Brent Isbell grew up in Texas. He spent 33 years preaching for a variety of churches in the DFW area, Houston, and Abilene.

He sensed a call from God early in life to serve churches. He earned degrees from Abilene Christian University (BA in Finance, Master of Religious Education, Master of Divinity) and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry).

Brent has been married to Melinda since 1993. Melinda is a faculty research librarian at Abilene Christian University. They have two adult daughters, both adopted from China. Jordan is a Navy submariner, and Sarah is a student at ACU. Brent spends a lot of time with college students, teaching religion and Bible classes at both the University of Houston and ACU for more than twenty years.

Brent and Melinda love to travel and have led multiple groups to Israel, Jordan, Greece, and Turkey. Brent has a special passion for mission work, traveling to South Africa, Russia, Mexico, and other locations to equip and encourage local church leaders for success.

Les Ferguson, Jr. has been preaching since he was fifteen. He holds a B.A. in Bible from Magnolia Bible College and an M.A. in New Testament Preaching from Johnson University.

His college years were interrupted by a six-year stint in the U.S. Navy, where he worked on electronics and missile fire control systems. He was deployed to the Persian Gulf during the US Operation Earnest Will, a precursor to Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

After his military service, he spent three years as a youth minister in Vicksburg, Mississippi, three years as a preaching minister in Laurel, Mississippi, and fourteen years as a preaching minister and elder in Gulfport, Mississippi. He was deeply involved in Honduras mission work with Torch Missions. After Hurricane Katrina, he served as a point of contact and helped coordinate recovery efforts on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

After the double murder of his wife and disabled son in October 2011, Les withdrew from full-time ministry to prioritize his family. He has since married his childhood sweetheart, Becki.

In April 2014, Les rejoined the ministry and started working as the senior preaching minister at the Lake Harbor Drive Church of Christ in Ridgeland, Mississippi.

In 2018, he became the preaching minister at the Oxford Church of Christ, where he remained until 2026.

He is the author of Still Wrestling—Faith Renewed through Brokenness. His newspaper column is published weekly in The Oxford Eagle, The Panolian, The Meridian Star, The Vicksburg Post, and other publications as a syndicated columnist with the Mississippi Press Association.

He is a trained life coach with the Institute for Life Coaching and a Maxwell Leadership Certified Team member, holding certifications in speaking and coaching.

Mark Frost has been in ministry for 50 years, 34 of which were spent with a single congregation, the Trenton Church of Christ in suburban Detroit. He also served as an elder at the Trenton church for eight years. Mark led the Trenton church through a period of long-term, sustained growth. He facilitated the transition from a ministry staff of one to a staff of four ministers and helped transform the leadership structure to make best use of the gifts of the multiple staff. Mark also began a small-group ministry and a Celebrate Recovery ministry at the Trenton church.

Mark was born into an Air Force family in Roswell, New Mexico, and grew up in New Mexico, Texas, Hawaii, California, and Arkansas. He has a bachelor’s degree in Bible and Psychology from Harding University and a master’s degree in Biblical Studies from Cincinnati Christian University.

Mark has served as an adjunct instructor at Rochester University and as president of the board of Michigan Christian Youth Camp. He has contributed articles to several brotherhood publications and has had several sermons published in the Rochester College Preaching Series.

Mark retired from full-time preaching in May 2012, but has continued a very active ministry since then. He has completed interim ministries in Petoskey, Michigan; Glasgow, Kentucky; Port Huron, Michigan; Santa Rosa, California; Wichita, Kansas; Bakersfield, California; Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Ada, Oklahoma, in addition to consulting with other congregations in transition.

Mark and his wife Niki were married in December 2013. Both of them were widowed after long-term first marriages and are thankful to God for His grace in bringing them together. Mark and Niki have three grown children and seven grandchildren. They enjoy hiking, cycling, and travel.

Michael was born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He began his professional life in the restaurant business, working as a manager for Crystal’s Pizza in Tulsa, Denver, and Abilene. He has served five churches as their preaching minister (Sweetwater, Nacogdoches, Houston, Wichita Falls, and San Benito). He has served as faculty and staff at Abilene Christian University and Grand Canyon University. He is also a professional photographer. He has studied at the University of Oklahoma, Stephen F. Austin State University, and Abilene Christian. He completed his D.Min. at ACU in 2006. His project is titled Blessing and Sending the Church into the World for the Sake of the World, Using Congregational Blessings as a Missional Enterprise.

Michael and Sandra were married in Abilene, Texas in 1982. Their two children, Jake and Jacquie, make them proud.

Grady is President Emeritus of HOPE Network Ministries. He is experienced in interim ministry as well as church consulting in churches of all sizes. His passion is helping church leaders and congregations in healthy, gospel-focused ministry. This includes providing resources, elder-minister team building, elder group functioning, and focusing the church outward to the community.

Since 1977, he served in five congregations as youth minister (7 years) and preacher (33 years), with 27 of those years in two congregations (Mansfield and Irving, TX). He formerly served part-time (2016–2022) as Director of Church Resources at Oklahoma Christian University concurrent with HOPE Network.

Grady earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from OC in 1977, and a Master of Science in Biblical Studies (1989) and Doctor of Ministry (2005) from ACU. He and his wife, Karen, live in Irving, TX and are members of the Mansfield Church of Christ. Karen is retired from public education in HR. They have two married children with grandchildren: Josh, Carolyn and Madeline King; Christin, Chad, Sawyer and Hudson Paradowski.

He enjoys reading, watching sports, golf, nature, and international travel, and serves on the Board of Sooner Youth Camp in Lake Murray, Oklahoma.

Contact Grady for references related to interim ministry.

Rodney Plunket holds the MDiv from Harding School of Theology and the PhD from Durham University (England). He has served churches in Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, New Zealand, and England. He is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths coach. Since retiring from full time ministry, he serves as an IMP representative and is a shepherd for his home church.

Rodney and Margaret have been married over 50 years. They have two children and five grandchildren. Rodney enjoys backpacking, canoeing, fishing, gardening, and spending time with the grandchildren.

Steve was born and raised in the NY/NJ area and now lives in Tupelo, MS. He spent the first 17 years of his career working for Kodak in technical and management roles. During that time he felt called to ministry and preached for 20 years in congregations in IL and MS until retiring from full-time ministry in 2023. He holds BS Physics, MS Optics, MMFT, MDiv, and DMin degrees.