STS New Hampshire
On Thursday, May 14th, 2025, Small Town Summits will host a Summit at Faith Community Bible Church in Loudon, NH . Pastors and lay leaders from small places across New Hampshire will marvel together at the sin-defeating cross and the death-conquering resurrection of Christ in order to consider what it looks like for ministry to be rooted in Christ’s cross and resurrection.
Christ Our Savior
May 14th 2026
The good news of the gospel is not simply that Christ’s redeeming work is gloriously accomplished and Christ’s person is gloriously awesome. It’s that his whole person and his entire work are ours through faith. The greatest benefit of what he’s done is that we can bask in who he is – eternally. He is ours forevermore. Throughout 2026, Small Town Summits will gather small-place New England churches, pastors, and laypeople to exult in the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In our Spring Summits, we’ll focus on 1 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul summarizes the saving gospel by saying ‘Christ died for our sins’ and ‘he was raised on the third day.’ At the beginning of the letter, he says ‘I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified’ (2:2). At the end of the letter, he devotes an entire chapter to Christ’s resurrection, concluding, ‘Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain’ (15:58). 1 Corinthians shows that the cross and resurrection are the focus and fuel of gospel ministry. They give us something glorious to proclaim and the indomitable resolve to proclaim it.
8.30 – 9am - Arrival and registration
9 – 10am - Welcome, Singing, STS Vision, Introductions
10 – 10:45am - Session #1: The Cross of Christ as the Focus of Gospel Ministry and group discussion
10:45 – 11am - Coffee break
11am – Noon - Session #2: The resurrection of Christ as the Fuel of Gospel Ministry and group discussion
Noon – 1pm - Lunch
1 – 2pm - Breakout sessions
2 – 2.15pm - Break
2.15 – 3pm - Session #3: Panel Discussion and Q&A: How Christ’s Work Helps Us Endure
3 – 3.30pm - Prayer
In our first two main sessions, Joel Sedam and Shawn Carpenter will speak to the focus and the fuel of gospel ministry in the cross and resurrection of Christ. Our last main session will be a panel giving Summit participants opportunity to ask specific questions for discussion among the panelists and fellow Summit attendees.
Joel grew up in Westerly, RI. After graduating with a B.A. in Theology, he continued his studies at Southern Seminary. He has worked with InterVarsity Fellowship and has served on the pastoral staff at Grace Harbor Church in Providence. He and his wife Jen moved to Bristol in June of 2015, where they and their core team planted Mount Hope Church.
Shawn Carpenter is the lead pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Nashua, NH. Prior to coming on board with Trinity in 2019, Shawn was a church-planter in California. He is a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. Shawn and his wife Laura have four sons, two who are out into young adulthood, and two still at home. He enjoys his coffee black-no sugar, Herman Bavinck, and the NBA League Pass, and not necessarily always in that order…
David Pickney
Long term church health and missional impact relies on a healthy leadership structure. What does the Bible say? What do we learn from wisdom and history? What can you do to change leadership culture?
David is the Director of New Initiatives for Small Town Summits, North Atlantic Regional Director for Acts 29 Church Planting Network, and an elder at River of Grace Church in Concord, NH. He and Sharon have been married for 38 years and have raised 5 children.
Brian Smith, Don Rayman, Eliot Delorme
Learn how two churches together planted a third, and how these three churches continue to collaborate in sermon prep, men's and women's retreats and other ongoing ways.
Bios coming soon!
Doug Cooper
As pastors and leaders in small-town churches, we can sometimes feel as though we’re functioning from a position of scarcity. Perhaps we may find ourselves operating with a limited budget, very few resources, and a lack of shared leadership. In situations like these we can be tempted towards discouragement, feeling that without these things we are destined to fail. And yet the Scriptures present a far different perspective. With Christ and the power and potential of His Gospel, we’re told that we’re in possession of God’s riches. That we’re abundantly supplied with the most critical resources at our disposal. If this is true, how might the Gospel be the fish and loaves that we most need in order to see our churches flourish?
Doug Cooper serves as the Pastor of Christ Restoration Church in New London, NH. Doug completed a two-year program at Word of Life Bible Institute, as well earning an Associate Degree from River Valley Community College in Occupational Therapy, a BA in English Literature and Religion from Liberty University, and is currently working on a Master of Theological Studies degree from Westminster Theological Seminary. Doug and his wife Leah have four children, one dog, one cat, and five chickens.
Kaylin Vincz
In this breakout session, we will explore how understanding anxiety as a story can open the doorway to a new—and more truthful—one. Our lives are shaped not only by what happens to us, but by the meaning we make of those experiences. Over time, those meanings quietly form beliefs about who we are, who God is, and whether the world is safe. This talk offers a compassionate way of understanding anxiety—not as something to fix or silence, but originating from a need for protection. As we slow down and allow our bodies to experience safety—through attentive presence and trusted relationships—those old stories begin to loosen their grip. Anxiety no longer has to define us. In its place, a truer story can emerge: one shaped by grace, tenderness, and the faithful love of a God who enters our stories in order to restore them.
Kaylin Vincz runs a practice called Sojourner Soulcare in New London, New Hampshire. Before beginning her own practice she was a counselor at Restoring Hope New England (formerly CCEF New England). She received a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Crossroads Bible College and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary. Kaylin has experience working with individuals and couples as well as leading counseling groups. Kaylin empathetically walks with people in counseling, believing that Jesus’ story, mapped onto ours, has the power to change how we view the world and that his presence provides the strength needed to face the challenges ahead. Kaylin believes relationships minister these realities; she provides a safe, empathetic relationship within counseling and seeks to mend and strengthen other interpersonal relationships. In her spare time, she spends time outdoors with her husband and three children, gardening, snowboarding, hiking, reading, and drinking coffee.
Meet the Team
Shawn Carpenter is the lead pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Nashua, NH. Prior to coming on board with Trinity in 2019, Shawn was a church-planter in California. He is a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. Shawn and his wife Laura have four sons, two who are out into young adulthood, and two still at home. He enjoys his coffee black-no sugar, Herman Bavinck, and the NBA League Pass, and not necessarily always in that order…
Doug Cooper serves as the Pastor of Christ Restoration Church in New London, NH. Doug completed a two-year program at Word of Life Bible Institute, as well earning an Associate Degree from River Valley Community College in Occupational Therapy, a BA in English Literature and Religion from Liberty University, and is currently working on a Master of Theological Studies degree from Westminster Theological Seminary. Doug and his wife Leah have four children, one dog, one cat, and five chickens.
