Clayton Greene

CLAYTON GREENE is CEO and cofounder of GoodKind. Together with friends, Clayton and his wife, Kristen, created Advent Blocks—a devotional practice to help them anticipate Jesus during the month of December. Clayton is also the Summit Collaborative Director, where he supports 70+ independent church plants. The Greenes live in Durham, NC, with their two daughters, Cara and Susan.

Laurie Davies

A former journalist, women’s ministry director, and lay counselor, LAURIE DAVIES knows the burdens that weigh women down. As an author and speaker, she encourages women to trade their “emotional hoards” for freedom. Her exploration of “emotional hoarding” comes from first-hand observation of the toll that physical hoarding has taken on the lives of those she loves. Laurie lives in Mesa, Arizona, with her husband of 30 years, Greg. Their adult son, Morgan, lives nearby.

Rick Osborne

RICK OSBORNE is a bestselling, award-winning author of both parenting and children’s books. One of Rick’s main goals is to create resources that help families develop loving relationships and peaceful, happy homes. Among the many children’s books he’s written and coauthored are, ‘The Legend of the Christmas Tree,’ ‘The Legend of the Christmas Stocking,’ and the ‘101 Questions Kids Ask About God’ series. These have sold millions of copies and have been translated into many languages. Rick has coauthored books with Dr. John Trent, Josh McDowell, Larry Burkett, and Dr. Gary Chapman. He helped write and produce the booklet ‘The Most Important Story Ever Told’ which has had over 50 million copies distributed around the world. Find out more by visiting www.rick-osborne.com.

Matt Markins

MATT MARKINS serves as the President and CEO of Awana, a global leader in child discipleship. As a researcher in child discipleship and children’s ministry, Matt has commissioned eleven research projects since 2013, including a study conducted by Barna Group called Children’s Ministry in a New Reality. He’s a board member at large for the National Association of Evangelicals and is the author or coauthor of four books, most notably The Faith of Our Children: Eight Timely Research Insights for Discipling the Next Generation and RESILIENT: Child Discipleship and the Fearless Future of the Church. He’s also the cofounder of the Child Discipleship Forum and D6 Conference. Matt and his wife, Katie, have been involved in children’s ministry for more than 25 years and spend their time in Nashville with their two sons. For more information go to www.ChildDiscipleship.com and www.Awana.org.

Todd A. Wilson

TODD A. WILSON, B.A., M.A. Wheaton College; Ph.D., Cambridge University, is the President of the Center for Pastor Theologians. He previously served as senior pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books, including The Curse of the Law and the Crisis in Galatia, Pastors in the Classics, Galatians: Gospel-Rooted Living, The Pastor Theologian, Real Christian, Mere Sexuality and The Crucified Apostle. Todd is married to Katie and they have seven children, three biological and four adopted from Ethiopia.

C .H. Spurgeon

CHARLES H. SPURGEON (1834-1892) was known as England's most prominent preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. He preached his first sermon at the age of 16, and by 22, he was the most popular preacher of his day, habitually addressing congregations of six to ten thousand. In addition, he was active in philanthropic work and evangelism. Spurgeon is the author of numerous books, including All of Grace, Finding Peace in Life’s Storms, The Anointed Life, and Praying Successfully.

Ray Pritchard

RAY PRITCHARD serves as the president of Keep Believing Ministries. He is a graduate of Tennessee Temple University (B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.) and Talbot School of Theology (D.Min.). Ministering extensively overseas, speaking at conferences, and appearing on Christian radio and television talk shows, Dr. Pritchard focuses on evangelism and encouragement to spread the hope of Jesus Christ through all the world. For 27 years he pastored churches in Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago, and most recently served at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Illinois. Dr. Pritchard is the author of 27 books, including An Anchor for the Soul, Stealth Attack, Names of the Holy Spirit, and Credo. Ray and his wife, Marlene, have three sons.

Howard Hendricks

DR. HOWARD G. HENDRICKS remains a legendary figure in the memory of countless Christians worldwide. In sixty years at Dallas Theological Seminary, "Prof" Hendricks is estimated to have taught more than 30,000 students, and through them now impacts tens of millions throughout the world. He ministered in more than eighty countries through speaking engagements, radio, books, and recordings (including the DVD series, Living By The Book). For a period of time he was also a Bible teacher and chaplain for the Dallas Cowboys football team. Dr. Hendricks and his wife Jeanne were married for sixty-five years, and he was the father of four children, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Edgar James

DR. EDGAR JAMES (Texas Institute of Technology; Wheaton College; Dallas Theological Seminary), a popular Bible teacher, is a former professor of Bible and Theology at Chicago's Moody Bible Institute. He is the author of over 30 books and more than a thousand articles. Among his published books are God, Man and Disaster, Armageddon, The Open Bible Owners Guide, Arabs, Oil and Armageddon and Armageddon and the New World Order. He is a contributor to the Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia and the Family Bible Encyclopedia. He has had regular columns in Moody Magazine and Power for Living and has also written for the Chicago Tribune. Dr. James resides in Sunnyvale, California.

Chris Rappazini

CHRIS RAPPAZINI is a Professor of Leadership at Anderson University, SC, and a professional speaker and leadership life coach. Eleven years prior to his role at Anderson University, he was a Professor of Pastoral Studies and Preaching at the Moody Bible Institute and served in various pastoral roles throughout the nation. He is a former writer for Moody’s Today in the Word and past President of the Evangelical Homiletics Society. He has earned a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University, an M.Th. from the University of Edinburgh, an M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a B.A. from the Moody Bible Institute, and did postdoctoral research at Baylor University.

Paul N. Benware

DR. PAUL BENWARE (B.A., Los Angeles Baptist College, Th.M., Dallas Theological Seminary, Th.D., Grace Theological Seminary) is currently teaching in the Bible department at Southwestern College in Pheonix, Arizona. A former faculty member of the Los Angeles Baptist College (now the Master’s College) and Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute, Dr. Benware has continued to be involved in several local churches, often holding pastoral or staff positions. Dr. Benware is the author of seven books including Understanding End Times Prophecy, The Believer’s Payday, surveys of both the Old and New Testaments, and a newly published commentary on the Book of Daniel, as well as numerous articles published in journals and magazines. Dr. Benware lives with his wife, Anne, in Litchfield Park, Arizona. They have four children and six grandchildren.

Laura Dingman

LAURA DINGMAN spends most of her time creating and leading worship experiences that help connect people with the story of God. She has served in vocational ministry as the Creative Arts Director at The Creek, a large church in Indianapolis, for over a decade. She loves to show people where their story intersects with God's story. She enjoys belting Broadway, laughing hysterically, reading great books, and living life with her favorite two people in the whole world, her husband, Matt, and her spunky daughter, Abigail. She is the author of Life Rhythms: Learning to Live in God-Centered Time and I Am Found: Quitting the Game of Hide and Seek with God, Ourselves, and Others. You can learn more about her journey and connect with her at www.lauradingman.com.

Karl Vaters

Michael Hare

DR. S. MICHAEL HARE never imagined a life looking for conflicts to resolve. Becoming a Christian at 19, he went to Bible college simply desiring to find out how to better serve God. However, following that path has led to over two decades of serving in the role of senior pastor in church turnaround ministries, 15 years of working as a church conflict consultant, and recently completing a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Dr. Hare also serves as a senior staff chaplain and ombudsman for Compassion with its nearly 4,000 employees ministering in 26 third world countries. He has served as an adjunct instructor in several universities and is currently teaching mediation courses in a doctoral program in Denver. Michael and his wife Colleen live in Colorado Springs, CO and have four children and six grandchildren who live in Africa, Germany, and the US.

Nicole Braddock Bromley

NICOLE BRADDOCK BROMLEY is an international activist on issues of sexual abuse and human trafficking. She is the founder and director of OneVOICE (www.iamonevoice.org), an organization that is bringing healing change into the lives of those affected by sexual abuse, and she is the founder and executive director of OneVOICE4freedom (www.onevoice4freedom.org), a nonprofit that is stopping child sex slavery around the world and bringing hope to survivors.

Bryan Loritts

BRYAN LORITTS is the Lead Pastor of the Abundant Life Christian Fellowship of Silicon Valley, California. He is the privileged husband of Korie, and the graced father of three sons -- Quentin, Myles, and Jaden. He is also an award winning author of six books including Saving the Saved: How Jesus Saves us from Try-harder Christianity into Performance-Free Love which was given the Christianity Today Award of Merit, and his newest release Insider Outsider. Bryan co-founded Fellowship Memphis in 2003, and later founded the Kainos Movement -- an organization committed to seeing the multi-ethnic church become the new normal in our world. He travels extensively throughout the world preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ at conferences and events, as well as serving on the board of trustees for Biola University and PineCove Christian Camps. His messages can be heard daily on the Salem Radio Network's KFAX station. You can follow him on Twitter @bcloritts.