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Originally from South Africa, RIAN ROUX spent his adolescence in a small fishing and farming community in the far north of Australia. Intrigued by the stories that shape our lives, he travelled widely and pursued studies in Applied Science, Education, and Theology. After a year at Oxford University, he commenced a PhD in Australia with a focus on transformative learning and student leadership development in higher education. Rian has experience in pastoral ministry, teaching, and business and currently lives and works in Toowoomba with his wife, Sally, and their three children.
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DR. ERIK THOENNES (B.A., Central Connecticut State University, M.A., Wheaton College Graduate School, Ph.D., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is Professor and Chair of the Theology Department at Biola University and is a pastor at Grace Evangelical Free Church in La Mirada, CA. He was voted Professor of the Year twice, and was awarded the Faculty Excellence Award by his colleagues at Biola University. He is the author of Life's Biggest Questions: What the Bible Says About the Things That Matter Most and Biblical and Theological Studies: A Student's Guide. Erik and his wife Donna have four children: Caroline, Paige, Samuel, and Isaac.
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JAMES H. THOMAS (1890–1973) was a Bible teacher, pastor, and John Bunyan scholar. Born in Maury City, Tennessee, Thomas graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University and earned a ThD from Central Baptist Seminary, Kansas City. After discovering the Phillips New Testament in Modern English, Thomas wanted to take a similar approach with an updated version of John Bunyan’s most famous book. The resulting work, Pilgrim’s Progress in Today’s English, is the bestselling modern version of Bunyan’s classic.
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STEVE VANDEGRIFF (Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary) is a professor of youth ministries at Liberty University in Virginia. A former youth pastor, Steve enjoys ministering and speaking to young people and their parents. He previously spent thirteen years as the executive director of Youth for Christ in Alberta, Canada. He is co-author of Timeless Youth Ministry, Disturbing Behavior, and Protecting Your Teen from Disturbing Behaviors. The parents of three children, Steve and his wife, Pamela Jo, reside in Lynchburg, Virginia.
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JOHN SMED is the founding director of Prayer Current, an organization that helps leaders make multiplying disciples through prayer and evangelism. Since 2000 John and his team have developed prayer training materials and conferences for church planters, pastors, and network teams in North America, Cuba, India, China, and Russia. His book 7 Days of Prayer with Jesus has been translated into ten languages. His conviction for prayer was born out of thirty years of experience in church planting and urban mission.John and his wife Caron have 5 children, 11 grandchildren, and live in Lake Country, British Columbia, Canada.
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CHRISTOPHER SWAIN is the Disciplemaking Pastor at Long Hollow Baptist Church and the CEO of Replicate Ministries. After four years of service in the United States Marine Corps, Chris served in full-time ministry for two decades in Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee leading ministries ranging from students to collegiate to spiritual formation. He also served as the Director of Student Ministry Publishing at Lifeway Christian Resources, serving the church in its mission of making disciples. Chris has been with Replicate Ministries and Long Hollow Baptist Church since 2016, with a heart to expand the Gospel through disciplemaking in the local church. Along with his wife, two children, and Boston Terrier, Chris resides in the Nashville, Tennessee area.
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CARY SCHMIDT (MMin, DMin) serves as the senior pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Newington, Connecticut. He and his wife, Dana, have been blessed with three children, their spouses, and four grandchildren, and they have enjoyed over thirty years of marriage and ministry together. Cary is the author of more than a dozen books, and his passion is to point people to Jesus Christ through leading, teaching, and writing. You can connect with Cary at www.caryschmidt.com.
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CONWAY EDWARDS (Dallas Theological Seminary, Regent University) is Lead Pastor of the church, One, which ministers to the evolving communities of Plano, Allen, Frisco, and McKinney, Texas. He is also the Executive Director for the US-based ministry Caribbean Choice for Christ and the president of the National Center for Christian Leadership-Jamaica. Conway is the author of Leading a Turnaround Ministry: A Process for Exponential Growth. He co-authored When Love’s in View: Finding Focus in Dating and Relationships and The Undercover Woman with his wife, Jada. He and Jada reside in Allen, Texas.
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DANIEL DARLING is an author, pastor, and leader. He was recently appointed as the director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dan is a bestselling author of several books, including The Original Jesus, The Dignity Revolution, The Characters of Christmas, The Characters of Easter, and A Way With Words. He is the general editor, along with Trillia Newbell, of a small group study on racial reconciliation, The Church and the Racial Divide and is a contributor to The Worldview Study Bible. Dan is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications. He is a columnist for World Magazine, and a regular contributor to USA Today. His work is often featured in Christianity Today and The Gospel Coalition and his op-eds have appeared in The Washington Post, CNN, Washington Times, Time, Huffington Post, National Review, First Things, and other leading outlets. Publisher's Weekly called his writing style "substantive and punchy."Dan speaks and preaches around the country and is regularly interviewed on radio and television, including MSNBC's Morning Joe, CNN, and Fox. He is the host of a popular weekly podcast The Way Home where he interviews Christian leaders, politicians, and journalists. He holds a bachelor's degree in pastoral ministry from Dayspring Bible College, has studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served churches in Illinois and Tennessee. He and his wife Angela have four children.
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SUSAN HUNT is the wife of retired PCA pastor Gene Hunt, mother of 3, and grandmother of 12. Susan is the former Coordinator of Women’s Ministry for the Presbyterian Church in America and is author of several books for women and children. She teaches a weekly Bible study for women in her church and has spoken for women’s conferences throughout the country and in several other countries.
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Susie Hawkins lives in Dallas and has been actively involved in women’s ministry as a pastor’s wife, teacher and volunteer. She has also served as the Director of Women’s Ministry at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas. She has taught a weekly Bible study for business women in downtown Dallas and speaks at women’s conferences and retreats. She is also a contributor to various publications, such as Voices Behind the Veil and the soon to be released “Women’s Evangelical Library Commentary.” Susie has an MA in Christian Leadership from Criswell College as well as an MA in Theology. She is married to O. S. Hawkins, president of GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention (formerly the Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention) and is the mother of two married daughters, Wendy and Holly, as well as a grandmother of five. Her favorite things to do are bargain hunting, lunching with friends and playing with her grandchildren!08/08
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SARAH "VIRGINIA" JACOBER was born in Dayton, Ohio and accepted Jesus as her Savior at age eleven. The first time she heard a missionary speak, she knew this was what God wanted her do. After graduating from Nyack College, she married Edward G Jacober. They pastored a church while he attended Dallas Theological Seminary, and then were appointed by The Christian and Missionary Alliance to do evangelistic work in India. Their four children attended school in the Himalaya Mountains. Transferred to Bethlehem, Israel, they taught the Bible and visited Bedouin tents for fifteen years. Sarah’s husband died, but she continued working and speaking in churches. After retiring, she made fifteen short term mission trips to various countries around the world.More than forty of Sarah’s articles and poems, plus six books have been published. Sarah lives near family in North Carolina, has seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and continues to write for God’s glory.
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ABRAHAM KURUVILLA is Professor of Pastoral Ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary. He centers his ministry around the art and science of preaching: exploring preaching through research and scholarship, explaining preaching by training the next generation of church leaders, and exemplifying preaching in regular pulpit engagements in the U.S. and elsewhere. He has served as the interim preacher at churches in Texas, Massachusetts, and as President of the Evangelical Homiletics Society. In addition, he has written several preaching commentaries and he blogs regularly at www.homiletix.com. In his other life, Dr. Kuruvilla is a Diplomat of the American Board of Dermatology, and he maintains an active clinical schedule seeing patients and taking care of their skin, hair, and nails. Single by choice, Abe has a special interest in the theology of Christ-centered singleness and celibacy.
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DR. CRAWFORD LORITTS' ministry has given him the opportunity to travel throughout the United States and much of the world, speaking in churches, evangelistic outreaches, conferences, colleges, and seminaries. He has been a church planter, served for over twenty-seven years on the staff of Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) and for over fifteen years as Senior Pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Georgia. He is the author of nine books including Your Marriage Today...and Tomorrow, co-authored with his wife, Karen; and the host of two national radio programs, Living a Legacy and Legacy Moments. As President and Founder of Beyond Our Generation.com, Crawford is committed to encouraging, mentoring, and helping to shape the next generation of Christian leaders.
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DR. ERIC MASON is the founder and pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, PA. He and his wife, Yvette, have four children. After more than two decades of gospel ministry, Dr. Mason has become known for his passion to see the glory of Jesus Christ robustly and relevantly engaged in broken cities with the comprehensive gospel. He helps coach and train families to plant churches locally, nationally, and internationally. He is the founder and president of Thriving, an urban resource organization committed to developing leaders for ministry in the urban context, and is the author of three books, Manhood Restored, Beat God to the Punch, and Unleashed. He is the recipient of multiple earned degrees, including a BS in Psychology from Bowie State University, a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Doctoral degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
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JONATHAN MORROW (D.Min., M.Div., M.A.) is the author of Welcome to College and Think Christianly and coauthor of Is God Just a Human Invention? He also contributed to the Apologetics Study Bible for Students. Jonathan is director of creative strategies for Impact 360 Institute where he teaches in the college “Gap Year” program and high school summer Immersion experience. As the founder of Think Christianly Jonathan speaks nationally on worldview, apologetics, and culture and is passionate about seeing a new generation of Christ-followers understand what they believe, why they believe it, and why it matters in life. His books have been featured on shows like Family Life Today, Stand to Reason, Breakpoint, WAY-FM, Frank Pastore, The Janet Mefferd Show, and Apologetics 315. He and his wife have been married for 13 years and have three children. Connect with him at www.thinkchristianly.org.
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