Collin Outerbridge

Collin and his wife Stacey planted Nona Church with a desire to build a Christ-centered community reflecting the diversity of the neighborhoods that make up their hometown of Central Florida. In the last eight years, Nona has grown from a church meeting in one location to a multisite church gathering in multiple locations, worshipping in two languages. Under his leadership, Nona has been recognized by Outreach Magazine as one of the ten fastest growing churches in America. 

Rachelle Starr

Rachelle Starr is the founder of Scarlet Hope and Freedom Signal, pioneering innovative, gospel-centered approaches to reach and disciple exploited women. A speaker and author of Outrageous Obedience, Rachelle is known for her bold faith, visionary leadership and commitment to meeting women with hope wherever they are.

John Ortberg

John Ortberg is a pastor, teacher, and author.  He has a Master of Divinity as well as a Ph. D. in clinical psychology.  He is a popular speaker on life-change and spiritual formation.  His award-winning books have sold several million copies worldwide.   Currently he leads Become New, an online teaching resource focused on helping people grow spiritually one day at a time. John is a member of the board of trustees at Fuller Theological Seminary, and of the Martin Institute for Christianity and Culture.  His most recent book, STEPS, explores the 12 steps as a life-giving way of life for anyone interested in spiritual growth.

Tim Liston

Tim and his wife, Jane, started New Hope Church in 1989 with no core group. The church ran 75 people in attendance for the first 6 years. By year 10 the church had grown to 1,000. The church now has 6 debt-free campuses and averages over 12,000 people each weekend. Tim is a graduate of Ozark Bible College. He and his wife Jane have three adult children and two grandsons.

Dan Hamel

Dan Hamel is the Lead Pastor of The Creek, where he has served since 2017. His ministry is marked by a deep commitment to discipleship and a desire to preach God’s Word in a way that is both biblically faithful and culturally meaningful. He is also passionate about building healthy, mission-driven organizations. Dan enjoys hunting, fishing, planting trees, and spending time with his wife, Keren, and their three young children.

Bobby Harrington

Dr. Bobby Harrington is founding and Lead Pastor of Harpeth Christian Church (by the Harpeth River, in Franklin, just south of Nashville). He is the founder and point leader of Discipleship.org (Jesus' method of disciple making) and RENEW.org (Jesus' teachings to fuel disciple making). He completed studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, the University of Calgary, Asbury Seminary, with a Master of Theology Degree from Harding University and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has written or co-written over 20 books, and he has published over 300 blogs. He champions the teachings of Jesus and disciple making. 

Greg Curtis

Greg has helped plant 2 churches, served as a Senior Pastor for 17 years, and has served as Director of Assimilation & Guest Services and now Director of Content Development at Eastside Christian Church in Orange County California since 2012.  He developed Eastside's assimilation strategy as it grew into the 2nd fastest growing church in the U.S. in 2017. He is also founder and Head Coach of  Climbing the Assimilayas which helps churches across the US and around the world to connect and grow new people in their congregations.

Jason Smith

Jason Smith is the Next Gen Pastor at Eastview Christian Church and has served in children’s, youth, and family ministry for more than 32 years. He has spent the last 23 years helping lead and develop next generation ministry at Eastview. Jason and his wife, Kim, have three grown children. He enjoys the outdoors, reading, and watching the Chicago Bears.

Executive Assistants of Southeast Christian Church

The Executive Assistant team at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky serves at the senior leadership level of the church. Together, this team of five supports the Senior Pastor, Executive Pastors, and Staff Elders managing complex calendars, coordinating communications, overseeing travel and logistics, and serving as trusted partners to the leaders who set the vision and direction of the church. With a combined depth of experience in high-capacity church administration, this team understands the unique demands of supporting executive-level pastoral leadership and the sacred role an assistant plays in keeping ministry moving forward. They believe that what they do is more than administrative, it's an act of service to the local church and the leaders God has called to lead it. They are passionate about equipping and encouraging fellow church administrators and are honored to host this pre-conference at SPIRE.

Melissa Sandel

Melissa Sandel serves as Executive Director of Ministries at West Side Christian Church in Springfield, IL. With a passion for strategic planning, building healthy teams, and navigating crucial conversations, Melissa is deeply committed to building the local church.

She also facilitates Executive Leader Training Cohorts and development opportunities for executive church leaders through Intentional Churches. Above all, she and her husband, Chris, love parenting their teenagers, Jack and Aly... and cheering on the Fighting Illini.

Mary Tatum

With more than 25 years in ministry, Mary Tatum is passionate about helping churches welcome people of all abilities. A former special education teacher and ASL Interpreter, she leads the Disabilities Ministry at Southeast Christian Church, supporting families, leading teams, and creating inclusive opportunities for kids, teens, and adults. Mary believes every person deserves to be fully seen, valued, and included in the life of the church. Mary lives in LaGrange, KY with her family.

Shane Philip

Shane is the founding Senior Pastor of The Crossing Church in Las Vegas, NV. The Crossing launched in 2000 and has grown to 3 locations in Las Vegas and a global reach with partners in 14 countries. Shane has performed weddings in helicopters with Elvis and in a Castle outside of Paris. He has been briefly detained in Mexico and was given a different last name in Cuba. Shane married his high school sweetheart, Darla, 37 years ago, and they have three children and three grandchildren.

Mark Kitts

Mark Kitts was a founding pastor at a NC church that grew from 0 to 2500 while he was on the lead team.  He was the founder and CEO of a church management software company for 13 years that served over 2,000 churches.  He is now leading at Intulse, a technology partner for churches and businesses.

Taylor Barton

Taylor Barton is the Worship Director at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, where he leads worship teams, develops leaders, and fosters a culture of Christ-centered worship. He is passionate about equipping both leaders and congregations to pursue God’s presence above all else, emphasizing that true influence is formed in private devotion, prayer, and obedience rather than public performance. Taylor focuses on spiritual formation and character before strategy, production, or excellence, while still valuing intentionality and high-quality leadership. He believes impactful worship ministries hold both spiritual depth and practical excellence in tension. Taylor lives in Louisville with his wife, Tara, and their two sons, serving the local church together.

Bart Rendel

Bart has dedicated his life to helping churches reach more people for Christ. His passion for serving churches comes from his upbringing as a pastor’s kid and learning from his parents about the intentionality of reaching and growing people in Christ. His conviction runs deep. Bart served as an executive leader for over eighteen years at Crossroads Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, and Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he and his family remain deeply connected. He and his wife, Catherine, have two children. Bart occasionally plays a round of golf, but he always takes in Kentucky Wildcats games.