Known as one of today's most gifted communicators, Michael Jr brings laughter and encouragement to audiences all over the world. Using comedy and dynamic storytelling he inspires audiences to discover and activate their purpose. This unique skill set has landed him on stages like The Tonight Show on NBC, TEDx talks and Jimmy Kimmel Live. His mission to make laughter commonplace in uncommon places means that he also seeks opportunities to share his gift with those in homeless shelters and prisons. You can find him in Sony Pictures' feature film War Room, as well as starring roles in Selfie Dad, Laughing on Purpose, and More Than Funny.
During lunchtime, connect with Bayside staff and those from other churches who serve within your ministry area. All ministry meetups are open-house feel, so come and go as you wish. Meet and greet, ask questions, and walk away with connections made!
Tuesday Ministry Meetups:
Creative | @ The Hub
Next Generation (Middle School- Young Adults) | @Youth Auditorium
Campus & Executive Pastors | @ Living Rooms
Small Groups | @ Theater 2
Missions & Outreach | @ The Meeting Place
Business (IT, Database, Finance, Facilities Projects) | @ K5 Live Studio A
Wednesday Ministry Meetups:
Worship & Production | @ The Hub
Kids | @ Youth Auditorium
Hospitality & First Impressions | @ The Meeting Place
Care | @ K5 Live Studio A
Lead Pastors | @ Living Rooms
Discipleship & Growth Track | @ Theater 2
RELATE conference
MARCH 2025
Ministry can be tough. But what if it could be easier?
RELATE CONFERENCE
MARCH 11th-12th, 2025
Ministry can be tough. But what if it could be easier?
RANDY BEZET
Bayside community church, Lead pastor
Pastor Randy Bezet is the founder and lead pastor of Bayside Community Church, a multi-location church based in southwest Florida. Randy has a committed heart for helping people experience a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ and empowering them to live out their faith in a meaningful way.
In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, Randy serves as part of ARC’s (Association of Related Churches) Lead Team, an organization focused on planting churches across the nation. For more than 30 years, he has served as a leader, mentor, and conference speaker throughout the world. He works tirelessly to inspire individuals and church leaders to grow in their faith and become effective leaders in their own spheres of influence.
Randy and his wife Amy live in Bradenton, Florida. They have four children and love life as new grandparents!
Charlotte Gambill
Global Bible Teacher, Communicator, and Mentor
For over three decades, Charlotte has served the global church through her gift of communication. She founded PRAXIS for Senior Leaders & The Collective Mentorship Program for women in leadership. Charlotte has authored a large number of books, produced several podcasts, and written curriculum for the next generation in partnership with SEU University.She and her husband, Steve, have spent over thirty years building and leading church in the United Kingdom. Now they call Alabama, USA home with their two grown children, Hope Cherish and Noah Brave. Charlotte is a teaching pastor at Church of the Highlands where they are based as a family and ministry.
Chris Hodges
Church of The Highlands, Founding Pastor
Chris Hodges is the Founding Pastor of Church of the Highlands. Since it began in 2001, Highlands has grown to have campuses across the state of Alabama and Georgia, 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 Grow, 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, and Pray First.
Dr. Dharius Daniels
Author, Speaker, Coach, and Certified emotional Intelligence Specialist
Dr. Dharius Daniels is a speaker, coach, and certified emotional intelligence specialist with over 20 years of leadership experience. He’s on a mission to help others self-optimize without self-destructing. He acquired his passion for adding value to people’s lives while growing up in a small town, Kilmichael, MS.
He’s the author of Relational Intelligence and founder of the Daniels Den Mentoring & Coaching Program. He’s the Lead Pastor of Change Church and has served as an adjunct professor at Princeton. Dharius enjoys downtime playing golf and weight training. He’s married to his college sweetheart, Shameka, and they are the proud parents of two sons, Seth and Gabriel.
RELATE CONFERENCE
MARCH 3 + 4, 2026
Ministry can be tough. But what if it could be easier?
Relate Conference exists to help you on your ministry journey. This 2-day event is designed for you and your team to:
1
Get connected with those on a similar journey.
2
Encounter the presence of God in a new way.
3
Walk away with strategies and resources that can help your church thrive.
Don’t chase after your calling alone. We’ll see you at Relate!
Dates
2026
Tampa Bay
Area
$79 Super Early Bird
Individual Early Bird Ticket Rate *Special rate available through January 17th
Randy & Amy Bezet are the founders of Bayside Community Church, a multi-location church in southwest Florida. Randy serves as part of ARC’s (Association of Related Churches) Lead Team, an organization focused on planting churches across the nation. Randy & Amy have a calling to help those in ministries create and maintain true relationships, which is why Relate Network began! Relate Network resources, connects, and encourages those who pour their hearts into their ministry, and Relate Conference is one of the ways we inspire and equip churches, ministries and teams.
8:30am Registration opens 9:00am Doors open 9:30am* Main session: Chris Hodges 11:00am Break 11:30am Breakout sessions 12:30pm Lunch – Provided 12:45pm Ministry meetups 2:00pm Breakout sessions 3:30pm* Main session: Charlotte Gambill 4:30pm Dinner break 6:30pm Doors open 7:00pm* Main session - Worship night 8:30pm End of day
*Spanish translation offered
6:30am Morning Prayer 8:30am Doors open 9:00am* Main session: Dharius Daniels 10:30am Break 11:00am Breakout sessions 12:00pm Lunch – Provided 12:15pm Ministry meetups 1:15pm Ministry meetups end 1:30pm Breakout sessions 2:30pm Break 3:00pm* Main session: Randy Bezet 4:30pm Conference ends *Spanish translation offered
During lunchtime, connect with Bayside staff and those from other churches who serve within your ministry area. All ministry meetups are an open house, so come and go as you wish. Meet and greet, ask questions, and walk away with connections!
Lead Pastors
Care
Production
Kids
Business
(IT, HR, database, finance, facilities)
Administrative/ Executive Assistants
Worship
Campus/ Executive Pastors
Discipleship
(Groups, Growth Track, Freedom Ministry)
Missions/ Outreach
Next Generation
(Middle School - Young Adults)
Hospitality/First Impressions
Creative
RELATE BREAKOUTS
Be sure to check out the breakout sessions where you can dive deeper into topics that inspire and challenge your ministry journey. These sessions offer an opportunity to learn from expert speakers, engage in meaningful discussions, and connect with others on a similar journey.
Stephen Chandler is the senior pastor of Union Church based in Maryland. Since 2011, Union has grown from a group of fifty to thousands of people in weekly attendance, with tens of thousands joining live online every week. Stephen’s obsession with people, systems, and culture resulted in Union Church being named the fastest-growing church in America by Outreach magazine. A sought-after international speaker, he is unapologetic about helping leaders maximize their God-given passion.Stephen’s true legacy is his wife, Zai, and their three beautiful children, Zoe, Roman, and Jade.
randy bezet
Lead Pastor, Bayside Community Church
Randy Bezet is the founding and lead pastor of Bayside Community Church in Bradenton, Florida. As a pastor and teacher, he focuses on building the local church, sharing the message of Christ, and helping people reach their full potential. Randy serves on the board of the Association of Related Churches (ARC), an organization dedicated to planting life-giving churches across the United States. He is also the founder of Relate; a coaching association for lead pastors and ministry leaders, as well as Bayside College, which began in 2010. Randy resides in Bradenton with his wife, Amy, and their four children.
Rick Bezet
Lead Pastor, New Life Church
Rick Bezet is the founder and lead pastor of New Life Church. With a God-breathed vision to reach Arkansas, Rick began planting churches throughout the state. Rick is one of the founding directors of the Association of Related Churches (ARC), an organization dedicated to planting life-giving churches across the nation. Rick also helps lead Relate, a coaching association focused on helping lead pastors uncover practical solutions, tactics, and strategies, to help break growth barriers and accomplish the vision God has given them.
charlotte gambill
International Teaching Pastor
With over 26 years in church leadership, Charlotte is deeply passionate about seeing people connect with their God-given purpose. Founder of the Collective Co.Lab mentorship program, author of 16 books, co-founder of the Dare To Be movement and International Teaching Pastor, Charlotte has committed her life to teach, train and invest in others both locally and globally, from training teams to helping bring strategic leadership and discipleship in a variety of church settings across the world.
tim ross
Podcaster, Influencer, Author, and Preacher
Tim Ross is a podcaster, influencer, author, and preacher. Since giving his life to Jesus on January 14th, 1996. Tim has traveled the world speaking, leading, strategizing, and helping people bring the message, love, and hope of Jesus Christ to all of humanity.
Bayside's Care Mentors are here to listen and support you. These trained, compassionate mentors offer faith-based sessions to help you navigate any emotional or spiritual challenges you may be facing. If you'd like to connect with a care mentor during the conference, don't hesitate to fill out the form.