This site uses cookies to provide you with more responsive and personalized service and to collect certain information about your use of the site. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. If you continue without changing your settings, you agree to our use of cookies. See our Privacy Policy for more information.
JEAN ANDRIANOFF might easily have been chosen "Person Most Likely to Spend Her Life Behind a White Picket Fence in Mid-America" by fellow students at Geneva College. Instead, God took her and her husband David to Thailand, Laos, Mongolia, and Malaysia over a twenty-five year period of ministry under the Christian and Missionary Alliance and World Concern. They now live in the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, where Jean finds inspiration for writing from God's creation, family, life experiences and her faith in Jesus. She is the author of Chosen for a Special Joy, the story of David's parents and a people movement to Christ among the Hmong of Laos. The Sunday School curriculum she developed for the Lao church is widely used in Cambodia as well. David and Jean have two daughters and two grandchildren.
Read MoreKEVIN BELMONTE holds a B.A. in English from Gordon College, an M.A. in Church History from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a second Master's Degree in American and New England Studies from the University of Southern Maine. He has twice been a Finalist for the John Pollock Award for Christian Biography, and in 2003, his book, William Wilberforce: A Hero for Humanity, won that award. For five years, his biography of William Wilberforce has been taught as part of a course on leadership and character formation at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. On several occasions, he has served as a script consultant for the BBC, and also for the PBS documentary, The Better Hour. For six years, he was the lead script and historical consultant for the critically acclaimed film, Amazing Grace. Kevin resides in a seaside village in Maine with his wife, Kelly, and their seven-year-old son, Sam.
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 MoreH.B. CHARLES, JR. Is the Pastor-Teacher at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida, where he has served since the fall of 2008. He is primarily responsible for preaching-teaching, vision casting, and leadership development. Prior to coming to Shiloh, he led the Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church of Los Angeles for almost eighteen years. Succeeding his late father, he began his pastorate at Mt. Sinai at the age of seventeen.H.B. Charles regularly speaks at churches, conferences, and conventions around the country. He has contributed to several books and journals, and is the author of It Happens After Prayer. H.B. and his wife Crystal have three children: H.B. III, Natalie, and Hailey.
Read MoreNORMAN GEISLER (Th.B., William Tyndale College; A.B., Wheaton College; M.A., Wheaton College Graduate School; Ph.D., Loyola University) Distinguished Professor of Apologetics at the Veritas Evangelical Seminary in Murrieta, California. He was the author or co-author of some 80 books including A General Introduction to the Bible, Baker Dictionary of Christian Apologetics, Christian Ethics, and Systematic Theology. He also wrote hundreds of articles. He and his wife of 57 years, Barbara, have six children, fifteen grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.
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 MoreJEFF SIMMONS is the founding and senior pastor of Rolling Hills Community Church, which he and his wife, Lisa, planted twenty years ago. The church has grown from 15 people meeting for a Bible study in an apartment clubhouse on Thursday nights to several thousand people and five campuses in Franklin, Nashville, Nolensville, Columbia, and Haywood Hills. Jeff is a follower of Jesus, husband, and father of three wonderful children. He serves alongside an amazing staff team at Rolling Hills and is the President of Justice and Mercy International doing mission work in the countries of Moldova and the Amazon jungle. Jeff is an author and speaker while overseeing the ministry work with over 80 full-time church staff, 55 international staff, 70 learning center teachers, and multi-million-dollar budgets. Jeff is passionate about God's work and longs to make a difference for the glory of God in His day and generation.
Read MoreDR. JOSEPH M. STOWELL has a distinguished career in higher education and church leadership. He has served as President of Moody Bible Institute and Cornerstone University and has had the honor of pastoring several churches in the Midwest. An internationally recognized conference speaker, Joe has written devotionals for Our Daily Bread and authored several books, including Strength for the Journey, The Trouble with Jesus, Simply Jesus, and Redefining Leadership: Character-Driven Habits of Effective Leaders. He and his wife, Martie, enjoy the pleasure of three children and ten grandchildren.
Read MoreROBERTSON McQUILKIN served as the third president of Columbia International University from 1968 to 1990 and currently serves as the president emeritus. He resigned from the presidency to care for his wife, Muriel, who had reached the stage of Alzheimer’s disease in which she needed full-time care. Prior to coming president of CIU, McQuilkin served as headmaster of Ben Lippen School, then for 12 years as a missionary in Japan. McQuilkin’s writings have appeared in numerous journals and periodicals. Among the books he has published are Understanding and Applying the Bible, Five Smooth Stones, Life in the Spirit, A Promise Kept, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics, and The Great Omission. In 2003 McQuilkin married Deborah Jones Sink. Between them, Robertson and Deborah have nine children.
Read MoreRICHARD A. ROBINSON serves as Senior Researcher at Jews for Jesus in San Francisco and is a Jewish believer in Jesus who came to faith in 1973. He has served with Jews for Jesus since 1978, beginning with the mobile evangelistic music team, The Liberated Wailing Wall, and subsequently as a missionary at the Los Angeles, New York, and Boston branches. He holds an M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (1978) and a Ph.D. from Westminster Theological Seminary (1993).Rich is the author of The Messianic Movement and Christ in the Sabbath. He edited God, Torah, Messiah: The Messianic Jewish Theology of Dr. Louis Goldberg and co-authored Christ in the Feast of Pentecost with David Brickner. He has contributed chapters to various scholarly books, conferences papers (Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism--North America, Evangelical Theological Society), and is a frequent contributor to the journal Mishkan. Rich also edits Havurah, a publication for Jewish believers in Jesus.
Read MoreHAROLD MYRA served as the CEO of Christianity Today International for 32 years. Under his leadership, the organization grew from one magazine to a communications company with a dozen magazines, copublished books, and a major Internet ministry. Myra started his journalistic career with "Youth for Christ" magazine, which under his leadership became "Campus Life" magazine. Author of five novels, numerous children's and nonfiction books, and hundreds of magazine articles, Myra has taught writing and publishing at the Wheaton College Graduate School in Illinois. He holds honorary doctorates from several colleges, including Biola University in California and Gordon College in Massachusetts. Myra has received various awards, among them the prestigious Magazine Publisher's Award and the James Deforest Murch Award from the National Association of Evangelicals. The Evangelical Press Association presented him with its highest honor, the Joseph T. Bayly Award, for his triple career as an editor, author, and publishing executive. Harold and his wife, Jeanette, are the parents of six children and grandparents of five. They reside in Wheaton, Illinois.
Read MoreHENRY ALLEN IRONSIDE (1876-1951) was born in Toronto, Canada to parents who were both active in the Plymouth Brethren. From an early age he showed a strong interest in evangelical Christianity and was active in the Salvation Army as a teenager before later joining the "Grant section" of the Plymouth Brethren. He was influential in popularizing dispensationalism among Protestants in North America. Despite his lack of formal education, his tremendous mental capacity, photographic memory and zeal for his beliefs caused him to be called "the Archbishop of Fundamentalism."
Read MoreCRICKETT KEETH is the Women's Ministry Director at First Evangelical Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where she writes and teaches the women's Bible studies. She is the author of several published Bible studies, including The Gift of Rest and Sumatra with the Seven Churches (co-authored with Sandra Glahn). Crickett was on staff with Cru for ten years and is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. In addition to teaching regularly at her own church, she also speaks at women's conferences and retreats. She offers free resources for discipleship and encourages others in their own walk with God through her website at www.crickettkeeth.com. Her life purpose is to encourage others to passionately pursue Jesus Christ.
Read MoreAARON MENIKOFF is the Senior Pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. Before entering pastoral ministry, he served as a legislative assistant for the late United States Senator Mark O. Hatfield. He earned an M.Div. and a Ph.D. at Southern Seminary where he studied Christian social engagement during the Second Great Awakening. He is the author of Politics and Piety: Baptist Social Reform in America, 1770-1860 (Pickwick, 2014). Aaron has a heart for encouraging pastors. He organizes a yearly conference called Feed My Sheep, leads a monthly pastors fellowship in his area, and is Visiting Lecturer in Church History at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta. He is married to Deana and is the father of Rachel, Jonah, Natalie, and Tori.
Read MoreART MURPHY (B.S. Union University; M.Ed Memphis State University) is the founder of Children's Ministry Solutions, a ministry to parents, churches, and children’s ministry leaders. Art has served 30+ years as a children's ministry pastor, author, speaker, and consultant, including seventeen years at First Baptist Church, Orlando, Florida. He also served as president of Preschool/Children Ministers Metro, leading over sixty of the largest churches in the U.S. He is author of the book The Faith of a Child: A Step-by-Step Guide to Salvation for Your Child. For more information visit www.ChildrensMinistrySolutions.com/art-murphy.
Read MoreJIM MCBRIDE joined the staff of Sherwood Baptist Church in 2000 and has served as the executive pastor overseeing operations, church staff, finances and Men's Ministry since 2003. He is an executive producer of the films released by Sherwood Pictures, including Courageous, Fireproof, Facing the Giants, and Flywheel. Jim has also worked for Coca-Cola fifteen years and served in the U. S. Marine Corps for six years. Jim and his wife, Sheila, have been married for 28 years. They have four children, Victoria, Buddy, Tommy, and Sarah.
Read More