2027 FutureChurch
Conference Speakers
Shane Pruitt
Shane serves as the National Next Gen Director for the North American Mission Board (NAMB). He and his wife, Kasi reside in Texas, with their five children. He has been in ministry for over 20 years as a denominational leader, church planter, lead pastor, and student pastor. Shane is also a traveling communicator, evangelist, and Bible teacher. Every year he speaks to over a hundred thousand people about the good news of Jesus Christ. He is the author of two books, 9 Common Lies Christians Believe and Calling Out the Called. As well as, two Bible Studies, called Revival Generation and Not My Jesus. Shane is also one of the hosts of The Gensend Podcast.
Dr. TJ Tims
T.J. is a prominent pastor-theologian known for his collaborative leadership style, his emphasis on cultivating a "gospel culture," and for making complex Christian teachings deeply relatable to modern congregations. Lead Pastor of Immanuel Nashville, he and his wife, Jessica, have four young kids. He holds a PhD in systematic theology from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and a theology Master’s degree from King’s College London. T.J. is also a Council and Board member for The Gospel Coalition (TGC) for which he contributes articles, videos, and theological commentary.
Barnabas Piper
Barnabas is a speaker, and Assistant Pastor at Immanuel Church in Nashville. He is widely recognized for his transparent writing and speaking regarding the unique pressures of Christian culture, the realities of wrestling with faith, and the pursuit of grace. Barnabas grew up as a the kid of a famous pastor-theologian, graduated from Wheaton College, and spent 14 years working in Christian publishing. He loves investing in and shepherding his church, welcome hurting and weary people and walking with them to Jesus. He is the author of several books and lives in Nashville with his wife and three children.
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Mark Vroegop
Mark is the president of The Gospel Coalition. He served in pastoral ministry for nearly 30 years, since 2008 as the lead pastor of College Park Church in Indianapolis. An award-winning author, Mark books, include ECPA 2020 Christian Book of the Year Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament and Waiting Isn’t a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life. Mark is married to Sarah, with four children and four grandchildren. Mark recently hosted TGWC w with 9,000 attendees, and is leading the recent pastor’s seminar “Leading Your Church Thru Change.”
Mark Vroegop
Mark is the president of The Gospel Coalition. He served in pastoral ministry for nearly 30 years, since 2008 as the lead pastor of College Park Church in Indianapolis. An award-winning author, Mark books, include ECPA 2020 Christian Book of the Year Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament and Waiting Isn’t a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life. Mark is married to Sarah, with four children and four grandchildren. Mark recently hosted TGWC w with 9,000 attendees, and is leading the recent pastor’s seminar “Leading Your Church Thru Change.”
Trillia Newbell
Trillia spent seven years serving as the Director of Community Outreach for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention. Her writings on issues of faith, family, and diversity have been published in the Desiring God, True Woman, Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and more. She’s also been a commentator for World Radio (a sister platform for World Magazine). Author of the kids’ books Creative God, Colorful Us and God’s Very Good Idea, A Great Cloud of Witnesses, If God Is For Us, as well as the books Sacred Endurance: Finding Grace and Strength for a Lasting Faith, Enjoy: Finding the Freedom to Delight Daily in God’s Good Gifts, Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves (2015) and United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity.
Her writings on issues of faith, family, and diversity have been published in the Desiring God, True Woman, Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and more. She was also a commentator for World Radio (a sister platform for World Magazine). Trillia has spoken at numerous conferences, churches, women’s retreats, colleges and seminaries, including True Woman, The Gospel Coalition Women’s conference, Southeastern Theological Seminary, and more.
Dr. Rachel Gilson
Rachel is a gifted thinker who speaks in relatable terms. She serves on the Theological Development and Culture leadership team with CRU. Her writing has appeared at Christianity Today, Desiring God, and The Gospel Coalition, and she regularly speaks at churches and on college campuses. She is the author of Parenting Without Panic in an LGBT-Affirming World and Born Again This Way. She lives in the Boston area with her husband and daughter.
Jake Meador
Jake is an American author, essayist, and cultural thought leader who serves as the editor-in-chief of Mere Orthodoxy, a publication dedicated to Christian renewal and faith in the public sphere. Also a contributing editor at Plough, contributing writer at The Dispatch, and board member at the Davenant Institute, his In Search of the Common Good: Christian Fidelity in a Fractured World won a Book of The Year Award from Christianity Today as a book most likely to shape evangelical life, thought and culture. In it, he diagnoses society's decline as the failure of the story of modern liberalism, leading to our collective loss of meaning, wonder, and good work. Jake recovers these by grounding them in a different story - rooted in the deep tradition of the Christian faith. Exploring the role Christians can play by focusing on local communities, healthy institutions, and neighborly love to help heal deep social and political divisions, he is also the author of the groundbreaking book What Are Christians For?: Life Together at the End of the World. With an earned BA in English and History from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Jake wrote his thesis on Kwame Nkrumah, a mid-20th century Ghanaian politician. A fourth-generation Nebraskan, he enjoys following Premier League soccer, college football (go big red), and spending time with his wife and four kids.
Dr. Alastair Roberts
Alastair is widely recognized for his work in biblical theology, hermeneutics, Christian ethics, and the study of scripture-wide patterns. With an earned PhD at one of the world’s most prestigious universities, (Durham University), Alastair is a prominent British theologian, author, and biblical scholar. He is the co-author of Exodus: Tracing Themes of Redemption Through Scripture and other titles. He has written for Logos Bible Software, Plough Quarterly, Desiring God, Mere Orthodoxy, The Gospel Coalition (TGC), and Political Theology Today. Alastair works for both the Theopolis Institute and the Davenant Institute and participates in the Mere Fidelity and Theopolis podcasts.
Susannah Black Roberts
Susannah is a prominent American journalist, editor, and political theologian who writes extensively on Christian humanism, post-liberalism, and the common good. She is best known for her editorial leadership at major religious and intellectual publications, particularly as Sr. Editor at Plough Quarterly. Susannah advocates for a political philosophy focused on directing society toward virtue, justice, and the common good. She is co-editor of the book Breaking Ground: Charting Our Future in a Pandemic Year (Plough, 2022). More recently, she has lectured on maintaining personhood, simple human practices, and Christian discipleship in the age of AI. She appears across publications including First Things, The American Conservative, Front Porch Republic, and The Human Life Review. She earned her BA from Amherst College and an MA from Boston University.
Susannah has served as a tall ship schooner deckhand, a student newspaper advisor, and head of communications for a maritime education nonprofit. A native Manhattanite, Susannah is married to the prominent theologian Dr. Alastair Roberts. The couple divides their time between New York City and the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom.
Dr. O. Alan Noble
Alan is widely recognized for his work in cultural apologetics, helping contemporary Christians navigate modern secularism, mental health, and technology. He is an author, cultural theologian, and apologist who serves as an Associate Professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University. Dr. Nobel’s books include On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living, a deeply personal book that blends theological wisdom with practical guidance on enduring the severe mental and emotional toll of anxiety and depression. Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age, You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World and To Live Well: Practical Wisdom for Moving Through Chaotic Times. He serves at the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics as a resident fellow, is a regular contributor to Christianity Today, First Things, and The Gospel Coalition, also writing cultural commentary for secular outlets like The Atlantic and Vox. He is co-founder of Public Faith, advocating for healthy Christian political engagement. Dr. Noble resides in Oklahoma City with his wife, Brittany, and their three children.
Dr. Keith Plummer
Keith is dean of the School of Divinity and professor of theology at Cairn University in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. He previously served on the pastoral staff of Our Saviour Evangelical Free Church in Wheeling, Illinois. He is published in Scrolling Ourselves to Death: Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age, Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstructing Doubt in the Church, and The Digital Public Square: Christian Ethics in a Technological Society. He also hosts the defragmenting podcast. He and his wife have two children.
Tony Shepherd
Tony communicates deep theological doctrine in terms people can enjoy, relate to and actually practice. After serving as a pastor in Virginia for nearly a decade, Tony and his family returned to Nashville in 2022, where he joined the Immanuel church staff and now serves as an Assistant Pastor. You can find Tony around the city taking photos and meeting new people, in the studio listening to Christian hip-hop, or at Immanuel, giving a gospel welcome to everyone! Tony lives in Antioch with his wife, Jolene, and their six children.
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futurechurch conference 2027
