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Carol Barnier

CAROL BARNIER is a humorist and speaker, frequent radio guest and author, Pastor's kid, Christian. . .and former atheist. These days she admits she takes her God, her faith and her theology very seriously, but herself. . .not so much. To every task she brings along her slightly irreverent humor, whether tackling the issues of being very ADHD, the discomfort at being asked to be the older woman in a Titus program (after all, Titus rhymes with phlebitis--proceed with caution), or how to love today's "woman at the well." But in her latest project--bringing tools and hope to the parents of prodigals, Carol rolls up her sleeves and shares ideas and stories from the heart and from her own journey. In every talk, every article, every interview and every book, it is her objective to not only inspire people, but to give them something they can take home and use immediately. She lives in Connecticut with her husband of 25 years and her three kids.

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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.

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Aaron Coe

AARON COE serves as the Vice President of Mobilization and Marketing of the North American Mission Board, providing leadership in mobilizing churches and missionaries to plant churches.Aaron, a native of Louisville, KY., served from 2003 to 2010 as a church planting missionary where he worked with New Hope New York, an organization that planted 38 churches in the years after 9/11. From this experience, he became the lead pastor/church planter at Gallery Church in 2006. He also has played a role in raising leaders, partners and resources for many new churches, including the Gallery Church.In 2009, he became executive director of “SendNYC,” the impetus for what has become Send North America – NAMB’s church planting initiative.Aaron has a Bachelor of Science from Middle Tennessee State University and a Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Carmen, have four children, Ezra James, Danielle, Joshua, and Harper.

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Dave Carder

DAVE CARDER serves as Pastor of Counseling Ministries at First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton, CA. His specialty is Adultery Recovery and Prevention for which he has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Network, Discovery Health, and The Learning Channel, has done training for the US Army and Navy, plus multiple tapings for The Tony Robbins Passion Project, Marriage Uncensored, 100 Huntley Street, Salvation Army Leadership Training, and the American Association of Christian Counselors. His interviews and articles have appeared in Ladies Home Journal, USA Today, The Counseling Connection, and various other magazines and journals. He is the author or co-author of Torn Asunder: Recovering from an Extramarital Affair, Close Calls: What Adulterers Want You to Know About Protecting Your Marriage, and Unlocking Your Family Patterns: Finding Freedom from a Hurtful Past. He holds the Michigan Limited License for Psychology and the California Marital and Family Therapy license, and has graduate degrees in Biblical Literature and Counseling Psychology. Dave and his wife, Ronnie, have been married 49 years, have four adult children, and eight grandchildren.

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Lyle W. Dorsett

DR. LYLE W. DORSETT is a prolific author and accomplished speaker and teacher. Dr. Dorsett received his B.A. and M.A. in history from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and his Ph.D. in history from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is now retired from teaching and pastoral ministry after serving many years in a number of different roles, including universities in Missouri, California, Colorado, and Alabama. He is the author of numerous books, among them biographies of Joy Davidman (Mrs. C.S. Lewis), E.M. Bounds, Dwight L. Moody, and Billy Sunday. Keenly interested in the life and writings of C. S. Lewis, he published a volume of Lewis's Letters to Children, The Essential C. S. Lewis, and Seeking the Secret Place: The Spiritual Formation of C. S. Lewis. His most recent book is Serving God and Country: U.S. Military Chaplains in World War II. Dr. Dorsett and his wife, Mary, have a grown son, a daughter in heaven, and four grandchildren.

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D.A. Horton

D.A. HORTON currently serves on staff at Summit Church in Durham, NC while he and his family are preparing to plant a church in Los Angeles. Prior to his current role he served as an urban church planter, pastor, and Lead Teaching Elder in Kansas City, MO for nearly six years; a National Coordinator of Urban Student Ministries and the Urban Initiatives Team at the North American Mission Board (NAMB); and the Executive Director at ReachLife Ministries, the non-profit arm of Reach Records. D.A. is currently working on his Ph.D. at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Applied Theology with a North American emphasis. With a heart to provide local churches with quality Bible-centered tools and resources for evangelism and discipleship, D.A. wrote two books: G.O.S.P.E.L. and DNA: Foundations of the Faith both published by Moody Publishers. His third book, Bound to Be Free: Escaping Performance to be Captured by Grace will be released through NavPress in spring 2016. He and his wife Elicia have two daughters, Izabelle and Lola and one son, D.A. Jr. (aka Duce).

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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.

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Charles Leach

CHARLES LEACH was born in England on March 1, 1847 and started from humble beginnings, having to begin work at the age of eight. He worked hard and eventually went to Ranmoor Theological College. In 1873 he took up a pastorate in Sheffield, and for the next thirty years, preached, ministered, and lectured all around England. He also took several trips to the Middle East and the United States. While he was successful in his professional life, he was not as fortunate in his personal life as only two of his six children were alive at his death. In 1908 he joined the Liberal Party to run for Parliament. Although initially thought to be a weak candidate, he won his seat in 1910. While in Parliament he introduced several bills and was fairly influential. Because of this and his ministry background he was named Chaplain to the Armed Forces at outset of World War I. After this, he began to step back from public life because of physical and mental deterioration. He died in England on November 24, 1919 at the age of seventy-two.

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James L. Nicodem

JIM NICODEM has been the senior pastor of Christ Community Church since its start in 1984. Beginning with a group of six families, the church has grown to over five thousand weekend attendees at four campuses. A significant focus on reaching spiritual explorers has resulted in scores of new believers being baptized each year.Born and raised in the Midwest, Jim received his BA in Biblical Studies from Wheaton College, and his MDiv and DMin from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. In keeping with Christ Community Church’s mission to "make passionate disciples of Jesus Christ", Jim loves to mentor others in prayer and the study of God’s Word. With that goal in mind, he has authored Prayer Coach: For All Who Want to Get Off the Bench and Onto the Praying Field (2008) and the four-book Bible Savvy series (2013).Jim and his wife, Sue, have been married for more than thirty years. They have three adult children, and are the proud grandparents of four grandchildren. Jim enjoys biking, hiking and kayaking for recreation. He loves to hang out in Chicago, where he can watch the Cubs play (no better park than Wrigley) or listen to the world-class Symphony Orchestra.

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Soong-Chan Rah

Soong-Chan Rah is Milton B. Engebretson Associate Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. He is the author of The Next Evangelicalism (IVP Books, 2009). Prior to coming to North Park, Soong-Chan was the founding and senior pastor of Cambridge Community Fellowship Church, a multi-ethnic, urban church in Cambridge, MA. Soong-Chan has a B.A. from Columbia University, a M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from Harvard University, and a D.Min. from Gordon-Conwell. Soong-Chan serves on the boards of Sojourners, the Christian Community Development Association, World Vision, and the Catalyst Leadership Center. He lives in Chicago with his wife Sue, a special educator and his two children, Annah and Elijah.

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John Walsh

JOHN WALSH is the founder of BibleTelling and the Christian Storytelling Conference. His network of BibleTelling trainers conduct seminars in the US as well as 21 other countries. The most exciting seminar is the annual BibleTelling Seminar in Israel. Those who attend tell 120 stories of the Bible at the 45 locations where they happened. The Art of Storytelling was first published in 2003, and then republished in 2014. His book, All the Stories of the Bible is used worldwide by missionaries, pastors, and other Christian workers. John shares his Bible stories on a 2-minute daily radio spot called All the Stories of the Bible in a Year and a 4-minute weekly radio spot called Telling the Stories of the Bible.

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Louis Barbieri

LOUIS A. BARBIERI, (B.A., Westmont College; Th.M., Th.D., Dallas Theological Seminary) is Chair of the Department of Theology at the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. He is the author of a number of books, including the Everyman’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Peter, The Moody Gospel Commentary: Mark, and The Life of Christ: Matthew. Dr. Barbieri and his wife of over forty years, Carol, reside in the Chicago area. They are the parents of three and grandparents of seven.

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Stephen B. Bell

STEVE and VALERIE BELL have been married and in ministry together for over 30 years. Steve is currently an executive vice-president of the Willow Creek Association. Valerie travels widely as a conference speaker, making frequent guest appearances on radio and television. Valerie is the author of seven books, and co-author with her husband of three books: Made to be Loved and Faith-Shaped Kids, and Real Survivors. Steve and Valerie live in Wheaton, Illinois; they have two grown sons.

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Valerie Bell

STEVE and VALERIE BELL have been married and in ministry together for over 30 years. Steve is currently an executive vice-president of the Willow Creek Association. Valerie travels widely as a conference speaker, making frequent guest appearances on radio and television. Valerie is the author of seven books, and co-author with her husband of three books: Made to be Loved and Faith-Shaped Kids, and Real Survivors. Steve and Valerie live in Wheaton, Illinois; they have two grown sons.

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Kenneth O. Gangel

KENNETH O. GANGEL (B.A., Taylor University; M.A., Fuller Summer Seminary; M.Div., Grace Theological Seminary; S.T.M., Concordia Seminary; Ph.D., University of Missouri) is a Scholar-in-Residence at Toccoa Falls College in Georgia and the Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Christian Education at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the author of a number of books including Team Leadership in Ministry and The Christian Educator’s Handbook series. He now resides in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

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Virelle Kidder

VIRELLE KIDDER is a full-time writer and conference speaker who has proclaimed the love of God for more than 25 years, and once hosted her own daily radio talk show in New York's capital district. She is the author of six books, including The Best Life Ain't Easy and Meet Me at the Well. Virelle and her husband, Steve, have four grown children and eight grandchildren and live in Sebastian, Florida. For more information, visit www.virellekidder.com.

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