DR. JOHNATHAN GRAY began serving as the president of the Georgia Baptist Foundation in April of 2014, after serving at the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation for over five years as its founding executive director. While serving as president/CEO in Georgia, he has led the Foundation to create two subsidiary organizations in addition to implementing several strategic ministry initiatives. Christian Timber Reserve, LLC was created to encourage, facilitate, and manage gifts of timber. Ministry Trust, LLC was created to provide institutional quality biblically screened investment management solutions to other Baptist and non-Baptist evangelical ministries. By the end 2021, the Foundation’s assets under management had increased over $185 million dollars since Dr. Gray began his service with the Foundation. In addition to his role at the Foundation, Dr. Gray has enjoyed the privilege of serving as the national stewardship catalyst for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee and the president of the Stewardship Development Association. Dr. Gray has a passion to help Baptists make an eternal impact for God’s kingdom through the life, influence, and blessings given by God to each believer. He often shares his passion for stewardship and generosity through preaching and teaching. He has earned business administration degrees from Truett McConnell College and Samford University, and a master of divinity degree in biblical languages  from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2007, he earned a doctor of ministry degree from the Billy Graham School of Missions, Church Growth and Evangelism at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Prior to serving the Lord in foundation ministry, he served as a pastor in Georgia and Texas. He is married to Andrea Folsom Gray, and they have four children, Myra Ashley Woodard, Emilyn, Ellie, and Landon.

PASTOR RYAN DAY, a native of Westminster, Maryland, came to Wrightsdale Baptist Church as lead pastor in 2020. Prior to Wrightsdale, he served at Grace Baptist Church in Hazleton, Pennysylvania, for twenty years. Ryan, who currently serves on the Baptist Resource Network’s Executive Board, is a 1998 graduate of Baptist Bible College (now Clarks Summit University) and 2005 graduate of Baptist Bible Seminary. In 2024, he earned a doctor of ministry degree from Baptist Bible Seminary. When he’s not ministering at the church, enjoying time with his family, or making plans for the next trip to Ocean City, Maryland, Ryan enjoys presidential biographies, the Baltimore Ravens, and playing guitar in praise and worship settings. He loves Lancaster County and is excited about “Accelerati ng Kingdom Movement” within the BRN. Ryan is married to Heather, and they have five sons and one daughter.

REVEREND DR. THOMAS DAWSON JR. has served as the senior pastor of the SOAR Church since 1998. For the prior 13 years, Dr. Dawson held a data control analyst title at the Philadelphia Stock Market and various management titles in the Automatic Data Processing Brokerage Division, providing client support to major brokerage firms such as Merrill Lynch, Smith Barney, and Prudential. He successfully managed an entire department with a $1.5 million budget. Under the leadership of Dr. Dawson, the SOAR Church has become multicultural and has grown from a membership of 50 to over 500 and serves residents in three counties. His vision has enabled the SOAR Church to impact its community, assisting in Autism Awareness, providing coats, school supplies and food, sponsored school trips for local schools and provided financial support to families in need. Dr. Dawson is a current member of the FBI Citizens Organization, Coalition for a Safe Community, Cape May Regional Health Alliance, Cape May County Mental Health Alcohol & Drug Abuse Board, Cape May County Healthy Community Coalition, and Atlantic/Cape May Vicinage Diversity Inclusion, and Community Engagement Committee. Dr. Dawson has received numerous awards and honors for his industry, leadership, support of philanthropic activities, and community service. His greatest value is spending time strengthening his bond with the Lord, his family, and his community.

PASTOR RICKY WILSON, a native of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, holds a master of theology degree in pastoral leadership from Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas, and a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Cheyney State University. His ministry experiences includes being Christian Education Director and Director of Follow-up and Discipleship for new converts (New Life in Christ Fellowship Coatesville, Pa.) and executive pastor of business and finance, church elder and instructor at Institute on Church Growth, and Concord Center of Biblical Studies (Concord Missionary Baptist Church Dallas, Texas under the leadership of the late Dr. E.K. Bailey). Ricky Wilson has also served as a guest instructor at various churches, workshops and conferences on the subjects of church planting, biblical leadership and discipleship. In 1995, Pastor Wilson, along with his wife and children and a small group of committed believers, planted a church, Christian Faith Fellowship. God continues to add to the church. In July of 2004, Pastor Wilson was privileged to travel to Zambia, Africa, to participate in the Zambian Pastors Conference, teaching on the subject of small group ministry. He has returned to Zambia yearly since then. He has established a partnership with three churches in Zambia with three churches in USA in order to impact three communities, (Ndola, Lusaka, Livingstone) with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On January 6, 2013, Pastor Wilson began broadcasting “Progressing Faith” over WFIL 560 AM and WYYC 1250 AM.

PASTOR DAN NOLD has been married to Lynn for over 30 years. As much as he loves the church, his most significant and enjoyable achievement has been partnering with Lynn to love and develop their four kids and now one kid-in-law: Sarah, Katy (and her husband, Josiah), Jake and Josh. Dan and Lynn came to State College, Pennsylvania, and Calvary in 1994. He earned a bachelor of science in speech communication from Bethel University and a master of divinity from Bethel Seminary. Currently, Dan is working on his doctor of ministry in organic leadership development. Dan loves to preach, develop leaders and strategize about the future of the church in the Centre region. Years ago, Dan read a prayer by A.W. Tozer that he still prays consistently, “Lord make me a man to whom you can entrust Your glory.” That’s Dan’s greatest purpose. “I long to become a man to whom God can entrust His glory—a living display of the gospel of grace—to inflame a passion for Christ in others.”

REV. PAUL J. JAMES is a native and lifelong resident of the Greater Philadelphia area. He graduated from Overbrook High School’s Music Magnet Program and The Settlement Music School, which led to an Opera Theater Scholarship to Temple University. While studying Vocal Performance at Temple, Rev. James obtained several scholarships and awards for musical excellence. After receiving his call to the ministry, Rev. James continued his education under scholarship at Cairn University where he received dual degrees in Bible and Music. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Cabrini College. Rev. James enjoys a very diverse and broad-based ministry to God’s people. He is a dynamic pastor-teacher, songwriter, seminar and workshop speaker and budding author. Rev. James’ goal in ministry is to inspire God’s people to reach their full potential in Christ. Rev. James serves as a missional leader on the global stage. He is an active ministry consultant deeply committed to empowering and mobilizing pastors and spiritual leaders around the world through prayer, counseling, fathering, and mentoring. He also serves as guest chaplain for several NFL teams. Rev. James is the Board Chairman of CareView International (CVI) and Lead Pastor of CareView Community Church in Lansdowne, Pa. He is the loving husband of Christine and the devoted father of their three adult children – Jason, Joshua, and Janine.

DEBBIE KNOWLES, BRN Woven Women assistant, is passionate about the Lord, and is blessed to be a pastor’s wife, mom and “Mimi.” She and her husband, Tom, have served at Christian House Baptist Chapel since 2008. They’ve been engaged in Kingdom work for nearly three decades, including a beloved eight years of youth and drama ministry. Debbie has a heart for broken women who struggle with low self-esteem and the destructive choices born of it, which is a large part of her personal testimony. She loves to see the Lord’s transformational work as women receive Christ and recognize themselves as His beautiful masterpieces. Debbie focuses her free time on personal Bible study, family, home, painting/sketching and perennial gardening.

DAVID LUDWIG is the associate director of church health and discipleship. He has served on the staff of small, medium, and large churches in Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania, and has served as an intentional interim pastor (transitional pastor) and now trains other men to serve in this role. He holds a master of arts degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and a bachelor of science degree in religion from Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia. David has been providing training and has been consulting churches for nearly twenty years. He is also a coach and has received coach training from the North American Mission Board, certified as a Leadership Development Coach by Leader Breakthru, and certified as a Spiritual Leadership Coach by Blackaby Ministries International. He is recognized and credentialed as a Certified Professional Christian Life Coach by the International Christian Coaching Institute (ICCI). David is a member of the leadership team for the SBC National Revitalization Network and locally assists pastors and churches in taking their next steps toward revitalization by walking them through the steps of BRN’s Transformation Pathway. David is passionate about disciple-making and leadership development and intentionally seeks opportunities to equip pastors and leaders to develop healthy, disciple-making churches.

DR. LARRY ANDERSON, BRN director of church health and evangelism, graduated from Philadelphia Biblical University (Cairn Univ.) with a bachelor of science degree in Bible with an emphasis in Christian leadership. He has received his master of divinity and his doctor in ministry degrees from Biblical Theological Seminary (Missio Seminary). Dr. Anderson became the senior pastor of Great Commission Church in September 2004. In his time as pastor, he has been blessed to see the congregation grow spiritually and numerically. One of his noted achievements, to date, has been his ability to follow the voice of God in 2008 by leading GCC from the suburbs of Montgomery County into the city of Philadelphia to impact their new community with a holistic gospel. Dr. Anderson joined the staff of the Baptist Resource Network in April 2013. He is director of church health and evangelism, overseeing 350 churches throughout Pennsylvania and South Jersey. Dr. Anderson is the co-author of the book, “Ask Me Why I’m Not In Church,” released in June 2019 on Westbow Press, “The Pastors’ Diaries,” released in July 2022, and the recently released, ““The Pastors’ Wives’ Diaries: A Visible Journal of The Invisible Journey.” Dr. L.A. is the founder and host of “Athens Avenue the Podcast” birthed in spring 2023.

DR. BARRY WHITWORTH has been in ministry for over 30 years, serving as a mission pastor, associate pastor, church planter, pastor, interim pastor, transitional pastor and planter, church planting strategist, lead church planting catalyst, church planting director, and now executive director. Before his calling as Executive Director of the Baptist Resource Network in February 2017, he was a church planting missionary and served the Multiplying Churches Team Leader for the BRN.

RON LARSON, who has a career in planting and growing new congregations in the mid-Atlantic, stepped back into a lead pastor role helping First Baptist Church, Delaware, once the largest Baptist church in the state, revitalize, after many years of severe decline. This revitalization started just before Covid struck but the church is experiencing renewed growth and unity post-Covid.

Ron’s first plant located in a small-town of 1,200 residents grew to nearly 1,300 attendees while helping to plant seven churches during that season of his ministry. He has served as president of the West Virginia State Convention and served as a member of the SBC Executive Committee as well as many other SBC organizations. Ron has also worked with the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware developing a Parent Church Network across those two states. Ron served as executive director of One Hope Ministries International, a weekend feeding ministry for school-age children. He has written for several publications and is a speaker on Kingdom expansion, church growth, personal renewal, and disciple-making reproduction across the U.S. His morning spiritual devotional called “Daily Jolt” is read by several thousand people daily. Ron also leads “Raw Reality,” a leadership development and deployment think tank.

JOHN COPE is founder and senior pastor of Keystone Fellowship and Send Network Director of Pennsylvania & South Jersey for the North American Mission Board. Having grown up in Arkansas, John served as a student pastor there for 16 years before taking on an executive pastor role in Lakeland, Florida. A few years later God began drawing him toward church planting, then one phone call from a connection in Pennsylvania opened the door for ministry in the Northeast. As John puts it, “I almost said no, but God said yes.” He and his family moved to Pennsylvania in 2001 and began meeting in a home for Bible study. Since then Keystone Fellowship has continually grown and are currently in the process of planting their eighth church.

John has a bachelor of arts degree in education from Ouachita Baptist University and a masters in religious education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. John has written and developed a highly effective church-growth, small group development tool titled, “Nothing But Net.” Based on Jesus’ outreach and ministry examples laid out in the book of Acts, this strategy has been used very successfully in every ministry that John has been involved in. He has taught and trained thousands of ministers and lay people in this biblical approach to ministry through empowerment of lay leadership in fruitful small groups. John is married to his wife, Teresa, and they have three adult sons — two of whom are church planters and a third who serves as an international missionary in the Middle East.

DANIEL L. ARTER serves as a teaching pastor at Grace Reformed Baptist Church (Philipsburg, Pa.) and as a chaplain in the Central Pennsylvania region where he lives with his wife, Natalie. His heart in ministry is intentional discipleship with an apologetics focus for the purpose of building up the local church and breaking down the barriers that prevent unbelievers from considering Jesus Christ. Find more information about him and his ministry at www.danielarter.com.

REV. BRIAN MUSSER is the Baptist Campus Minister at Drexel University. He has served in this role since 2005. He is a commissioned self-funded (support-raising) missionary through the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention in partnership with the Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania/South Jersey and is appointed to Drexel University through the former Greater Philadelphia Baptist Association. Brian was ordained to the Gospel ministry though the First Baptist Church of North East, Maryland on June 6, 2010. Campus Ministry is a unique ministry and Brian engages his University in a unique way. The Church is consistently asking, “How do we pass on the Christian faith to the next generation?” The university searches for how to invite spirituality and religion to be part of the academic process. Students wonder how to connect what they believe with what they do and who they are. On Drexel’s campus, Brian stands at the crossroads of all these questions; encouraging churches to understand and intelligently engage future generations with the truth of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, helping the university to see the spiritual questions that are implicit in the knowledge industry and challenging students to think deeply about their hopes and dreams in light of their beliefs. At Drexel, Brian serves as a University-recognized campus chaplain in the office of Spiritual and Religious Life, a part of Student Life. Although not an employee of Drexel, he has earned the respect of the University administration. In the larger Christian community, Brian speaks often on topics that connect churches, young adults, missional engagement, academic institutions. Brian and his wife, Jennifer, are the parents of daughter, Julianna, who is a college student at Temple University. They enjoy anything related to amusement parks and roller coasters. Actually, Jennifer is more of a feet on the ground, hold the bags kind of person. But they truly love the family time together. Jennifer is actively involved in community and church engagement and administrative support to help raise awareness about Brian’s ministry on campus at Drexel.

BUFF MCNICKLE, who planted Grace Falls Church in the Atlantic County region of southern New Jersey, is BRN’s director of network development and compassion ministries. During the infancy of his new church plant, he and his core team interacted with those who suffer from substance abuse and homelessness, began a ministry of care and compassion to dancers in the local adult entertainment industry, provided afterschool homework help to school children at a local community center for low-income families, built relationships with the workers at a local soup kitchen, and for a small group of believers, encouraged them to break out of their traditions of being mere pew-fillers to be inspired and prepared to carry the gospel into their circle of influence. Pastor Buff was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. Since 1992, he has served in full-time ministry as a student pastor, family pastor, and minister to singles and young adults. He also served at the University of Mobile as director of student leadership and Involvement where he helped build and develop leadership among the students throughout various organizations on campus. Buff and his wife Cissy are blessed to be the parents of three beautiful adopted children, twin boys, Jedidiah and Judah, and Arabella. They live in Absecon, New Jersey.

REV. GERALD A WATERS SR.  is the church planter and first installed pastor of the Proclamation Community Church. He has local roots in Philadelphia where he was born and raised. His educational journey has included Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia, Lincoln University in Chester County Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia Biblical University (currently Cairn University) in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. He has a bachelor of science degree in Bible and a masters of arts degree in religion from Cairn University. Pastor Waters was also elected to the Who’s Who of Colleges and Universities while enrolled at Cairn University. Prior to being called to plant Proclamation Community Church, Pastor Waters served as and associate minister at Proclamation’s sending church, Ezekiel Baptist Church under the leadership and mentorship of Pastor Brian D. King Sr. Pastor Waters still serves Ezekiel as a member of the church Elder Board. Rev. Waters was joined in holy matrimony to the beautiful Symara Waters (formerly Murdock) at Ezekiel Baptist Church on May 7, 2005. They have three children; two wonderful sons Gerald, Jr., Jordan and the princess of the family Symone. God has truly blessed him with a remarkable family that gives him immense support in all of his ministerial and life endeavors.

MICHELE PILLA is founder and executive director of Wholesome Riches, a Christian non-profit organization in Camden, N.J., that exists to support students’ physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being in schools. Wholesome Riches works with students, families, school partners, and community leaders to identify needs in the community and build a system of support to meet those needs. Wholesome Riches then develops local strategic partnerships to address these needs with a special emphasis on emotional and spiritual support. Michele, a former health and physical education high school teacher, is also a pastor’s wife, married to Matt Pilla, pastor of Keystone Fellowship, South Jersey. Together, they have five children.

TIM WALKER is the lead pastor of Restored Church in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, an urban church that he planted with a team of friends in 2012. Tim has led Restored to be actively involved and known as a church “In the City, For the City.” Since launching, Restored has never had a Sunday without new people, they have now celebrated 175 baptisms, and they are pursuing a disciple-making movement that saturates their city and region with the gospel. Tim also serves on the USA National Leadership Team for The Timothy Initiative, a global disciple-making, church-planting movement focused on multiplying disciple makers, leaders, and churches to the 4th generation. Tim met and married his wife Heather at Restored. They’ve been married for nine years, have two girls, Lucy and Emily, and they love living on mission together as a family in Wilkes-Barre.

BRENNAN COUGHLIN is a church planter and preaching pastor at Fellowship CrossPoint Church in Chesterfield, New Jersey. After eleven years teaching history in New Jersey public schools, Brennan felt called to full-time ministry. He earned a master of divinity degree from Biblical Seminary in 2011, and in 2014, he and his wife, Kathleen, moved with their four children to Trenton to start a church in the capital city. The church began with a team of twenty sent out from Fellowship Community Church in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, and they met weekly in the Coughlins’ home for Bible study. In the spring of 2015, worship services began in a living room, and eight months later, the church outgrew the space to worship at the Trenton War Memorial. Brennan longs to honor the Lord with his life by bringing glory to God through the proclamation of the gospel in his home, in Chesterfield, and in the surrounding communities. He recently received his doctor of ministry degree in expository preaching from The Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Brennan deeply loves his family. Brennan and Kathleen met while supervising seventh period study hall and have been married 12 joyful years. They are blessed with six beautiful children.

GREG DRAYER’s passion is taking the Word of God and finding its intersection with meaning, context, and application. Growing up in inner-city Erie, Pennsylvania, he has many experiences that led him into a life of ministry and serving his community. His desire for learning brought him to seminary where he earned a master of divinity degree and in the next few years, he will begin working towards his doctor of ministry degree. Greg has served as a volunteer in para-church youth organizations, as a youth director and pastor, and now pastors at Rolling Hills Church where for the past nine years he has had the pleasure of leading the congregation through multiple changes to its governance, through a capital campaign, and developed many new ministries and opportunities for reaching out to their community. In addition to serving in the local church, Greg has also had a hand in training new church planters in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and also serves with the Baptist Resource Network, where he is a church health consultant.

PASTOR WES WINEBARGER grew up in North Carolina and at a young age received a call to live out Romans 15:20-21 by devoting his family to sowing Jesus into communities worldwide that have never seen the gospel dwelling among them.

He has been married to Lexi for over 10 years, and they have been blessed with three children, Silas, Ella, and Eden. After working as a worship arts pastor for over a decade, God called the Winebarger family to Pittsburgh to plant Travelers Church.

Wes holds a bachelor of science degree in worship and music studies with a concentration in leadership, a master of arts in religion degree  in biblical studies, and a master of arts degree in ethnomusicology. He completed his thesis on how to share the gospel through the arts in Pakistan under a pseudonym. He enjoys fire pits, woodworking, fly fishing, hiking, soccer, and cooking.