There are some events I enjoy photographing for what happens on stage. Others I look forward to for the people in the room. SBTC Collegiate Roundup has always been both.
I have been connected to SBTC Collegiate for a long time, first as a college minister and now through my work with Engage Media. I have attended and photographed many Roundups over the years, and returning always feels a little like a reunion. It is a chance to be around people who share a passion for reaching college students, developing leaders, and sending them wherever God calls them next.
That history makes this event especially meaningful to me. I always look forward to catching up with friends like Chris Millar and Brandon Gilbert. Conversations with both of them are consistently encouraging and life-giving. This year also gave me the chance to spend time with Hunter and Hannah Mullenix just before their move to California. Hearing about what was ahead for their family and Hunter’s next ministry assignment was an exciting reminder that the sending celebrated at Roundup is not only a conference theme. It is happening in the lives of people in the room.
Equipped, Inspired, and Connected
Drew Humphrey opened Roundup by describing what he hoped attendees would take away: to leave equipped, inspired, and connected.
That simple description captures what makes Roundup valuable. Equipping happens through general sessions, breakouts, collaborative conversations, and practical resources. Inspiration can come from the stage, but it can just as easily come from a conversation in the lobby with an old friend or someone you have just met. And the connections formed during those few days often continue long after everyone goes home.
I have enjoyed getting to know Drew more over the last few years. We share similarities in our ministry journeys, and I am consistently encouraged by how prayer shapes his life and leadership. Prayer is not simply a subject he teaches; it is evident in the way he approaches ministry. That same dependence on God became one of the clearest threads running through this year’s Roundup.
Paul Worcester spoke about the anointing of the Holy Spirit as a factor in ministry that cannot be manufactured, purchased, or earned. His challenge to a new generation of leaders was not to become more impressive but to become more devoted—to serve with desperation for God to move, with lives surrendered to Him, and with an expectation that the Spirit still works through simple obedience.
Shane Pruitt drew on 25 years in ministry and urged leaders to focus on depth rather than platform. A call to ministry, he reminded the room, is a call to servanthood, not stardom. He spoke honestly about caring for your family, developing healthy rhythms, saying no when necessary, and remaining faithful even when the fruit is difficult to see. Ministry is not a sprint, and faithfulness is not always immediately measurable.
Those themes continued in the breakouts. Hunter’s session on burnout was full, and it was easy to understand why. He spoke candidly about the danger of being effective for a few years only to burn out and walk away. We were created for rhythms of work and recovery. Rest is an act of humility, not weakness, because it acknowledges that the world keeps turning while we sleep. He also reminded leaders that burnout grows in isolation, which is another reason the relationships built at a gathering like Roundup matter so much.
Brandon’s breakout on leadership emphasized that healthy leadership does not happen by accident. Lasting leaders are formed through intentional convictions and sustainable rhythms. Chris’s breakout put the order just as clearly: followers first, servants second, leaders last.
When the Wind Blows
Chris closed the final general session with an image that brought many of these ideas together. A sailboat can be large or small, impressive or ordinary, but without wind it goes nowhere. In the same way, ministry does not move forward because we have built the most impressive boat. It moves by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Too many leaders, Chris observed, exhaust themselves by grabbing the oars and rowing harder when God invites them to raise the sails. Waiting on God is not inactivity. It is a posture marked by prayer, dependence, obedience, and a willingness to move when the Spirit moves.
That message seemed especially fitting for a room that included both seasoned ministry leaders and people just beginning to discover where God may use them. I will admit that each year I feel a little more like one of the older guys in the room—a representative of an earlier collegiate-ministry generation. But I do not feel discouraged by that. I feel grateful.
It is encouraging to see a new generation of collegiate leaders bringing genuine passion to this work, not only across Texas but around the country. They don’t need to recreate someone else’s ministry or build a bigger boat. They need deep roots, faithful friends, healthy rhythms, and sails raised for the wind of the Spirit.
Photographing Roundup gives me the privilege of watching those relationships and moments take shape: friends reconnecting, leaders praying together, rooms filled with people eager to learn, and conversations that may quietly influence years of ministry to come. It lets me remain connected to a ministry I still care deeply about and to people whose faithfulness continues to encourage me.
That is why SBTC Collegiate Roundup remains such a cherished event and partnership for me. I arrive ready to document what happens, but I leave equipped, inspired, and connected too—grateful for old friends, encouraged by new leaders, and reminded once again that this ministry has always belonged to God.
Learn more about SBTC Collegiate and upcoming opportunities for collegiate ministry leaders.
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