J. C. Ryle

JOHN CHARLES RYLE (1816-1900) was born in Cheshire County, England. He attended Eton and then went on to Oxford, finishing his Oxford studies in 1837. In 1841 Ryle was ordained as a minister in the Anglican Church, and in 1880 he was named the first Bishop of Liverpool. Throughout his ministry he became known and beloved as a defender of the evangelical reformed faith.

Trevin Wax

TREVIN WAX is the editor of TGM - Theology, Gospel, Mission, a gospel-centered small group curriculum developed by LifeWay Christian Resources. He blogs at www.trevinwax.com and is also the author of Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals. He has served in pastoral roles in churches in the United States and in Romania. His wife is Corina and they have two children.

John Bunyan

JOHN BUNYAN (1628-1688) was a Puritan preacher and writer in England. Bunyan had very little schooling. He followed his father in the tinker's trade, and served in the parliamentary army from 1644 to 1647. In 1655, Bunyan became a deacon and began preaching. He experienced marked success from the start and was the pastor of the Bedford church.Bunyan is the author of The Pilgrim's Progress which he wrote in 1676 while imprisoned for preaching without a license. His numerous other titles include Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners and Holy War.

Howard F. Vos

HOWARD F. VOS ( B.A., Wheaton College; M.A. and Ph.D., Northwestern University; Th.M. and Th.D., Dallas Theological Seminary) was Professor Emeritus of History and Archaeology at The King's College, Tuxedo, New York, and Adjunct Professor at the King's campus in the Empire State Building, New York. He was the author of twenty-five books including Beginnings in Bible Geography, Can I Trust The Bible, Genesis and Galatians in the Everyman's Bible Commentary Series, and co-author of the Wycliffe Encyclopedia. He wrote from his vast knowledge of Bible geography, archeology and church history for Christians seeking to increase their understanding of Scripture. Additionally, he traveled extensively in the Bible lands and excavated many sites in Israel.

J Merle D'Aubigne

J.H. MERLE D'AUBIGNE was born in Geneva in 1794. He prepared himself for the ministry at the University of Geneva. While visiting Germany in 1817, he was moved to write his immortal History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century. During his life he served as a pastor, a court preacher, and a seminary president.

Beth Coombe Harris

Luis Bush

LUIS BUSH is a prominent strategist and the originator of the 10/40 Window Movement, which has brought into focus the region of the world with the greatest human suffering combined with the least exposure to the gospel. Born in Argentina and raised in Brazil, Luis has traveled the world over for the sake of the Great Commission. Over the decades, through work with Partners International and AD2000 & Beyond, he and his network of catalysts have mobilized millions of believers to impact the world through devoted prayer and a lifestyle of service. Since 2005, he has served as international facilitator of Transform World Connections based out of Singapore. And since 2009, he has championed the 4/14 Window Movement, which seeks to protect, nurture, and empower children worldwide to embrace the inheritance in Christ. Luis and his wife Doris make their home in the Chicago area near their four adult children and nineteen grandchildren.

Brian Sanders

BRIAN SANDERS is the founder of the Underground Network, an international coalition of churches united by the prophetic call to love the poor, reach the lost, and seek biblical justice. The Underground is a new form of church designed and empowered for mission. A serial entrepreneur, Brian has helped to start hundreds of missional enterprises, including churches, non-profits, and businesses all over the world. He holds a degree in communication from the University of Florida, a Masters Degree in Religious Studies from the University of South Florida, and a Masters Degree in Applied Theology from Spurgeon's College. Brian has lived in intentional community in the inner city for more than twenty years, embodying the ideas that drive him. He lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife Monica and their six children.

Nathan Stone

The late NATHAN J. STONE was a member of the faculty of Moody Bible Institute for several years and a teacher for the radio program Radio School of the Bible. He is the author of Names of God, Answering Your Questions, 100 Basic Bible Questions Answered, and Holy to the Lord: Studies in Leviticus.

Noel Castellanos

NOEL CASTELLANOS has worked in full-time ministry in urban communities since 1982. He has served in youth ministry, church planting, and community development in San Francisco, San Jose, and Chicago. Noel is a highly sought after speaker, motivator, and mentor to young leaders throughout the USA, and has a deep passion to serve and invest in the lives of emerging leaders. After serving on the Board of the Christian Community Development Association for many years, he has established the new CCDA Institute, which is working to equip emerging church leaders in the philosophy of Christian Community Development, and currently serves as the CEO of CCDA. He and his wife, Marianne, have three children, and make their home in the barrio of La Villita in Chicago.

James T. Meeks

REVEREND JAMES T. MEEKS (B.A., Bishop College) is the founder and senior pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Chicago’s Roseland community. With over 20,000 members, Salem is the largest African American church in Illinois and one of the fastest growing in the nation. He also serves as the joint chairman for the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and as an Illinois State Senator for the 15th Legislative District. Rev. Meeks is the author of How to get Out of Debt and Into Praise and Life-Changing Relationships. He and his wife, Jamell, reside in Chicago and are the proud parents of four children.

Janet Parshall

JANET PARSHALL is a graduate of Carroll College in Wisconsin. She has been consistently profiled as one of the top 100 "talkers" in Talkers magazine, the leading trade publication of the talk industry. Throughout her career, Janet has been a devoted advocate of the principles and policies that strengthen the family. In February 2005, Parshall was selected by President George W. Bush to represent the White House as public delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Janet is a columnist for LIFE: Beautiful magazine and the author of several books. She and her husband, Craig, live in Virginia, and have four children and six grandchildren.

Jonathan Griffiths

JONATHAN GRIFFITHS serves as Lead Pastor at The Metropolitan Bible Church in Ottawa, Canada. He studied theology at the University of Oxford and holds a PhD in New Testament studies from the University of Cambridge. Jonathan is author of a number of books, including Hebrews and Divine Speech, Teaching 2 Timothy, and Preaching in the New Testament. He serves on the council of The Gospel Coalition Canada, is the Bible teacher for Encounter the Truth and Founder and Executive Director of the Timothy Trust. Jonathan is deeply committed to expository preaching and loves to train and mentor others in Word ministry. Jonathan and his wife, Gemma, have three children.

Maggie Paulus

MAGGIE PAULUS is a beauty seeker. She looks for God each day not only in His Word, but in creation, in her family, in the pain of life, in the humdrum—at the kitchen sink—everywhere. Maggie lives in Buchanan, MI, with her bearded husband, three precocious children, and one cat. When Maggie's not capturing life in words and photos, you'll find her digging in the dirt, deep-fat-frying anything within reach, prank calling, and garage sale-ing. Maggie loves God and people, and wants to love them more.

Andrew Montonera

ANDREW MONTONERA is the great-grandson of Cornelius Stam, younger brother to John Stam. He holds a BA in communication from Trinity International University and resides in suburban Chicago.

J. Ryan Lister

RYAN LISTER is a professor of theology at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of The Presence of God: Its Place in the Story of Scripture and the Story of Our Lives and serves as Director of Doctrine & Discipleship for Humble Beast, where he helped start the Canvas Conference. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Chase, and their four children.