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PHILLIP GRAHAM RYKEN (M.Div., Westminster Theological Seminary; D.Phil., University of Oxford, England) is Senior Minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, where he has preached since 1995. He is the author of several books including What Is the Christian Worldview, The Heart of the Cross, and The Message of Salvation. Dr. Ryken lives with his wife, Lisa, and their children in Center City, Philadelphia.
Read MoreTIM SHOEMAKER is the dad of three grown sons and author of more than 20 books. Known for his insights and passion, he’s a trusted speaker at conferences, churches, and schools around the country. Tim is driven by a desire to help young men grow in character, integrity, and to be true to God—following His plan for manhood. Tim has been a volunteer youth worker more than 25 years, and happily married for more than 40.
Read MoreTHABITI ANYABWILE is the full-time husband to a loving wife, Kristie, and father to three adorable children. He currently serves as a pastor of Anacostia River Church in Washington, D.C. Previously he served as senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, and as an assistant pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. Thabiti holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in psychology from North Carolina State University. A former high school basketball coach and bookstore owner, Thabiti loves reading, sports, and watching sci-fi films. He is the author of Reviving the Black Church, The Decline of African-American Theology, What Is a Healthy Church Member?, and The Faithful Preacher.
Read MoreCINDY EASLEY was born in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and Social Rehabilitation. Author of What's Submission Got to Do with It?, Cindy is a nationally known speaker with the Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference. Cindy and her husband, Michael, former President of Moody Bible Institute and Teaching Pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Nashville, Tennessee, have three daughters and one son.
Read MoreJIM 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.
Read MoreERIC C. REDMOND is Professor of Bible at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL and Associate Pastor of Preaching, Teaching, and Care at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL. He has a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Capital Seminary and Graduate School, and a Th.M. Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the general editor of Say It! Celebrating Expository Preaching in the African American Tradition, the Preaching Magazine 2020 Book of the Year. His teaching and research specialties are hermeneutics, interpretation of narrative and parable, interpretation of poetical literature, homiletics and Bible exposition, and the Gospels. Eric is a fellow of the St. Augustine Cohort of the Center for Pastor Theologians, a Teaching Fellow for the C. S. Lewis Institute-Chicago, and previously served as a church-planting senior pastor.
Read MoreHAZEN STEVENS is one of the original leaders and vice chairman of OneRace Movement, an organization focused on gospel-centered racial reconciliation and biblical justice. Since the movement's inception in 2016, OneRace has been addressing the racial divide in the church and society through four key pillars: mobilizing catalytic prayer, building authentic relationships, equipping disciples, and partnering for justice. He has a passion for prayer and missions and for thirteen years has served on staff with a 24/7 house of prayer and as domestic director of a pioneer missions organization. He currently serves as the Executive Pastor of GateCity Church. He is married to his best friend Hannah and they reside with their four delightful children (Amarin 8, Chesed 5, Pearl 4, and Elisha 3) in metro-Atlanta.
Read MoreJIM WILDER (PhD, Clinical Psychology, and M.A. Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary) has been training leaders and counselors for over 27 years on five continents. He is the author of nine books with a strong focus on maturing and relationship skills for leaders. His coauthored book Living From the Heart Jesus Gave You has sold over 100,000 copies in eleven languages. Wilder has published numerous articles and developed four sets of video and relational leadership training called THRIVE. He is currently executive director of Shepherd's House Inc., a nonprofit working at the intersection of brain science and theology, and founder of Life Model Works that is building contagiously healthy Christian communities through equipping existing networks with the skills to thrive. Dr. Wilder has extensive clinical counseling experience and has served as a guest lecturer at Fuller Seminary, Biola, Talbot Seminary, Point Loma University, Montreat College, Tyndale Seminary and elsewhere.
Read MoreSTEPHAN BAUMAN is the President and CEO of World Relief, an international relief and development organization partnering with the global Church to serve more than five million vulnerable people each year. World Relief is also the founder and convener of The Justice Conference. Stephan's pursuit of justice led him to transition from a successful career in the Fortune 100 sector to Africa where he directed relief and development programs for nearly a decade before returning to the United States to lead World Relief's global operations. He holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University, Wheaton College, and the University of Wisconsin. He is a poet, an author, an ordained minister and a strategist. He considers his African friends his most important teachers, and his wife, Belinda, his most important mentor. Stephan, Belinda, and their two sons, Joshua and Caleb, live near Washington, D.C.
Read MoreEARL R. HENSLIN (Psy.D., Biola University), is a licensed marriage and family therapist, former part-time faculty member at the Rosemead Graduate School of Psychology at Biola University, La Mirada, California, author of seven books, and co-author of three books and numerous professional articles. He is a member of several professional organizations and helped in the founding of Overcomers Outreach to aid churches in establishing support groups.For the past 14 years Dr. Henslin has been integrating brain imaging into the treatment of psychological, physical, and spiritual problems at his counseling practice, Henslin and Associates, a Christian counseling group in Brea, California. Dr. Henslin has four adult children and two lovely granddaughters.
Read MoreDR. 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.
Read MoreMATT 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.
Read MoreWESS STAFFORD From the poor of Africa's Ivory Coast to President and Chief Executive Officer of Compassion International, Dr. Wesley K. Stafford — Wess — has maintained one simple belief: God's children are priceless resources. To that end, Wess leads Compassion's efforts to break the cycle of poverty for children everywhere. Wess joined the staff of Compassion International in 1977 and has worked with the ministry, both overseas and at headquarters, for 34 years. He has served as president since 1993. Wess lives on a small ranch near Colorado Springs, Colorado with his wife, Donna, of 32 years who was a Compassion sponsor even before she met Wess! They have two daughters, Jenny and Katie — the two children in the world for whom Wess is the greatest advocate of all.
Read MoreHENRY DRUMMOND was born in Stirling, Scotland on August 17, 1851. As a young man he attended Edinburgh University where he particularly enjoyed the natural sciences. However, driven by a desire to preach the Gospel, he entered the Free Church of Scotland, where, before taking his own pastorate, he worked with D.L. Moody on his evangelistic efforts. In 1877 he became a teacher of natural science at the Free Church College. He spent six years lecturing and writing until, in 1883, he received an opportunity to conduct a geological survey in southern Africa. Upon his return a year later, he found himself to be rather famous in his homeland. Later on he would write of his work in Africa and participate in a similar work in Australia. He continued to write and lecture in England and the United States until his death on March 11, 1897.
Read MoreJOHN C. WHITCOMB (A.B., Princeton University; B.D., Th.M., Th.D., Grace Theological Seminary) is a former President of the Board of Spanish World Gospel Missions Inc and also served as Professor of Theology and Old Testament at Grace Theological Seminary Winona Lake, Indiana for 49 years. He has lectured around the world and is the author of Daniel and Esther from the Everyday Bible Commentary series, among other titles.
Read MoreHANS FINZEL (D.Miss., Fuller School of World Missions; Th. M., Dallas Theological Seminary) is the president of HDLeaders. He served for 20 years as president of WorldVenture (formerly CBInternational). He and his wife, Donna, spent ten years as missionaries in Eastern Europe, working with WorldVenture to train pastors behind the Iron Curtain. Hans is the author of ten books, including Change is Like a Slinky, Launch Your Encore, The Power of Passion in Leadership, Unlocking the Scriptures, and his bestseller The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make. He co-authored The Top Ten Ways to Love Your Wife with his wife. He is the host of the Leadership Podcast, The Leadership Answer Man and is a widely sought-after speaker as an expert in leadership development, change management and international studies. The Finzels make their home in Highlands Ranch, Colorado and have four children.
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