Small Group Trader Lunch

Jason Williams | Eric Willis | Rick Wisner

The SmallGroupTrader.com “Trading Spaces” lunch will feature small group leaders from all over the country...
a fun, fast-paced way to deliver and discuss new ideas about small groups. Think Speed Dating...with a twist.

DAVE AUDA

Dave Auda is a Pastor of Developers at Mosaic in Los Angeles, C.A. He has served in this dynamic community of faith, love and hope for over 30 years. Dave has helped poineer and champion Small Group communities since 1977. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from California Baptist University, and a Master of Theological Studies from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.

DALE BACON
Dale Bacon is Pastor of Small Groups at Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, CA, helping to create a transformational small groups culture. He practices a blend of mentoring styles ensuring that his leaders are equipped at church and in the “real” world

GREG BOWMAN
Greg has a passion for building ministries that connect people to Christ and community. Greg has been actively involved in group ministry for thirty years and has been on staff as Group Life Pastor for four different churches. For six years he worked at the Willow Creek Association as Brand Architect for Group Life ministries. He has served nationally and internationally as a trainer and consultant helping churches build group life ministries. Currently Greg serves as Spiritual Formation Pastor at West Ridge Community Church in Elgin, IL.

Follow: @gregmbowman

JANE DANIEL
Jane Daniel is currently the Director of Small Groups for McLean Bible Church’s Tyson Campus. Her previous ministry history includes Campus Crusade staff, and church staffs in South Carolina, Louisiana and California. Jane is married to Ken and step-mother to 3 grown girls. Her ministry passion is connecting people and helping them find a true community where they can grow and serve.

ALAN DANIELSON

Alan was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico and became a follower of Christ at age 15. Alan is married to Stacey and they have three beautiful sons. He served as the Central Team Leader for LifeGroups at LifeChurch.tv in Edmond, Oklahoma where His ministry included over 1000 Small Groups on 14 campuses in 6 different states. Now Alan is an independent consultant, speaker, and the Editor-at-Large for SmallGroupTrader.com.

Follow: @alandanielson

BILL DONAHUE
Dr. Bill Donahue, Ph.D., has served as a Pastor, Co-Founder of a Non-Profit Leadership Organization, Educator, Consultant and Executive Coach to organizations and leaders worldwide. For 18 years he was Director of Leader Development & Group Life for Willow Creek Community Church and the Willow Creek Association where he designed the leadership development strategies and resources for staff and volunteer leaders alike. He is a popular conference speaker, prolific author and strategic voice in areas of leadership development, community life, small groups and team development.

Follow: @bdonahue80

MATT GRAYBILL
Matt Graybill is the Community LIFE Director for LCBC (Lives Changed By Christ) in Lancaster and Harrisburg, PA. His role is to provide leadership to the Life Groups at LCBC and train, support, and appreciate their leaders. With his team, he helps build community inside and outside the church walls. Matt is surrounded by a great staff who are committed to life change.

JAMES GROGAN
James is the executive teaching pastor at eastlakechurch.com, a growing multi-site church of more than 6,000 in San Diego. He has worked in local church ministry for 15 years, with much of that time devoted to spiritual formation and group life. James serves as a point person for the purpose driven small group network, and consults regularly with churches in the areas of group life and discipleship.

MARK HOWELL
In addition to serving at Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park, IL, Mark is the founder of SmallGroupResources.net, helping churches across North America launch, build and sustain healthy small group ministries. With over 25 years in ministry, Mark has served in a number of roles. In addition to planting a church, he's also served as an Associate Pastor on several teams and Small Group Pastor at Fellowship of The Woodlands and Lake Avenue Church. With four years on the consulting staff at Lifetogether he's had the privilege of working in ministries around the country.

Follow: @markchowell

RICK HOWERTON
Rick is one of the unheralded leaders in the small group movement. Having gone on and taken groups on the journey himself his passion for groups is creating a contagion. This guy honestly believes that small groups can and will change the world. Rick has been a small group pastor and senior pastor. In 2003 Rick planted The Bridge, a church built around healthy small groups.

Follow: @rickhowerton

TREVOR JOY
Trevor Joy is the Lead Groups Pastor at the Village Church just outside of Dallas, Texas. Upon graduating from Texas A&M he and his wife Rachel served in a national college ministry for two years and then a church plant in Frisco, Texas for three years before God called them to move to The Village Church to join in building biblical community here. Trevor and his wife have one child, Addison Rebecca Joy.

Follow: @tjoy0521

NATE KEELER
Nate Keeler is a graduate of Philadelphia Biblical University and is currently pursuing further seminary education. Before his role as Campus Pastor of Frontline Prince William, he had a lead role in overseeing Small Group Ministry at McLean Bible Church in Tysons Corner, VA. While there Nate helped launch a new small group paradigm to reach a wider demographic and increase leadership recruitment and development. Nate is passionate about biblical leadership development, creating community, teaching and assisting other churches to launch small group ministries. Nate is married with two boys and lives in Sterling, VA.

Follow: @natekeeler

MAC LAKE

Mac Lake has been the Leadership Development Pastor at Seacoast Church in Mount Pleasant, S.C. since 2004. He and his wife Cindy have three children and reside in Mount Pleasant. Mac grew up in West Virginia and is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and Dallas Theological Seminary. He served as the founding and senior pastor of Carolina Forest Church in Myrtle Beach, S.C. for seven years. Mac's passion is growing and equipping leaders to do the work of the ministry.

Follow: @maclake

ERIC METCALF

Eric Metcalf is the Small Groups Champion for Community Christian Church and NewThing. He provides leadership for the small group directors at each of its nine locations across Chicago and influences small group philosophy and product throughout the NewThing Network Churches. Eric is also the NewThing Leadership Resident Director, where he leads a team that recruits, develops and releases lead planters and lead arts planters to start new, reproducing churches/sites.

Follow: @newthingnetwork

WILL PAVONE
Will Pavone is the small groups director at Frontline, a ministry of Mclean Bible Church, in the Washington D.C. area. His personal mission is to shepherd people’s hearts towards a fuller understanding of the gospel through inspirational teaching and leadership. Will is passionate about connecting people to authentic, biblical community where they can be encouraged, equipped, admonished and cared for. Will has a ThM from Dallas Theological seminary and is also a worship leader/artist and songwriter. Will and his wife Carrie live in Northern VA with their 3 children.

BEN REED
Ben serves on staff at Grace Community Church in Clarksville, TN. His role is to shepherd and equip existing small group leaders, in addition to recruiting new ones. He is excited to see what God is going to continue to do in Clarksville, and how He’s going to use Grace Community Church to impact this community with the Gospel.

Follow: @benreed

SPENCE SHELTON
Spence is the Small Groups Pastor at the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC. His role at the Summit consists primarily of two aspects. The first and most important is shepherding existing small groups towards spiritual health and maturity. The second is expanding the small group ministry through recruiting and training new leaders. God continues to burden Spence with the desire to see the people of the Summit, and of RDU, truly and lastingly transformed by the power of the gospel in its application to their lives.

Follow: @spenceshelton

KEVIN STILLEY
Kevin Stilley is resourcing guru for small groups at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas and teaches history at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His devoted wife, Susan, loves him even though he has been known to forget her birthday and their wedding anniversary. He spends a significant amount of time chasing their five (soon to be six) children, and an equal amount of time hiding from them.

Follow: @kevinstilley

ERIC WILLIS
Eric Willis is the Lead Community Pastor at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Carrollton Texas; a northern suburb of Dallas. He oversees the staff of small-group pastors who implement the GroupLife ministry of the church. Eric has served at Bent Tree since 2003. Eric is also Founder/President of Reclaim Leadership; a ministry of encouragement to Christian leaders which infuses hope and biblical perspective for staying the course of ministry in the midst of crisis. He and his wife, Jennifer, have five sons, two dogs, and nothing breakable in the house; it’s already been broken!

Follow: @reclaimleaders

JASON WILLIAMS
Jason is the Small Groups Pastor and Transformation Team Leader at Chase Oaks Church in Plano, TX. He oversees a dynamic Life Group ministry of almost 2,000 people in which every group is actively engaged in serving the North Dallas community on an ongoing basis. Having ministered in the business and technology sectors prior to transitioning to full time ministry, Jason maintains a passion for equipping people for effective workplace impact.

RICK WISNER
Rick Wisner provides leadership over the areas of community and connecting at Watermark Community Church in Dallas. He has served in this area at various churches for the past 17 years. He has been married to his wife Tanna for 16 years; they have three children andlive in Richardson, Texas.