SPEAKERS

Andrew Peterson

For more than twenty years now, Andrew Peterson has been about the business of quietly changing lives in four-minute increments. In the city of Nashville where music is an industry in the same way fast food, generic greeting cards, and bumper stickers are industries, Peterson has forged his own path, refusing the artistic compromises that so often come with chasing album sales and radio singles and creating instead a long line of songs that ache with sorrow, joy and integrity, and that are, at the end of the day, part of a real, ongoing, human conversation.

In 2019, Andrew celebrated the 20th anniversary of his Behold the Lamb of God project with an anniversary tour and brand new album recording.

Andrew is also the award-winning author of The Wingfeather Saga, a four-book fantasy adventure series for young people, described as The Princess Bride meets The Lord of the Rings. The books have been re-released as collectible hardcover editions through Penguin Random House in 2020, and production is underway on the first season of the animated series through Angel Studios (The Chosen), set to release in 2022.

Andrew’s second nonfiction book, The God of the Garden: Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom, will release in October of 2021, which follows his 2019 memoir, Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making, book released through B&H Publishers.

In 2008, driven by a desire to cultivate a strong Christian arts community, Andrew founded a ministry called The Rabbit Room, which led to a yearly conference, countless concerts and symposiums, and Rabbit Room Press, which has published over thirty books to date.

Andrew and his wife, Jamie, have been married for over 24 years and have three children, Aedan, Asher, and Skye. In his spare time Andrew keeps bees, builds dry stack stone walls, gardens, draws, and sleeps.

Beau Johnson

Beau Johnson is an experienced individual who has held various leadership roles in different organizations. Beau has a strong background in pastoral leadership, organizational development, and educational support. With their background in education and leadership, Beau has been instrumental in facilitating the growth and development of teams and communities in various settings. Beau is currently working with The Table Group, a Patrick Lencioni Company, as an Engine and has a keen focus on aligning strategy with daily actions to increase clarity and effectiveness.

Carey Nieuwhof

Carey Nieuwhof is a best-selling leadership author, speaker, podcaster, former attorney, church planter, and founder of The Art of Leadership Academy. With over 30 million downloads, the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership podcast ranks in the top .1% of podcasts in the world. Carey writes one of the church world’s most widely-read leadership blogs, and his content is accessed millions of times a year by leaders from around the world.

Carey's mission is to help church leaders identify and scale their next growth barrier. As such he is uniquely positioned to deliver actionable keynotes focused on burnout, eliminating toxic culture, personal growth, and future church trends. He has extensive experience helping organizations lead through change, develop high-capacity teams, and deepen their personal growth as well as their health.

Carey’s best-selling book, At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor, is designed to help every leader escape stress and begin living at a sustainable pace. It has been profiled by Forbes, Fast Company, and Business Insider. His other books include Didn't See It Coming: Overcoming the Seven Greatest Challenges That No One Expects But Everyone Experiences and Lasting Impact: 7 Powerful Conversations That Will Help Your Church Grow. He holds degrees in law, theology, and history.

Carey and his wife Toni live north of Toronto, Ontario, and have two grown sons.

Charity Gayle

Charity houses a powerful voice that has a fresh yet reminiscent sound. She loves the Lord with fierce faith and was raised in a home full of worship and has been involved in ministry since she was a child. Growing up in Buffalo, NY, Charity was a part of a culture that thrives in the spirit of unity while celebrating diversity. Surrounded by worship and the Word, her love for praising Jesus through music grew as she did. One of her favorite things growing up was watching her mom direct choir at Thursday night choir practice and by the age of 16, she was directing multiple choirs herself. “I love harmonies in gospel music. I think about Heaven being full of every type of voice from every nation, finding their part and praising God at the top of their lungs together around the Throne.”

She spent two years in Nashville in 2014 and 2015 where she fell more in love with the art of writing songs for the church. Focusing on bridging the gap between worship and gospel music, she has authored songs like ‘Amen’ ‘Psalm 100 (Enter In), Cleansed and ‘New Name Written Down in Glory’. Her first record, ‘Lord, You are my Song, debuted at #1 in the Christian and gospel genre in January 2018. She recently released her sophomore album ‘Endless Praise’ in Sept. 2021, featuring the song ‘Thank You Jesus for the Blood’ also debuting at #1.

Most recently, Charity received a Dove Award for the song ‘Benediction (As You Go)’ on Selah’s record, “Firm Foundation”.

Charity lives and leads worship with her husband, Ryan Kennedy. They are cultivating a movement for 24-hour prayer and worship called GatherHouse, and are continuing to write and spread the gospel in the US and globally.

Gary Oliver

Dr. Oliver is a Senior Facilitator with the Going Deeper Together ministry.

He is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in both Arkansas and Colorado, Clinical Fellow & Approved Supervisor with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and for over 30 years has served on the Executive Board of the American Association for Christian Counseling (AACC).

His five earned degrees include a B.A. from Biola University, an M.Div. from Talbot Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

He has over 30 years experience in individual, premarital, marital and family counseling, has spoken and provided professional training both nationally and internationally, including speaking to over 1,000,000 men in live venues for Promise Keepers.

He is also Professor Emeriti of Psychology & Practical Theology, Founding Executive Director Emeriti of The Center for Healthy Relationships and namesake of the Oliver Endowed Chair of Marriage, Family & Relationships at John Brown University.

He has authored over 20 books and 350 professional and popular articles. He has spoken and provided professional training nationally and internationally, including speaking to over one million men in live venues for Promise Keepers. Gary teaches, trains, and consults with church and parachurch ministries, community organizations, corporations, seminaries, Christian colleges, and universities nationally and internationally to strengthen relationships and help folks go deeper in their relationship with Christ.

Josh Burnett

Josh is the founder of Church.Tech, an AI company that is developing AI-based tools for churches. Founded in March 2023, Church.Tech is a trusted resource for the ethical and practical implementation of AI tools within the local church.

Ken Edmundson

Ken is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Edmundson Group–a firm widely recognized for its unique skills in the development of business strategy, leadership and management training programs, financial measurement and marketing tools, as well as individualized employee assessments that are used in many mid-market companies across many sectors.

With over 40 years of combined experience as a business owner and coach/trainer of executives, Ken provides great insights and understanding of a person’s background, experience, education, and more all factor into the results they see from their career, guiding individuals through an engaging curriculum to discover their full potential.

Patrick Lencioni

Pat is one of the founders of The Table Group and is the pioneer of the organizational health movement. He is the author of 13 books, which have sold over 8 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages.

As President of the Table Group, Pat spends his time speaking and writing about leadership, teamwork, and organizational health and consulting with executives and their teams.

Prior to founding the firm in 1997, Pat worked at Bain & Company, Oracle Corporation and Sybase. Pat lives in the Bay Area with his wife and four boys.

Kristi Hall (Wives Session)

I grew up in a small town near Asheville,NC. I grew up with the grandest of beauty all around me. This is where my heart began to appreciate art in many ways.

I now live near Memphis, TN with my college sweetheart and our three boys. My art chapter took a turn when our youngest started kindergarten. I remember that day all to well, I dropped him off for kindergarten and came home and cried.. I felt as if I had no purpose. I had poured myself into these three little people and now they were going to school. Surprising, (smile)...they still need me. I do feel though, that God used this as a time to teach me to rely on Him, to step out in faith and trust Him completely. He continues to teach me this..

I believe God’s Word is used powerfully in our lives and I love tucking away His promises in a piece of art. I love equally working with you to create your unexpected palette for your space, and redefining the beauty of your home. Art should compliment your space yet speak to your heart!

I have claimed Psalm 90:17 as the verse over my art... "May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us, establish the work of our hands for us..yes..establish the work of our hands."