Carolina Men’s Conference Upstate – First Baptist Simpsonville

About
the Men's Conference

Upstate Men, join us for a weekend committed to pursuing God and becoming the men He’s asked us to be. No fluff. No beating around the bush. Just men hearing from God and doing what He says.

Join us for the 2026 Carolina Men’s Conference on January 30 & 31, 2026.

Event Schedule

Friday, January 30

Check In & Dinner: 5:30pm
Dinner: 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Session One: 6:30pm - 7:45pm
Break: 7:45pm - 8:00pm
Session Two: 8:00pm - 9:15pm

Saturday, January 31

Coffee and Doughnuts: 8:00am - 8:30am
Session Three: 8:30am - 9:30am
Break: 9:30am - 9:45am
Session Four: 9:45am - 10:15am
Break: 10:15am - 10:30am
Session Five: 10:30am - 11:30am

featured speakers

dr. Danny Akin

Dr. Danny Akin is married to Charlotte Akin. They have been married since May 27, 1978. They have four sons who all currently serve in the ministry. He has 4 daughters-in-law and 15 grandchildren!

Dr. Akin currently serves as the President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and is a Professor of Preaching and Theology.

Dr. Akin and his wife Charlotte have traveled to Sudan, Turkey, Middle East, Kenya, Asia, Central Asia, Thailand, India and Paraguay serving our students and missionaries and helping share the gospel.

Pastor Brad Atkins had been the Senior Pastor of Lake Bowen Baptist Church in Inman, SC since 2017. He and his wife Hayley have a daughter, Annie Laurie (26), and a son, Will (23). Brad’s passion is to see those that are lost to be saved through an encounter with Christ & to see Christians being sent out as Christ Followers.

My life in ministry has now spanned over 30 years. In that time, I’ve served in youth ministry and as a senior pastor. I’ve also had the opportunity to do missions around the world. I have served on committees on the associational, state, and national level of the Southern Baptist Convention and as president of the Georgia Baptist Convention (08-09). After several years of full time evangelism, God gave me the incredible opportunity to also serve as campus pastor for Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, Georgia. He then surprised me again by putting me back in pastoral ministry as well. BKM has continued to adjust and thrive throughout these changes.

Dr. Brad Atkins

dustin dozier

Dustin Dozier currently serves as the Campus and Teaching Pastor at Upstate Church Five Forks, where he loves helping people connect deeply with Jesus and with one another. While Dustin leads the Five Forks campus, he also teaches regularly across all Upstate Church locations, helping people connect with Jesus to change their world.

He also serves as the Senior Director of Next Steps for Upstate Church, guiding people from first-time guests to fully engaged disciples through connection, serving, and discipleship. His heart is to make sure everyone has a clear path to grow in their walk with Christ and find their place in the church family.

Dustin and his wife of 20 years, Sloan, are the proud parents of three amazing kids — Zion, Triumphant, and Noah. When he’s not leading or teaching, you can find him doing yardwork, smoking on the Big Green Egg, or writing. He’s passionate about helping men live lives of courage, integrity, and faith — not because they’ve got it all together, but because they trust the One who does.

Mike Stone is pastor of Emmanuel Baptist in Blackshear, GA, where he has served since 1996. He and his wife, Andrea, are blessed with 4 children.