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Wheaton College Billy Graham Center
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In this breakout for CEI and AACEI alumni, Rick will outline the recent innovative strategies and tools developed by the WCBGC. Through Rick’s tenure, CEI has grown dramatically to an international movement across multiple denominations, cultures, and regions. Central to this growth has been its adaptation to the needs of churches and their pastors, incorporating leading research and cross-cultural expertise into a cohort strategy that is generating substantive transformation. This breakout is an opportunity for CEI and AACEI alumni to hear about these new and innovative tools, incorporating these tools into their evangelistic and missional strategies.
Dr. Rick Richardson, Executive Director of the Research and Church Evangelism Institutes, the Luis Palau Chair of Evangelism, and Professor of Evangelism and Leadership. Rick is a Professor of Evangelism and Leadership at Wheaton College and consults widely with churches on Evangelism, healing, reconciliation, the emerging generation, and contemporary missional churches and missional movements.
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer. The various ministries Pastor Rick has created are a multi-faceted expression of his heart to bring the whole Gospel to the whole world.
This workshop offers a comprehensive understanding of the church’s role in embracing and leading technological advancements. It begins with an exploration of the historical evolution of church technology, followed by insights into current trends and innovations relevant to ministry. Participants will discuss strategies for proactively responding to tech advancements, including overcoming resistance to change. Practical steps for integrating technology into worship, administration, and other aspects of church life will be provided. Emphasizing the importance of fostering a tech-savvy church culture, this workshop will equip participants to lead their congregations in leveraging technology for enhanced ministry impact.
Hunter Guy, a product designer from Dolton, IL, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Study Aloud, where she innovates in the Christian education-tech space. She holds a BFA in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and blends her spiritual beliefs with her tech expertise to create award-winning mobile apps and SaaS applications. Hunter has played vital UX leadership roles for major firms, including Office Depot. Beyond her tech career, she has directed several Christian nonprofits, focusing on organizational enhancement and community impact. Currently, she is advancing her education with a Master of Divinity at Liberty University and mentors high school students through LINK Unlimited Scholars.
Steve Carter is the best-selling author of The Thing Beneath The Thing and is the host of the Craft and Character podcast. He is a personal coach to communicators who are discovering their unique voice and desiring to take their skills to the next level. He currently serves as a teaching pastor at Forest City Church and teaches regularly at churches, conferences, and various businesses worldwide. Steve lives outside Chicago, Illinois, with his wife and two kids.
In this breakout, Dr. Hill will walk pastors and ministry leaders through the ways our communication strategies and rhetoric must adapt to meet an emerging audience in our pews and communities. Just as it is up to every new generation to reexamine and refine the ways we preach to a new generation of hearers, this new world of online communication has revolutionized both the challenges and opportunities for the pulpit. This breakout will offer critical strategies to communicate the timeless truths of the gospel in ways that our people will tune-in and respond.
Theon Hill, a Ph.D. of Communication, is an associate professor of communication at Wheaton College with published works and presentations on the intersection of race, civil rights, and religion in America. Dr. Hill serves as the co-Director of the Center for Faith and Innovation as well as on the Advisory Council for the WCBGC Preaching Institute.
Lisa Fields is a highly sought-after Christian apologist known for her dedication to biblical literacy and her passion for sharing God’s love. Initially planning a career in finance, her life took a transformative turn during a New Testament course at the University of North Florida, where her faith was deeply challenged. This experience led her to pursue a Master of Divinity at Liberty University and ultimately launch the Jude 3 Project, an initiative aimed at equipping the Black Christian community with tools to understand and defend their faith. Through the Jude 3 Project, Fields has made significant contributions, including hosting the Courageous Conversations conferences, developing apologetic curricula, and addressing critical issues through her YouTube series and podcast. Her work has earned her recognition from Christianity Today and other honors. Beyond her apologetic efforts, Fields has ventured into production, contributing to documentaries like Unspoken and Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom, which explore the Christian heritage of Africa and African descendants. Despite her accolades, Fields remains committed to advancing the gospel and empowering others in their faith journey.
We’re living amid the greatest humanitarian crisis in human history: the mass global displacement of more than 120 million people. That number continues to grow daily. And while God isn’t the author of conflict, disaster, and war, he is sovereign in how people are scattered all around the world for the purpose of the gospel. Join Daniel Yang as he unpacks how you and your church can welcome the most vulnerable from around the world as your neighbor to show and share the love of Jesus.
Daniel Yang is the National Director of Churches of Welcome, an initiative of World Relief. Prior to that he was the director of the Church Multiplication Institute at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. Pursuing his Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies at TEDS, Daniel has been a pastor, church planter, engineer and technology consultant.
Mark planted the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas in 2001, a multi-ethnic and economically diverse church in the urban center of Little Rock where he remains the directional leader. In 2004, he co-founded the Mosaix Global Network and continues to serve as CEO and convene its triennial national conference in Dallas, TX. Mark has written eight books including Building a Healthy Multi Ethnic Church; Disruption; and The Coming Revolution in Church Economics.
In this breakout, addresses the growing issue of pastoral and ministry leader burnout. Few issues have hindered and even destroyed the effectiveness of church or ministry leadership than unsustainable practices and expectations. An emerging voice on the intersection of effective gospel mission and sustainable and health patterns of leadership, Dr. Horton will outline some of the underlying causes that are driving organizations and their leaders towards burnout before turning to how healthy leadership can catalyze long term effectiveness.
D.A. Horton serves as an Assistant Professor and Program Director of the Intercultural Studies program at California Baptist University. He is also blessed to serve as an Associate Teaching Pastor at The Grove Community Church. He has authored multiple books including G.O.S.P.E.L., DNA: Foundations of the Faith, and Are You Good with God?
David Kinnaman is the author of the bestselling books Faith For Exiles, Good Faith, You Lost Me, and unChristian. He is CEO of Barna Group, a leading research and communications company that works with churches, nonprofits, and businesses ranging from film studios to financial services. Since 1995, David has directed interviews with more than two million individuals and overseen thousands of U.S. and global research studies. He lives in Fort Worth, Texas and has three children.
In this breakout, Pastor Kevin Harney will join a collection of leading pastors for a focused session on the critical leadership challenges facing pastors in generating cultures of evangelism and outreach in their congregation. An opportunity to hear how pastors have created, transitioned, or expanded their evangelistic culture, this breakout will offer practical case studies for leaders seeking to make substantive impact within their own people. As mobilizing churches to evangelism is a monumental leadership challenge, join Kevin for this breakout to discern practical strategies and innovations.
Kevin Harney is the Lead Pastor at Shoreline Church in Monterey, CA as well as the author of multiple books on evangelism and leadership including Organic Outreach, and No is a Beautiful Word.
Sean McDowell is director of the church evangelism institute (CEI) at Wheaton College. Previously, he served as a CEI coach and as a network developer and catalyst coach on the leadership team. Sean has 27+ years of ministry experience and has led his church to grow the new believer conversion rate from –3% to 10%+ of average annual attendance.
Join us for a practical, hands-on experience that will help you understand more about what defines Gen Z and their views on evangelism, learn about strategies that God is using to introduce Gen Z to the gospel, and apply proven principles for mobilizing this generation for mission.
Kathy Hurda Petrash is the Director of Strategic Partnering, Christian Colleges with Cru. Bill Kollar is the Director of Evangelistic Initiatives for Cru.
Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr. is senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden and the Chairman of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center African American Church Evangelism Institute. Pastor Jenkins also serves as the chair of the National Association of Evangelicals and is on the board of World Vision, U.S., Denver Seminary and GlocalNet.
In this breakout, Mark will tackle the growing challenge facing pastors and ministry leaders around finances and resources. As economic models in North America change, churches that will thrive are those who are thinking innovatively and creatively about how to leverage their assets and resources to sustain effective ministry. Drawing upon his work with the Mosaix Institute, Mark will offer leaders practical insights into how to build effective and healthy financial models as well as what leaders should expect in the coming decades.
A thought-leading writer and recognized champion of the Multiethnic Church Movement, Mark DeYmaz planted the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas in 2001 where he continues to serve as directional leader. In 2004, he co-founded the Mosaix Global Network with Dr. George Yancey, and today serves as its CEO/president. Mark has written seven books including The Coming Revolution in Church Economics (Baker, 2019) and Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church (Jossey-Bass, 2007). He is a contributing editor to Outreach magazine.
He is a small town guy with God sized dreams. Even as Grace Fellowship grows larger, you can always find Joe hanging out before and after services. Joe believes that we are not a church with a mission, rather a mission that has churches! Before coming to Grace, Joe started one of the fastest growing churches in America and was recognized as a John Maxwell Top 100 Transformational leader. Joe and his wife, Michelle, are passionate about adoption and love their kids, Dre, Koehn, Robin, Ryan and Hannah.