David Goldmann

DAVID GOLDMANN (B.S., University of Wisconsin; M.Div., Columbia International University) is an ordained minister with 24 years of experience living in North Africa and making disciples. He spent eight years as a missions specialist with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, and is presently a missions consultant and recruiter for Frontiers. He is author of Islam and the Bible: Why Two Faiths Collide. In addition, he conducts the seminars entitled “Understanding and Reaching Muslims”. He and his wife, Mary Lou, are the parents of four married children and five grandchildren and reside in Dublin, Ohio.

Alicia Llewellyn

ALICIA LLEWELLYN is co-founder of Quite Uncommon, a technology firm that helps organizations build, test, and launch new and innovative ideas. She is also a strategist and collaboration leader at NASA, currently directing the 1958 Coworking Space at the Johnson Space Center. She has more than two decades of cross-sector experience in growing effective teams and building engaged communities with resiliency and foresight--including for some of the largest hackathons in the world. Ali has served as a teacher, a team trainer, a youth pastor, and the Director of Ministries at Antioch Community Church in Houston, TX. This background in education, communication, and theology provides the clarity and articulation necessary to help organizations and communities take their mission to the next level.

John Smed

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.

Ryan Lokkesmoe

RYAN LOKKESMOE PhD is the Senior Pastor of Community Church at Lake Wylie in the Charlotte area. He earned his master's degree in New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and his doctorate in New Testament at The University of Denver. Ryan is the author of Blurry: Bringing Clarity to the Bible (CLC Publications), and has written Small Group curriculum for LifeWay as well as articles for the Lexham Bible Dictionary. Ryan previously served as the Small Groups Pastor at a multi-site church, and as the Lead Pastor of Real Hope Community Church for seven years. He lives in Richmond, TX with his wife Ashley and their two children.

Jerry Vines

DR. JERRY VINES (B.A., Mercer University; Th.D., Luther Rice Seminary; PhD, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) retired as pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida in 2006, where he served for 40 years. He served two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Jerry is author of a number of books including Power in the Pulpit: How to Prepare and Deliver Expository Sermons, and A Practical Guide to Sermon Preparation. He and his wife, Janet, have four adult children and five grandchildren.

Will H Houghton

Len G. Broughton

LEN G. BROUGHTON was a Baptist minister, medical doctor, and author. He attended Wake Forest College and the Kentucky School of Medicine.

Chris Brauns

CHRIS BRAUNS is the Senior Pastor at the Congregational Christian Church of Stillman Valley, IL. Chris left the corporate world in 1990 and graduated from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary in 1993 with a Master of Divinity degree. Since then he has served as a youth pastor, senior pastor, and church planting pastor. In 2006, Chris received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary having completed the preaching track under Haddon Robinson. Chris is the author of Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds.

John Jelinek

DR. JOHN JELINEK (Th.M., Dallas Theological Seminary, Th.D., Grace Theological Seminary) is the former Dean of Education and Vice President and Academic Dean at Moody Theological Seminary. Prior to serving at Moody Seminary, Dr. Jelinek was professor of Theology and Academic Dean at the Michigan Theological Seminary for ten years and an associate professor at Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, PA and at Alaska Bible College. He has published numerous articles and reviews in periodicals and books. His commentary on the biblical books of Amos and Leviticus is featured in The Moody Bible Commentary, published by Moody Publishers. Dr. Jelinek and his wife of 37 years, Linda, live in Willow Springs, IL and have three adult children, Rebekah, Micah John, and Anna.

Arnold R. Fleagle, DMin

DR. ARNOLD R. FLEAGLE is the senior pastor of Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Amherst, Ohio. Previously he served as Director of Church Development for the Central District of the Christian & Missionary Alliance that covers Northeast Ohio and West Virginia.Dr. Fleagle holds a B.S. in education from Shippensburg University, a M.A.R. degree from Asbury Theological Seminary and a D. Min. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has authored or co-authored devotional and academic articles and eight books, including Developing Your Secret Closet of Prayer (50,000+ sold to date).He is married to Faye and they have two sons, Matthew and Marc.

Mabel Francis

MABEL FRANCIS served as a missionary for more than fifty years in Japan. Whether in church, suffering in a prison camp, or in an audience with the Empress or other dignitaries, she preached Christ. She went to Japan with few worldly goods and left with the eternal wealth of hundreds of Japanese won for Christ. Her preaching of Christ, her message of the Spirit-filled life, her deep love for the Japanese people and her sacrificial lifestyle still speak, though her lips are now silent.

John K. Goodrich

JOHN GOODRICH (BA, Moody Bible Institute; MDiv, ThM, Talbot School of Theology; Ph.D., University of Durham) is the dean and professor at Compass Bible Institute in Southern California. John's teaching and writing focus on the literature, context, and theology of the New Testament, with a particular interest in the interpretation of the Pauline epistles. He also is deeply committed to the church and to training people to be active in ministry. He has been married to Christin since 2005 and together they enjoy following UCLA football and spending time with their son, Justin.

John F. Hart

DR. JOHN F. HART is professor of Bible at Moody Bible Institute where he has ministered for the last 32 years. He holds a Master of Theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Theology degree from Grace Theological Seminary. He has written articles for several biblical journals and contributed chapters to two books. He is also the author of 50 Things You Need to Know about Heaven (Bethany House, 2014). He and his wife, Cindy, live in Valparaiso, IN, have been married for 40 years, and have two adult sons.

Brenda Cannon

BRENDA CANNON was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1890. After teaching school for seven years in that city, she attended the Women’s Missionary Union Training School in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1919 she went to North Carolina to serve as secretary of a small mission school, which developed into a home for homeless children and continued to serve the young mountaineers of the area as a school. Except for two years spent as a field worker and young people’s leader in Oklahoma, Cannon remained in North Carolina, teaching school and doing community work. So when she wrote of mountaineers, she wrote understandingly of friends and neighbors. She died in North Carolina in 1965.

Stan Best

John Stanton (Stan) Best was the author of four youth fiction books based upon life in the Amazon jungle.

R. Mark Dillon

DR. R. MARK DILLON is Vice President for Advancement at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. He has consulted with numerous colleges, universities, and seminaries in North America as well as a number of local churches and nonprofit ministries. For over 25 years the author has led a team of development professionals, first at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School/Trinity College and for the past 17 years at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. He has engaged with hundreds of thoughtful Christian stewards and ministry leaders. Dr. Dillon and his wife, Susan, live in Wheaton and are the proud parents of three children, Daniel, Joel, and Laura Grace, and grandparents to five precious grandchildren.