Nathan Lorick

Executive Director for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention

Dr. Nathan Lorick is currently the Executive Director for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. His desire is to see a movement of God in this generation through intentional evangelism, missions, discipleship and church planting. He has served the Southern Baptist Convention on the nominating committee as well as a trustee for the International Mission Board. He is a graduate of East Texas Baptist University and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned both a Masters of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degree. He also holds an Honorary Doctor of Divinity from Louisiana Baptist University. He and his wife, Jenna, live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with their 4 children.

Nathan has been a guest on media outlets such as “Fox and Friends,” “Glen Beck Radio,” “American Family Radio,” “Tony Perkins Live,” and many others for taking a stand for religious liberty. His passion to see culture transformed by the power of the gospel sets him apart in his generation. Nathan is the author of Dying to Grow, the initiator of the 1Cross app that shares the gospel in over 60 languages, and creator of the “Game Plan” evangelism initiative. When not traveling, Nathan enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, reading, and running.

J.J. Washington

Personal Evangelism Director, North American Mission Board

J.J. Washington grew up in Clearwater, Florida, and Stone Mountain, graduating from Stone Mountain High School in 1999. J.J. earned a football scholarship to play cornerback for the North Carolina State Wolfpack from 1999–2003. During the Fall of 2000, against their rivals, the University of North Carolina, he tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his left knee, which ended his season. During the rehabilitation period following surgery, JJ was introduced to a local pastor at a campus Bible study in the summer of 2001. J.J., seeking someone to pray over his knee, ended up having a life changing experience when Rev. David Cameron shared the Gospel with him.

On that night, J.J. repented of his sin and personally accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord, and the rest is history! J.J. quickly got involved with several campus ministries, and within one year (2002) he began to preach the Gospel on the campus, and led devotionals and Bible studies on a weekly basis. In 2003, with one year of eligibility remaining, J.J. decided to forgo his last year of football, graduate with his B.A. in communications, and enter the ministry.

J.J. began his ministerial career as a youth pastor before eventually serving as a children’s pastor also, and he played a strategic role in two church plants. J.J. later joined the staff at First Baptist Church, Woodstock, as a mentee first and then later as an assistant pastor before transitioning to pastor their sister church, Woodstock Church, Austell, through 2019. J.J. was eventually recruited to join the church strengthening team for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board (GBMB) in January 2020. J.J. began his service at the GBMB as the missions consultant for the West Central region and eventually became the evangelism catalyst for the entire state of Georgia. Additionally, during this same period, J.J. became an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Luther Rice Seminary & University, where he teaches pastoral ministry courses. In the summer of 2022, J.J. transitioned from the GBMB to the North American Mission Board (NAMB) where he currently serves as the National Director of Personal Evangelism. J.J. is a licensed and ordained minister, and he holds a master of arts degree in leadership (Luther Rice Seminary), a master of divinity degree (Luther Rice Seminary), and a doctor of ministry degree (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary). J.J. has been married to his wife, Tamara B. Washington, for 19 years, and they have two children, Jairus, age 15, and Jayla, age 11.

Dr. Anthony Hurst

Part-Time Professor at Cairn University, Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and Adjunct Professor at Eastern University, St. David, Pennsylvania

Molested at 8 years old by a male, Dr. Anthony Hurst adapted to his pain by living a homosexual life. Fully delivered by the Lord 44 years ago, he now serves as a part-time professor at Cairn University in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and an adjunct professor at Eastern University’s Campolo College of Graduate & Professional Studies in St. David, Pennsylvania, and has been happily married for over 42 years. Hurst’s story is included in Dr. Larry Anderson’s recently published book, The Pastors’ Diaries: An Intimate Look Behind the Pulpit.