Invited Speakers
Doug & Beall Phillips
Doug Phillips is the director of Vision Forum Ministries, a discipleship and training ministry that emphasizes Christian apologetics, worldview training, multigenerational faithfulness, and creative solutions whereby fathers can play a maximum role in family discipleship. A constitutional attorney, Doug served with the Home School Legal Defense Association for six years. A strong advocate and defender of human life, Doug is the founder of the Liberty Defense Fund and Rescue Haiti’s Children, the latter of which has brought much-needed aid and Gospel encouragement to orphans in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Doug authored the foreword to Be Fruitful and Multiply: What the Bible Says about Having Children, a book that encourages Christians to do more than just “trust God” for children, but to cry out to the Lord to bless the fruit of the womb, and among his greatest delights is hearing from those who now have more children after embracing this message. Doug and his wife, Beall, live with their eight children, Joshua, Justice, Liberty, Jubilee, Faith Evangeline, Honor, Providence, and Virginia in San Antonio, Texas.
Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar
God has richly blessed the Duggar family’s commitment to their faith in Christ, their joyful presentation of the blessing of trusting the Lord for the fruit of the womb, and the spirit of revival they have demonstrated in their approach to family life. The success of their television series has attracted a great deal of national attention. The Duggar family has appeared on national television on The Today Show, CNN, the CBS Early Show and many others, where they have shared their faith and their love for the Christian family. Conference attendees will get a powerful look into the way a large Christian family works together as a team in a successful project of national impact, where the goal of the family is to bless the broader culture with a love for Christ. In addition to a behind-the-scenes look at a television documentary sensation, attendees will be able to interact and ask questions and gain insights concerning the successful management of a large family. This is a very special opportunity for Christian families, home educators, and Christian parents.
R.C. & Denise Sproul
RC Sproul Jr. is the founder, chairman and teacher at Highlands Ministries in southwest Virginia. He is also a Teaching Fellow at Ligonier Ministries in Orlando, Florida. A graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary, he also earned a Doctorate of Ministries in 2001. He is the author or editor of a dozen books. He and his wife Denise, who writes a regular column for Every Thought Captive magazine and is the author of Tending Your Garden: Wisdom for Keepers at Home, are the parents of eight blessings, one profoundly disabled, two via trans-racial adoption — all of them deeply loved.
Geoffrey & Victoria Botkin
Geoffrey Botkin is the founder of the Western Conservatory of the Arts and Sciences. For the last five years, he and his family have been probing the connections between national culture, public justice, and personally-held theological belief. Geoffrey and his wife Victoria Botkin have seven grown children who work with them to effect the recovery of functional family culture in the United States and beyond. Mr. Botkin has lectured on philosophy and history at Hillsdale College, on political media at the Heritage Foundation, and on theology around the world. Geoffrey and Victoria conduct internet mentoring courses for men and women around the world. Mrs. Botkin’s work is singular in how that it is redefining the ways older women disciple the younger, setting a mature new example of womanly discourse.
Scott and Deborah Brown
Scott Brown is a pastor at Hope Baptist Church in Wake Forest, N.C. He is also the director of the “National Center for Family Integrated Churches” which is dedicated to proclaiming the sufficiency of scripture for church and family life. Scott graduated from California State University in Fullerton in History and received a Master of Divinity from Talbot School of Theology. He gives most of his time to expository preaching, local pastoral ministry, and church and family reformation. He has been married to Deborah for twenty-eight years, and they have four children. Deborah is known far and wide for her hospitality and her practical, God-centered, no-compromise counsel.
Kevin Swanson
Kevin Swanson is the author of two books, The Second Mayflower and Upgrade: The Ten Secrets to the Best Education for Your Child. He has worked in radio and television media for twenty-two years and now hosts a daily radio program networked across western states and the Web, called “Generations with Kevin Swanson.” With a vision toward biblical reformation of education and all of culture, Kevin serves as a pastor of Reformation Church in Castle Rock and as executive director of Christian Home Educators of Colorado. Kevin and his wife, Brenda, home school five children in their home on the eastern plains of Colorado.
Don Hart
Don Hart is a devoted husband and father. He serves as the General Counsel to Vision Forum Ministries and has his own law practice outside of Austin, Texas. Don is an elder in his local church and his efforts as a church leader and attorney are directed toward encouraging and promoting the return of the church and the Christian family to their biblical foundations for the glory of God.
Guest Speakers
Bob & Karen Allen
Bob & Karen Allen are part of a third-generation family business in Fayetteville, NC, and they are the parents of nine children who are the fourth generation in the family business. They will be included in our panel discussions on raising a large family.
Dan Becker
Over the past decade, Dan Becker has become a prominent leader in the fight against a culture of death in America. He is the current president of Georgia Right to Life (a faith-based organization), and has established himself for his uncompromised stand for the sanctity of life and resistance to modern conservative pragmatism. This position has brought much criticism, even among some of his peers. This year, Dan is leading GRTL in a campaign against abortion, experimentation, on human embryos, euthanasia, and other life-degrading practices. Dan was married to wife Susan for 31 years. (Susan was recently called home to be with the Lord after a three-year battle against breast cancer.) Dan has 5 married children and 26 grandchildren.
Flip Benham
Flip Benham is the director of Operation Rescue/Operation Save America and was used by the Lord to bring Norma McCorvey (best known as “Jane Roe” of Roe v. Wade infamy) to Christ. In 1995, he baptized her. Flip has appeared on numerous local and national television and radio programs (Good Morning America, 48 Hours, Sonja Live, David Praegger Live, ABC World News Tonight, CBS News, NBC News, Hannity & Colmes, and CNN), as a bold witness for the Lord Jesus Christ in the public arena. He has been interviewed by the Washington Post, Washington Times, New York Times, Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, World Magazine, and virtually every major newspaper in the country. Flip leads by example, having spent time in jail for the cause of Christ in Wichita, Baton Rouge, Birmingham, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Orlando, Lynchburg and Washington D.C. Flip always preaches Jesus Christ as the answer to the multitude of sins presently savaging our nation.
David Birdy
One of the great heroes of the 2010 orphan relief efforts in the nation of Haiti is San Antonio realtor, David Birdy. The father of three adopted Haitian orphans himself, David was instrumental in bringing plane-loads of medical relief to Haiti and working behind the scenes to unite Haitian orphans with their American adoptive parents.
Ken Carpenter
Ken Carpenter is a writer/producer/director whose work is focused primarily on stories related to the family. He recently produced fifteen episodes of a new human interest television show hosted by Joni Eareckson Tada, featuring families with special needs children. He has produced several pieces for Shaohannah’s Hope, the adoption foundation started by Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman. In September, he will be traveling to Africa with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption to visit orphanages with a governmental delegation and leading C.E.O.s from the private sector. In addition to client work for leading Christian ministries and artists, he recently founded Franklin Springs Family Media, which produces films designed to encourage and edify family life. He and his wife Devon live just outside the village of Franklin, TN - along with their nine treasured children.
Dr. Mo Gill
Dr. Mo Gill is a colonel in the United States Air Force and staff physician of orthopedic medicine. Dr. Gill is the father of nine children and will be addressing bio medical ethical issues such as brain death and organ transplants.
James Lansberry
James is Vice President of Samaritan Ministries - A creative alternative to Healthcare, and a Needs-based Sharing Ministry. He is a frequent radio guest speaker, and a speaker at churches, colleges and conferences. He has had articles published in Heritage Forum, the Journal of Modern Ministry, and Every Thought Captive. His media interviews include Fox & Friends, the CBS Evening News and the Washington Post. He and his wife, Theresa, have been married fourteen years and are the parents of seven children.
John Leininger
One of the great unsung heroes of the post January 12, Haitian earthquake orphan relief efforts is Dr. John Leininger. Through his perservering efforts and uncompromising defense of children in need, John was responsible for many orphans being united with their adoptive parents in the United States. The founder of Harvest International, John has poured out his heart for the orphans of Haiti for more than thirty years. Rescue Haiti’s Children has considered it a great honor to work with this heroic man.
Adam & Amy McManus
Since 1997, Adam McManus has been the host of The Adam McManus Show, heard weekday afternoons in the San Antonio and Austin, Texas market on AM 630, KSLR. An articulate defender of biblical Christianity, he was voted the favorite talk show host and radio personality by the San Antonio Express News. In addition to a distinguished career on radio and in print media, Adam and his bride Amy are the happy parents of an adoptive boy, Honor Calvin McManus. Adam and Amy are great proponents of adoption and have been used of the Lord to further the cause of adoptions in Texas and around the nation.
Jesse Paine
Jesse Paine is an attorney, devoted husband and homeschooling father of three young children. He served as an Assistant Attorney General and an Assistant District Attorney in the state of Kansas under Phill Kline. Jesse currently owns and operates his own law practice and is committed to using his practice to proclaim Christ and serve others at a time when they need it most.
Dr. Franklin E. “Ed” Payne, Jr., MD
Dr. Payne is the founder and editor of the Journal of Biblical Medical Ethics which was published from 1987 to 1994. He has been an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia. He has authored four books: 1) Biblical Medical Ethics, 2) Making Biblical Decisions (about population, birth control, and genetic issues), 3) What Every Christian Should Know about the AIDS Epidemic, and 4) Biblical Healing for Modern Medicine: Choosing Life and Health or Disease and Death. Dr. Payne has served as an elder in his church over the years and is currently a member of Chalcedon Presbyterian Church in Cumming, GA.
Paul Pennington
Paul is the Executive Director of “Hope for Orphans”. Paul and his wife Robin co-founded the organization in 2002, before merging with FamilyLife in 2003. He is the co-author of the book Launching An Orphans Ministry in Your Church and a co-host of the If You Were Mine DVD Adoption Workshop, both published by FamilyLife Publishing. Paul also led the development of the Your Church and the Orphan seminar that helps churches launch an orphan ministry. In addition, Paul he has led the development of the of the “Cry of the Orphan” campaign - a joint orphan awareness media campaign by Hope for Orphans, Focus on the Family and Steven Curtis Chapman’s Foundation. Paul also co-founded and currently serves on the board of the Christian Alliance for Orphans - an association of Christian adoption agencies, orphan care ministries, Christian media, foundations and advocacy groups. Paul and Robin have been married 32 years and have six children, five of whom the Lord brought to them through adoption, and nine grandchildren.
Jay & Kathryn Valenti
Jay and Kay Valenti are the parents of seven children including three girls adopted from the nation of China. The Valentis live in Mandeville, Louisiana, where Jay and his son Joey work together in the family real estate business. Jay is a passionate defender of Gospel Christianity and brings rich insights on issues related to international adoptions and child-training. His family was featured in the film The Return of the Daughters.
Jim Zes
Jim Zes is husband of thirty-four years to Kathleen, and the father of three daughters. Raised in an unbelieving home, Jim was an ardent evolutionist and agnostic until his late-thirties when the Lord used the truth of Genesis to bring him to saving faith in Christ. He graduated with a B.S. in education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. For over three decades he has enjoyed being a self-employed businessman in construction and management of rental properties, and is co-founder of Lex Rex Publishing. A passionate defender of life, Jim has been actively involved in the pro-life movement for over ten years. He has a heart for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom through faithful living, public witness, hospitality, business discipleship, and preserving Christian works of antiquity. Jim currently serves as teaching elder at Reformation Christian Assembly in his hometown of St. Louis, and is a board member for Vision Forum Ministries and the NCFIC.
Special Women’s Panels
Beall Phillips |
Michelle Duggar |
Denise Sproul |
Jennie Chancey |