Mark has been with HH Architects since 2001 and serves as the Creative Director of the firm. His belief in team collaboration during the design process is consistent from inception to completion of the project. Coupled with his passion for creating spaces that connect people together, Mark is able to quickly discern the client’s needs and transform them into conceptual designs for inspiring and functional spaces.
Thomas J. Baber is pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Bryan, Texas. He is an adjunct professor of Bible and Theology, board member, and director for the Texas Teaching Site of Shepherds Theological Seminary of Cary, NC. He earned his Doctor of Ministry from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and Masters of Divinity from The Master’s Seminary in Sun Valley, California. Thomas and his wife, Nancy, have been married 26 years and have six children.
Richard Bargas
Eric BargerhuffEric J. Bargerhuff, Ph.D. is the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Director of the Honors Program, and Professor of Bible and Theology at Trinity College of Florida. He served in pastoral ministry for over 22 years in churches in Ohio, Illinois, and Florida, is ordained in the Southern Baptist Convention, and is a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Florida. He received his Ph.D. in Biblical and Systematic Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois and is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society. In addition to his love for the church, Eric loves to write and is the author of three books: Love that Rescues: God's Fatherly Love in the Practice of Church Discipline, (2010) The Most Misused Verses in the Bible (2012), and The Most Misused Stories in the Bible (2017). His forthcoming book entitled, Why is THAT in the Bible? is due for publication in 2020 through Bethany House Publishers (Baker Publishing Company). Eric is an avid fan of Indiana University basketball (as he grew up in rural Indiana), loves the Chicago Cubs, and enjoys singing, writing, cooking, biking, and football. Eric and his family live in the heart of Trinity, Florida.
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Bob BixbyBob grew up in the Central African Republic and France and brings twenty-two years of pastoral experience in multi-cultural settings. After studying in France, Bob returned to his birth country to study for the ministry. It was there that he met his life-long companion and together they returned to Europe where Bob served as a pastor for ten years. In 2002, Bob became the founding pastor of a church plant that grew to become a thriving ministry. After twelve years of hard work and loving relationships, that church, Morning Star Church, sent Bob with their blessing to start a church in Fremont. Bob and his wife have two school-age children and a dog! Bob enjoys reading, hiking, sports, history, coffee, and family time.
Doug BookmanDr. Bookman completed his M.Div. and Th.M. at Central Baptist Theological Seminary; and his Th.D. at Dallas Theological Seminary.
After graduating from Pillsbury Baptist Bible College and Central Seminary, Dr. Bookman served as pastor/teacher in Rock Falls, Wisconsin. He joined the faculty of Pillsbury College in 1973, taught there for eleven years, and eventually served as Chairman of the Bible Department. Read More.
Lucy BurggraffLucy has been a student’s wife, a pastor’s wife, and a seminary professor’s wife. She grew up in rural Minnesota. She met her husband Dave in high school and their love for each other continues to grow to this day. Shortly after they were married, they heard the Gospel for the first time while attending a Mother’s Day service at a Baptist church. When the invitation was given, they both accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Seminary and full-time ministry soon followed.
Lucy has lived in MN, PA, TX, FL and NC. When Dave told her he would show her the world, she didn’t think it would be through the window of a Penske moving truck! But she wouldn’t change one thing or one minute of the joy of serving alongside her husband. Lucy currently serves as Registrar and Financial Aid Administrator at Shepherds Theological Seminary. One of her ministry joys is coordinating the Seminary Wives Fellowship.
Lucy and Dave have three married sons and seven wonderful grandchildren. Of all the hats she wears, Wife, Mother, and Nana are her favorites.
Pastor of Teaching and Education, Clearwater Community Church
Phil has attended CCC since 2008, while he has served as associate professor of Bible and Biblical Languages at Clearwater Christian College. He joined the pastoral staff in the fall of 2012 to oversee the preaching and teaching ministries of the church. Phil completed his B.S. in Bible at Maranatha Baptist Bible College (WI), M.Div. and Th.M. degrees at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary (PA), and a Ph.D. in Christian Theology (NT) at McMaster Divinity College (Ontario, CAN). Phil has been married to Tia since 1998, and they have two girls, Hallie and Emily. His hobbies include watching and participating in most sports, but golf more than any of the others. He enjoys reading, writing, watching a good movie, and, most of all, spending time with his girls.
Pastor, Student Ministry Colonial Baptist Church
A proud North Carolinian, Caleb was born and raised in Monroe, NC, just south of Charlotte. He joined Colonial’s staff in January of 2017 in the Communications department as a graphic designer. He currently serves as the Student Ministry Pastor and is passionate about creatively equipping the next generation of servant leaders. Caleb is pursuing his Master of Divinity at Shepherds Theological Seminary. When he’s not reading a book, Caleb enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, eating smoked BBQ, and rooting for the Tar Heels.
Senior Pastor, Community of Faith Bible Church
Dr. Ellen is the Senior Pastor of Community of Faith Bible Church in Houston, Texas, and Senior Professor of Biblical Counseling at the College of Biblical Studies. Dr. Ellen has also developed a biblical counseling training center called Expository Counseling Center LLC.
He received his B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Houston, Houston, Texas, his M.A. in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas, his M.A. in Biblical Counseling from The Masters University, Santa Clarita, California, his Doctorate of Ministry with a concentration in Biblical Counseling from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky, and his Ph.D. in Biblical Counseling from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas.
Dr. Ellen is a certified Biblical Counselor with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC), a Fellow with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) and travels nationwide with the organization teaching biblical counseling principles. Dr. Ellen also teaches on a morning show called “Up With The Son” where he teaches various topics from God’s Word. In addition, He is also a Senior Member of the Biblical Counseling Framework Association. Dr. Ellen and his wife Dr. Venessa Ellen have two children and four grandchildren.
Platinum Sponsor
Church and Denominations Services Director, CapinCrouse
Rob has more than 40 years of financial leadership experience in serving both for-profit and nonprofit entities, as well as more than eight years of direct ministry experience as Executive Pastor and CFO of large churches. He serves some of the largest churches in the United States as well as colleges, universities and seminaries, rescue missions, and other nonprofits. Rob holds an MA in Ministry Management from Azusa Pacific University Graduate School of Theology and is a frequent conference speaker and author of articles on nonprofit financial matters.
Founder, XPastor.org
For many of his 35 years as a pastor, David Fletcher was an executive pastor in some of the nation’s largest churches. In the early days of the internet, he started XPastor.org, a global tool for those who lead and manage the church. His popular “Hey Fletch” column gives warm and sound advice. He’s a friend and “church doctor” to many church issues. He received degrees from Dallas Seminary and took executive education classes at the Kellogg School of Management and the Harvard Business School. David teaches Doctor of Ministry students at Dallas Seminary. At the ETS India, he made a ten-year commitment to found and then train a national to lead their D.Min. program.
Peter GoemanPeter Goeman began serving at Shepherds in 2017 as Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages. Peter is a graduate of both The Master’s University (TMU) and The Master’s Seminary (TMS). At TMU Peter studied business, and at TMS he completed his M.Div, Th.M., and Ph.D. degrees, specializing in Old Testament studies. Over the last six years he has been involved in various pastoral ministry while completing his graduate degrees. He is married to Kinsley, and they have two sons. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, and has authored regular journal articles.
Hal HaysHal Hays is the founder and president of Encouragement International, Inc., a ministry focused on equipping men and women to take the message of salvation through Jesus throughout the nations to those from Slavic Countries. Currently he serves Russian speakers in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Moldova, France, the Czech Republic, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Israel, and Australia. EII comes alongside pastors and churches in the Slavic community for equipping, evangelizing and edifying. They are planting and supporting church planters, equipping pastors as expository preachers and training pastors to teach biblical series that will enhance the education and practical life of the church. Hal and his wife, Cecilie, reside in Southern California and attend Grace Community Church. They have been married for 42 years and have 4 grown children and 11 grandchildren.
Silver Sponsor
Thrivent Financial
Chris Lewis was born in Brazil, where his parents served as missionaries. Unbeknownst to Chris, God was preparing him to one day be able to serve ministries through finance. In the mid 2000’s, after assisting the church he was attending with a capital campaign, Chris discovered that there was a need for lenders to work with growing ministries. At that time, he was a commercial lender specializing in providing solutions to the manufacturing sector. God opened the door for Chris to provide financing solutions to churches, and he has never looked back. Over the years, Chris has worked with growing ministries by providing sustainable financing solutions for construction, acquisition and refinancing. Chris obtained his undergraduate degree in Business Management from Harding University in 1996 where he met his wife. They have been married for 24 years and together are raising 3 young men. In his off time, Chris enjoys water sports, coaching wrestling and football, fishing and the outdoors.
Les LofquistDr. Les Lofquist served as church planter in Ogden, Utah and a Bible College professor in Grand Rapids, Michigan and a part-time seminary professor at Grace Theological Seminary of Winona Lake, Indiana where he also served as Senior Pastor at Pleasant View Bible Church. For nineteen years he directed the fellowship of IFCA International with over 1500 churches, pastors, Christian workers, chaplains, mission agencies, eight Bible Colleges and seminaries in 27 countries. He also was Editor of VOICE magazine. In June 2019, he and his wife Miriam moved to North Carolina where he joined the faculty of Shepherds Theological Seminary and pastoral team at Colonial Baptist Church.
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Miriam Lofquist
David MartinDavid Martin is a servant of Christ with a passion to plant healthy churches where there are currently few. Sent out from Laramie Valley Chapel in Laramie, Wyoming, David Martin has served as the lead pastor of the International Baptist Church of Cologne, Germany, for the last 7 years. In 2018, the church in Cologne sent out a team to plant a new church in the city of Bonn. In addition to serving the church, David is the Director of the Aquila Initiative, a US-German ministry, which seeks to establish a network of like-minded churches that engages in church multiplication by apprenticing leaders who will establish community through marketplace missions. David pursues this mission with his wife, Kristen, and their five children.
Sam MartinSam was raised in Laramie, Wyoming, and received Christ when he was a young child. It wasn't until his third year in the Navy, where he served as a Navy Diver on the USS Tucson (SSN 770), that Sam realized his desire and giftedness to pastor. After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Wyoming, Sam went on to earn a Master's in Church Ministry from Shepherds Theological Seminary. Sam served as Assistant Pastor at Laramie Valley Chapel for a number of years before God laid Church Planting with a trade on his heart. He attended a barber school in Salt Lake City and opened a barbershop in Laramie. Shortly after this, God's call to go was unavoidable. In 2017, Sam moved his wife Erin and four children to Saint George to start a barbershop and lead a mission team of four other men and their families to start Red Mesa Fellowship. Their website is www.gracetowalk.org.
Larry PettegrewDr. Pettegrew completed his M.R.E., M.Div. and Th.M. at Central Baptist Theological Seminary; and his Th.D. at Dallas Theological Seminary. He taught at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College for over 10 years. While at Pillsbury, he served as chairman of both the Christian Education and Bible departments. Following his time at Pillsbury, he served as the Dean of Students and taught at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary. Read More.
Al PotterDr. Potter completed his M.Div. at Central Seminary and has been honored with a Doctor of Divinity degree from Calvary Seminary. He also attended Pillsbury College for his Bachelor of Arts degree, and he later spent eight years as Pillsbury’s President. While President, he established the first scholarship endowment, introduced the College to North Central Accrediting Association, and chaired the Pastorology Department. Read More.
Jillian L. Ross, PhD Jillian Ross is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Director of Biblical Languages Programs at Liberty University. She is an associate editor for the forthcoming NKJV Evangelical Study Bible and author of the forthcoming Esther: Baker Commentary on the Old Testament and A Handy Guide to Biblical Languages and Linguistics. In addition to her teaching and writing, Jillian serves in women’s ministry at her church and partners with a local safe-house for abused women.
Children's Ministry Pastor
Joseph Scarfone serves as the Pastor of Children and Family Ministry at Colonial Baptist Church. He is passionate about all things discipleship and firmly believes that investing in the next generation is a necessity. He holds an MACM and M.Div. from Shepherds Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing his Ed.D. in Discipleship and Spiritual Formation at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Joseph and his wife Jennifer have five children and they enjoy camping and getting out into God’s creation.
Paul ScharfPaul J. Scharf (MDiv, Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative in the Midwest for the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. He also writes for Answers Magazine and Regular Baptist Press, for which he has helped prepare six Life Design and Truth for Living adult Bible study leader’s guides, as well as contributing articles to Baptist Bulletin. Scharf also serves as a consultant for IMI/SOS International, and has assisted Dr. John C. Whitcomb in ministry since 2003.
He compiled Dr. Whitcomb’s life story for Coming to Grips with Genesis: Biblical Authority and the Age of the Earth (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2008), and also wrote the chapter on “Solus Christus” in Forged from Reformation: How Dispensational Thought Advances the Reformed Legacy (El Cajon, CA: SCS Press, 2017). Scharf has taught as adjunct Bible faculty for Faith Baptist Bible College and Maranatha Baptist University. Scharf and his wife, Lynnette, are members of Fellowship Baptist Church in Watertown, WI, and live outside of Columbus, WI.
Megan ScheibnerAuthor
Megan Scheibner is a writer, blogger, and popular conference speaker. She is the wife to Steve and homeschooling mom to her eight now-grown children. Megan uses her Master’s degree in Biblical Counseling as she counsels and teaches women of all ages, as well as in couples counseling with her husband, Steve. Megan is the co-author of The Nine Practices of The Proactive Parent and travels extensively, equipping parents with the tools they need to train the next generation confidently. Megan has authored thirteen books, including her newest title: Snatching Joy: ‘Cause Sometimes Life Just Stinks. Megan’s heart is focused on discipleship, and she blogs practical words of encouragement at Meganscheibner.com. When she’s not writing, Megan enjoys feeding teens, cheering on the Red Sox, and cuddling her grandchildren.
Tim SiglerDr. Tim Sigler serves as Provost and Dean at Shepherds Theological Seminary where he is responsible for all aspects of administration, development, and the overall supervision of the faculty, staff, and academic programs. Prior to STS, Dr. Sigler served with distinction at the Moody Bible Institute (Chicago, IL) for 18 years, most recently as Professor of Hebrew and Biblical Studies.
Nathan WintersNathan Winters is the Executive Director of Family Policy Alliance of Wyoming (A Public Policy Partner of Focus on the Family), a Christian ministry that advances biblical citizenship, equips and elects statesmen, promotes pro-family policy and serves an effective alliance, all committed to a common vision. He is also an Elder of First Baptist Church of Cheyenne.
Nathan served as a pastor of First Baptist Church of Thermopolis for over 12 years and as a Wyoming State Representative, eventually serving as chairman of the House Republican Caucus and vice-chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
Nathan’s use of history and philosophy in his stand for biblical citizenship in the Wyoming Legislature gave him a statewide voice. During his time in office, he helped organize pastors from across the state to speak on life, Religious Liberty and Family issues and to see government as a mission field.
Nathan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministries and a Master’s degree in Religious Education from West Coast Baptist College.
Nathan is passionate in reminding churches of the extraordinary heritage of Christianity in America and the God-given role to speak to issues of the day. Nathan and his wife, Christie, live in Cheyenne and are the parents of three young children.
Bruce WoodyBruce E. Woody is President and CEO of HH Architects. Based in Dallas, this architecture and planning firm has done work across the country. This award-winning firm has a commitment to quality and thorough understanding of planning for growth. It has attracted a wide range of clients with needs on both a small and large scale. For over 47 years, HH Architects has provided Architectural, Interior Design, Strategic Positioning and Master Planning services to clients ranging from churches to municipal entities to schools to corporate buildings. They approach projects from the client’s perspective and by building upon your image and identity, HH Architects strives for creative solutions that meet the project’s scope, schedule, and budget. They have developed an expertise in designing to a highly complex set of requirements and constraints, and through this process, HH Architects provides a creative facility that meets and exceeds all of the owner’s expectations.
