Southwide Unchained 2009

ED YOUNG JR.		ED STETZER
Ed Young is a straightforward communicator who uniquely connects God's unchanging truth with a diverse culture through compelling and creative teaching methods. He is the founding and Senior Pastor of Fellowship Church. The church has its main campus just north of the D/FW Airport and operates three satellite campuses in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area, one at Allaso Ranch in east Texas and one in Miami, Florida. Ed Young Ministries airs a weekly television program throughout the U.S. and Europe, including USA, TBN, Daystar and CNBC Europe. Ed is a frequent conference speaker, and he provides resources for church leaders through CreativePastors.com and the Creative Church Conferences (C3). He and his wife, Lisa, are also strong advocates of maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle. And to help people honor the bodies God has entrusted to us, they have produced a series of resources called Body for God. Ed and Lisa have been married for twenty-five years and have four children.		Ed has planted churches in New York, Pennsylvania, and Georgia and transitioned declining churches in Indiana and Georgia. He has trained pastors and church planters on five continents, holds two masters degrees and two doctorates, and has written dozens of articles and books. Ed served for three years as seminary professor at the Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and has taught at fifteen other seminaries. He is currently the Director of Lifeway Research and Lifeway's Missiologist in Residence. He has written the following books: - Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age (2003), - Perimeters of Light: Biblical Boundaries for the Emerging Church (w/ Elmer Towns, 2004), - Strategic Outreach (w/ Eric Ramsey, 2005), - Breaking the Missional Code (w/ David Putman, 2006), - Planting Missional Churches (2006), - Comeback Churches (w/ Mike Dodson, 2007), - 11 Innovations in the Local Church (w/ Elmer Towns and Warren Bird, 2007), - and contributed a chapter in The Mission of Today's Church (2007).
JOHN CROSS		Ergun Caner
John Cross has served as Senior Pastor of South Biscayne Church for the past 18 years. During this time, the church has experienced tremendous growth and has seen thousands of lives changed. His vision for South Biscayne has always been to do “whatever it takes” to reach people in Southwest Florida and around the world with the life-changing love of Christ. To carry out of this vision, John has skydived, ridden his motorcycle in the worship center, climbed a rock wall, and much more to creatively and compellingly communicate Christ’s love. He has a heart for this community and this generation. While leading this exciting church, John earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in December 2006. He has also had the privilege to speak and be involved with churches and church leaders around the world. His desire is to communicate the love of Christ with as many people as possible. In his rare moments of free time, John enjoys jogging, reading, and traveling.		Ergun Mehmet Caner (B.A., M.A., M.Div., Th.M., Th.D.) is president of the Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and Graduate School at the Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Raised as the son of a Muslim leader in Turkey, Caner became a Christian shortly before entering college. Serving under his Chancellor and President, Jerry Falwell Jr., Caner led the Seminary to triple in growth since his installation in 2005. A public speaker and apologist, Caner has debated Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and other religious leaders in thirteen countries and thirty-five states. The author of seventeen books, Caner lives in Lynchburg with his wife Jill and two sons, Braxton and Drake
JERRY THORPE		RITCHIE MILLER
Jerry is the Pastor Emeritus of CrossRoads Fellowship (formerly Temple Baptist Church) of Odessa, Texas, and an active member of the Libery University Board of Lynchburg, Virginia. He co-pastored Temple Baptist Church with his father, Curtis Thorpe, from 1964 until 1984, at which time he assumed the position of Senior Pastor of the church. In 2000, Jerry retired as Senior Pastor of Temple Baptist Church and now travels all over the nation speaking. In additional to his pastoral duties, Jerry has served as members of the boards of the Salvation Army, The United Way, Ector County Juvenile Home, Ector County Industrial Development Board, and the Odessa Housing Authority Board.		Ritchie Miller is a pastor, teacher, and author with a heart for reaching this generation for Christ in relevant and creative ways. He is the founding and Senior Pastor of Avalon Church. Growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Ritchie's life did not start in church. For generations, no one in the Miller family went to church or knew Christ. In fact, his father was an alcoholic. As a young man in his twenties, Ritchie's dad, Roger Miller, received Christ and everything about his family changed. Ritchie invited Christ into his life at age eight and surrendered to the ministry at age 16. After his relationship with Christ and his family, the greatest passion of Ritchie's life is seeing people come to know Christ and to become fully-devoted followers of Him. There is no doubt in his mind that starting Avalon Church and experiencing the incredible life-change of our people is the single greatest joy of his ministry.
BRAD WHITE		Dr. JIM HARRIS
Brad White is a straight-forward communicator that desperately wants to see God work in the lives of people! He communicates God's unfailing love and unchanging truths in creative and captivating ways that connect with a variety of different cultures and life stages. He is the senior pastor at LifePointe Church in Tampa, FL		Dr. Jim Harris is founder of an international consulting, speaking, and coaching firm dedicated to taking business and ministry teams to a higher level. He is the creator of The Higher Level System for Business(r) and The Higher Level System for Ministry(r), powerful processes designed to move leaders and their teams from worldly success to eternal significance. An award winning author, world-class speaker, and seasoned business executive, Dr. Jim is well known for his ability to guide transformational journeys. His business clients include many of the world's best-run firms including Best Buy, Walmart, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, State Farm, as well as hundreds of associations, healthcare, and services companies. Dr. Jim is a frequent special events speaker, staff trainer, and guest preacher to churches around the country.
CALVIN HUNT - SOLOIST		LUKE GARRETT - SOLOIST
Many music lovers have come to know Calvin Hunt as a featured soloist with the Grammy and Dove Award-winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, but his personal and musical story reaches far beyond the successful projects that catapulted him to a public stage. Calvin Hunt’s life has been filled with stunning highs and lows, but his humble warmth and unwavering optimism persevere because of his rock-bottom commitment to the truth that Jesus Christ changes lives – and continues to restore his own life.		Exceptional talent, a rich heartwarming voice, and a contagious excitement for ministry are unmistakable characteristics of Christian recording artist Luke Garrett. All who have heard him sing, whether on one of his recorded discs or at one of his 100-plus concerts per year, agree that the Lord has truly blessed this singer/songwriter, as he, in turn, gives of his tremendous gifts to bless others. Garrett's roots in Christian music go back to a small church in Coweta, Oklahoma, where he made a decision for Christ at an early age. Although the Lord had truly touched him as a child, he struggled through his high school years with committing himself daily to God. He experienced a turning point in his spiritual life when, while attending UCLA, he won the Frank Sinatra Performance Award for most popular vocalist. He then realized that every note he would ever sing was a gift from God. At that time, Luke recognized the Lord's calling on his life and his commission to use his voice for the glory of God.