December 27-29 Gatlinburg 1

Josh McDowell

As a young man, Josh McDowell considered himself an agnostic. He truly believed that Christianity was worthless. However, when challenged to intellectually examine the claims of Christianity, Josh discovered compelling, overwhelming evidence for the reliability of the Christian faith. After trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, Josh’s life changed dramatically as he experienced the power of God’s love. After his conversion, his plans for law school turned instead to plans to tell a doubting world about the truth of Jesus Christ. After studying at Kellogg College, Josh completed his college degree at Wheaton College and then attended Talbot Theological Seminary, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Master of Divinity degree. Well known as an articulate speaker, Josh has addressed more than 10 million young people, giving over 24,000 talks in 118 countries.

Nick Hall

Nick Hall is the founder and chief communicator of PULSE, a Twin Cities based ministry at the center of the largest student-led prayer and outreach efforts in America today. Nick's burning desire is to impact this generation with the revolutionary message of Jesus Christ. Traveling as a youth communicator since 2001, he speaks to hundreds of thousands of students each year while also serving on the executive board for the US Lausanne Committee and the student advisory team for the Billy Graham Association. Nick is married to his best friend Tiffany. They make their home in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St Paul.

Johnny Hunt

Dr. Johnny M. Hunt is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, GA. His dynamic and evangelistic messages have made him a very sought after speaker worldwide. Since coming to First Baptist Church in 1987, the church has experienced explosive growth. Under Dr. Hunt's leadership, the church has grown from 250 in Sunday School in 1986 to over 5500 currently. In 1996, Dr. Hunt was elected the President of the Pastors' Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention, and was elected the President of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2008. The messages offered in this catalogue should give you some idea why First Baptist Church has experienced such tremendous growth under his ministry. Dr. Hunt, a native of North Carolina, received his education from Gardner-Webb College and the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Hunt has also received honorary doctorates from Immanuel Baptist Theological Seminary, Covington Theological Seminary, and Tennessee Temple University. He has previously pastored churches in Gaffney, SC; Wake Forest, NC; and Wilmington, NC. He married Janet Allen Hunt of Wilmington, NC and has two daughters Deanna and Hollie.

Tom Richter

Tom is a follower of Jesus. Which, at any given moment, means Tom is a pastor, speaker, husband, father and ultimate Frisbee player of average to moderate ability. Tom Richter is the pastor of a church located in the center of the most ethnically diverse county in the United States. This church is called New Hope. New Hope was started in 1997 in an effort to help reach the fantastic, quirky, surprising, delicious, and never dull part of NYC that is the boro called Queens. New Hope does not own a building, and currently meets in a Lutheran Church in the neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens. Check out www.newhopeny.org for more info. And of course, if you are going to be in NYC, stop by!

Sean McDowell

Popular speaker at camps, churches, schools, universities, and conferences nationwide. Sean has spoken for organizations including Focus on the Family, Campus Crusade for Christ, Youth Specialties, Fellow of Christian Athletes and the Association of Christian Schools International. Sean is the national spokesman and a conference speaker for Wheatstone Academy (www.wheatstoneacademy.com), an organization committed to training young people with a biblical worldview. Sean has also appeared as a guest on radio shows such as The Hugh Hewitt Show, Focus on the Family, Point of View, the Frank Pastore Show, the Michael Reagan Show, Converse with Scholars, Stand to Reason, and more.