Activate 2017 is happening Wednesday, September 20, 2017!
Meet Our Activate 2017 Speakers:
Joshua Gagnon
Joshua Gagnon is the founding and lead pastor of Next Level Church as well as the Activate Conference. His wife, Jennifer, and their two boys, Malachi and Nehemiah, have committed their lives to reaching people who do not know Jesus. God has built NLC on his passion, vision, and leadership. Next Level Church began in America's least-churched region of New England and now has locations from Canada to Florida, with more in the works. NLC has been named to the Outreach 100 fastest growing churches in America 3 years in a row and has earned a reputation for its unique ability to reach unchurched people.
He is also a highly sought after conference speaker, leadership consultant, and mentor, who has become known for humility and authenticity both on and off the stage. He is the host of the weekly Joshua Gagnon Leadership Podcast where he shares raw and practical advice with leaders both within the ministry world and in other industries.
Chris Hodges
Chris Hodges is founding and senior pastor of Church of the Highlands with campuses all across the state of Alabama. Since it began in 2001, Church of the Highlands has grown to average more than 38,000 people attending each weekend and is known for its life-giving culture and focus on leading people to an intimate relationship with God.
Chris has a deep passion for developing leaders and planting life-giving churches. He co-founded ARC (Association of Related Churches) in 2001, which has launched hundreds of churches all across the USA. He also founded a coaching network called GROW, which trains and resources pastors to help them break barriers and reach their growth potential. Chris is also the founder and President of the Highlands College, a ministry training school that trains and launches students into full-time ministry careers.
Chris and his wife Tammy have five children and live in Birmingham, Alabama, where Church of the Highlands began. He speaks at conferences worldwide and is the author of Fresh Air and Four Cups.
Jenni Catron
Jenni Catron is a writer, speaker, and leadership expert committed to helping others lead from their extraordinary best. Jenni’s passion is to lead well and to inspire, equip and encourage others to do the same. She speaks at conferences and churches nationwide, seeking to help others develop their leadership gifts and lead confidently in the different spheres of influence God has granted them.
Additionally, she consults with individuals and teams on leadership and organizational health. Jenni is the author of several books including Clout: Discover and Unleash Your God-Given Influence and The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership. Jenni blogs here and contributes to a number of other online publications as well. Outreach Magazine has recognized Jenni as one of the 30 emerging influencers reshaping church leadership.
A leader who loves “putting feet to vision”. She has served on the executive leadership teams of Menlo Church in Menlo Park, CA and Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN. Prior to ministry leadership, she worked as Artist Development Director in the Christian music industry.
Jenni loves a fabulous cup of tea, great books, learning the game of tennis, and hanging out with her husband and their border collie.
Léonce Crump Jr.
Léonce Crump Jr., is an author, international speaker, and the founder and lead pastor of Renovation Church in Atlanta. In 2006, Crump answered God’s call to relocate from Tennessee to Atlanta and begin the process of planting Renovation Church. He details the obstacles he and his family faced and the revelations he uncovered during this process in Renovate: Changing Who You Are by Loving Where You Are (Multnomah Books, Feb. 16, 2016). A champion for the Church’s participation in focused and intentional cultural renewal, Crump is the leading voice of a generation committed to operating as God’s redemptive agents in the earth.
“I hope to inspire you,” Crump says. “I hope you leave these few pages with a renewed sense of your ability to influence and shape culture, your ability and calling to renew this world and promote human flourishing for God’s glory and the common good. I hope you walk away from this book believing that cultural renewal is not only the responsibility of the Christian but also the most freeing way you can turn your quiet longing into discernible action.”
His unique background includes contacts from the world of professional sports and the music industry. At the University of Oklahoma, Crump was an All-American wrestler and defensive end for the Sooner football team; he went on to play professional football for the New Orleans Saints. He has been in ordained ministry for nine years and holds graduate degrees from the University of Tennessee and Resurgence Theological Training Center. He is currently a Master of Divinity student at Reformed Theological Seminary and a member of the Acts 29 church planting network. He and his wife, Breanna, reside in the heart of downtown Atlanta with their two daughters and son.