Lead Where You Are
Global Leadership Summit 2026
The Global Leadership Summit is a two-day leadership experience designed to equip and inspire people in every sphere of influence: business, education, ministry, healthcare, nonprofits, government, and beyond.
Join us at Autumn Ridge Church as we host this world-class event right here in Rochester.
August 6–7, 2026
Autumn Ridge Church | Rochester, MN
Because EVERYONE Has Influence
Leadership is not limited to a title, position, or stage. If people are counting on you, learning from you, working alongside you, or looking to you for direction, your leadership matters.
The Global Leadership Summit brings together trusted voices from ministry, business, education, culture, and organizational leadership to help you grow in wisdom, clarity, courage, and practical skill.
Whether you lead a staff, a classroom, a nonprofit, a ministry team, a business, a family, or a group of volunteers, GLS is designed to help you take your next step as a leader.
Why Autumn Ridge is Hosting GLS
Leadership matters because people matter.
At Autumn Ridge, we care deeply about the flourishing of our community. Healthy leadership shapes workplaces, schools, churches, nonprofits, families, neighborhoods, and teams.
Hosting the Global Leadership Summit is one way we invest in Rochester. We're not just offering another event, but we're creating space for leaders to be encouraged, challenged, equipped, and sent back into their everyday places of influence with renewed purpose.
We believe better leadership can help build a better community.
Register for the Summit
Early-bird pricing available!
Who Should Attend
If you have influence, this is for you.
The Summit is designed for people who want to lead well wherever they are.
Business Leaders
For those leading teams, building culture, making decisions, and carrying responsibility in the workplace.
Educators
For teachers, administrators, coaches, and school leaders shaping the next generation.
Ministry Leaders
For pastors, staff, elders, small group leaders, and volunteers serving the church and community.
Nonprofit Teams
For people working toward a mission bigger than themselves and serving real needs in the community.
Healthcare Professionals
For those leading with compassion, clarity, and resilience in high-pressure environments.
Young Professionals
For emerging leaders who want to grow in wisdom, confidence, and purpose early in their careers.
Volunteers
For people who lead through service, presence, generosity, and care for others.
Entrepreneurs
For builders, starters, and risk-takers who are creating something new and leading through uncertainty.
What to Expect
Practical tools you can use right away.
GLS is designed to give you more than inspiration. You’ll walk away with practical ideas, language, frameworks, and next steps you can bring back to your workplace, team, ministry, or organization.
World-class leadership voices.
Each year, the Summit features respected voices from a wide range of fields: ministry, business, communication, organizational culture, personal growth, and leadership development.
A shared local experience.
There is something powerful about learning in the same room with other leaders who care about our city and region. GLS at Autumn Ridge is more than a livestream. It is a chance to connect, reflect, and grow alongside others from across Rochester.
Space to reset your vision.
Leadership can be rewarding, but it can also be exhausting and isolating. The Summit creates space to step back, refocus, and remember why your leadership matters.
This Year's Speakers
Learn from leaders shaping organizations, communities, and culture.
The 2026 Global Leadership Summit faculty includes voices from ministry, business, communication, negotiation, education, entertainment, research, entrepreneurship, and leadership development.
Featured speakers include:
- Craig Groeschel
- Priscilla Shirer
- Jim Collins
- Vanessa Van Edwards
- Kwame Christian
- Andy Stanley
- Candace Cameron Bure
- Arthur C. Brooks
- Julio García
- Alison Levine
- Ryan Leak
- Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten
- David Ashcraft
- Andrew Stanley
Why Attend?
You don’t need another to-do list. You need renewed clarity.
Most leaders are not looking for more noise. They are looking for wisdom they can trust, tools they can use, and encouragement to keep going.
At GLS, you’ll be invited to think honestly about your leadership, strengthen the way you serve others, and consider what your next faithful step could look like.
You may come because of your job. You may come because of your team. You may come because leadership feels heavy right now.
Whatever brings you here, our hope is that you leave encouraged, equipped, and reminded that your influence matters.
2026 Summit Dates and Schedule
Thursday, August 6, 2026
Friday, August 7, 2026
Session 1 | 10:00am - 11:45am
Craig Groeschel
Vanessa VanEdwards
Lunch | 11:45am - 1:15pm
Session 2 | 1:15pm - 3:00pm
Julio Garcia
Jim Collins
Break | 3:00pm - 3:30pm
Session 3 | 3:30pm - 5:00pm
Kelly Merryman Hoogstarten
Kwame Christian
Session 4 | 10:00am - 11:45am
David Ashcraft
Priscilla Shirer
Arthur C. Brooks
Lunch | 11:45am - 1:15pm
Session 5 | 1:15pm - 2:45pm
Alison Levine
Andy Stanley
Break | 2:45pm - 3:15pm
Session 6 | 3:15pm - 4:30pm
Candace Cameron Bure
Ryan Leak
Pricing
Super Early Bird Pricing – Lowest pricing tier
August 18, 2025 – June 19, 2026
Early Bird Pricing – Middle pricing tier
June 20, 2026 – July 17, 2026
Regular Pricing – Highest pricing tier
July 18, 2026 – August 7, 2026
Location
Autumn Ridge Church
3611 Salem Road SW
Rochester, MN 55902
Don't Do Leadership Alone!
Join leaders from across Rochester for two days of encouragement, practical insight, and renewed purpose. Because your leadership matters; and you do not have to carry it alone.
FAQs
No. GLS is designed for anyone who wants to grow as a leader. The Summit includes voices from ministry and the marketplace and is helpful for business leaders, educators, nonprofit teams, healthcare professionals, young professionals, volunteers, and community leaders.
You can attend on your own, but this is a great experience to share with a team. Attending together gives you common language, shared takeaways, and a natural next step for applying what you learn.
Autumn Ridge is serving as a local host site for the Global Leadership Summit. You’ll experience the Summit in a shared local environment with other leaders from our community.
Snacks and lunch will be available at Autumn Ridge.
Autumn Ridge will not be providing childcare at the Summit.
Please feel free to reach out to Paul McDonald at Autumn Ridge Church.
Email: mcdonald.paul@autumnridge.church
Phone: 507.288.8880