Our History
Celebrating God’s goodness: 30+ years of impact, from a single conference in Kansas City to a nationwide movement of biblical student leadership.
1990 — The First Conference
The theme of “Being Different on Purpose” has evolved as the driving thrust of the American Association of Christian Schools (AACS) Student Leadership Conferences. In the fall of 1988, The Wilds Christian Camp offered a new leadership conference for Christian high school students. As an administrator of a Christian school, Dr. Matt Williams felt led to consider this conference as an opportunity for his students.
Twenty students from his school attended that first Student Leadership Conference. The changes in their lives were beyond what he had ever imagined possible. The conference incorporated a very effective combination of training techniques: biblical leadership instruction, strategy sessions with sponsors, and true-to-life case studies in the isolated environment of a Christian camp.
The students came home with a strategy for how to praise the good and confront the evil in their lives and schools.
Who We Are Now
In 2021, Student Leadership Conferences was officially transitioned to the leadership and oversight of Faith Baptist Bible College. Faith partners with several other like-minded Christian colleges to provide speakers and to promote Christian college higher education options. Matt Williams continues to be involved in speaking at conferences and fulfilling an advisory role to the new leadership.
Over the past 30 years, we have sought to expand and develop the conference ministry to provide more schools with an opportunity for leadership training. Several new dimensions have evolved:
- A specific theme each year focusing on key leadership principles
- One-day Looking for the Leaders conferences for schools and junior high students
- Multi-day camp conferences with worship, case studies, and follow-up projects
- Custom conferences tailored for individual schools, churches, or regional events
Your Opportunity
Over the last 30 years, we have been tremendously blessed to see lives, schools, churches, and even homes changed by the biblical principles taught. We regularly hear testimonies from former attendees, now adults, of how a student leadership conference changed their thinking, focus, and direction. These experiences taught them how to stand for right and showed them how to serve others in their ministries.
Student Leadership Conferences provide an opportunity to engage and empower students with the message of having a biblical worldview and developing a ministry mindset. Pastors, school administrators, principals, and state leaders are invited to partner with us as conference coordinators.