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Meet Our Exciting Lineup of Speakers

Leith Anderson

Plenary Speaker

Leith Anderson has been president of the National Association of Evangelicals since 2006, and was the senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, for 35 years. He regularly teaches in seminaries, addresses evangelical concerns with elected officials, and provides theological and cultural commentary to leading news outlets. He has been published in many periodicals and has written over 20 books. Anderson has a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary, and is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Bradley University and Denver Seminary.

Thabiti Anyabwile

Plenary Speaker

Thabiti Anyabwile serves as Pastor with Anacostia River Church. He has served as an elder and pastor in churches in NC, Washington, D.C. and the Cayman Islands. After a few years as a practicing Muslim, Thabiti was converted under the preaching of the gospel in the Washington, D.C. area. He and his wife, Kristie, have three children. Thabiti is the author of several books, including: Reviving the Black Church; The Life of God in the Soul of the Church; The Gospel for Muslims; What Is a Healthy Church Member?; The Decline of African-American Theology; and The Faithful Preacher. He blogs regularly at The Front Porch and Pure Church.

Kärin Butler Primuth

Plenary Speaker

As one of the few women leading North American mission agencies, Kärin is CEO of visionSynergy, an organization dedicated to developing strategic mission networks that unite the Body of Christ to reach the unreached. Kärin’s vision for collaboration has grown out of 30 years of global ministry experience, having lived in China, India and South Africa and traveled to more than 30 countries. Kärin serves on the Missio Nexus Board, and has an M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA and a B.S. in Social Policy from Northwestern University. She is married with three young adult children and lives in California.

Dick Brogden

Plenary Speaker

Dick and Jennifer Brogden have served among Muslims for the last two and a half decades; Mauritania (1992), Kenya (1993-1995), Sudan (1996-2011), Egypt and the Arab World (2012 – present). They helped found the Live Dead movement and now oversee Church Planting for Live Dead in the Arab World and help lead the Live Dead movement globally. Dick is the author of the Live Dead Joy, and the editor of the Live Dead Journal and the Live Dead Journey (all his books are available on Amazon.com). Dick has his PhD in intercultural studies. Dick and Jennifer have two sons, Luke and Zack.

David Pierce

Plenary Speaker

David Pierce is the founder of Steiger International, a worldwide mission organization that is called to reach and disciple the Global Youth Culture for Jesus, and the lead singer of the international rock band No Longer Music. He is a gifted proclamation evangelist, dynamic speaker and missional pioneer. David has taken the message of Jesus to some of “the darkest corners of society”, including closed Islamic countries, terrorist clubs, squatter villages, anarchy festivals, brothels, junkie joints, punk & goth music festivals, Satanist clubs and New Age gatherings.

Paul Winters

Workshop Speaker | Attorney, Wagenmaker & Oberly

Paul Winters is a partner at Wagenmaker & Oberly and provides legal services for the firm’s wide array of nonprofit clients and other entities. Religious organizations, educational institutions, public charities, and private operating foundations, number among the clients Paul serves. With over 20 years of pastoral experience, Paul frequently advises ministries and churches in matters ranging from tax exemption and real estate to governance and cyber security advice.

Theresa Sidebotham

Workshop Speaker | Attorney, Telios Law PLLC

Theresa Sidebotham is the founding attorney at Telios Law PLLC. Her past as an MK and missionary in Indonesia augments her legal counsel to numerous missions, where she helps improve organizational/HR policy, support religious liberties, conduct investigations, care for victims and members, and minimize litigation exposure.

Tim Sims

Workshop Speaker | Partner, Capin Crouse LLP

With more than 20 years of public accounting experience, Tim has spent much of his career serving organizations with international operations, higher education institutions, and other exempt entities. Tim focuses on working with missionary sending organizations in his role at Capin Crouse LLP. His parents and grand parents on both sides served as missionaries in southern Africa, where he was born. Tim’s career includes working for several years with an accounting firm in Cape Town, South Africa.

Steve Beirn

Workshop Speaker | Global Ministries Pastor, Calvary Church

Steve Beirn is the Global Ministries Pastor of Calvary Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Calvary Church is a large sending church model that has sent out hundreds of its own members cross culturally. Approximately 3,500 attend Calvary Church on Sunday morning. Steve has served in the local church side of missions for over 35 years. In addition, he has served on the Board of Directors of TEAM for 18 years. He is author of the book, “Well Sent.” It is his desire to permeate the local church with a clear understanding of the Great Commission while building a passionate motivation for completing the task through the widespread use of all its resources.

David Armstrong

Workshop Speaker | Executive Director, Mission Data International

David Armstrong is the Executive Director for the web services ShortTermMissions.com and AskaMissionary.com. They are committed to helping believers who God has called to cross cultural service navigate the processes and questions they encounter as they prepare for that calling. David and his wife Mary live in St Louis had have 3 kids and 7 grandkids. They served in Colombia and Guatemala in leadership development. They regularly received church teams and individuals on the filed side and spent several years sending teams and individuals from the home office side of short term missions. David was part of the original group who brought into being the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Missions and continues to on their Board of Directors.

Terry Clausen

Workshop Speaker | Sr. Director of People Services, Wycliffe Bible Translators, USA

Terry Clausen has been with Wycliffe Bible Translators, USA for almost 18 years, working in various aspects of Personnel/HR roles within Wycliffe USA. Terry now serves as the Senior Director of HR People Services. Terry also serves on the Child Safety and Protection Network Board. Her areas of expertise involve staff management, compliance, coaching, risk mitigation, child safety, difficult issues, and merging member care with HR professional care to name a few. Terry’s heart is to serve others through caring professionalism in the field of human resources. When she is not helping others at Wycliffe, she enjoys spending time with family. Terry and her husband enjoy reading and going to new places. Terry loves being an aunt and claims to have the best nieces and nephews in the world!

Dave and Lorene Wilson

Workshop Speakers | Director of Church Relations, Avant Ministries

David and Lorene Wilson have been married since 1992 and are partners in ministry. They have served together in churches located in GA, NC and CA where Dave was Missions Pastor. He is now the Director of Church Relations at a mission agency in Kansas City, MO. They are passionate about providing resources that will encourage and equip the church, agency and missionary to partner together in fulfilling the Great Commission.

Werner Mischke

Workshop Speaker | Interim President / Director of Training Ministries, Mission ONE

Werner Mischke, D.D. (Hon. Causa) has been with Mission ONE since 1992, and currently serves as Interim President and Director of Training Ministries. He is the author of The Global Gospel: Achieving Missional Impact in Our Multicultural World (2015). Werner was the coordinator of the Honor-Shame Conference held at Wheaton in June 2017, and has taught on “Honor, Shame and the Gospel” in India, Lebanon, New Zealand, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, and the United States.

John Van Drunen

Workshop Speaker | Executive VP & General Counsel, ECFA

John has a bachelor of arts in accounting, magna cum laude, from Anderson University and a juris doctor from Regent University School of Law. His responsibilities primarily relate to managing the compliance program and writing and speaking on technical nonprofit issues.

Cole Costanzo

Workshop Speaker | CEO, DB&A Executive Search and Recruitment

Cole has been working with global leaders since 2004. As the CEO of DB&A Executive Search and Recruitment, he spends lots of time seeking to understand organizational needs and realities and then recruiting highly qualified talent. Whether for a client where DB&A’s unparalleled two-year guarantee is in effect or for his firm where he is recruiting a peer consultant as a long-term team member of DB&A’s parent organization, Dickerson Bakker & Associates, the goal is the same: professionals serving in excellent organizations and thriving over time. DB&A’s Executive Search and Recruitment practice focuses on senior leaders, including but not limited to C-Level executives, fundraising professionals, and other critical VP and Director-level leadership.

Russ

Workshop Speaker | Director of Recruitment, Avant Ministries

Russ started following Jesus back in 2005 and was immediately propelled to North Africa on a small short-term missions team to learn about God’s heart for the Nations and Jesus’ worthy Gospel. For the next ten years he was studying the Bible at Midwestern Seminary, training and leading short-term college missions teams, and investing in Muslim friends in Kansas City. Russ graduated from Midwestern Seminary in 2013 with a Master’s of Divinity concentrating on biblical languages, where he still teaches Arabic to missions students. He has served as the Director of Recruitment for Avant Ministries in Kansas City since 2015.

Dan Busby

Workshop Speaker | President, ECFA

Dan Busby, President of ECFA, an organization that accredits Christ-centered ministries in the areas of governance, financial management, and stewardship/fundraising. ECFA’s seal enhances trust of givers, which increases generosity, providing greater resources to help fulfill the Great Commission. ECFA accredits over 2,200 churches and nonprofits. These organizations have annual revenue in excess of $26 billion. A prolific writer with volumes of book titles published, including a 2015 release, TRUST: The Firm Foundation of Kingdom Fruitfulness, and a 2017 release, Lessons From the Boardroom, co-authored by John Pearson. Dan received an MBA from Emporia State University, Emporia Kansas. The University also named him as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2014. Nonprofit Times named him as one of the 50 Most Powerful Nonprofit Leaders from 2010-2015.

Julie A. Green

Workshop Speaker | International Anthropology Coordinator, SIL International

Julie A. Green PhD has served with Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International for over 35 years. While serving on various language development and translation projects in Mainland Southeast Asia, God instilled a passion for good cross-cultural relationships. She is currently the International Anthropology Coordinator for SIL International and a facilitator for SIL-ReNGOs. SIL-ReNGOs uses an innovative, people-centered, data-driven, non prescriptive method to help multicultural teams and organizations understand the complex cultural dynamics within their team or organizational relationships. These robust metrics give organizations/teams tools to measure the actual quality of their internal and external relationships.

Kurt Nelson

Workshop Speaker | Chief Executive Officer, East-West Ministries International

Kurt Nelson provides leadership and oversight to all worldwide ministry endeavors in the near 50 countries in which East-West currently operates. After serving with East-West for 15 years, Nelson became President and CEO in June 2010 and has served with East-West for a total of 21 years. Prior to East-West, he served as Vice President of Global Missions Fellowship (GMF – now E3 Partners). He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina, his Master’s degree of Theology in World Missions from Dallas Theological Seminary, and his Doctor of Ministry degree in Missions Leadership from Columbia International University. He and his wife, Pat, have been married for 30 years and have nine children (three of whom were adopted from Russia), six grandsons and one granddaughter.

Kristen Shuler

Workshop Speaker | Senior Vice President of Development, East-West Ministries International

Kristen Shuler serves as the Senior Vice President of Development at East-West Ministries International. In her ninth year of service with East-West, Kristen provides oversight and strategic direction to East-West’s development, marketing and communications departments and initiatives, including campaign strategies, major/mid-level donor relations strategies, institutional giving, planned giving, events, and direct response marketing. Prior to joining East-West, Kristen served on the mission field across South America, primarily focusing on evangelism and church planting strategies.

Eldon Porter

Workshop Speaker | Consultant for Global Engagement, Missio Nexus, COMIBAM, Linking Global Voices

Eldon Porter grew up as an MK in Nigeria and served for 27 years with SIM in Latin America, the last four years serving as VP for the Americas. He currently researches the role networks play in the new paradigm of global missions and serves as a Consultant for Global Engagement with various global mission networks. He also serves as an advisor to a number of traditional western mission agency leaders on the challenges related to transitioning an agency birthed in the “from the West to the rest” paradigm into relevance in the new “from anywhere to everywhere” partnership dependent reality.

Ellen Livingood

Workshop Speaker | Director, Catalyst Services

Ellen Livingood is the director of Catalyst Services, an organization she founded in 2005 to help churches, mission agencies, and networks more fully use believers’ God-given gifts for global outreach. From a base in suburban Philadelphia, Catalyst serves churches and ministries across North America and, increasingly, around the world. Ellen is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Bible and Wheaton Graduate School. Previously she served on a local-church staff, in university communications/development, and in mission-agency administration. God used that background to ignite her vision to see the tremendous potential of local churches better engaged to impact the lost world for Christ.

Robin Schwartz

Workshop Speaker | Communications Consultant, Foster & Foster, Inc.

Robin serves as a Communications Consultant with Foster & Foster (formerly MCG). For the past seven years, she has worked with ministry groups to support their benefits and HR teams. Robin uses a strategic approach to assess each group’s unique needs and resources, then develops a customized plan to educate and engage the ministry’s members. Her objective is to promote improved health behaviors among employee populations, with the ultimate goals of healthier, more productive employees and reduced health care claims. Robin is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) with a Master’s degree in Health Education and Promotion from Walden University. In her free time she enjoys being active with her family in San Luis Obispo, California.

Warren Janzen

Workshop Speaker | International Director, SEND International

Warren and Dorothy Janzen began their missionary service in Yokohama, Japan, in 1988. They were involved in two church plants before taking on field leadership. On July 1, 2004 Warren assumed his role as International Director (CEO) of SEND International. Warren is a founding board member of Missio Nexus. He is passionate about healthy teams collaborating together for Kingdom impact. Their three boys were all born in Japan.

Michael Johnson

Workshop Speaker | President, Slavic Gospel Association

Michael worked as an advertising executive at highly respected international NYC advertising agencies serving major consumer brands. He later moved to nonprofit agency leadership at KMA Direct Communications and Douglas Shaw and Associates, where he served as Senior Vice President for 11 years. After being called into ministry, he served as Vice President of Advancement at SGA from 1997-2003, and then returned as President of SGA in May of 2017. Michael has been a featured speaker at conferences such as Missio Nexus, NRB, CLA, DMA and Blackbaud.

Beverly M. Braunsky

Workshop Speaker | Chief Financial Officer, Slavic Gospel Association

Beverly Braunsky has a BS degree in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University, and is qualified as a CPA. She joined SGA in 1992 after several years in the business world. Prior to SGA, she worked in Chicago as a financial analyst for Amoco Corporation – a Fortune 500 company that is now BP Oil. Beverly began her career at SGA as Director of Finance and Accounting, and served in that role for 24 years. In July, 2016 she was promoted to Chief Financial Officer. In her time with SGA, Beverly has overseen 26 successful financial audits, implemented two accounting systems upgrades, traveled overseas multiple times and believes it is of utmost importance for the finance team to work closely with the ministry and fundraising teams to support and fulfill SGA’s mission.

Dave Cram

Workshop Speaker | MBA, CPA, Mission Finance & Administration Planning Committee Chair, Missio Nexus

Dave spent over 20 years overseeing the financial integrity of Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International before retiring in 2017. He served in Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Chief Audit Executive roles during that time. He also served as an ECFA field representative for 6 years reviewing the operations of over 150 ECFA members. Besides his current role as chair of the MFA committee for the conference, Dave does internal audit work in churches and ministries, and has a tax preparation practice focused on serving missionaries and pastors.

Joel Sutton

Workshop Speaker | Lead Consultant, Assessment and Deployment Team, International Mission Board

Before serving as a missionary, Joel Sutton worked as a bivocational pastor and band director in Arkansas. From 1988 to 1997, he and his family served in France as church planters. In 1997, Sutton joined the IMB Regional Leadership Team for Western Europe. Then in 1999, Sutton was asked to join the Personnel Assessment Team as a consultant. Sutton has been serving in that role for almost 20 years and has helped hundreds of personnel deploy to the field. Since 2012, he has been the Lead Consultant. In 2016, Sutton was the Contributing Editor for the book “Whom Shall We Send”, a volume that shared best practices learned through the years in assessing missionary personnel. Sutton is married, has three children and four grandchildren.

Doug Hennum

Workshop Speaker | Chief Innovation and Information Officer, Wycliffe Bible Translators

Prior to joining Wycliffe, Doug owned and managed two technology companies over 26 years. In 1986 he founded the IT managed services company MicroNet, Inc., providing IT services and out-sourced staff to approximately 700 businesses. Doug sold MicroNet in 2002, and then founded ChamberMaster, a vertical market software company which today serves approximately 1900 chambers of commerce across the country. Doug holds a degree in Business Administration and has spoken on technology and innovation at numerous trade conferences across the country.

Barbara Bowman

Workshop Speaker | VP Advancement, Mission Aviation Fellowship

As Vice President of Ministry Advancement, Barbara Bowman oversees Mission Aviation Fellowship’s marketing, internal & corporate communications, development, advancement services, ministry partnership, and ministry awareness divisions. Barbara joined MAF in February 2010, serving as director of Marketing & Communication before being named vice president of Ministry Advancement in January 2011. Barbara believes that stewardship plays an important role in the life of all believers. Her vision for MAF ministry advancement is to enable ministry supporters to grow in the grace of giving while enabling MAF to remain steadfast in its mission of sharing the love of Jesus Christ through aviation and technology. She has more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit management and corporate career management.

Michelle Atwell

Workshop Speaker | US Director, SEND International

Michelle is the US Director for SEND International and has over 18 years of progressive fundraising and leadership experience. As a passionate development executive she enthusiastically created strategies to help organizations and ministries deliver their mission. Her greatest achievements include connecting the hearts and minds of people to causes they care about resulting in changed lives, investing in team members so that they see beyond their potential—resulting in greater performance, and strengthening the capacity of an organization to achieve its mission through effective nonprofit management and leadership, especially in fundraising, marketing, and board development.

David R. Hackett

Workshop Speaker | Sr Advisor, Director of MENA Region, visionSynergy

David R Hackett (Rev.) is Senior Advisor and Director of MENA Region at visionSynergy (www.visionsynergy.net). Dave has advised and facilitated national and international networks for over 30 years. He grew up in the Middle East and taught Economics at the university level in the Far East. He has served as pastor in three large Presbyterian churches in the U.S. and as executive director of an international frontier mission organization. For the past 15 years he has worked with visionSynergy, and currently advises major international networks operating in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. He and his wife Sandra live in Seattle, Washington and have three grown daughters.

Matthew Ellison

Workshop Speaker | President and Church Missions Coach, Sixteen:Fifteen

Matthew served as a missions pastor at a mega-church for nine years. During this time he realized there was a growing wave of churches no longer content to only support missions. Instead they desired to have active global engagement. This led to the founding of Sixteen-Fifteen, where he serves as President and Church Missions Coach. Since 2004 he has been coaching churches across the United States, helping them develop missions vision and strategy that fulfills the Biblical mandate to disciple all nations, while taking into account their unique gifts, talents and passions as local bodies of believers.

Kathy Mort

Workshop Speaker | Director of Curriculum and Training, Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission

Kathy has been working as a curriculum developer and trainer in the area of short-term missions since 2007 after retiring from a career in public education. She initially became involved in short-term missions after graduating from Columbia International University in 1983. Kathy loves working with churches and organizations to develop and implement their own training programs to equip their short-term teams. She is currently on staff with Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission where, in addition to conducting trainings and developing curriculum, she serves as a coach. Kathy is an adjunct professor at Gordon College in Wenham, MA.

Ron Fleming

Workshop Speaker | CEO, Cross Link Group

After graduating from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Ron was employed at two fortune 100 companies over 12 years. He was then called to Compassion International to assist in directing its technology strategy. Ron started Cross Link Group (CLG) at that time to assist ministries in technology. Ron was invited to serve as the CIO for IBS. While employed for 17 years, he received an MBA in Global Management at the University of Phoenix and promoted to Global CIO of the newly branded Biblica. Ron then left Biblica to manage CLG in serving ministries full time including Biblica. In 2009, Ron partnered with Olive Technology to create a hosting and managed services company called CrossOlive. CLG and CrossOlive serves over 100 ministries.

Nicholas Morgan

Workshop Speaker | Chief Legal Officer, TEAM

Nicholas is the Chief Legal Officer at TEAM, Venture Partner at Telos Venture Capital, and a trusted legal advisor for nonprofits.

Josh Heidelman

Workshop Speaker | Chief Legal Officer, Wycliffe Bible Translators

Josh Heidelman serves as Chief Legal Officer for Wycliffe Bible Translators. Prior to joining Wycliffe, he spent several years in large firm private practice in Chicago, representing corporate clients in a wide variety of business litigation matters including international contract, intellectual property, unfair competition, trade secrets, employment, and products liability.

Rob Dixon

Workshop Speaker | Divisional Director, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship

Rob Dixon lives in central California with his wife Amy and four kids. As a campus minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, Rob has spent the last 21 years helping college students meet Jesus. In addition, Rob just finished a Doctor of Intercultural Studies degree through Fuller Theological Seminary, on the topic of flourishing male/female ministry partnerships. In his free time, you will find Rob coaching youth soccer, going for a long run, and blogging at challengingtertullian.com.

Larry Ragan

Workshop Speaker | Founder/Director, CULTURELink, Inc.

Larry Ragan began his international mission work in 1986 when he traveled to the South Pacific. Since then, he has led and/or overseen more than 250 international teams, many of which have been focused on prayer, professional exchanges, teaching English, Christian outreach, building projects, AIDS relief, disaster assistance, hunger relief, and more. His experience spans over 50 countries. Larry founded CULTURELink in 2010 and has trained over 2500 leaders, who have deployed countless teams to 122 nations. Additionally, Larry teaches for Perspectives on the World Christian Movement courses. He previously served as a Missions Pastor and Teaching Pastor at two different churches. Larry and his wife, Karen, also served as missionaries in Budapest, Hungary. They live in Atlanta with their two teenage children.

Mary Rayburn

Workshop Speaker | Director of Discipleship, First United Methodist Church, Clearwater, Florida

As Director of Discipleship, Mary is committed to making disciples who exhibit their love for God and others through service in the local community and global engagement. Mary has prepared, equipped, and engaged people of all ages in short-term missions within higher education and the local church. She has created short-term missions training curriculum based on the Standards of Excellence for selecting, preparing, debriefing and evaluating mission trips, participants and leaders.

Elli Oswald

Workshop Speaker | Associate Director of Engagement, Faith to Action

Elli Oswald works with the Faith to Action Initiative, a coalition of organizations seeking to promote best practices in global orphan care. She has also served as a missions pastor at Bethany Community Church in Seattle and as part of World Vision International’s Child Protection Technical Team, specializing in community-based care for children separated from parental care. She has a B.A. from Pepperdine University and a M.A. in Cross Cultural Studies and International Development from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Larry W. Sharp

Workshop Speaker | VP Emeritus, Crossworld; Director of Training, IBEC Ventures, Crossworld; IBEC Ventures

Larry and Vicki have served with Crossworld for 46 years; 21 in Brazil as headmaster of the Amazon Valley Academy and President of a Brazilian mission. Larry was then VP of Operations and Business as Mission for 20 years in Pennsylvania and Kansas City. During that time he founded a BAM consulting group, (www.ibecventures.com) where he serves now as Director of Training and Education. He is a graduate of Prairie Bible College, Seattle Pacific University (BA, business) and the University of Calgary (PhD in comparative education). He has four children all born and raised in Brazil and eight grandchildren.

Jolene Erlacher

Workshop Speaker | Speaker/Consultant, Leading Tomorrow

Jolene grew up as the daughter of missionaries. She is passionate about missions and has worked mobilizing and training short-term and mid-term mission teams for over 15 years. Jolene has a doctorate in leadership and has done extensive research on generational trends. Her two books, Millennials in Ministry and Daniel Generation, document the challenges and opportunities for Millennials and Generation Z in leadership and ministry roles. Jolene currently works as a speaker and consultant with Leading Tomorrow (www.leadingtomorrow.org). She helps organizations, churches, and mission agencies effectively engage, equip and empower the next generation for kingdom service. Jolene lives with her husband and twin daughters in central North Carolina.

Jenny Collins

Workshop Speaker | Associate Professor of Missions, Taylor University / SOE

Jenny has been involved in STMs since 1992 and serves as SOE Board Secretary and is an Associate Professor of Missions and Christian Ministries at Taylor University. She directed Taylor’s Lighthouse International Service-Learning Program from 1999-2013 through which she coordinated 88 three-week trips to 24 countries. She has chaired two church mission leadership teams. She earned her BS at Taylor University and her MAR from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; she is currently a PhD student in missiology at Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, IN. Jenny also serves as a Billy Graham Center Fellow at the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton College.

Randy Schmor

Workshop Speaker | Church Partnerships/Short Term Mission (Gateway Director), North American Baptists

Randy Schmor, Gateway Director for the North American Baptist Conference, has led and trained short-term mission teams for over two decades. He is on the board of Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission (SOE) and uses these guidelines to empower others with the knowledge and skills of how to build appropriate and thriving global partnerships. Randy has a heart to help churches partner with each other worldwide and to advance the Kingdom of God.

Mike Lee

Workshop Speaker | Partner and National Director of Audit & Assurance Services, Batts Morrison Wales & Lee

Mike Lee is a partner and the national director of audit and assurance services for BMWL. He has supervisory responsibility for the firm’s auditing practice and assists in overseeing the firm’s education and training programs. Mike has more than 20 years of experience in auditing nonprofit organizations, analyzing internal controls, and other related areas of practice. Mike has been a conference speaker on nonprofit accounting and auditing issues at both the local and national levels. Mike graduated from the University of Central Florida, receiving his bachelor of accounting and master of accounting degrees. He was honored with a state of Florida “Top 10” award for completing the CPA exam upon his first sitting.

Jesse Kroeze

Workshop Speaker | Executive Director, Touch the World

Jesse Kroeze is a passionate innovator, a lover of culture, and a coffee connoisseur. He is known for being a deep-thinker, a peace-making leader, an avid entrepreneur, and an eternal student. Jesse and his wife, Andrea, are a power-team full of passion related to global missions and living out the Kingdom of God. After five years exploring the intricacies of community development as the Country Director of Touch The World – Uganda, Jesse was asked to return to lead the future path of the mission organization, Touch The World as Executive Director. Along with his wife and three children, their oldest adopted from Uganda, Jesse seeks to partake in sharing the global perspectives of missions we have been called to as Christ’s ambassadors.

Aaron Pierce

Workshop Speaker | Executive Director, Steiger International

Aaron Pierce is the Executive Director of Steiger International, a worldwide mission organization that is called to reach and disciple the Global Youth Culture for Jesus. He also co-leads the Lausanne Movement’s new initiative on Global Secularization. As a missionary kid, Aaron grew up in the center of Amsterdam, where he saw first-hand the transformational power of God in the lives of many lost and hopeless people. Aaron was a member of the evangelistic rock band No Longer Music from 2005 to 2011, preaching the Gospel all over Europe, South America and the Middle East. Today, Aaron oversees Steiger International’s strategic direction, continues to participate in evangelistic tours around the world, teaches at Steiger training events, develops new ministry partnerships and more.

Tim Maxwell

Workshop Speaker | VP Operations/CFO, Multiplication Network Ministries

Tim is an experienced international ministry leader who rigorously seeks best practices to implement in a contextually appropriate way for the glory of God. He brings a wealth of experience and insight to his role as Vice President of Operations, CFO of Multiplication Network Ministries which seeks to train and equip national leaders to plant more churches and develop stronger churches. Tim comes to this position with more than 30 years of service with English Language Institute/China, Mission Aviation Fellowship, ECFA, and Bible League International. Tim was born in West Africa to missionary parents. He has dedicated his life journey to serve the national leaders who don’t have access to the church training, tools, and resources which would help them be grounded in the scripture so as to be reproducing Christ-followers.

Timothy F. Neu

Workshop Speaker |Vice President of Finance, Wycliffe Associates

Tim Neu is the Vice President of Finance of Wycliffe Associates (WA). Tim has more than 30 years of experience serving in full time ministry primarily in finance and administration. He trained with Child Evangelism Fellowship as a high school student serving as a summer missionary and entered missionary training with New Tribes Mission (NTM) immediately following high school to prepare for life in foreign missions. Tim served with NTM for 16 years in several different roles including branch bookkeeper, office manager, director of operations, and CFO. He has been with WA for over 10 years providing oversight in areas of finance, corporate structure, technology, and most recently translation services. Tim holds two bachelor degrees, an MBA, a PhD in Biblical studies, and is a Florida CPA.

Bruce Sidebotham

Workshop Speaker | Consultant, Beyond

Dr. Bruce Sidebotham worked among Muslims in Indonesia as an English teacher at a university and as a church planter with Pioneers. His wife, Theresa, runs Telios Law. Their four sons were born in Panama, Virginia, California, and Indonesia. Bruce’s insights on cross-cultural communication have been published in journals like the Evangelical Missions Quarterly, the Journal of Faith and War, and the English Teaching Forum. His current activities include running the social network called Adopt a Terrorist for Prayer (ATFP.org); maintaining his consulting network, Operation Reveille (OpRev.org); helping his wife with her law firm (telioslaw.org); serving as Chaplain to the 2-star General over the Army Reserves Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command; and spending the occasional summer day prospecting for gem stones in Colorado.

Brent Lindquist

Workshop Speaker | President, Link Care Center

Brent is the President of Link Care Center, and the Missions Advisor for Member Health for Missio Nexus. He is also the Learning Architect for Member Health for Crosswired, a global learning collaborative. He speaks and consults with Mission Organizations on a wide variety of member care topics and situations.

Faith De La Cour

Workshop Speaker |Vice President and Chief People Officer, SIM USA

Faith De La Cour is the Vice President and Chief People Officer at SIM USA. She previously served as their Director of Member Care. From 1984 to 2013, Faith was a missionary with Asian Access in Japan. She was the Human Resource Coordinator for 13 years and a Leadership Team member for ten years. She was also a champion of Member Care for the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association (JEMA). Faith has an MBA from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, BS in Mathematics from Wheaton and graduate coursework in Member Care from Columbia International University.

Dave Meldrum-Green

Workshop Speaker | Director of Organizational Affairs & Treasurer, Reliant Mission

Dave has been in ministry with Reliant Mission (formerly Great Commission Ministries) since 1989. He spent two years in the field as a missionary to college campuses and help plant a new church at the University of Michigan. Before being on staff, he spent 6 years in private sector with the State of Michigan Treasury Dept, CPA firms, and a high-tech venture capital company in Michigan. God then led him to missionary work and eventually into the office of Reliant Mission as Finance Director. He has been a part of Reliant’s growth from a young, fledgling mission organization to now a $29 million non-profit. He can relate to smaller and medium size growing ministries who are needing to lay the ground work to in financial, board policy, and compliance issues.

Mike Batts

Workshop Speaker | Managing Partner, Batts Morrison Wales & Lee, P.A.

Mike Batts is the managing partner of BMWL. Mike has more than 30 years of experience serving hundreds of nonprofit organizations in a variety of ways. He has served on and chaired the boards of nonprofit organizations, both nationally and locally. Mike currently serves as chairman of the board of ECFA, an organization that accredits Christian organizations in the areas of board governance and financial integrity. He advises nonprofit organizations on matters related to board governance, financial oversight, tax compliance and strategy, risk management, corporate structure, international activities, and related topics, and has authored several books.

Ted R. Batson, Jr.

Workshop Speaker | Partner/Tax Counsel, CapinCrouse LLP

A certified public accountant and licensed attorney, Ted advises exempt organizations of all sizes on a wide range of issues, including tax and employee benefit related matters, representation before state and federal tax authorities, and assistance with firm audit or advisory engagements to formulate advice and counsel on important operating and tax issues.

Perry Bradford

Workshop Speaker | Executive Director, Barnabas International

Perry Bradford is currently serving at the Executive Director for Barnabas International, a pastoral care ministry to global workers and national church leaders. Perry & his wife Sandi joined Barnabas in 1994 after serving 10 years with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea. While in PNG, Perry served as a teacher and principal of the Wycliffe international primary school. During his years with Barnabas, Perry also provided leadership to the Mu Kappa ministries by giving oversize to the Mu Kappa chapters on college campuses across the country and also by directing MK Transitions Seminars for 19 years. Perry & Sandi currently reside in Williams Bay, WI.

Denny Spitters

Workshop Speaker |Vice President, Pioneers USA,

Denny Spitters has served in many staff roles as worship, missions, and small group pastor and understands the significance of missions in the local church. During his vocational ministry, Denny served on the staff of two mega-churches, directed a para-church ministry, and helped plant several churches. He also spent 15 years as a business owner.

John Gilberts

Workshop Speaker | Vice President, International and Interim Executive Director, Canada, Greater Europe Mission

John has served with Greater Europe Mission since 1994 in several capacities including 2 1/2 years on the field in Germany where he was tasked with creating pathways to “internationalize” GEM in 2011. His current leadership roles include overseeing all of GEM’s sending centers, seeking to bring alignment in the preparation and development of new missionaries being sent from and to various countries.John grew up in the Wisconsin Northwoods. He earned a B.A. in theology and music from Moody Bible Institute (1991) and an M.B.A. with a Marketing emphasis from the University of Phoenix (2006).John enjoys playing the guitar, photography, and working on his fly-fishing skills. He and his wife, Molly, live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Bob Klamser

Workshop Speaker | Executive Director, Crisis Consulting International

Bob Klamser is the co-founder and Executive Director of Crisis Consulting International, a non-profit organization that provides security and crisis management services to the global faith-based community. CCI conducts training seminars and consults with organizations on a wide variety of topics related to organizational and member security, especially in dangerous and hostile environments. These services include hostage negotiations, evacuation management, response to extortion, risk assessments, site surveys, etc. Bob has conducted more than 100 international hostage negotiations. Bob is a retired police officer and missions pastor, former chairman of OSAC’s Faith-Based Working Group, and he currently serves as the Missions Security Adviser for Missio Nexus.

Mark Morgenstern

Workshop Speaker | Senior Director, Grow2Serve

Mark and his family spent 13 years in Russia and Ukraine working in church planting and people development. Following nine years serving as leader of ReachGlobal’s training team, EFCA EQUIP, in 2015 Mark reorganized Grow2Serve and it now functions as a platform for aiding missions organization with online learning support, publicizing of learning resources and instructional design consulting services. Mark also serves as the director of CIT Next, the distance learning branch of Center for Intercultural Training. All that Mark does is driven by his passion for workers being equipped and Christians coming together in partnering relationships for God’s glory and the fulfillment of His work. The Morgensterns currently reside in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

Tim Roehl

Workshop Speaker | President/Itinerant Multiplier, Fit and Flourish

Dr. Tim Roehl’s call is to “lead leaders, teams and ministries to discovery, clarity and destiny for the sake of eternity” through “Fit and Flourish”, the ministry he leads. Tim has assessed, coached and trained leaders from 75 nations and 75 organizations. He is the author of “Game Plan: Developing Intentional Missional Ministry”, “Fit and Flourish: Discover How God Created You to Make a Difference” and co-authored “TransforMissional Coaching: Empowering Leaders in a Changing Ministry World” with Dr. Steve Ogne. Tim and his wife Shirley base their ministry in Blaine, MN.

Jamie Farr

Workshop Speaker |Sr. Director of People Engagement, Wycliffe Bible Translators

Jamie Farr serves Wycliffe USA as the Senior Director for People Engagement. People Engagement encompasses recruiting, staffing and placement, reassignments, and workforce planning. Jamie grew up the son of Translators in Papua New Guinea. Jamie shares about the impact of the Bible on communities and the Mission of God. Jamie’s wife, Anita, grew up in Lancaster PA, the daughter of farmers, but went overseas with YWAM to serve. Both Jamie and Anita have a breadth of experience in education, training, and leadership in various contexts. Jamie’s experience as an MK and a global nomad help him bring a different exposure to those considering global impact with their lives. Jamie’s background in various cultures, multicultural team settings, and diverse leadership opportunities continue to challenge him to a continual and growing dependence on God.

Don Parrot

Don Parrott

Workshop Speaker | Director of Mobilization, MissionNext

Don Parrott served as a Mission Pastor, overseas missionary, president of 2 mission agencies and currently is the Mobilization Director for MissionNext. Along with Mark Stebbins, he has facilitated “Ideations” for several years.

Mark Stebbins

Workshop Speaker | Missions Director, U.S. Collegiate Navigators

Mark Stebbins has been on staff with Navigators for 40 years, including 10 years in Ghana. He served 12 years as Director for Short-term Missions and Director for International Mobilization and Recruitment for the U.S. Navigators. He currently serves as Missions Director for the U.S. Collegiate Navigators.

Dick Freed

Workshop Speaker | Director of Learning and Development, One Mission Society

Dick Freed has served in pastoral ministry, higher education, and non-profit organizational leadership and training for more than twenty-five years. Today he leads the Learning and Development Team of One Mission Society in building a learning ecosystem based on interactive adult learning design, blended learner experience, and a coaching culture. In addition to his work with the OMS Learning and Development Team, Dick serves as a Regional Theological Education Consultant and Associate Church Multiplication Facilitator, working with OMS partner seminaries and Bible schools in India. Dick’s wife Sharon is a children’s pastor and chaplain for persons with developmental disabilities. Their son Adam is a program coordinator working in international education.

Mark Hedinger

Workshop Speaker | Executive Director and Director of Training Programs, CultureBound

I grew to love international work as a crop geneticist. I met the Lord during those years. Later, I grew to love Bible and theology through an M Div at Grace Theological Seminary. That degree launched my family and me into Bible Institute work in Mexico, and afterwards into work as an International Director at our agency. A Dr. of Missiology degree from Western Seminary led me to love the application of intercultural communication, intercultural studies, and intercultural education to Gos pel ministry. I teach some of thosetopics as Adjunct Faculty at Western. Those areas of study also weave together in IICC’s training for Gospel teams sent out from North, Central and South America and the Middle East/N Africa. Speaking of what I love, I quickly add my wife Karen, our four children, their spouses and our eight grandkids!

Rachel Heffield

Vice President of Member Development |Pioneers

Rachel Heffield is the Vice President of Member Development for Pioneers. She is passionate about helping organizations and individuals live fully in God’s design and calling, for His glory and the furthering of His mission. She served in East Asia for eight years focused on providing counseling for global workers and equipping local and international counselors to provide biblically and professionally sound care. She has completed a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision with a dissertation on the experience and facilitators of thriving among global workers.

Ed Weaver

Workshop Speaker | President/CEO/ED as Fundraising Professional

In 2005, a friend told me I should go into ministry due to my interest in technology and use of iPods as a way to share the Gospel. Two weeks later, I was with a missionary who shared that 2/3 of the world “can’t, don’t or won’t” read, and confirmed that audio technology could be a part of the solution. I knew I had to take action and I haven’t stopped since. The team that God has built at Spoken Worldwide gives me the hope that we, in partnership with others, can take the planet!

Sheryl Takagi Silzer

Workshop Speaker | Multicultural Consultant, SIL International

Sheryl is a multicultural consultant serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International. She facilitates Cultural Self Discovery workshops for multicultural teams and teaches Asian culture at Talbot School of Theology in their MDiv and Doctor of Ministry degrees. She also serves with ReNGO, a virtual SIL team working with Relational Research, a UK-based company, measuring relationships within and between organizations. She received a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Fuller School of World Mission. Her books include: “Biblical Multicultural Teams: Applying Biblical Truth to Cultural Differences” (2011) and “Tapestry of Grace: Untangling the Cultural Complexities of Asian American Life and Ministry” (co-author 2016). She is married and has two married sons and five grandchildren.

Steve Coffey

Workshop Speaker | U.S. Director, Christar

Steve and his wife Beth have been privileged to serve in Sudan, France, “Berkistan” (Berks County, PA) and most recently in Dallas, Texas. Along the way their joy in serving others has been an overflow of their growing understanding of God’s grace in their own lives. A core value has been, “ministry to our co-workers is no less important than ministry to those we are called to reach.” It is their privilege to communicate the treasure we have in Christ to co-workers serving around the world and friends God has brought from around the world to our doorstep.

Alexandra Zamora

Workshop Speaker | Hispanic Director, SIM

Alexandra Zamora is a missionary from Costa Rica. She has been in the ministry since 1985, among her contributions to the mission have been to plant churches in Costa Rica, evangelize among the gypsies in Spain, mobilize and train the church in Latin America and Spain and mobilize the Hispanic church in USA. Today Alexandra serves as Hispanic Director for SIM. She is a member of COMIBAN (Ibero-America Missionary Cooperation), member of CMC (Missionary Fellowship in Costa Rica), and Regional Coordinator of The Latin America Theological Fraternity in North America. Her education is in Theology (MA, University of the Americas, Costa Rica), Religions of the World (Haggai Institute, Singapore), Intercultural Missions (MA, Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, MI), and Counseling in Biblical Psychology (Ph.D. Christian Center University, Orlando, FL.

Ruth Kramer

Ruth Kramer

Conference Emcee |Executive Producer, Mission Network News

Ruth began a career in media in 1985 with her first paid print news story. She went on to work for an NBC affiliate in Toledo, then on to radio as an announcer at WCDR in Cedarville, Ohio. In 1990, she worked for the LeSEA Broadcasting Network in FM and shortwave radio as well as television. That was followed by a five-year stint behind the news desk at WUFN in Albion, Michigan until 1996 and then Mission Network News in 1997. Today, Ruth still handles the overall sound and feel of MNN as they use radio and web to bring glory to God by telling the stories of His work around the world through His people in a way that activates the body of Christ to pray, give, and go. She also serves with the Alliance for the Unreached and sits on the board for FMI (Forgotten Missionaries International). Ruth and her husband, Warren, live in Norton Shores, MI. In her spare time, Ruth coaches a high school cross country and track team, is a masters sprinter and sings tenor. Her husband plays a mean jazz guitar and they have three adult children who have flown the coop.

Kirk Ogden

Workshop Speaker | Executive Director/Associate International Director, South American Mission/TEAM

Kirk Ogden was named Executive Director of South America Mission ten years ago as headwinds for legacy mission organizations were gaining strength and “Reset” was the theme for the annual Missio Nexus conference. He is a founding board member of Missio Nexus. Over the last few years, he’s also been part of the senior leadership of TEAM, currently as the Associate International Director. Learning from other mission leaders has been Kirk’s primary preparation for mission leadership. Kirk and his wife Emily have four children, all still at home.

Scott Holbrook

Workshop Speaker | President, Avant Ministries

Scott was appointed president of Avant Ministries in 2013. Prior to becoming president, he was the chief financial officer beginning in 1981. During that tenure he also served twice as interim president. Scott received a bachelor’s in economics in 1977 and a master’s in business administration in 1981 from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a certified public accountant in the state of Missouri and an adjunct professor at a local community college. He served as chairman of the CrossGlobal Link Business Administration committee for 16 years and has served on several ministry boards including MissioNexus. He has also served on the ECFA standards committee. He and his wife, Ruth, are members of Fellowship Kansas City, a church plant of Lenexa Baptist Church and have five children and thirteen grandchildren.

José A. de Dios

Jose A. de Dios

Workshop Speaker | International Coordinator, International Partnering Associates (IPA)

José is the International Coordinator for IPA (International Partnering Associates). He also serves as a Partnering Consultant for Wycliffe Global Alliance. He lives in the Dallas Area, with Laura, his wife, and their four children. Jose was born in Guatemala and has lived in the US, Guatemala, and Costa Rica.

Detailed profiles and schedules for each speaker and presenter can be found in the conference app.