STS Connecticut
On Thursday, April 23rd, 2026, Small Town Summits will host a Summit at Christ Proclamation Church in Windsor, CT. Pastors and lay leaders from small places across Connecticut 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
April 23rd 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: What does it look like in practice to ground gospel ministry in the cross and resurrection?
3 – 3.30pm - Prayer
In our first two main sessions, Jordan Brown and a TBD STS leadership team member 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 counseling questions for discussion among the panelists and fellow Summit attendees.
Jordan grew up in Colchester, CT and his life forever changed when he became a Christian. The good news of Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross and resurrection from the grave has brought him hope, purpose, and clarity. Jordan has an overwhelming desire to see gospel preaching churches raised and renewed throughout New England. He is a graduate of Cedarville University (2013) and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (2020). He is married to Rachel and they have three daughters: Maeve, Isla, and Shae.
David Pinckney is the Mission Pastor at River of Grace Church in Concord, NH and serves as the North Atlantic Regional Director for Acts 29 Church Planting Network. He is a graduate of Bethel Seminary and a member of the TGC New England Steering Committee. David and his wife Sharon have raised four sons and one daughter. He enjoys traveling, history, people and bacon.
Dan Wolf
This breakout session will explore what it truly means to keep the gospel central in our sermons. The Gospel of Jesus Christ—His perfect life, death, and resurrection—must not be an afterthought or the way we simply end the sermon, but as the central focus of faithful expository preaching. With the Lord's help, we will consider how the Gospel should shape our exegesis, structure, and delivery in the pulpit as well as the shape of our lives.
Pastor Dan Wolf serves as the Pastor of Rockville Baptist Church in Vernon, Connecticut. He graduated from Bob Jones University and prior to coming to Rockville also served in churches in New York City and Oneida, Kentucky. Dan has a desire to faithfully proclaim God's Word and help others grow in Christ. He was married in 2020 to Angela and they have one son named Everett.
Steve Thiel
What does faithful gospel ministry look like in a place where Christianity is assumed to be irrelevant, unnecessary, or even harmful? How do you plant and shepherd a church among people of radically different backgrounds, convictions, and levels of spiritual maturity—many of whom do not yet see their need for Christ? How do we proclaim the gospel clearly in a confused culture and live it courageously in the face of resistance? Faithful ministry does not begin with strategies or trends, but with unwavering clarity about the gospel and courageous obedience to Christ. In this breakout session, we will consider why gospel faithfulness in our context requires both clarity and courage, and why neither can be sacrificed.
Steve Thiel is the church planter and pastor of Christ Proclamation Church. He is also a chaplain in the Connecticut Air National Guard and the director of the Connecticut Baptist Association. Steve graduated from Southern Seminary in 2011, moved to Hartford in 2013, and launched Christ Proclamation Church in 2014. The church has grown over the course of the past 11 years and is actively recruiting, raising up, training, and sending out church planters to impact Connecticut with the gospel. Steve is happily married to Linda for 25 years. They have 4 incredible kids: Gabriela (23), Samuel (22), Juliana (20) and Jeremiah (18). Steve grew up in Wisconsin and is happy to be called a “Cheese Head”. He’s a huge fan of the Green Bay Packers, enjoys working out, reading Christian biographies, drinking coffee, meeting people, ministering the gospel, working on home projects, and spending time with his wonderful family.
Linda Thiel
During this breakout session, Linda will remind the women just how critical it is for them to be anchored in Christ. This means that remembering the good news of Jesus Christ is not just the starting point of our faith, but the steady foundation for every season of life. The gospel tells us who God is, who we are, what Christ has done, and how that guards our daily lives. In every circumstance, we cling to the finished work of Christ. Instead of being tossed about by the wind and waves of our culture, we are held secure by the unchanging truth that Jesus died, rose, and will come again—and that reality reshapes how we live each and every day.
Linda has been joyfully married to Steve Thiel for twenty five years. She is the proud mother of four adult children. Linda currently teaches at Cornerstone Christian School in Manchester where she shapes young lives and faithfully lives out the gospel. She loves to have fun, be creative, and dance whenever she gets the chance. For the past twenty three years, she has faithfully served alongside her husband in ministry, starting in youth ministry in Vermont and continuing wherever the Lord has led. Thirteen years ago, they moved to Connecticut to plant Christ Proclamation Church, where she continues to pour into the lives of women inside and outside of the church. Linda has a passion for encouraging and building up women in the gospel, walking with them in faith, and pointing them to Christ.
Meet the Team
Pastor Nate is the pastor of The Federated Church of Willington. He has a passion to communicate God’s Word faithfully in order to help others grow in their worship of and service to our Lord Jesus. He met and married his best friend, Tracey, and God has blessed them with five children – Madison, James, Marybeth, Luke, and Hannah.
Jordan Brown is lead pastor of Hebron Church of Hope, where he has had the privilege of serving since 2018. He is from Colchester, Connecticut and is a graduate of Cedarville University and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Rachel, have two daughters -- Maeve and Isla. Jordan loves reading books, spending time with church members, watching soccer, and roasting coffee.
