We reproduce who we are and what we do—so let’s be intentional!
Transformation starts within and leads to outward multiplication. You are meant to be a Multiplier! It’s in you! The Spirit of Jesus is in you, and Scripture affirms this truth.
You must have the name and contact information for the primary registrant to complete registration. If you are registering additional members of your team but are not yet sure of who will attend, simply leave the email field blank and insert “TBD” in the fields for those additional registrations.
Carey Nieuwhof is a best-selling author, speaker, pastor, former attorney, and podcaster whose work has equipped millions of leaders worldwide. He hosts The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast, which is in the top 0.1% of all podcasts in the world, and is the founder of The Art of Leadership Academy, where thousands of leaders grow every month. Across platforms, Carey’s content reaches more than 3 million leaders monthly, and his books, including At Your Best, Didn’t See It Coming, and the forthcoming AI and the Future Church, offer practical strategies for growth and resilience.
Pastor Dexter Harris is the Lead Pastor and a founding member of Flourish Church, a 2023 church plant in Gary, Indiana. He is deeply committed to serving the NWI community, inspiring others to give of themselves through love and service, for the glory of God and the flourishing of others.
Dexter holds a Master’s Degree from Moody Bible Institute, where he studied Biblical Exegesis and Theology. He is passionate about preaching the gospel with an understanding of its cultural context. Pastor Dex is known for his exegetical and deeply relational sermons.
Previously Pastor Harris served at Bethel Church-Gary; first as Director of Campus Life before transitioning into the Campus Pastor role in 2017. He focused on leading the church through its transitional growth; advocating for reconciliation, justice, and personal discipleship in the Northwest Indiana Region.
Originally from Chicago, Dexter married his high school sweetheart, Ms. Paige. The First Flourish Church Family also have three quickly growing children, Kyla, Dekai, and Lila. Outside of church and ministry, Dexter loves traveling, playing basketball, and spending time with his close-knit family.
Dexter is passionate about sharing the life-giving message of Jesus with all of Northwest Indiana and beyond. Witnessing lives transform as they encounter and commit to God’s greater purpose is Pastor Harris’ greatest reward.
Tara Beth Leach is a pastor, preacher of the Word, and a writer. She speaks widely at conferences, retreats, and universities across America on Women in Ministry, Church Leadership, and the call to be a Radiant Witness. She is the senior pastor of Good Shepherd Church in Naperville, Illinois. She is also the author of Emboldened, Radiant Church, and Forty Days on Being a Six. She also is co-host of a podcast called the Pastor’s Table. And she recently began to co-lead a New Thing Network for Chicago Female Church Planters. She is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University and Northern Theological Seminary. She has two beautiful and rambunctious sons, and has been married to the love of her life, Jeff, since 2006.
Pastor Paco Amador was born in Mexico City and has been pastoring the New Life congregation in Little Village for 17 years. The Little Village version of New Life Community Church is a young bilingual family of faith with multiple services and two sites throughout the neighborhood in English and Spanish as well as a growing violence prevention ministry among many other efforts. “Our focus in Little Village is to be fully immersed in loving every one of our neighbors, serving each other’s needs and demonstrating through our lives the redemptive beauty of Jesus, our King.”
Paco is currently working on a doctoral degree, has run the Chicago Marathon twice, enjoys life with 8 children and bike-riding through the city. Paco and his wife Sylvia have been married for twenty-seven years and can’t imagine a better place to live than Little Village.
Will Chung and his wife Andrea are the founding and lead pastors of Beloved Church in Buena Park, California. They also have three beautiful children, Karis, Kairos and Zoey. The deepest desire of Will’s heart is to live in ever increasing union with God and to help others to do the same through wholistic discipleship.
Ted is a gifted and passionate teacher and leader. For over 20 years, he has had the privilege of planting churches, building teams, and watching God do what only He can do in people’s lives. He currently serves as Lead Pastor of Community Christian Church which includes seven locations across Chicago and hundreds of Micro-Churches around the world, all with one shared obsession: Helping people find their way back to God. Ted is married to Melissa, and apart from giving his life to Jesus, he regards it as easily the best decision he’s ever made. They’re raising three incredible young men who keep them humble, grateful, and constantly entertained.
Derwin L. Gray is the Cofounding and Lead Pastor of Transformation Church, a multiethnic, multigenerational, mission-shaped community in Indian Land, South Carolina, just south of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Gray met his wife, Vicki, at Brigham Young University (BYU). They have been married since 1992 and have two adult children. After graduating from BYU, he played professional football in the National Football League for five years with the Indianapolis Colts (1993-1997) and one year with the Carolina Panthers (1998).
In 2008, Gray graduated from Southern Evangelical Seminary magna cum laude, with a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Apologetics, where he was mentored by renowned theologian and philosopher Dr. Norman Geisler. In 2018, Gray received his Doctor of Ministry in the New Testament in Context at Northern Seminary under Dr. Scot McKnight. In 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Southern Evangelical Seminary.
Gray is the best-selling author of Lit Up With Love: Becoming Good News-People To A Gospel-Starved World, The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches About Finding True Happiness, How To Heal The Racial Divide: What the Bible, Says, And The First Christians Knew, About Racial Reconciliation, Building a Multiethnic Church: A Gospel Vision of Love, Grace, and Reconciliation in a Divided World, Limitless Life: You Are More Thank Your Past When God Holds Your Future, and God, Do You Hear Me? Discovering The Prayer God Always Answers.
J.D. Greear is the pastor of The Summit Church, in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. Under Pastor J.D.’s leadership, the Summit has grown from a plateaued church of 300 to one of over 13,000. Pastor J.D. has led the Summit in a bold vision to plant one thousand new churches by the year 2050. So far, Summit has planted over 700 churches and sent over 2,000 church members to be part of those church plants, including 744 members who have been sent internationally.
Pastor J.D. Greear has authored several books, including Everyday Revolutionary (2025), 12 Truths and a Lie (2023), Essential Christianity (2023), Just Ask (2021), What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? (2020), Searching for Christmas (2020), Above All (2019), Not God Enough (2018), Gaining by Losing (2015), Gospel (2011), Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart (2013), and Jesus, Continued… (2014). He also hosts Summit Life, a daily, 30-minute radio broadcast and weekly Ask the Pastor podcast.
Pastor J.D. completed his Ph.D. in Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Chick-fil-A since January 2022 and was the 63nd president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Pastor J.D. and his wife Veronica have four awesome kids: Kharis, Alethia, Ryah, and Adon.
Instagram: @pastorjdgreear
Facebook: J.D. Greear
X/Twitter: @jdgreear
Noemi Chavez has served Revive Church in Long Beach for nearly 20 years. She is passionate about developing leaders and helping communities grow in spiritual health. A wife, mother, communicator, and builder in the Kingdom, Noemi brings a deep commitment to the work of the Church. She serves as Chair of the Board for Exponential Español and is also a board member for Christianity Today and Exponential. Noemi is dedicated to raising leaders and bridging generations for the future of the Church and the communities they serve. When she can, she loves to sneak away for a hike or a visit to a local museum.
Aubrey Sampson (MA, Evangelism & Leadership) is the co-pastor and co-planter of Renewal Church, a multiethnic church plant in West Chicago. She is the author of several books on lament, grief, hope, and identity in Christ, including What We Find in the Dark, The Louder Song, Big Feelings Days, Known, and more. Aubrey is the host of the “Together We Rise” podcast and coaches women in ministry with Propel Women Cohorts. She and her husband and three sons love to minister and play in the Chicagoland area. Connect with Aubrey on instagram @aubsamp or find out more at aubreysampson.com.
Dave Ferguson is the is the CEO, President, and Co-Founder of Exponential. He is also the co-founding pastor of Community Christian Church, a multi-expression missional community that is passionate about “helping people find their way back to God.” Community has grown from a few college friends to reaching thousands of people in Chicagoland and around the world. He is an award-winning author of books that include The Big Idea, Exponential, On The Verge, Finding Your Way Back To God, Starting Over, Hero Maker and most recently B.L.E.S.S. 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change the World. Dave and his best friend Sue have three terrific adult kids – Amy, Josh and Caleb.
In-depth equipping from pace-setting practitioners and access to top thought leaders that prepare you for the journey ahead.
Pre-conference cost: $29. You can purchase your conference ticket with the pre-conference.
AI Superpowers: Turn One Sermon Into a Content Engine – Hosted by Exponential NEXT
Your sermon is already your best content — you just haven’t fully unleashed it yet. In this hands-on 2.5-hour pre-conference intensive, AI NEXT director, Kenny Jahng will walk you through how to build a repeatable AI-powered content repurposing workflow that turns every message you preach into a multi-platform ministry presence. Bring your laptop and a sermon (YouTube link, Vimeo, video file — whatever you’ve got). We’ll work through it together live, building your own custom workflow from scratch so you leave with a real system, not just ideas. You’ll walk away with a content strategy built around your voice, your congregation, and the channels that actually move the needle for your ministry — and the AI-powered process to execute it week after week without burning out your team. Bring your laptop. Bring a sermon. Leave with a workflow.
Speaker: Kenny Jahng
Beyond Rhetoric to Results: How to Build a Multiethnic, Missionally Vibrant, and Financially Sustainable Church – Hosted by Exponential NEXT
Join Dhati and Mark as they leverage nearly fifty years of combined experience to help you (re)structure your church for effective 21st-century ministry. You’ll gain practical insights to move from aspiration to execution, overcome common challenges, and build a community-facing church for all people, not just some, to advance a credible Gospel witness in an increasingly diverse, complex, and polarized society.
Speaker: Dhati Lewis, Mark DeYmaz
Building a Multiplication Pipeline: Four Vital Components of a Multiplying Church – Hosted by Stadia
In this practical preconference, Stadia will help church leaders explore how to build a multiplication pipeline that discovers, develops, and prepares future church planting leaders. Together, we’ll look at four vital components of a multiplying church that will help you uncover and take your next steps in God’s multiplying mission and move from conversation to action.
Speaker: TBD
How to Build a Culture of Multipliers – Hosted by Exponential
Many leaders want to see their ministries multiply but struggle to create cultures where ongoing impact thrives. This pre-conference provides hands-on experience to help you become a catalyst for a culture of Multipliers. Learn a simple, proven tool for developing healthy disciple-making leaders who champion reproduction, practice it through interactive exercises, and craft a tailored action plan. Leave equipped with the tools, confidence, and strategy to foster a multiplying culture and create lasting Kingdom impact.
Speakers: Jason Stewart, Bill Couchenour, Larry Walkemeyer
Navigating the Unique Challenges as a Woman in Leadership – Hosted by Exponential NEXT
This pre-con gathering is for women leaders ready to grow in clarity, confidence, and calling. Together, we’ll create an honest space to discuss navigating real leadership challenges while strengthening our identity and voice.
You’ll hear from Kadi Cole, Sue Ferguson and Noemi Chavez, who all have decades of ministry experience. You’ll engage in meaningful conversation and gain practical insight alongside other women leading in the Church. Expect connection, encouragement, and relationships that will sharpen your leadership long after this gathering ends.
Speakers: Sue Ferguson, Noemi Chavez
Start or Join a Reproducing Network – Hosted by Exponential NEXT
You were never meant to lead alone. In a region as influential and spiritually complex as the Chicagoland area, collaboration is essential for meaningful and lasting gospel impact. This interactive pre-conference invites you into a new way of thinking and leading alongside other kingdom-minded leaders. Together, you will explore how God is using reproducing networks to spark movements of disciple-making and church planting across cities and regions.
Speakers: Patrick O’Connell, Eric Metcalf, Jon Ferguson, Rodrigo Cano, Chicagoland Leaders
9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Pre-Conference Sessions
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Registration Opens for Main Conference
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Main Session 1
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Break
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Workshop 1
3:30p p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Break
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Main Session 2
7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. Bible Study
8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Workshop 2
9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Break
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Main Session 3
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lunch / Networking Lunches
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Break
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Workshop 3
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Break
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Main Session 4
7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. Bible Study
8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Workshop 4
9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Break
10:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Main Session 5
Platinum and Gold sponsorship packages available.
Interested in sponsorship, click here or email [email protected] for more information.
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