GA 2025 GOSPEL PLENARY SESSIONS

The Gospel Priorities Plenary Sessions are designed to provide inspiration, encouragement, and practical helps for EPC leaders to engage their congregations and communities in the denomination’s Gospel Priorities of Transformation (Church Health), Multiplication (Church Planting), Effective Biblical Leadership (Discipleship), and Global Movement (Taking the gospel to the ends of the earth).

Monday Evening Worship
Tuesday Morning & Evening Worship
Wednesday Morning & Evening Worship
Thursday Morning & Evening Worship
Tuesday Plenary Sessions
Wednesday Plenary Sessions
Thursday Plenary Sessions
Tuesday and Wednesday Equipping Sessions
Tuesday Network Lunch
Wednesday Network Lunch
Thursday Network Lunch

All Sanctuary sessions will be live streamed on the EPC website and GA smartphone app. All times are Eastern Time.

MONDAY, JUNE 16 | Evening Worship

CONCERT OF PRAYER | 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary

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TUESDAY, JUNE 17 | Morning & Evening Worship

WORSHIP | 9:00 until 9:45 AM

Dr. Michael J. Kruger serves as Samuel C. Patterson Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary. He is one of the leading scholars today in the study of the origins of the New Testament, particularly the development of the New Testament canon. He is the author of fourteen books, most recently Miniature Codices in Early Christianity (Oxford, 2025). Dr. Kruger has served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society (2019), the largest society of evangelical scholars in the world, and was recently selected to be one of the inaugural fellows for the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. He is married to Melissa Kruger, Director of Women’s Initiatives for The Gospel Coalition and author of numerous books, including most recently, Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age (Harvest House, 2024). They have three children, Emma, John, and Kate.

WORLD OUTREACH | 7:00 until 8:00 PM

Asa is the founder and chairman of Serve Pakistan Cricket, a discipleship movement among young men and women in Punjab, Pakistan.  His work through cricket started in 1995 having returned from London where he played for Hayes and Middlesex county cricket club.  The purpose of this movement is to transform the lives of young men and women through their love for the sport of cricket.  Young lives are awakened to the transforming power of Jesus, and through eighteen cricket clubs in a radius of 300 miles, more than 3000 followers are now part of this growing movement.  Alongside the eighteen cricket clubs are eighteen prayer houses (congregations) where followers meet for spiritual nourishment regularly (most daily).  Asa holds an M.Div. from Erskine Seminary and is an ordained TE in the EPC.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18| Morning & Evening Worship

WORSHIP | 9:00 until 9:45 AM

The apostle Peter metaphorically describes the church as a spiritual temple of believers as living stones built on the foundation of Christ the Living Stone. This image provides transforming insight into Christian self-understanding of identity, purpose, and significance, The implications of this metaphor empower the Christian to a deeper faith in Christ and understanding of the nature of the church

Karen H. Jobes is the Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor Emerita of New Testament Greek and Exegesis at Wheaton College and Graduate School (Illinois).  She earned her doctorate in Biblical Hermeneutics at Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia, 1995) and has served as a tenured professor at Westmont College (Santa Barbara, CA, 1996–2005) and at Wheaton (2005–2015).  She was a translator on the NIV Committee for Bible Translation for many years and is the author of several books and many journal articles.  Her research specialty has been the Septuagint as a literary and exegetical background for New Testament interpretation.  Jobes is a member of Oreland Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Oreland, PA and has served as an elder on Session there.

WORSHIP | 7:00 until 8:00 PM

Rev. Trevor Gribben has served as an ordained minister within the Presbyterian Church in Ireland for the last 37 or so years and was recently nominated as the Moderator-Designate, in which he will be formally elected and installed as by the General Assembly when it meets in Belfast this June. From Tandragee, Co Armagh, Rev Gribben was born in 1961 and ordained in 1988 as assistant minister of Duncairn and St Enoch’s Presbyterian Church in Belfast. From 1990 he was Minister at Leckpatrick Presbyterian Church in Co Tyrone and from 1996 served at Whiteabbey Presbyterian Church in Co Antrim. In 2008, he was appointed the Church’s Deputy Clerk, becoming Clerk of the General Assembly and the Church’s General Secretary in 2014. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has around 185,000 members in 500-plus congregations across 19 regional presbyteries throughout the island.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 19| Morning & Evening Worship

WORSHIP | 9:00 until 9:45 AM

Moderator’s Communion Service: The Church is made up of Living Stones laid on the foundation of The Rock (1 Peter 2: 4-8).

Victor Jones is a Ruling Elder at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Laurel, Mississippi, where he and his wife, Rachel, raised their seven daughters. Being blessed with seven children in seven years was a life-changing experience only to be matched by the overwhelming support and encouragement of the Body of Christ at Westminster over the last three decades. During this past year we have been blessed with another Son-In-Law, a third Grandson and the fourth is on the way!

He continues to sell John Deere tractors for AG UP Equipment and remains a Trustee for South Central Regional Medical Center. Serving in all three courts of the church this last year has brought an appreciation of how they should work together.  The appreciation for Teaching Elders and Ruling Elders that do the “work of ministry,” has only grown this year.  I am still encouraged to see the EPC working on the four Gospel Priorities as God blesses us in this work.

WORSHIP | 7:00 until 8:00 PM | Memorial Service

Dr. Scott McKee is the senior pastor of Ward Church, a historic, active, multi-generational church in suburban Detroit.  Arriving in 2009, Scott was faced with the task of leading the church during an economic recession of which Detroit was the epicenter.  Scott has been a key advocate for city renewal initiatives, participating with churches of all denominations as well as government and private industry.  Before coming to Ward, Scott served churches in Surrey, England; Princeton, New Jersey; and Mount Pleasant, Michigan.  Scott has worked as a youth pastor, drug prevention counselor, janitor, and stand-up comic. He has been an ordained EPC Pastor for 25 years. He holds degrees from Wayne State University (Michigan), Princeton Seminary (New Jersey), and Asbury Seminary (Kentucky). Scott has been married to his wife Angie for 33 years.  They have three wonderful adult children and one granddog.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 17 | 10:00 to 11:40AM | PLENARY SESSION 1 | FAITH

AN INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION ON THE FIRM FOUNDATION OF OUR FAITH

Gabriel de Guia is the Executive Director of EPC World Outreach, the global missions arm of the denomination. EPC World Outreach aims to serve the Church by empowering Spirit-filled witnesses to make disciples and plant reproducing churches among those with least access to the gospel. Gabriel leads the Global Movement initiative, one of the four Gospel Priorities of the EPC, alongside Church Planting, Church Health, and Effective Biblical Leadership. He is also a ruling elder at First Presbyterian Church of Orlando in the FL/Caribbean Presbytery.

Before joining EPC World Outreach in 2021, Gabriel dedicated 26 years to ministry with Cru, spending the last 12 years working with the Jesus Film Project. In that role, he focused on bringing the gospel and the Word of God to unreached people who had never heard the story of Jesus in their heart language.

Gabriel and his wife have been married for 17 years and are proud parents of three sons.

PANELISTS

Zach is married to Mackenzie, and they have two children. He has served as the pastor of the Edgington EPC (IL side of the Quad Cities) since 2012. Committed to the virtue of churchmanship, he serves the EPC regionally in Rivers & Lakes Presbytery as chairman of the Ministerial Committee, and member of the Coordinating Council; and nationally as a member of the Permanent Judicial Commission of the General Assembly, and the Ad-Interim Committee on Ordination Standards. He also provides leadership to The Westminster Society networking group.

Holly Lazzaro is the founder of Study With Friends, a ministry that provides content and resources for individuals and groups to deepen their discipleship of Jesus Christ through bible study and apologetics. She has published two books, Searching for God and The Sermon on the Mount, she hosts the Study With Friends bible study podcast, and she speaks at events and retreats. Holly is the moderator for the Presbytery of the East and a Ruling Elder at Langhorne Presbyterian Church.

Rev. Marcos Ortega received his Masters of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and has earned a certificate from the Arrow Leadership Program. Before being called to be the Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Marcos was a Planting and Lead Pastor in upstate New York. While in the Philadelphia area for seminary, Marcos served at Langhorne Presbyterian Church as the Director of Discipleship and Contemporary Worship. Her currently serves on the EPC World Outreach Committee and helped write the Pastoral Letter on Racial Lament and Hope. Marcos has been married to his wife Erin since 2009 and they have two daughters, Aria and Gabriella. In his down time, he loves sports, movies, books, trying new foods, traveling to new places, and robust conversations with friends.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18 | 10:00 to 11:30AM | PLENARY SESSION 2 | FAMILY

EMPHASIZING THE ETHOS OF THE EPC AS A FAMILY OF CHURCHES

In our plenary session, National Church Health Coordinator and 45 year EPC veteran pastor, Bob Stauffer, will remind us of who we claim to be and lovingly challenge us to walk in faithfulness to this calling. He will speak to

• Our Unique Identity in Christ
• Our Calling to trust one another and live by our creed of unity, liberty and charity
• The biblical call on the EPC to prioritize evangelism

During our panel discussion we will consider Bob’s teaching and how the EPC is or isn’t living up to the expectations we have set for ourselves.  We believe there will be the need for both repentance and rejoicing! Our God is faithful, and it is our sincere hope he uses this time to strengthen our faith in him and our bonds to one another.

Bob Stauffer, a Pittsburgh native, has dedicated his life to ministry and outreach. Ordained in the inaugural class of the EPC, he spent four years planting Carmel Valley EPC in San Diego before serving 26 years as pastor at Tabernacle EPC in Youngstown, Ohio. He later became a regional director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the EPC’s National Outreach Director, focusing on church health, planting, and crisis assistance. With over 34 years as a high school baseball and strength coach, Bob is deeply committed to mentorship.

Tom Ricks holds a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from Covenant Theological Seminary. From 1990 to 1998, Tom served in various roles at Central Presbyterian Church EPC in Clayton, Missouri, including Associate Pastor of Outreach and Evangelism and interim Lead Pastor, under EPC founding father Andy Jumper. In 1998, he helped plant Greentree Community Church in Kirkwood, Missouri, serving as Lead Pastor until 2022. When he then transitioned to EPC National Director of Church Planting. 

PANELISTS

Attorney Enid Flores has over 20 years of experience in local and international banking. She has led areas such as risk, commercial credit, and business development in institutions like Banco Santander, the Puerto Rico Development Bank, and nonprofit organizations. She founded and directed Microfinanzas PR, the first microfinance institution in the country, promoting access to capital for those who could not obtain it through traditional banking.

Enid is a graduate with honors from Washington University in St. Louis and holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico.

TBD

Joi Young Williams, a Ruling Elder at HOPE Church in Richmond, VA, has led children’s ministry and outreach while dedicating her career to public service. With leadership roles in the Department of Defense and Virginia state agencies, she has driven change through people, processes, and technology. Holding a Doctor of Engineering from The George Washington University, she now runs a consulting business and serves as an Assistant Professor of Applied Engineering Technology at Virginia State University. Passionate about problem-solving and justice, Joi brings strategic and creative solutions to both ministry and professional spheres.

Michael Flake, in addition to leading Storyhill Church, is a Davidson College graduate and Memphis native. He’s a husband to Mandi, a father to Indi & Cora, and a connoisseur of Dr. Pepper. With a penchant for Dylan’s “Watchtower” and Chesterton’s Orthodoxy, he’s also a writer of Tabitha’s Books and an INTJ who majored in math. Combining personality elements of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory and Puddleglum from The Silver Chair, Michael has a tender spot for those who feel excluded from God’s family.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 19 | 5:30 to 7:00PM | PLENARY SESSION 3 | LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

EMPHASIZING THE ETHOS OF THE EPC AS A FAMILY OF CHURCHES

Dr. Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, previously served as Lead Pastor of Memorial Park EPC in Pittsburgh for 15 years and as Interim Chaplain at Grove City College. A past EPC Moderator and National Leadership Team Chair, he co-chaired the Revelation 7:9 Task Force and played key roles in the New Wineskins Association and EPC’s Presbytery of the Alleghenies. He founded EduNations, which operates 15 schools and supports church planting in Sierra Leone. Dr. Weaver also serves on multiple boards, including Grove City College and the National Association of Evangelicals. He holds degrees from Grove City, Pittsburgh Theological, and Gordon-Conwell Seminary.

Michael Davis Sr., EPC Assistant Stated Clerk and Chief Collaborative Officer, provides strategic leadership for the EPC’s Gospel Priorities, including Church Planting, Church Health, Global Movement, and Effective Biblical Leadership. He facilitates the work of the Ministerial Vocation Committee, NextGen Council, and Rev. 7:9. Michael also serves on the boards of Memphis City Seminary, Presbyterian Day School, and Service Over Self. He holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Missouri and a Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary.

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GOSPEL PRIORITIES EQUIPPING SESSIONS | TUES. & WED. | 1:15 to 2:45 PM

Am I a church planter?

TEAM: Church Planting
Speaker: TE Richard Rieves

Might God call me to plant a church? How might I discern a call to plant? Evangelicals need to plant over 400,000 churches by 2050 to keep up with population growth and the number of existing churches closing vs new ones opening. This is the greatest missional opportunity the church in America has ever faced. We are answering that call, and the EPC has more support and resources to equip planters than ever. Join us as we address the most common questions from those discerning a call, and bring your questions as this will be a small group, discussion-based format.

Richard is married to Rachel, and they have three married daughters and nine grandchildren! He is the regional director of church panting for the EPC in the South/SE and has planted three churches: Olive Branch, MS, Fort Collins, CO, Downtown Memphis, TN. Richard has coached numerous church planters, and provided leadership in church planting for every presbytery in which he has worked. He loves fly fishing, running, grilling, and about anything water related.

Building a Culture of Generosity

TEAM: Effective Biblical Leadership and Church Health
Speaker: TE Greg Ealey, TE Tim Filston

What would make someone beg to give? Paul described the Macedonian Christians as pleading for the privilege to give financially—even in extreme poverty. Why would anyone beg to give? In this workshop, we’ll answer that question by exploring the principles and practices that shape a compelling vision. Discover how your church can articulate promises worth keeping and inspire sacrificial generosity. Learn how a clear, future-focused vision motivates giving as we solve problems inside and outside the church.

Gregory Ealey, Campus Pastor at Colonial Presbyterian Church in South Kansas City, has a passion for ministry and racial healing. He previously served as Pastor of Paseo Baptist Church for eight years and worked with The Urban Alternative, a ministry of Dr. Tony Evans. He helps lead the Church domain for Unite KC and serves on the executive team for Pray-KC. Gregory holds degrees from Texas State University, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Western Baptist Bible College. He is also the author of Why Me? Why Now? and Speak to My Heart.

Tim Filston is husband to Beth, father of triplets (plus one more for good measure), and a and a connoisseur of sharp, pithy principles.  On any given day, you might spot him cycling through Georgia’s pine forests or engrossed in a sprawling classic novel.  Tim looks for ways to coach others having benefitted from life-long mentors himself. 

As the senior pastor of FPC Thomasville, Tim is known for striking the delicate balance (mostly) between “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.”  His blog, Faithanddoubt.com, gives generous permission to ask tough questions, while his book, Long Story Short, helps people see life’s detours through the lens of God’s purpose.

Conflict Resolution Skills

TEAM: Effective Biblical Leadership
Speaker: TE Brian Martin

It’s a fact that everyone has conflict in their life. What’s important is our response to the conflict. Are you avoiding it, or are you seeking to deal with it conflict Biblically? In this session, we will learn the skills necessary to deal with conflict and do so with intentionality.

My wife, daughter, and I live in Huntersville, NC. I have served as a Teaching Elder in the EPC since 2008. For ten years, I served as a chaplain at Joe Gibbs Racing (NASCAR) and in the U.S. Air Force. I then went on to serve EPC churches in NC and SC in the roles of solo pastor, executive pastor, and organizational consultant. Having been coached by a team member at PastorServe for three years, and having completed my MBA, I excitedly took on a role within the organization in 2021 in operations.

Creating a Healthy Session Culture

TEAM: Effective Biblical Leadership and Church Health
Speaker: Cron Gibson

70% of pastors report a decline in their self-worth as a result of their calling. The majority of pastors seek a new call due to relational difficulties with church leaders. These difficulties may be benign neglect or direct painful experiences. In the EPC more than half of TE’s experience anxiety symptoms several days a week that hinder their work and relationships. Nearly half of EPC TE’s report depression symptoms several days a week that hinder their work and relationships. There is a direct connection between these struggles and how pastors experience their relationships in the Session. In this seminar you will learn the scope and impact of the relational problems, what drives them, and how to build a relationally healthy Session so that the church may flourish and her witness to the world will thrive. The Gospel is PRESENT good news.

Cron is a Teaching Elder in the EPC and a credentialed therapist. He has led ministry teams for 35 years as a staff member with Cru, as a pastor in three churches which he planted with his wife, Elizabeth, and for the last 15 years at HopeWell Equipping and Counseling Center. He thinks of himself as a pastor who happens to be clinically trained. In his work at HopeWell, Cron coaches pastors, provides training on a variety of topics to local churches, and offers consulting services to help organizations build healthy leadership teams. His doctoral research focused on how relational dynamics in church leadership teams undermine clergy mental health and effective leadership in the local church. Cron deeply believes the present hope of the Gospel should drive profound change in how people relate to God, themselves, and others. When leaders get the Gospel the witness of the church to broken people in a broken world will flourish. 

Cultivating a Biblical Worldview and a Missional Church

TEAM: World Outreach
Speaker: TE Marcos Ortega

How does a local church embed the mission of God to the nations into the DNA of its congregation? What are the theological and practical principles necessary to build Great Commission culture? In this equipping session, we will discuss developing a vision for the greatness of God and his mission in the world that inspires our church members to reach the nations with the Gospel at home and around the world.

Rev. Marcos Ortega received his Masters of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and has earned a certificate from the Arrow Leadership Program. Before being called to be the Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Marcos was a Planting and Lead Pastor in upstate New York. While in the Philadelphia area for seminary, Marcos served at Langhorne Presbyterian Church as the Director of Discipleship and Contemporary Worship. Her currently serves on the EPC World Outreach Committee and helped write the Pastoral Letter on Racial Lament and Hope. Marcos has been married to his wife Erin since 2009 and they have two daughters, Aria and Gabriella. In his down time, he loves sports, movies, books, trying new foods, traveling to new places, and robust conversations with friends.

Evaluating the Great Commission Effectiveness of Your Church’s Investment in Local Outreach & Global Missions

TEAM: Church Health and World Outreach
Speaker: TE Stefan Bomberger, RE Wes Peterson

Join Dr. Wes Peterson, Executive Pastor at HOPE Church in Richmond, VA, and Rev. Stefan Bomberger, Senior Pastor at Manoa Community Church in Philadelphia, PA, for an honest and engaging conversation about the highs and lows of outreach ministry. With a combined 24 years of vocational ministry experience, Wes and Stefan bring a wealth of insight from local and global ministry contexts. Together, they’ll share compelling stories of when ministry thrived and candid reflections on moments it fell short—unpacking the lessons they’ve learned along the way. United by a deep passion for the global Church and its mission to fulfill the Great Commission, Wes and Stefan aim to equip and encourage leaders facing the challenges of ministry. Come prepared to learn, laugh, and leave with new perspectives to strengthen your own ministry journey.

Rev. Stefan S. Bomberger, Pastor of Manoa Community Church, has been dedicated to pastoral ministry since 2004. Under his leadership, Manoa won the Bart Hess Award for Church Vitality in 2022. He has also served as Broward County Director for First Priority, overseeing evangelistic clubs in public schools, and is a board member of the Delaware County Gospel Network. Stefan is Church Health Coordinator for the EPC, aiding churches in evangelism and revitalization. He holds a B.S. from Drexel University and a Master of Divinity from Southern Seminary.

Dr. Wes Peterson has over 20 years of executive leadership experience in churches and para-church organizations. He led the OneVerse campaign for Wycliffe Bible Translators, raising millions for Bible translation, and as Director of Church Engagement at Samaritan’s Purse, he oversaw 100,000 churches and $20 million in annual donations. Wes has served on ministry boards, led fundraising seminars, and pastored churches nationwide. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Columbia International University, an MBA from Taylor University, and a B.A. from Moody Bible Institute. Wes and his wife, Jama, have a passion for leadership development and church impact.

Go Out and Bring Them In: Reaching Families with Disabilities

TEAM: Effective Biblical Leadership and Church Health
Speaker: RE Michelle Munger

In this session we will explore the hopes and realities associated with welcoming a person with disabilities and their family. More than a quarter of our US population falls into this category. Each participant will leave with at least three tangible ways to help their church, no matter its size, be a place where anyone can feel they belong

Michelle is a Ruling Elder at Englewood Presbyterian Church in the Coastal Mid-Atlantic Presbytery. She is a Speaker and Disability Ministry Consultant with At The Kings Table, and even an award-winning author. Michelle holds a B.A. in Family Development from American Military University, a Masters in Religious Education from Liberty Theological Seminary, and is pursuing a D. Min. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Her ministry passion stems from her personal experience as the mother of two non-speaking autistic men and an active-duty military lifestyle. Living medieval history, crafting, puzzles, and online multi-player games help her relax.

Gospel Effectiveness In Times Of Church Transition

TEAM: Church Health
Speaker: TE Bill Rasch

We live in a time of great cultural change. In this season, facing the transitions created by leadership departures and retirements is both daunting and mission critical. We’ll explore what effective Biblical leadership might look like at: “such a time as this”.

Bill Rasch, Director of Transitional Pastors for the EPC, has dedicated his ministry to helping churches navigate critical transitions and engage their communities with the Gospel. With pastoral experience in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio—often in bi-vocational roles—he has also served as a Church Development Coordinator, consultant, coach, and trainer. Passionate about biblical leadership and sacrificial service, Bill believes every church can make a vital impact.

Impactful Preaching: The Art of Application

TEAM: Effective Biblical Leadership
Speaker: TE Zack Eswine

Applying the sermon challenges the best of us. How do we help persons see the implications of Scripture for their lives at home, at work, in the neighborhood, and within the questions and challenges our cultures present us? God has supplied the resources in his word to equip us, most centrally in our Savior Jesus. When Jesus says, “You’ve heard it said but I say to you” we find genuine help for any who seek to preach and teach him.

International Partnerships in God’s Global Purpose

TEAM: World Outreach
Speaker: TBD

Nations that were once receiving missionaries are now sending missionaries. Indigenous believers in unreached, hard to reach places often value partnership in evangelism, church planting, discipleship, and theological education. How has God uniquely created, crafted, and called His church to work together to see His name glorified among the nations? What are the challenges, and what are the blessings?  How do we forge healthy God honoring partnerships? Join us as our international panel takes us through this thought provoking discussion.

International Panel of Speakers

Small Church, Big Impact: Reimagining Your Church for Gospel Effectiveness

TEAM: Church Health
Speaker: Mike Griffin and TE Bob Stauffer

Smaller Churches have big opportunities to missionally engage with their community. The goal of this seminar will be to creatively discern God’s leading in order to further the gospel effectiveness of the church even if that means pivoting into a new season of celebrating, replanting, or adoption.

Pastor Mike has served as Pastor/Head of Staff at Sierra Presbyterian Church since 2012, following roles at Pacific Beach Presbyterian and First Presbyterian Church of Santa Rosa. He holds a Master of Divinity and a Doctorate from Fuller Seminary and has worked as the Church Health Coordinator for the Presbytery of the Pacific Southwest. Passionate about proclaiming God’s love, outreach, and supporting those dealing with grief, he also helped launch a Fellowship of Christian Athletes club and coached Cross Country and Track.

Bob Stauffer, a Pittsburgh native, has dedicated his life to ministry and outreach. Ordained in the inaugural class of the EPC, he spent four years planting Carmel Valley EPC in San Diego before serving 26 years as pastor at Tabernacle EPC in Youngstown, Ohio. He later became a regional director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the EPC’s National Outreach Director, focusing on church health, planting, and crisis assistance. With over 34 years as a high school baseball and strength coach, Bob is deeply committed to mentorship.

Using Demographic Data to Reach Your Community for Christ

TEAM: Church Health, Church Planting, and World Outreach
Speakers: Andy Gilman, Tom Ricks, and Rob Antonucci

In the realm of Church Planting in local communities or World Outreach to unreached people groups in far away places, demographics cease to be numbers on a page. The information found in a study of a region or local becomes actionable data for gospel outreach. The demographics study is the story of a group of people that inhabit those spaces we seek to take the gospel. While these two gospel priorities regularly interact with and employ demographics for gospel outreach, many of our established churches have existed in communities for decades. Those communities in many ways have transformed around our churches; often so gradually that it goes unnoticed as it pertains to our local church outreach efforts. In this seminar we will draw from the principles of using demographics in church planting and world outreach for improved local church outreach.

Rob, originally from Maine, felt called to cross-cultural ministry and moved to Central Asia with his wife, Iris, in 1992. They served with Evangelical Presbyterian Church and Frontiers, focusing on Christian NGO development and church planting in a war-torn region until 1998, and again from 2002-2012. Rob now consults for EPC/WO on ministry among Muslims and supports the Presbytery of the East’s work in the North Caucasus. He runs the Dr. J Christy Wilson Jr Center for World Mission at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, helping students engage in global missions. Based in Wenham, MA, Rob is a Doctor of Ministry candidate, and he and Iris remain actively involved at North Point EPC in Danvers.

Andrew Gilman (Rev. MDiv) has served as pastor of FPC in Greenville, Ohio since 2019. He and his wife, Jenna, cultivate life with their two children, Sienna, and Shane. Pastor Andrew has spent time in vocational ministry since the mid-1990s. He was lead pastor of an English-speaking congregation in South Korea for 5 years before moving back to the US to finish seminary. He was ordained in the EPC shortly after his graduation from Covenant Theological Seminary in 2017. He has been the Church Health Coordinator of Midwest Presbytery since 2022. His hobbies include playing the guitar, baseball, board gaming, and traveling. Andrew also enjoys reading and talking about church history and reformed theology.

Tom Ricks holds a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from Covenant Theological Seminary. From 1990 to 1998, Tom served in various roles at Central Presbyterian Church EPC in Clayton, Missouri, including Associate Pastor of Outreach and Evangelism and interim Lead Pastor, under EPC founding father Andy Jumper. In 1998, he helped plant Greentree Community Church in Kirkwood, Missouri, serving as Lead Pastor until 2022. When he then transitioned to EPC National Director of Church Planting. 

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NETWORK LUNCH | TUESDAY 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Julie Hawkins

Jeannie Martin

Bill Fuller

Julia Crawford

Michael J. Kruger

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NETWORK LUNCH | WEDNESDAY 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Jeannie Martin

Ward Church

Keon Abner

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NETWORK LUNCH | THURSDAY 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Rufus Smith

Walter Taylor

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