In Matthew 28, Jesus calls us to go and make disciples of all nations. At the core, short-term mission trips are about obedience. They are a tangible way to be unleashed, to move forward and proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth. God doesn’t need us, yet He chooses to invite us in. We get to be part of His story. And as much as these trips impact others, they deeply transform us.

Short-term missions pull us out of our comfort zones, challenging our assumptions, stretching our faith, and teaching us to rely on God in new ways. What starts as a trip often becomes a shift, where faith becomes more real, more personal, more lived.

And we don’t do it alone. Mission trips bring people together in a powerful way—different backgrounds, different stories, but one shared purpose. They are a reminder that our faith is bigger than any one place or any one community.

Our goal is to unleash 4,000 people by 2030 on a short-term trip that will have long-term impact locally and globally. As of today, more than 600 people have been unleashed to share the hope of Christ all over the world. This year alone, we’ve sent teams to Appalachia, East Tennessee, Romania, Greece, El Salvador, the Middle East, India, Uganda, Poland, and Kenya.

Ultimately, these trips help us live as witnesses of Christ, not just where we go, but when we return. That’s because a short-term mission trip isn’t a finish line, it’s the beginning. It awakens us to who God is and challenges us to live differently—more intentionally, more boldly, and more fully.

And over time, something else begins to grow in you—a heart for the nations. You start to see the world the way God does, not divided by borders or cultures, but united in His love for every people, every place, and every tongue. You begin to care deeply about what He cares about, pray for people you’ve never met, stay connected to places you’ve seen God move, and carry that global Kingdom perspective into your everyday life.

That’s why short-term mission trips matter. Not because of what we do, but because of what God does in us and through us, shaping our hearts for His people all over the world.

To be unleashed on a short-term trip, text TRIPS to 733733.
‍

God is moving in powerful ways across Southeast! More than 420 new people said "yes" to the promise of a changed life by declaring their faith in Jesus through baptism during Easter weekend, 6,183 people have already signed up for a Southeast Camp, and the La Grange Campus recently hosted its very first Shine Disabilities Ministry event.

Here are some updates on how we are continuing to move together as one church, forward in our mission, and closer to those who need Jesus through our MOVE vision initiatives.

MOVE TOGETHER

Build and Deepen Community

• 85 people baptized in 2026 have already taken a next step in their spiritual walk by joining a group for the first time.

MOVE FORWARD

See 10,000 Changed Lives

• Easter Baptisms
  o   422 new believers  
  o   82 Southeast Kids (ages 7-11)
  o   117 Southeast Students (ages 12-18)
  o   169 Next Gen (ages 19-29)

Changing Lives at Camp

• 6,183 people have registered for a Southeast Camp, including 1,232 of the 2,254 middle school students we anticipate taking to camp. That puts overall registration at 77%!

Send 4,000 on Short-Term Mission Trips

Highlight: 2026 CrossRoads – Eastern TN Disaster Recovery‍

A member from the Crestwood Campus reflected on her first extended mission trip, a powerful week of serving and witnessing God at work through both volunteers and the Mountain City community. What began as a desire to be the hands and feet of Jesus quickly became an opportunity to see that lived out all around her. She described the team as incredible, the community as strong and resilient, and the experience as unforgettable—and she’s already hoping to go back!

MOVE CLOSER

Equip 150 New Families to Foster and Adopt

• 2 new families have completed the licensing process and are now ready to welcome children into their homes, bringing the total number of equipped families to 9 out of our goal of 150 in five years.

Support Recovery Centers

• Support and Recovery had 49 baptisms in March, bringing their total to 116 so far in 2026.

Expand Shine

Highlight: The La Grange Campus hosted its very first Shine Disabilities Ministry event on the last Sunday in March—a special night bringing together 20 teens and adults with developmental disabilities. The evening was filled with meaningful moments: a teen inviting a friend to church for the first time, engaging conversations about the crucifixion, heartfelt worship, and more. It was a powerful glimpse of community, faith, and lives being impacted within our Shine community. We’re excited for all that’s to come as the Shine Ministry continues to grow at La Grange.

‍

From nearly 100 Bibles being handed out during our RUCKUS outreach event for grades 3-5, to more than 1,000 people attending the launch of our newest church plant, to five years of life-change through SE Recovery, God continues to move powerfully in and through Southeast.

Here are some updates on how we are continuing to move together as one church, forward in our mission, and closer to those who need Jesus through our MOVE vision initiatives.

MOVE TOGETHER

Unleash the Next Generation

Highlight: Discipleship Weekend is already bearing incredible fruit in the lives of both students and leaders. A newer leader shared how the intentional time with a few of her girls helped deepen their connection and made their weekly small group conversations much richer. We also saw an 8th-grade student choose prayer as her spiritual discipline and begin praying at her lunch table at school. What started with just a few friends has now grown to nearly the entire table praying together for their school.

Moments like these help unleash students through serving and equipping them to be everyday missionaries at school and on their teams.

‍Equip Children and Families

• Nearly 100 Bibles were given out during RUCKUS—our annual 3rd-5th grade outreach event where kids truly “wreck the roof” and bring their friends. One of our MOVE goals is to make sure every kid has a Bible, and we love that we now have the resources to do that—even at an outreach event like RUCKUS.

MOVE FORWARD

Plant 40 New Churches

• More than 1,000 people attended the launch service of Sovereign City Church in Las Vegas on February 22! It was an exciting start and powerful reminder of the impact new churches can have on their communities. This marks church No. 9 toward our goal of 40 new churches in five years.

Changing Lives at Camp

• Southeast Kids at Shelby County surpassed their goal of 100% leader registration for camp, leading the way for Kids Camp with leaders who are committed to investing in their kids.

MOVE CLOSER

Free 200 Victims of Sex Trafficking

• AST added/referred 30 new volunteers to serve with mission partners following our Awareness Days, connecting more people to opportunities to make an impact.

Support Recovery Centers

• March 2026 marks the 5-year anniversary of SE Recovery! What an incredible milestone as we celebrate five years of life-change, healing, and community. We are grateful for every story, every step of freedom, and every person who has been part of the journey. We are looking forward to all that God will continue to do through SE Recovery in the years ahead!

Hundreds of miles away, women in an Oklahoma prison are hearing the good news of Jesus—many for the first time—through Southeast via the Pando App, a free platform that gives prisoners across the country access to sermons and other faith-based content.

“The Pando app’s amazing. When I got here, I was like, ‘You mean no matter what kind of day I’m having…I can reach for my tablet, push on this, and get instant Jesus?’” one of the women said.

Another, who fell into addiction at just 13 and spent years letting that lifestyle control her, has discovered that because of Jesus, she is no longer defined by the label of "addict."

“Once you learn who you are in Christ, you’re able to walk a different walk, and you’re able to lift your head a little bit higher,” she said. “I’m a child of God. I’m forgiven. I’m loved. I’m a grandma. I’m a conqueror.”

The woman, who has been at the facility for eight years, said her son accepted Jesus at the prison chapel. “He’s like, ‘You look like my mom, but I don’t know who you are.…So, whatever you found, it has to be real.’”

As of the beginning of the year, Southeast content has approximately 30,000 subscribers and more than 3.2 million views.

“The person you think who would never touch Pando is literally on Pando, and they’re being transformed,” said another woman at the Oklahoma prison, who watches sermons on the app, later talking with her mom about what she has learned.

“We’ll pick out a couple sermons…and then we’ll watch them, and we’ll call each other. We’ll discuss what we understood about the sermon or how to apply it to our lives,” she said. “It has really brought me and my mom closer. And my children, they get to watch, too.”

Another woman said she fought her way through prison, rarely doing anything for herself that wasn’t self-destructive. But in 2021 Jesus stepped into her life—and nothing has been the same since.

“Being able to literally have Jesus at my fingertips at any point during the day has been far and wide one of the greatest tools that I’ve had,” she said, explaining the Pando app has helped her continue to grow on her spiritual journey.

“Having the Pando app is…if phenomenal is a big enough word for it, I will say that it’s phenomenal.”

God is on the move across Southeast! More than 150 Southeast Kids volunteers left a recent workshop energized and ready to put what they learned into action. Since the beginning of the year, more than 1,000 people have signed up for a group for the first time. And 350 people have already stepped forward to serve on a short-term mission trip in 2026.

Here are some updates on how we are continuing to move together as one church, forward in our mission, and closer to those who need Jesus through our MOVE vision initiatives.

MOVE TOGETHER

Unleash the Next Generation

• 200+ new students have already connected with MSM and HSM across our campuses, building strong momentum in our Student Ministry—even with a snowy, chilly start to the year.
• 417 students and leaders engaged in a discipleship-focused retreat on February 13-14 at Country Lake Christian Retreat, making it a truly powerful weekend!

Equip Children and Families

Highlight: 152 Southeast Kids volunteers were equipped and encouraged at the Leader Equipping Summit on January 31. The impact was immediate. Leaders returned energized, putting what they learned into action by praying for kids by name, building stronger connections, and even stepping out to recruit others. Seeing faith, intentionality, and love for kids lived out so quickly has been deeply encouraging.

‍Build and Deepen Community

• 1,016 people have signed up for a group for the very first time since January 1, joining both new and continuing groups across our campuses. This is amazing momentum to start the year!
• 367 of the 3,559 people who have been baptized since we started our MOVE journey almost a year ago have taken a next step into community by joining a group for the first time—an encouraging sign of continued spiritual growth and connection.

MOVE FORWARD

Plant 40 New Churches

• 394 people gathered for the launch service of Brave Church in Washington Heights, New York City on January 11, bringing us to eight new churches toward our goal of 40 in five years.

Reach the Arabian Peninsula

• Six people representing two of our campuses have committed to serving in the region, answering a meaningful call to mission and impact.

Changing Lives at Camp

• Lead the Way leader recruitment campaign is off to a fantastic start. From February 1 to March 5, we are asking adults to register to serve at our Summer Camps. So far, we are 43% toward our goal of over 1,300 adults serving at camp this Summer.

Send 4,000 on Short-Term Mission Trips

• God is already at work in our Missions Ministry for 2026 with 73 mission trip opportunities and 350 people already having stepped forward to serve as they answer the call to make an impact.

MOVE CLOSER

Equip 150 New Families to Foster and Adopt

• We are celebrating our 9th new family to be fully licensed to welcome children.

Support Recovery Centers

HIGHLIGHT: Six graduates completed the Spiritual Pathway discipleship class at Pike County Jail on January 31. SE Recovery continues to connect with those in recovery, both in facilities and jails, while prayerfully equipping disciples who make disciples. Only God could orchestrate such opportunities, and we’re grateful to participate wherever He leads. These moments of growth and transformation remind us that His work is bigger than anything we could plan.

‍Free 200 Victims of Sex Trafficking

• 75+ new volunteers connected with anti-sex trafficking partners in Kentucky in January, stepping up to serve and make a difference.
• Two new residents were welcomed into a Christ-centered home in Kentucky, finding hope and community.

Help the Hurting

• A Teen Anxiety Workshop launched at Blankenbaker in partnership with High School Ministry, welcoming 26 attendees for the first session.
• Two new groups started: Sacred Marriage at Crestwood and a Trauma Healing group at Nelson County, creating new spaces for growth and healing.

Expand Shine
HIGHLIGHT: Kailey has been attending the Shine Adult Class at the Crestwood Campus for just under a year. Though new to town, she quickly felt at home in the class community. In January, Kailey took a bold step of faith and was baptized, celebrating her commitment to follow Jesus. We’re thrilled to see her grow in faith and become part of a community that loves, supports, and encourages her and her spiritual journey.

God is moving powerfully in and through His people at Southeast! More than 17,000 people have found meaningful community in groups since July, hundreds have taken a next step toward helping trafficking victims find freedom, and we’re expanding the Bullitt County Campus so even more people can encounter Jesus.

Here are some updates on how we are continuing to move together as one church, forward in our mission, and closer to those who need Jesus through our MOVE vision initiatives.

MOVE TOGETHER

Unleash the Next Generation

• MSM Discipleship Weekend: Leaders and students are being equipped and challenged to disciple the way Jesus did. We’re praying the impact of this weekend multiplies, fueling deeper commitment and reaching even more students and leaders across our campuses.

Equip Children and Families
Highlight: Grace, from our South Louisville Campus, brought her brand-new Adventure Bible she received through Southeast Kids Ministry, and when the congregation was invited to turn to Isaiah 30, she jumped right in—using the table of contents, finding the chapter by the “big numbers,” and following along with the “small numbers” as they read. Her excitement was contagious, and her friend, Story, joined her in finding Isaiah and reading along, too.

Build and Deepen Community

• Since July 2025, 17,574 people have attended a group at Southeast.

MOVE FORWARD

10,000 Changed Lives

• 3,866 people publicly declared their faith through baptism at one of our campuses in 2025, including 1,779 kids and students.

‍Reach the World

• Southeast’s digital ministry continues to grow, with content now generating more than 55 million views and impressions across all platforms. Through teaching, worship, and storytelling, the Gospel is reaching people far beyond our physical walls.

MOVE CLOSER

Equip 150 New Families to Foster and Adopt

• One of our first foster care and adoption families partnered with a birth mom and joyfully welcomed a baby boy into their family in mid-December, with plans to finalize the adoption later this year.

Support Recovery Centers

• We celebrated an incredible year with 1,028 baptisms—lives changed and stories still unfolding.

Free 200 Victims of Sex Trafficking

• More than 200 people will attend sex trafficking awareness days in January, including our Franklin Campus.
• Seven missional organizations came together at Southeast to advance anti-trafficking efforts—working to bridge gaps in care for victims across Kentucky and create a unified, Christ-centered pathway of support.

Highlight: After seeing the MOVE video in December, a woman in her 70s stepped forward to offer her five-acre rental home as a safe house for Her Hope—at half the rent she originally wanted. This timely gift will bring at least four women to safety faster, meeting a critical need at exactly the right moment.

Help the Hurting

• Three new Care groups were launched at campuses in January: Step-Family Support, Grace Marriage, and a Divorce Care Workshop.

Expand Shine

• The Blankenbaker Christmas Party welcomed 200 guests, including people with disabilities and their families, for a joyful and inclusive celebration.

Launch 5 New Campuses
Highlight: Since moving into the Bullitt County Campus building in 2022, attendance has more than tripled, pushing them beyond capacity. Through MOVE, we’re expanding this campus to remove barriers and create space for more people in Bullitt County to encounter Jesus.

From more than 3,700 people publicly declaring their faith through baptism in 2025, to construction of a new Shine Kids classroom now underway in Elizabethtown, to our digital content reaching tens of millions of people across the world since April, God is continuing to move in powerful ways in and through Southeast!

Here are some updates on how we are continuing to move together as one church, forward in our mission, and closer to those who need Jesus through our MOVE vision initiatives.

MOVE TOGETHER

Unleash the Next Generation

• Since the launch of MOVE, 201 new leaders have been unleashed to help disciple and equip the next generation. Leaders are essential to reaching the 143,556 unconnected students in the areas around our campuses.

Highlight: Kaniyah, a student at the Elizabethtown Campus, returned from High School Camp with a list of six friends she was praying would encounter Jesus. This past semester, five of those six friends said “yes” to her invitation and have begun attending High School Ministry events. Stories like Kaniyah’s remind us that reaching the 143,556 happens one prayer, one conversation, and one courageous invitation at a time.

Equip Children and Families

• Over 3,600 Seek the Savior games were distributed across our campuses, providing a Christmas resource for every family who attends.

Build and Deepen Community

• Since our Fall launch, 17,323 people have stepped into community through a Southeast group, including 3,861 for the first time. There are 1,091 unique groups meeting, including men's, women's, recovery, and home groups.

MOVE FORWARD

10,000 Changed Lives

• 3,712 people so far in 2025 have publicly declared their faith through baptism, including 1,659 kids and students.

Reach the Arabian Peninsula

• December marked our fourth visit to the region: our calling trip in 2023, our discernment trip in 2024, and two discovery trips in 2025.

Changing Lives at Camp

• Registration for all Southeast Camps will open March 5 at 12:00 pm.
• Lead the Way: Leader recruitment and registration will begin February 1. Student and Kids Ministries will encourage their leaders to commit to leading at camp in February to Lead the Way for the camper registrations to begin in March.

Reach the World

• From April through early December, God opened digital doors for Southeast content to reach more than 46 million people across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok—helping thousands encounter the hope of Jesus right where they are.
• Pando (a resource for those incarcerated in prison) continues to grow as a discipleship resource, now reaching over 26,900 subscribers with more than 3 million total views. Its original series and podcasts have become some of the most-watched content, helping people pursue spiritual growth throughout the week.
• Our YouTube channel surpassed 28 million views, becoming our largest digital front door for those exploring faith, watching messages, and hearing real stories of life-change through Jesus.

MOVE CLOSER

Equip 150 New Families to Foster and Adopt

• 12 families took their first step of faith in December by joining our monthly Considering Foster Care and Adoption online session, representing seven different campuses united by one calling.
• We celebrate one newly licensed family, bringing our total to eight equipped families on the journey toward our hope of 150—each one a testament to God’s faithfulness and provision.

Support Recovery Centers

• Southeast Recovery is now present in 15 correctional and recovery facilities, sharing Christ through worship, groups, baptisms, and discipleship, meeting people right where they are.
• We launched our first Discipleship Pathway class at Pike County Jail in November, opening the door for deeper spiritual growth behind the walls.
• We celebrated our first inmate baptism in Johnson County Jail, a powerful reminder that God is moving in every place, even where hope can feel distant.
• At The Next Door Recovery in Tennessee, we’ve witnessed 89 women baptized since June 1, a beautiful testament to redemption and new beginnings. That marks 891 baptisms in 2025.

Highlight: God is moving in powerful ways inside our jail ministries.Last month, Ronnie Sweeney baptized an inmate at Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, which houses 215 men and women from four surrounding counties—another reminder that the Gospel is reaching every corner.At Pike County Jail, our friend, Frankie, whose story we shared a few years ago, has completed our Discipleship Pathway and began leading the class in mid-November. Once facing 30 years, now nearing release after three, Frankie is walking faithfully with Jesus and has already been approved to return after his release in February to continue teaching. Lives are being transformed, hope is rising, and God is at work behind the walls.

Expand Shine

• Construction is underway in Elizabethtown for a new Shine Kids classroom, making space for children to encounter Jesus in a meaningful way.

‍

A lot of people think sex trafficking looks like it does in the movies—someone kidnapped or forced into a van—but that’s not the only way it happens.

“I was a young teen mom in a relationship that became very abusive very quickly. It started with verbal and emotional abuse, but after I graduated high school and moved in with him, it turned physical,” Tessa said. “He used drugs, gambled our money away, and we were facing eviction.”

Out of desperation and manipulation, he groomed her into entering the adult entertainment business. In the process, Tessa was continually manipulated not only by her daughter’s father, but by those around her, including club owners and the men in that world.

“I was trafficked through the city of Louisville, through the strip clubs. I became numb. I didn’t know who I was anymore,” she said.

Desperate and homeless, they began living temporarily in different people’s homes.

“There was so much shame and darkness, and I truly believed there was no way out,” Tessa said. “I felt unworthy, dirty, unwanted, lost, and hopeless. All the circumstances I found myself in and all the choices I made became my identity.”

After working at one of the clubs until very late one night, Tessa’s trafficker took her to the house where they were staying. That’s when something inside of her said she was done. “I don’t really know where that came from, but the thought was strong, stronger than it ever had been before,” she said.

Tessa mustered the courage to tell her daughter’s father that she was leaving. He responded by saying that he was going to take her somewhere and kill her.

“As we were driving, I remember praying, not for myself, but for my daughter. I said, ‘God, I know I’ve never called on You, but if You’re out there, please save my daughter,’” she said. “The thought of God even wanting to save me was not a thought in my mind. I didn’t believe I deserved it.”

God, however, saved them both. A flat tire gave Tessa and her daughter the opportunity to escape. “We were free physically, but I was still bound for a very long time. It wasn’t like in the movies where just because I was free, I was saved,” she said.

Tessa spent years trying to find healing on her own. She attempted to cover up her shame with things that the world told her would make her feel worthy but only led her back to the same desperate place she had been a decade earlier.

“I was still just as broken and wounded, carrying the same burdens of my past and my pain,” she said. “This was the point where I met Jesus. Jesus met me in my most broken place and He made me whole, not just saving me, but healing me, redeeming me, and using me to advance His Kingdom.”

Today, Tessa is a leader on Southeast’s Anti-Sex Trafficking team, which, as part of the MOVE initiative, is working to free 200 victims of sex trafficking in three years.

“Sex trafficking is the crime of stealing freedom for profit,” explained Karissa Sites, the leader of the Anti-Sex Trafficking Ministry. “Sex traffickers often manipulate, defraud, or physically force victims into sexual slavery. In Luke 4, Jesus said He came to set the captives free. We must follow His mission and do the same.”

The Anti-Sex Trafficking team is actively pursuing and walking alongside victims of sex trafficking one step at a time. In 2025, they’ve helped 25 victims take a step into freedom and are currently walking alongside 19 others.

“When they begin to experience true freedom in Jesus, they get to choose hope and a future outside of slavery, often for the very first time,” Karissa said. “We’re praying and giving toward two more restorative homes in 2026.”

There are, on average, more than 500 victims advertised for sex every week in the Louisville area alone. According to the Institute for Survivor Care, many survivors attributed their rescue to a divine intervention.

The goal of the Anti-Sex Trafficking Ministry is to serve vulnerable and exploited people with the compassion of Jesus through the direction and power of the Holy Spirit by bridging the gaps between survivor, the church, missions partners, and community agency.

“If God is calling you to move closer to oppressed and vulnerable people and be a part of the dedicated work of anti-trafficking, please join us for an upcoming Awareness Day at multiple campuses,” Karissa said.

“We are earnestly praying for courageous and compassionate people to move closer to the vulnerable just like Jesus did, one person at a time.”

‍