John Piper
John Piper is the Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, where he first sensed God's call to enter the ministry. After studying at Fuller Theological Seminary and the University of Munich, he spent six years teaching Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 he accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem. He has written over thirty books, and more than twenty-five years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. Together with his people, John is dedicated to spreading a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.
Mark Driscoll
Mark Driscoll is the founder and preaching pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, one of America’s fastest-growing churches in one of the nation’s least-churched cities. He and his wife, Grace, started Mars Hill in 1996 as a Bible study in their living room; since then it has grown to over six thousand people. He is the co-founder and president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network and founder of theResurgence.com. He’s also written a number of books, including The Radical Reformission, Vintage Jesus, Death By Love, and Vintage Church.
Matt Chandler
Matt Chandler is the lead pastor of The Village Church in Highland Village, Texas. He describes his six years at The Village as a re-planting effort where he was involved in changing the theological and philosophical culture of the congregation. The church has seen a tremendous response, growing from 160 people to over five thousand. Alongside his current role as lead pastor, Matt is involved in church planting efforts locally and internationally. Before coming to The Village, Matt had a vibrant itinerant ministry for over ten years where he spoke to hundreds of thousands of people in America and abroad about the glory of God and beauty of Jesus. His greatest joy outside of Jesus is being married to Lauren and being a dad to their two children, Audrey and Reid.
Ed Stetzer
Ed Stetzer 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 a seminary professor at the Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and has taught at fifteen other seminaries. Ed's primary role is President of LifeWay Research and Lifeway’s Missiologist in Residence. His books include Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age, Breaking the Missional Code, and Comeback Churches.
Eric Mason
Eric Mason is the co-founder and lead pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Mason received his Masters in Theology form Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM 2000) as well as a Doctorate degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (DMin, May 2007). Dr. Mason is known for articulating and proclaiming the gospel with clarity, passion, and authority at churches and conferences nationally. He also serves on the board of Reach Life Ministries. In addition, to serving at Epiphany Fellowship, he is an adjunct professor at Biblical Theological Seminary. Dr. Mason resides in Philly with His wife (Yvette) and two sons (Immanuel and Nehemiah).
Bryan Chapell
Bryan Chapell is president and professor of practical theology at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. Chapell was a pastor for about ten years before joining the faculty of Covenant Seminary in 1985. Dr. Chapell is a renowned preacher, teacher, and speaker who speaks at churches, colleges, seminaries, and conferences in the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of numerous books, including Praying Backwards: Transform Your Prayer Life by Beginning in Jesus’ Name, Holiness by Grace, and Christ-Centered Preaching.
Daniel Akin
Daniel Akin is the president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Dr. Akin brings expository messages to students in chapel, visits student missionaries on the field in closed areas, leads the seminary in continued growth and commitment to its mission, and teaches preaching and theology during semesters. He is a well-known speaker and the author of several books, including God on Sex and commentaries on the Song of Solomon and the Epistles of John. He is also the editor of A Theology for the Church.
J.D. Greear
J.D. Greear is the lead pastor of The Summit Church, a rapidly growing church of three thousand in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. He did his degree work in Christian and Islamic theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC, after having served in a Muslim context with the International Mission Board. J.D. is committed to the local church and church planting, having undertaken the goal of planting a thousand churches in the next fifty years. Currently, they have twelve plants around the world, seven of which are in Muslim contexts. He has authored a number of publications, including the forthcoming Breaking the Islamic Code.
Tyler Jones
Tyler Jones is the lead pastor of Vintage21 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Tyler and his wife Kimberly moved to the Raleigh area in 1997 after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He worked with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at North Carolina State five years before starting Vintage21. After attending many churches in the area, Tyler and Kimberly noticed an absence of younger people at these churches. After much prayer and guidance, they felt God's call to begin a church in downtown Raleigh. Vintage21 began five years ago with a small group of people, and has been growing ever since.
Vision
Christ promises to build the Church, and that no force will prevail against it. Yet, the local church has been heavily battered in battle. Sadly, churches in America are in steady decline, with over 4000 closing their doors and 500,000 members leaving each year--never to return. This is not what the Lord desires. The Apostle Paul tells us that " . . . through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places". The local church is called to lift-up Jesus so that all the world might see Him. The local church is called to make known the Gospel and to be the vehicle of redemption for the world. Led by local churches, Advance09 is a conference committed to the resurgence of the local church for the glory of God. Our aim is to equip attendees with the Gospel so that the local church might become all that Jesus calls it to be. At this conference, we hope to ensure that on our watch and in our time we honor Jesus and see the resurgence of the local church. Advance09 is open to anyone: pastors and lay-leaders; church members and regular-attenders. We invite you to join us in this Great Cause.
