New Location. More Room for Impact.
With registration nearing capacity, Impact Leadership Conference has moved to Church of the Highlands' Grants Mill Campus.
Join us on December 2 before space fills.
You kept calling it Impact. We listened.
Impact Leadership Conference is back.
New look. Familiar name. Same powerful leadership experience.
For more than a decade, leaders have come to Impact Leadership Conference to learn from trusted voices, gain practical insight, and grow alongside others who understand the responsibility and opportunity that come with leadership.
On December 2, Dr. John C. Maxwell, Chris Hodges, and Jesse Cole will bring distinct perspectives from decades of leading people, building organizations, developing teams, and creating cultures that last. You'll gain ideas and principles you can take back to the people and organizations you lead.
Proceeds from Impact Leadership Conference directly support the mission, vision, and goals of Highlands College, America's Ministry Leadership University, and its work to train and send the next generation of ministry leaders.
2026 Speakers
Dr. John C.
Maxwell
Read Bio
Chris
Hodges
Read Bio
Jesse
Cole
Read Bio
John C. Maxwell
John C. Maxwell, the #1 New York Times bestselling author, coach, and speaker who has sold more than 30 million books, has been identified as the #1 leader in business by the American Management Association® and the world’s most influential leadership expert by Business Insider and Inc. magazine. Dr. Maxwell has also received the Horatio Alger Award, as well as the Mother Teresa Prize for Global Peace and Leadership from the Luminary Leadership Network. His organizations—The John Maxwell Company, The John Maxwell Team, EQUIP, and the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation—have trained millions of leaders from every nation in the world. For more information, visit JohnMaxwell.com. Because of his passion for leadership training, John has requested all event proceeds from Leadership Conference benefit Highlands College, a higher education institution where learning, mentoring, relationships, and spiritual growth are top priorities.
Jesse Cole
Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and Owner of Savannah Bananas.
He has welcomed millions of fans to his own Grayson Stadium and ballparks across the country and the Bananas have grown to more than 25 million social media followers. He is passionate about making baseball fun, standing out and creating fans.
Now, everyone get on your feet, turn to the back of the room, and go bananas for Jesse Cole!
Chris Hodges
Chris Hodges is the founding and senior pastor of Church of the Highlands. Since it began in 2001, Highlands has grown to have campuses across the state of Alabama, and we’re known for our life-giving culture and focus on leading people to an intimate relationship with God.
Pastor Chris has a deep passion for developing leaders and planting life-giving churches. He co-founded ARC (Association of Related Churches) in 2001, which has launched hundreds of churches across the United States. He also founded GrowLeader, specializing in training and resourcing pastors and churches to help them break barriers and reach their growth potential. Chris is also the founder and Chancellor of Highlands College, a ministry training school that trains and launches students into full-time ministry careers.
Chris and his wife Tammy have five children and live in Birmingham, Alabama, where Church of the Highlands began. He speaks at conferences worldwide and is the author of Fresh Air, Four Cups, The Daniel Dilemma, What’s Next?, Out of The Cave, Pray First, and co-authored Jesus, the High Road Leader with John C. Maxwell.
What Others
Are Saying
“”
Pricing
Thank you to our title sponsor:
Highlands College
America's Ministry Leadership University develops the next generation of ministry leaders through an academy model built on four pillars: Academic Instruction, Ministry Training, Character Formation, and Spiritual Development. Here, students Choose Lives of Eternal Impact as they are Called, Transformed, and Sent to Lead in local churches and ministries around the world.
Community Partners
Extend Your Impact Beyond the Conference.
The Highlands College Community Partner program connects businesses and individuals with the mission of Highlands College through an annual investment in the next generation of ministry leaders.
Community Partners receive opportunities to engage with the College and other leaders through signature events, exclusive experiences, partner recognition, and reserved seats at the Impact Leadership Conference.
THANK YOU TO OUR
2026-2027 COMMUNITY PARTNERS
