Speakers

Jason Burden

Burden, a graduate of Tarleton State University, earned both his Master of Divinity degree and Doctor of Ministry degree from Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary.

He has been pastor of First Baptist Church in Nederland since 2011. Previously, he was pastor of churches in Trinity and Chilton.

In addition to serving two terms as first vice president of the BGCT, he has been moderator of both the Golden Triangle Baptist Association and the Falls Baptist Association.

Jason and his wife Kristi have three children—Hayden, Hallie and Rylie.

Thom Rainer

Thom Rainer is CEO and Founder of Church Answers. They are committed to providing resources, experts and community to guide church leaders through the ups and downs of ministry and church health. Thom Rainer is the former president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources and has written 36 books dedicated to church health and ministry.

Sam Tolbert

Reverend Samuel C. Tolbert, Jr. graduated from the Historic Bishop College formally of Dallas, Texas. He has also received an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Union Baptist College and Theological Seminary, New Orleans, Louisiana, an Honorary Doctors Degree from Christian Bible College, New Orleans, Louisiana, an Honorary Doctorate from Temple Bible College, Cincinnati, Ohio and earned a Master of Divinity from Payne Theological Seminary, Wilberforce, Ohio.

Reverend Tolbert serves as President of Greater St. Mary Community Development Foundation, President and CEO of Strategic Faith Leadership Ministries, President Emeritus of the Louisiana Home & Foreign Missions Baptist State Convention, member of Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention, and President of North American Baptist Fellowship (NABF).

A devout man of faith, Reverend Tolbert has dedicated his life to religious service. He was the former Pastor the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, in Cameron, Louisiana. Currently, Reverend Tolbert is the Pastor of the church he grew up in, Greater Saint Mary Missionary Baptist Church in Lake Charles, LA and has been serving as their Pastor for more than 37 years. Having a heart for missions and doing his part to fulfill The Great Commission in Matthew 28, Dr. Tolbert has organized, lead, partnered and participated in many global missions trips spreading the Gospel of Christ in the Bahamas, Canada, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama,, South Africa, Switzerland and Zimbabwe.

Jordan Villanueva

Jordan Villanueva, former lead pastor of Indian Hills Baptist Church in Grand Prairie, recently became instructor of Christian Studies in Howard Payne University’s School of Christian Studies. He served in student ministry at Grace Temple in Oak Cliff, Primera Iglesia in Brownwood, and First Baptist El Paso. Villanueva graduated from Howard Payne with a Bachelor of Arts in youth ministry and Spanish and from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with the Master of Divinity degree. He will soon graduate from SWBTS with a PhD in church history. He currently serves the BGCT as Second Vice President.

Jason Bryant

Jason is a 2001 graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity with Biblical Languages and is a 1995 graduate of Texas A & M University.

He has been the Western Heritage Consultant/Starter for Texas Baptist since July 2016. Prior to coming to Texas Baptists, he was the planting pastor of Triple S Cowboy Church in Palestine, Texas from 2011 to 2016. Jason was also the planting pastor for 3C Cowboy Fellowship in Salado, Texas from 2006 to 2011. He also pastored First Baptist Church of Charlotte, Texas and North Jackson Baptist Church of Palestine, Texas. Jason accepted Christ in 1996 and began working in the ministry that same year at Montalba Baptist Church.

Jason and his wife/helpmate/partner in ministry have been married since January of 1998. They have three beautiful daughters, Hannah, Abigail and Lily.

Ed Stetzer

Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., holds the Billy Graham Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College, serves as Dean of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership at Wheaton College, and serves as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors and church planters on six continents, has earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates, and has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books. He is Regional Director for Lausanne North America and publishes research through Mission Group.

Stetzer is a contributing editor for Christianity Today, a columnist for Outreach Magazine, and is frequently cited in, interviewed by, and writes for news outlets such as USAToday and CNN. He is also the Founding Editor of The Gospel Project.

His national radio show, Ed Stetzer Live, airs Saturdays. He also serves as Visiting Professor of Research and Missiology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Visiting Research Professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has taught at many other colleges and seminaries. Stezer serves as interim teaching pastor of Moody Church in Chicago and as teaching pastor at Highpoint Church.

David Hardage

David Hardage was elected by the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board to serve as the convention’s executive director in January 2012. Hardage has been pastor of four churches and interim pastor of five churches, is a former Associational Director of Missions and has served as a Development Officer. He has also had the privilege of serving on various Texas Baptists committees and boards. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, a master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City. He is married to Kathleen, and they have two children; John and Rebekah. John is married to Melissa and they have two daughters, Anna Marie and Molly Kate.