A few weeks ago, I saw someone had dropped the logo for the next King’s Domain conference into a Southern Baptist Facebook group and added a simple question: “So what are we thinking about this?”
No doubt, they were wondering about the significance of two particular keynote speakers appearing in the same lineup: Willy Rice (Baptist pastor and president of the Southern Baptist Convention) and Doug Wilson (Presbyterian pastor and a founder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches).
Here’s my answer: both men are happy warriors. Their styles are very different, but each believes in a bold, unapologetic Christianity that isn’t dour, and each has spent his life building in the kingdom of God with joy.
This is our fourth annual conference. It will run from April 29th to May 1st, 2027, at Christ the King Church in Fort Thomas, Kentucky.
Why “Happy Warriors”
Our corner of the evangelical Christian world tends to be “prophetic.” We’re good at pointing out problems and errors. That’s our gift and it is needed in the modern church. I’m wired that way myself.
But the prophetic gift often has baggage — we can be tempted to think our work is finished once we’ve pointed out what everyone is doing wrong. If all we ever do is talk about what’s broken, we’ll raise a generation of Christians who know how to complain about the culture and have no idea how to build it.
So this year we wanted to focus on the way forward. We want to equip the saints to be builders, not just critics.
Miserable Christians don’t build much. But the joy of the LORD is our strength.
There’s a lot of building that needs to be done: faithful households, healthy churches, good schools, and robust institutions that are worth passing down to the next generation.
That’s what this conference is about. We’re fighting for something we love and believe in. And we intend to do it gladly.
The Lineup
We have the following speakers in addition to Rice and Wilson.
Michael Foster pastors East River Church in Batavia, Ohio, and co-wrote It’s Good to Be a Man. David Schrock is pastor of preaching and theology at Occoquan Bible Church and editor of Christ Over All. And Michael Clary (me!) is the pastor of Christ the King Church and co-founder of King’s Domain.
These men may not agree on every jot and tittle of one another’s theology, but they all have this in common: they’re builders. This lineup includes men who have built faithful families, planted churches, and founded institutions.
This conference is one example of what it looks like for men of different traditions to work together for the kingdom of God.
Bring the Whole Family
This conference is a family conference. Kids 12 and under get in free. There’s a family pass for those bringing teenagers.
Culture is built out of arguments, but it’s also built out of food and songs and conversations that run long. We’d like to make a little of that together. To that end, we’re planning a Christian culture night where the whole building will be open for people to wander, eat, listen to music, and stay late talking.
The Christian culture night will also feature a live concert by Sower Project.
The Details
When: Thursday evening, April 29, through Saturday at noon, May 1, 2027
Where: Christ the King Church, 638 Highland Avenue, Fort Thomas, KY, just across the river from Cincinnati
Cost: Early bird pricing runs through December 31: $109 for adults, $249 for a family, $35 for teens, and free for kids 12 and under
Coffee: on us, courtesy of our friends at Squirrelly Joe’s
Making a trip of it? The Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum are each about forty minutes away.
Not long after Nehemiah’s builders finished the wall, Ezra read the Law to the people, and they wept.
But Nehemiah told them to stop. He said, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh. 8:10).
The wall was built, and God’s people threw a feast. We’d love to see you in April!
P.S. If your ministry, school, or business would like to sponsor the conference, a few sponsorship spots remain. Email events@christthekingnky.com.