Lecrae
N.Y. Times Bestselling Author of “Unashamed” and Grammy Award Winning Artist
“More caught than taught,” is how the artist describes his incredible journey that includes two Grammys, a history-making #1 album with his masterful 2014 offering, Anomaly (topped multiple categories, including the Billboard 200 and is RIAA Gold certified), and a compelling live resume, most recently notching a headlining 2016 ‘Destination’ tour which Lecrae says was about “real unity, not pretend unity.”
He continues to thoughtfully engage the culture, reeling off a NY Times Bestseller (last year’s riveting memoir ‘Unashamed’) and a breakthrough spoken word performance at the BET Hip Hop Awards last fall that had the twittersphere heralding his arrival as truth-telling firebrand. BET hailed it as an “epic poem,” of “necessary affirmations.”
@lecrae
@linamay
Dr. Lina Abujamra
Pediatric ER Doctor, author, host of Today’s Single on Moody Radio and founder of “Living with Power”
Lina Abujamra is a Pediatric ER doctor and founder of Living with Power Ministries. Her vision is to bring hope to the world by connecting Biblical answers to everyday life. Lina has authored several books including: Thrive, Stripped, and Resolved. You can listen to Lina’s podcast on iTunes or Podbean and watch her inspiring thousands via the Faith Booster series and other Bible teachings on YouTube and Vimeo. Lina is the host of Todays Single Christian on Moody Radio and the host of Morning Minutes, a daily audio devotional available on her website.
Lina’s most recent adventure has taken her back to the Middle East and her birth country, Lebanon, where she is providing regular medical care for Syrian refugees. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Lina now calls Chicago home. She is single and a huge Packers fan, and would not survive without her iPhone.
Miles McPherson
Pastor, Former NFL Player and Bestselling Author of “Do Something: Make Your Life Count”
Pastor Miles McPherson played four years in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers from 1982-1985. It was during this time that he developed a cocaine addiction that found the NFL star reduced to regularly visiting the seedy neighborhoods of San Diego to feed his habit. In his second season in the NFL and after a weekend-long drug binge, he called out to Jesus Christ, accepted Him and stopped doing drugs in one day.
Miles worked as a Youth Pastor for Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego and enrolled in Azusa Pacific University’s School of Theology receiving his Master’s of Divinity degree in 1991. In 2000, he felt called by God to start the Rock Church in San Diego. According to Outreach Magazine, the Rock has consistently been one of the nation’s largest churches with over 18,000 people attending one of the Rock’s twenty-one Sunday services or experiencing the services through online streaming and microsites. As of December 2016, they have had 53 million people view a gospel presentation from the Rock online, resulting in 695,654 people responding that they prayed to receive Christ!
His book, “Do Something: Make Your Life Count” is designed to equip people to take Christ’s love to the streets and make a difference in their community. His latest book, God in the Mirror takes readers on an exploration of the scripture, “made in God’s image” and offers them a new and revolutionary view of God and themselves.
@milesmcpherson
@jillbriscoe
Jill Briscoe
Author of over 40 Books and International Speaker
Jill Briscoe was born in Liverpool England in 1935. Educated at Cambridge she taught school for a number of years before marrying Stuart and raising their three children. In addition to sharing with her husband in ministry with Torchbearers and in pastoring a church in the United Sates for 30 years, Jill has written more than 40 books, travelled on every continent teaching and encouraging, served on the boards of Christianity Today and World Relief, and now acts as Executive Editor of a magazine for women called Just Between Us. Jill can be heard regularly on the worldwide media ministry called Telling the Truth. She is proud to be called “Nana” by 13 grandchildren.
Dr. Soong-Chan Rah
Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism, Church Planter and Author of “Prophetic Lament”
Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah is Milton B. Engebretson Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL and the author of The Next Evangelicalism (IVP Books, 2009); Many Colors (Moody, 2010); Prophetic Lament (IVP Books, 2015); co-author of Forgive Us (Zondervan, 2014); and Return to Justice (Brazos, 2016).
Rah is formerly the founding Senior Pastor of Cambridge Community Fellowship Church (CCFC), a multi-ethnic church living out the values of racial reconciliation and social justice in the urban context. He currently serves on the board of World Vision and Evangelicals 4 Justice. He has previously served on the board of Sojourners and the Christian Community Development Association.
He has extensive experience in cross-cultural preaching as well as on numerous college campuses. Soong-Chan has been a main stage speaker at the Urbana Student Missions Conference, the Congress on Urban Ministry, the Urban Youth Workers Institute Conference, the CCDA National Conference, the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary National Preaching Conference, the Fuller Missiology Conference, the Justice Conference, and Verge, Catalyst, and Calvin Worship Conferences.
Soong-Chan received his B.A. from Columbia University; his M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; his Th.M. from Harvard University; his D.Min. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and his Th.D. from Duke University.
Soong-Chan and his wife Sue and their two children, Annah and Elijah live in Chicago.
@profrah
@fjmallon
Father James Mallon
Author of Divine Renovation: From a Maintenance to a Missional Parish,
Father James Mallon is the Episcopal Vicar for Parish Renewal and Leadership Support for the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. Although, now former pastor of Saint Benedict Parish in Halifax, he still is very much a part of this faith community.
Father James is also the author of the best selling book Divine Renovation: From A Maintenance To A Missional Parish, an engaging guide for parishes seeking to cultivate vibrant and dynamic faith communities centered on missionary discipleship. In 2016, Father James also authored the Divine Renovation Guidebook, a step by step manual for transforming a parish.
The message of Divine Renovation has resonated in the hearts of tens of thousands of pastors and the laity throughout the world. It has inspired and motivated them to act and seek help in transforming their own faith community. To answer their needs, the Divine Renovation Ministry was created. Father James dedicates half his time to serve the broader church in his role with this ministry.
Born in Scotland, Father James and his family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1982. After studying at Christ the King Seminary in British Columbia and St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto, Father James was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1997.
He currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In addition to his ministry, Father James loves soccer, movies, photography, dogs, everything Apple and good Single Malt Scotch.