BCM/D Annual

Ron Sylvia is the founding and lead Pastor of Church at The Springs in Ocala, Florida, and the Director of NEXT Churches. The Springs started in an office building in 1994 with only 21 people and now averages 3,000 in weekly attendance. While leading a fast-growing church, Ron learned first-hand the value of mentoring and coaching. As a result, Ron started NEXT Churches, an organization that provides coaching networks, conferences and resources to lead pastors nationwide.

For 30 years, Charles Roesel served as Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Leesburg, FL; which is now considered the model for the nation in Ministry Evangelism. The church was in the top 1% of the nation in evangelism and mission giving. In a town of 15,000 with over 90 churches, the church grew by transformation, baptizing over 7,000 people.

The church has over 70 separate ministries including a Men’s Rescue Mission, Women’s Care Center, Children’s Shelter, Benevolence Center, Furniture Barn, Food Pantry, Teen Shelter, Pregnancy Care Center, Medical Center, Counseling Center, First Academy (K-12th Grade), School of Fine Arts, First Academy, Preschool, Rape Crisis Center, Aides Clinic, Children-at-Risk Program, Mentally Challenged, People Helpers (Counseling), a Home Ministry sharing with over 400 home-bound persons each week, etc.

Gary Hollingsworth is the 16th Senior Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Gary formerly served as the Senior Director of Cultural Evangelism for the North American Mission Board directing five teams: Apologetics and Interfaith Witness, Collegiate Evangelism, the International and Multi Ethnic team, the Evangelism Response Center and Christian Ministry to the United Nations in New York.

His heart and passion is to serve as a pastor. As Gary likes to say, “Being a pastor is not what I do, it’s who I am.”

Keith and Kristyn Getty have been at the forefront of the modern hymn movement over the past decade demonstrating the ability to successfully bridge the gap between the traditional and contemporary. Over the past six years Keith, with Stuart Townend, has written modern hymns sung around the world, including “In Christ Alone” and “The Power of the Cross.”

Fred Luter, Jr. is the Senior Pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana. Under his leadership the church grew to over 7000 members by 2005. In 2005 Pastor Luter lost his home and his church suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina. In spite of the setbacks, Pastor Luter continues to minister holding worship services in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Houston for his displaced members. He was also the first African American to preach the convention sermon at the Southern Baptist Convention.

Byron Day is the President of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware and is the Secretary of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention. He has served as Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Laurel, MD for 16 years, and is the former President of the African American Advisory Council to the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware.

David Lee is the Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware. His experience includes service on numerous associational committees, two years on an associational staff, mentoring and coaching the young man who established the first African-American Southern Baptist Church in Mississippi, service as a trustee of William Carey College, adjunct professor of preaching at William Carey on the Coast, and service as President of the General Mission Board in Maryland/Delaware.

Scott Preissler is the Eklund Professor and Chair of Stewardship at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Preissler serves to educate emerging Christian leaders on issues of nonprofit ministry leadership, theological stewardship, financial leadership based on biblical principles, and resource development for denominations, church leaders, parachurch ministry leaders, and Christian lay leaders in America and abroad.

Scott is a recognized leader on Christian non-profit leadership and biblical stewardship perspectives in the field.

Larry Steen has served as Pastor of the Westminster Baptist Church in MD since March of 1983. Previous to this pastorate, he served as Pastor of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Huntingtown, MD from 1975-1983; and the Center Square Baptist Church of Center Square, Indiana from 1973-1975. He is currently the Treasurer of the Westminster Ministerium, and on the advisory board of Carroll County Marriage Resource Center.