columbia, SC
February 2-5
— Prairie View A&M University Annual Ministers’ Conference
Prairie View A&M University Johnson-Phillip All Faiths Chapel | Prairie View, TX
February 3 & 4
—Psalms 150: A Conference Experience
Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI
February 5 - 6
COME SUNDAY: WORSHIP & MUSIC THAT MOVES US!
West Minster Presbyterian Church | West Chester, PA
Hosted by the Eastern Region of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians (PAM)
February 21 - 22
Register at: presbymusic.org/events
—The Gospel Music Workshop of America Annual Board Meeting | GMWA National
(James Cleveland Convention)
Charleston, SC
February 22 - 25
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place | Chicago, IL
February 23 - 26
MARCH 2026
— Schooler Institute on Preaching
Methodist Theological School of Ohio (MTSO) | Delaware, OH
March 3 & 4
— American Choral Directors Association Southern Regional Convention
Memphis, TN
March 4-7
Go to https://acda.org/region-conferences for information on other ACDA Regional Conferences
— RISE Together Mentorship Network for Women of Color in Ministry
Atlanta, GA
Rev. Dr. Lisa D. Rhodes, Founder & Convener
March 11 - 12 -- PRE-CONFERENCE TRAINING SESSIONS
March 12 - 14 -- CONFERENCE DATES
Click here for RISE Application: utsnyc.edu/riseapply
Click here for 2026 RISE National Conference Registration: utsnyc.edu/2026-riseconference
— National United Progressive Pentecostal Church - Leadership Summit
Los Angeles, CA
March 12 - 14
— 2026 Bandy Preaching Conference
Dr. Teresa Fry Brown, Convener
Candler School of Theology at Emory University | Atlanta, GA
Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
— 2026 Garnett-Nabrit Lecture Series
Conference Venue: Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church | Nashville, TN
Host: American Baptist College | Nashville, TN
Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
— Hymns with Phillip Carter - National Conference
Southern Friendship Missionary Baptist Church | Temple Hills, MD
March 19 - 21
—Black Sacred Music Symposium
Winston-Salem, NC | Dr. Ollie Watts Davis, Artistic Director& Convener
March 19 - 22
Conference Registration: https://blacksacredmusicsymposium.com/
Tix for Symposium Concert March 22: https://www.uncsa.edu/performances/events/20260319-bsms.aspx
APRIL 2026
—The Alexander-Pegues Ministers Conference
Shaw University Divinity School | Raleigh, NC
Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
—Livingstone College Preaching & Worship Institute
Salisbury, NC
Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
—2026 Music & Christian Arts International Conference (AME)
Location: Nashville, TN
Dates: April 8 - 11
—Space for Grace & Spiritual Caregivers Conference
Hosted by American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS)
Dr. Jeffery Haggray, Executive Director
Theme: "Storytelling: Discovering Its Power for Faith Leaders Today"
Cleveland, OH
April 21 - 23
—Board Meeting for The National Convention of Gospel Choirs & Choruses
(Thomas Dorsey Convention)
Charlotte, NC
April 22 - 24
—Yale Institute of Sacred Music / Interdisciplinary Program in Music and the Black Church
Dr. Braxton D. Shelley, Director & Convener
New Haven, CT
Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
— Junius B. Dotson Institute for Music & Worship In the Black Church & Beyond
Dr. Cynthia Wilson, Convener
Dallas, TX
April 29 - May 2
MAY 2026
—Fellowship Chicago Worship & Arts Workshop
Kevin T. Vasser, Convener/Pastor of Worship & Arts
Chicago, IL
Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
—The Power of a Generative Church Scholars & Practitioners Conference
Rev. Dr. Teresa Fry Brown, Conference Host (AME Church)
Emory Conference Center | Atlanta, GA
May 28 - 30
JUNE 2026
— Hampton University Ministers’ Conference and
Choir Directors & Organists Guild Workshop
HU Ministers' Conference / Hampton University Ministers' Conference
Hampton University | Hampton, VA
June 7 - 11
—Born 2 Danz Worship & Arts Conference ~ 20th Anniversary
Dr. La’Boris Cole, Founder | Dallas – Ft. Worth, TX
June 11 - 14
— Congress of Christian Education | National Baptist Convetion, USA, Inc.
LUCIE E. CAMPBELL CHURCH MUSIC WORKSHOP
St. Louis, MO
June 15 - 19
— iElevate 2026 Conference & United Progressive Pentecostal Church (UPPC) International Convocation
Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen, Presiding Prelate & Convener | Atlanta, GA
June 10 - 14
— Fortify: Worship Arts & Liturgical Dance Conference
The National Liturgical Dance Network
LaPlace, LA
June 19 - 20
—Annual Worship & Music Conference
Montreat Conference Center | Black Mountain, NC
June 21- 26 and/or June 28 - July 3 | Registration Opens December 5th, 2024
— Atlanta Summer Conducting Seminar
Dr. Deanna Joseph and Dr. Daniel Bara, Conveners
Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA
Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
Contact: Amy Reid | 404-413-5927 | areid24@gsu.edu
— Music & Worship Arts Week
The Fellowship of Worship Artists
Lake Junaluska Conference Center | Lake Junaluska, NC
June 22 -26
—1 Love Festival 2026 Learning Institute + Cultural Festival
Curated by Derek & Dr. Melva Sampson-Young
Winston-Salem, NC
June 25 - 27
Visit: 1Lovefestival.com
JULY 2026
—The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries (TFAM) Leadership Conference
Bishop Yvette Flunder, Founder/Presiding Prelate | Charlotte, NC
Dates: The week of July 6 | Check back for exact dates.
Princeton Theological Seminary | Princeton, NJ
July 19 - 22
— The Throne Room Worship & Arts Conference
Hosted by Greater Allen AME Cathedral of New York
Rev. Stephen Green, Host Pastor
July 22 -26
Professor Craig Hayes, Convener
Location: TO BE ANNOUNCED
Dates: July 13 - 16
—The Gospel Music Workshop of America International Convention
GMWA National (James Cleveland Convention)
Greensboro, NC
July 25 - August 1
— The National Convention of Gospel Choirs & Choruses
(Thomas Dorsey Convention)
Location: TO BE ANNOUNCED
DATES: TO BE ANNOUNCED
—The National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM)
Norfolk, VA
Dates: July 18 - 23 | Scholarship Competition: Woodwinds & Brass
—Master of Black Sacred Music Degree Summer Intensive (2026)
University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR
July – Early August 2026 | Exact Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
Degree Information & How to Apply: https://catalog.uark.edu/graduatecatalog/programsofstudy/blacksacredmusic/
Arkansas Center for Black Music: https://music.uark.edu/black-music/index.php
AUGUST 2026
SEPTEMBER 2026
—Women In Ministry Conference
Atlanta Airport Marriott Hotel | Atlanta, GA Dr. Cynthia Hale, Convener
Dates: SEPTEMBER 14 - 17
—Baylor University African American Preaching Conference
Baylor University | Waco, TX
Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
OCTOBER 2026
Mixed Methods Preaching Conference
Dr. Frank E. Thomas, Convener
Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
NOVEMBER 2026
—Ellison-Jones Convocation 2026
Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University | Richmond, VA
Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
—The Foundation Conference 2026
Min. Tiffany Boone, Convener
Macon, GA
Dates: November 12 - 14
—How Shall They Hear Preaching Conference
Dr. Jerry M. Carter, Founder/Host | Morristown, NJ
Dates: TO BE ANNOUNCED
DECEMBER 2026
