A Massachusetts native, Erik moved to Nebraska with the Air Force, and it was there that he heard the gospel for the first time and was converted. Soon after becoming a Christian, ministry became a driving priority for Erik. After serving as a pastoral intern and associate pastor, he was sent out to plant Emmaus Bible Church in Omaha, NE. In 2018, he came back to New England to serve as the Senior Pastor of Redeemer. Erik is a frequent contributor to several publications including Tabletalk, 9Marks, Desiring God, and Crossway. His blog, Ordinary Pastor, which he’s written since 2006, is hosted at The Gospel Coalition. He's the author of Chasing Contentment: Trusting God in a Discontented Age, Is Hell for Real?, and He Is Not Ashamed: The Staggering Love of Christ for His People. Erik enjoys spending time with his wife Christie, and their six children, and one grandchild.

David Mathis serves as a senior teacher and executive editor at Desiring God, and is a pastor at Cities Church in St. Paul. Mathis currently resides in Minneapolis with his wife and four children. His most recent book, Workers for Your Joy: The Call of Christ on Christian Leaders (Crossway, 2022), considers the nature, calling, and work of local church leadership.

Jonathan Parnell is the lead pastor of Cities Church in Minneapolis-St.Paul, a church he and his team planted in 2015. He also serves as the Send Network’s City Missionary in the Twin Cities, where he works to encourage fellow pastors and train church planters. He is the author of Mercy for Today: A Daily Prayer from Psalm 51 (2020), Never Settle for Normal: The Proven Path to Significance and Happiness (2017) and coauthor of How to Stay Christian in Seminary (2014).

A graduate of Bethlehem College and Seminary, he previously worked on the content team at desiringGod.org where he’s written hundreds of articles over the years. He and his wife, Melissa, live in the Twin Cities with their eight children.

Ryan Griffith (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Dean of the Classical Christian Honors College at University of Northwestern (Saint Paul, MN). In addition to his love for building and strengthening Christ-centered institutions, Ryan’s is passionate about equipping men and women to walk deeply with Jesus and display his glory in the home, church, and world. When he’s not plotting a project, he loves reading, spending time with friends, backcountry camping, and chasing his dog, Copper. Ryan serves at Cities Church (Saint Paul, MN).

Adam is the Lead Pastor of Aletheia Church in Boston, MA and married to the love of his life, Hope. About 4 months after marriage, they were unexpectedly called into ministry, moving them to Edinburgh, Scotland to help plant two new churches. In 2010, they planted Aletheia Church in Boston.

Completing Master’s Degrees at Reformed Theological Seminary (M.A.) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Th.M.), and a D.Min from Gordon-Conwell, he will soon complete his Ph.D. at The University of Aberdeen. In 2019, he joined the faculty of Every Nation Seminary as a Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies.

He presently resides in the Boston area with his wife, Hope, and their four children, Alanna, Nora, Cole, and Wyatt.

Mikella Van Dyke is the founder of Chasing Sacred, a ministry that provides resources to help women study the Bible and grow closer to God. She has a master’s in practical theology from Regent University, where she fell deeply in love with the process of hermeneutics and wanted to share her knowledge and love of the Word with others. She co-leads Bible studies at her local church and enjoys speaking and sharing God’s Word at conferences and retreats. She came out with her first two books this year: Chasing Sacred: Learn How to Study Scripture to Pursue God and Find Hope in Him, and Chasing Sacred Bible Study: A Five-Week Journey through Colossians and Philemon.