Conference Speakers
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James (Jimmy) T. Draper preached his first sermon in 1950 at age 15. Over 56 years of ministry Draper led eight churches, in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, and most recently was president of LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, Tenn., which he served from 1991-2006. “Only a precious few have ever surfaced throughout the history of our convention like Jimmy Draper,” Dallas-based pastor and evangelist Bailey Stone, who was preaching when Draper, the son of a Baptist preacher, surrendered to the ministry, said in a LifeWay news release upon Draper’s retirement. It was at First Baptist Church of Euless where Draper, and his wife, Carol Ann, put down their deepest church roots. During a 16-year pastorate, the Drapers shepherded a flock and raised a family. Draper returned to Texas upon retirement and continues his preaching ministry while serving as president emeritus of LifeWay. He is the author of 26 books, including “The Church Christ Approves,” “Foundations of Biblical Faith” and “Authority: The Critical Issue for the Body of Christ.” |
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Tony Evans is the pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas. His preaching is broadcast daily on more than 500 radio stations and he is the founder of The Urban Alternative, which seeks to bring spiritual renewal in urban America through evangelical churches. The first African-American to earn a doctorate from Dallas Theological Seminary—an honor he received in 1982 after earning a master of theology at DTS in 1976—Evans has taught evangelism, homiletics and black church studies at DTS. He also has served as a chaplain for football’s Dallas Cowboys and the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. A father of four children and grandfather to six children, he was named “Father of the Year” in 1989 by the Dallas Father of the Year Award Committee Group. The author of 23 books, his latest, published by Multnomah, is titled “Dry Bones Dancing.” |
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At age 22, having just graduated from college in June of 1956, Jerry Falwellreturned to his hometown of Lynchburg, Va., and started Thomas Road Baptist Church with 35 members. Today, Thomas Road Church has 24,000 members. Within weeks of founding a church, Falwell began the Old-Time Gospel Hour, a daily local radio ministry and a weekly local television ministry. Nearly five decades later, this Old-Time Gospel Hour is seen and heard on every continent except Antarctica. In 1971, Liberty University was founded. Today, over 21,500 students from 50 states and 80 nations attend this accredited, liberal arts university. In June 1979, Falwell founded the Moral Majority, a loosely organized conservative political lobbying entity. Moral Majority chose California Gov. Ronald Reagan as “their candidate” for President in 1980, registered millions of new voters and set about to inform and activate a “sleeping giant.” Though perhaps better known outside his hometown for political activism, Falwell’s personal schedule confirms his passion for being a pastor and a Christian educator. He often states that his heartbeat is for training young people for every walk of life. |
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Roy Fish serves as the interim president of the North American Mission Board in Alpharetta, Ga., and distinguished professor of evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, where he has taught evangelism for more than 41 years. Fish is a native of Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas. He earned both an M.Div. degree and Th.D. degree from Southwestern Seminary, where he has taught and mentored thousands of Southern Baptist pastors.He has written five books and numerous articles, primarily on evangelism, and has been a speaker for conferences, conventions and services across North America and around the world. He has been honored with several awards, including an honorary doctorate from Southwest Baptist University and the Charles G. Finney Award by the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education. back to Empower Evangelism Conference main page |
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Terry Fox, pastor of The Summit Church in Park City, Kan., is well known in Kansas and the Midwest for battling in the trenches for Judeo-Christian values in the public square.Fox’s leadership in 2004-05 played a critical role in pressuring the Kansas legislature to place a constitutional marriage amendment on the ballot. It passed with 70 percent of the vote in April 2005. He has been involved on other issues, including the ongoing battle in Kansas over evolution standards in science curricula. Fox, a former Texas pastor who served 10 years as pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Wichita, formerly served as chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board and currently is chairman of NAMB’s presidential search committee. |
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As a young college student, Steve Hale accepted God’s call into vocational evangelism. Although his careerpath waspointed toward sports journalism, God had other plans. For the past 25 years, Steve Halehas been following opportunities of service and striving to “trace the hand of God in validating God’s call and faithfulness in [my] life,” Hale said. As head of the Steve Hale Evangelistic Association, Hale is staff evangelist at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Ga. Hale has preached at the Pastor’sConference of the Southern Baptist Convention, a campus revival for Southwestern Seminary, Georgia’s State Evangelism Conference and at the “Real Evangelism Conferences.” |
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Johnny Hunt is pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Ga., where he has served since 1986. He is a frequent guest preacher at evangelism and pastors’ conferences. A Lumberton, N.C. native, Hunt is a graduate of Gardner-Webb College, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Immanuel Baptist Theological Seminary. His church has helped in more than 60 church starts since 1987. In his first year as pastor, First Baptist Woodstock baptized 318 people. The church also added 268 people by statement that year. Hunt came to faith in Christ as a young man after hanging out in a pool hall through his teenage years and later surrendered to the gospel ministry. back to Empower Evangelism Conference main page |
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Jay Lowder was reared in a home where both parents were believers, but his exposure did not lead to faith and commitment to Jesus Christ until years later. Like many young people, Lowder turned from God and sought contentment and peace in the destructive vices of which many students fall prey. After coming to saving faith, Lowder witnessed several hundred teens respond to the call to accept Jesus Christ. During the invitation, Lowder said he knew that God was calling him to spend the rest of his life preaching the truth that had transformed his own life. His assembly program in public schools, called “Crossroads,” has been heard by more than 1 million students. His preaching ministry, Jay Lowder Harvest Ministries, has taken him across America preaching Christ in more than 250 crusades and church revivals. Lowder lives in Wichita Falls with his wife, Melissa, and two children. |
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Dwight McKissic began a church in 1983 in his garage. Today, Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington now averages 1,800 on Sundays. McKissic's vision is to continue developing a multi-cultural ministry that will house a K-12 school, retreat and communications center, and develop ministries to reach and mentor fatherless children. In addition to mentoring church planters, he is the author of several books including "Beyond Roots: In Search of Blacks In The Bible," "Beyond Roots II: If Anybody Asks You Who I Am" and "Moving From Fear to Faith." McKissic has served as a guest lecturer for schools such as Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he serves as a trustee, Criswell College, University of Minnesota, Emory University, Southern Illinois University, Wheaton College, and Harvard. |
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Herb Reavis. Jr. was born and raised in the Texas panhandle. He is a graduate of the Moody Bible Institute, Milligan College and the Southern Baptist School for Biblical Studies. He became the senior pastor of North Jacksonville (Fla.) Baptist Church in 1991. Reavis is seen throughout North Florida and Southeast Georgia on the weekly broadcasts of “Reach Out,” televised on the regional Warner Brothers affiliate, local cable ACTS Network and the Sky Angel Satellite Network.He is also heard daily on the “Reach Out” radio program broadcast on WROS in Jacksonville and WAGI in Gaffney, S.C. |
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Rick Stanley became a Christian two months after his stepbrother, Elvis Presley, died in 1977. Stanley later married the girl who led him to Christ, Robyn. In May 1986, Stanley graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also attended Criswell College on a scholarship from the late W.A. Criswell. Since 1978, Stanley has spoken in more than 4,000 churches, 800 secondary schools and hundreds of correctional facilities, sharing the hope he gained through faith in Jesus Christ. Stanley’s mother, Dee, married Vernon Presley in 1960. Soon, Stanley and his brothers were moved to Graceland to live with the Presley family. Stanley has written three books and has appeared on television shows such as 20/20. Good Morning America, Geraldo, Larry King “Live,” and “Fox: On the Record” with Greta Van Sustern. back to Empower Evangelism Conference main page |
