HIALEAH—Church leaders and volunteers from across South Florida gathered March 7 at the Florida Baptist Convention’s Southeast Regional Center for the Great Commission Summit, a morning focused on equipping churches to reach their communities and make disciples.

Hosted at the regional center in Hialeah, the summit brought together 235 pastors, ministry leaders, and volunteers for a series of practical conferences designed to encourage and strengthen churches as they carry out the mission of sharing the gospel.

The event featured multiple breakout sessions led by pastors, ministry leaders, and missionaries who shared insights from their ministry experience. Each session focused on practical strategies churches can implement to strengthen discipleship, evangelism, and outreach in their communities.

According to Emanuel Roque, Hispanic ministries catalyst, the summit centered on helping churches view every aspect of ministry through the lens of the Great Commission.

“Excellent time as all conferences, testimonies and challenges focused on how everything done in the church ministries can be through the lens of the Great Commission,” Roque said.

Among the sessions offered was “More Than Sundays: From the Altar to the Neighborhood,” led by Hector Torres of Elevate Church, which encouraged churches to move beyond Sunday gatherings and actively engage their surrounding communities.

Moises San Martin of Send Network South Florida led a session on developing a culture of discipleship and multiplication, emphasizing the importance of raising and sending new leaders to expand gospel impact.

Family ministry was also a key focus. Alejandro Colombo of Caminata Bíblica International shared practical guidance in “Positive Parenting in a Negative World,” helping families and churches better disciple children and strengthen the home as a place of spiritual formation.

Several sessions highlighted the importance of evangelism and missions in the life of the church. Rolando Barrueco of Betesda Pinecrest led a conference on personal evangelism, while Jorge Valdes of Iglesia Bautista Mi Ebenezer addressed mobilizing churches for Great Commission missions.

Other breakout sessions emphasized ministry to younger generations. Michele Marin of Elevate Church spoke on the strategic importance of children’s ministry, while Noel Morrera of Iglesia Bautista Northside focused on youth ministry and reaching the next generation. Lygia Carbonell of the Florida Baptist Convention also provided training on organizing and strengthening Vacation Bible School outreach efforts.

Participants attended the summit individually and alongside teams from their churches, sharing fellowship and learning together throughout the morning.

At the conclusion of the event, Torres shared a testimony and challenge centered on celebrating baptisms as churches carry out the Great Commission.

He recounted recent baptisms at Elevate Church, including the story of a family that came to know Christ and was baptized over a two-year period. Torres encouraged churches to remain faithful in sharing the gospel, emphasizing how God transforms lives one person and one family at a time.

Roque expressed gratitude for the churches that participated and for the leaders who contributed to the training.

“We are grateful to all the churches that responded by bringing leaders and volunteers to the Great Commission Summit,” Roque said. “We are also grateful for the excellent speakers and leaders who shared valuable principles from their life and ministry experiences that benefit all participants.”

Roque added that the goal of the summit was to strengthen churches as they continue fulfilling Christ’s mission.

“May God continue to use each church in fulfilling His mission as they share the hope of the gospel, make disciples, and send people out to fulfill the Great Commission,” he said.