Leaders Conference

Ground Level Leaders Conference 2026

22nd-24th April 2026, HAYES CONFERENCE CENTRE, SWANWICK, DERBYSHIRE

Mobilise: Equipping the Saints for Ministry and Mission

The Conference is our annual gathering to connect, be inspired and hear what the Holy Spirit is saying, so we can follow His lead.

It is a time to renew relationships, build new ones and a time to be refreshed. It’s for pastors, leaders, staff team members, key volunteers, as well as emerging and younger leaders.

Our speakers will include invited guests, friends and leaders from within our network. Through a programme of Keynotes, Streams, Celebrations and Co Labs, which will take a dive into leadership subjects and practices, we know that this conference will be a rich time of impartation from the Holy Spirit.

A highlight of our conference is always the space that we make for friendship and connection and once again this will be a priority in 2026. We are believing to powerfully encounter God’s presence during this conference and we know that this will be a significant time for you and your team.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Paul & Jeannie Benger

Conference Information

Below you will find more information about this years conference, with more to follow.

Programme & Collaborators

The conference begins with registration at 10am on the 22nd April 2026 with the first Keynote at 11am. We conclude following our final session finishing around 12:30pm on the 24th April 2026. 

A creche with live video link will be provided for young children to use supervised by their parent/guardian. 

COLLABORATORS

Louis Kotzé

Louis Kotzé serves as Senior Pastor of the Hatfield Christian Churches in Pretoria, South Africa. He met and married his wife, Natasja, at Hatfield and they’ve been serving together in full-time ministry since 1993.

Louis is passionate about teaching the Word in a way that helps Christ-followers grow as whole-life disciples. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Bible and Theology and a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership.

Louis actively serves on leadership teams of various church networks, both locally and internationally. He is an avid supporter of Man United and enjoys a good cup of tea while camping with family and friends.

Steve & Rachel Mawston

Steve and Rachel are passionate about building the church and helping people grow. They have been in ministry for over 30 years, including 15 years pastoring together in Australia. Married for 31 years, they live in the Norfolk countryside with their daughters, Melody and Mercy, who are also involved in ministry.

They are part of the leadership team at Soul Church in Norwich (UK) with lifelong friends Pastors Jon and Chantel Norman and also love serving churches worldwide through preaching, coaching, and leadership training. Rachel empowers women to pursue their calling and has authored Find Your Voice and Soul Time (co-written with Melody).

Paul Benger

Paul is married to Jeannie and together they are the Lead Pastors of IKON Church, a church they started in 1987 that currently has 5 campuses. Paul is the Ground Level Team Leader and His passion is to “build relevant contemporary churches and inspire a generation to do the same”. Paul obsesses over the question “who’s next?” His hobbies include golf, reading and vinyl records.

Jonny Lee

Senior Pastor at Renewal in Solihull, Jonny has a passion to see the gospel change people’s lives and to equip leaders to do the same. Jonny loves the local church and believes it can make a big impact on our community.

Nathan Benger

Nathan and his wife Debbie are the Campus Pastors of IKON Church Chesterfield.  They led IKON Youth for 14 years seeing many young people find Jeus and seeing them connect to the Church.  Nathan has a passion for preaching the gospel and seeing people come to faith.  He is passionate about football specifically Arsenal FC and if he gets the chance will let you know he played with Jamie Vardy.

Dan Backens

Pastor Dan Backens is the senior director of One Focus Network– an international network of Spirit-filled churches and ministry leaders. Until 2024, he also served as senior pastor of New Life Church - a 5,000 member multi-ethnic, multi-site church located in Hampton Roads of Virginia. Pastor Dan writes and speaks on crucial issues impacting the local church, the family, and leadership. Pastor Dan holds a Master’s Degree in Church History and Renewal Theology from Regent University and a Doctorate of Worship Studies from The Robert Webber Institute of Worship. He is married to Rhonda and together they have 3 children and 10 grandchildren. 

Joy Blundell

Joy loves and lives in Lincoln with her husband, Paul and two children, Fin and Poppy. A leader and a dreamer, a coach and a cheerleader; passionate about bringing kingdom change to society and mobilising the church to follow Jesus in co-creating a world where people can flourish. 

As one of the core leaders of Alive Church, Joy is a location pastor and leads the Lincoln North Location as well as championing and leading the mobilization of Alive Church across all locations to be a transformative presence in the various towns and cities the church is located in. In 2006 she founded Acts trust, a charity connected to Alive Church that empowers people to end poverty and now she supports its strategic vision as chair of trustees.

Joy is also one of the leaders of Transform Lincoln (a unity movement of churches in Lincoln) and is part of the team that leads the Groundlevel network of churches, a trustee of CAP uk and also runs a coaching practice, called Threads; coaching leaders to find their unique purpose and apply that to the world around them to bring transformation.

Darryl Mallet

Darryl is the Lead Pastor of the King’s Centre Church – one church, in two locations, in King’s Lynn, Norfolk.

He loves to share God’s Word and is passionate about the prophetic. He is married to Clare - they have three children, and together they are sold-out for build a growing, authentic church family, that loves Jesus and people well!

 

In his spare time, Darryl enjoys movie nights in with the family, watching football and playing golf (albeit badly). 

Howard Williams

Howard Williams is the Lead Pastor of Alive Church, a church in Greater Lincolnshire with the mission of 'Advancing God's Kingdom for this region and beyond'. Married to Claire with 3 sons, he is passionate about seeing the local church secure in its identity, healthy and mobilised bringing kingdom transformation to people, places and all sectors of society.

Streams

Church Health

Howard Williams

In times of quiet revival and significant cultural change, the health of the Church is foundational to stewarding the move of God. Healthy churches don’t emerge by accident; they are shaped through Spirit-led leadership, clear vision, aligned values and wise structures. This stream will help you cultivate health, ensuring your church is deeply rooted, resilient in changing times and able to carry Kingdom life for the long term.

Formation for Kingdom Advance

Joy Blundell

This stream explores how inner spiritual formation fuels outward mission and kingdom impact. For leaders who want to lead with depth and faithfulness, we will focus on practices and perspectives that form resilient leaders and mobilise whole churches to live out the kingdom in everyday life, bringing shalom and renewal wherever they are sent.

Prophetic

Darryl Mallet

As leaders, we know that we need more than just vision and skill — we need spiritual discernment. This stream is an invitation to grow in hearing God’s voice with clarity and responding in ways that serve people well, bring direction, build healthy church culture, and advance God’s purposes.  Through teaching, prayer, and activation, in this stream leaders will be inspired, encouraged and equipped to go deeper in prophetic ministry. 

Bookable prophetic slots will also be available, as we believe for words of clarity, direction, strength, and encouragement for both individual leaders and leadership teams alike. More information on how to book a slot will be sent prior to the Conference. 

Next Generation

Nathan Benger

Designed for 18–35-year-olds, this stream focuses on practical leadership that makes a real difference. You’ll develop the skills, mindset, and confidence to influence others well in ministry. Because leadership is about impact, not position, you’ll learn to lead with clarity, purpose, and faith wherever you are.

Main Conference Partner

This year we are delighted to have Care for the Family with us as our main partners for the conference.

For more information on what they do click on the button below.

Prices & Booking

BOOKING DEADLINES

Bookings are now open. 

Please note that bookings close on 30th March 2026

CONFERENCE PRICES

Full Conference Adult (Double/Sharing) £275
Full Conference Adult (Single) £315
Full Conference Child (Under 5's) Free
Full Conference Day Visitor £175
Full Conference Digital Pass £60
Day Visitor £80
Evening Visitor £18
Friday Morning £40

We are pleased to offer all under 25's the opportunity to come to the conference at a 20% discount.
To claim the discount please book Under 25's in separately to other delegates and insert '20%U25' code into the Coupon box at the bottom of the booking form.

If you wish to book via invoice, please let us know once you have booked if any of the delegates are under 25.

Getting to the venue

Located in a central part of the country, The Hayes is the perfect centre for people to travel to from all across the UK. The centre features great travel links that makes it easy to get to, no matter where you are commuting from.

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