Our Team

Jimmy Adcox has served as a minister with the Southwest Church of Christ in Jonesboro, AR since 1977. Having retired from his role as lead minister, he continues in a part-time role teaching, equipping disciples and disciple makers, mentoring, and pastoral ministry.

He has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Abilene Christian University and has a special interest in mentoring church leaders and helping churches develop a culture that makes disciples who make disciples. In addition to being a partner with HOPE Network, he is an Associate Director of Learning Communities with Renew.org.

He is married to Ann. They are parents to three children and ten grandchildren.

Greg has over 30 years of ministry experience in Churches of Christ. He is the President of Midland Christian School, serves as a non-profit leadership development specialist, and has facilitated hundreds of workshops for cities, counties, and other non-profit organizations throughout the United States.

In May 2017, Greg completed his Doctorate in Organizational Leadership at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He and his wife Dalene live in Midland, Texas.

Jon earned his Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Abilene Christian University. Jon’s passion is to promote healthy marriage and to equip churches to minister effectively to marriages. He founded Growing Love Network and has worked with thousands of couples and individuals through counseling and therapy. Through GLN, he and his wife, Joanna, have led more than 160 workshops around the nation for struggling marriages, Love Reboot. Jon has also worked with numerous churches to help them develop more effective marriage ministries, and conducts his marriage retreat, My Love Lasts.

He has trained more than 200 couples to lead marriage courses and has developed a curriculum, Growing Love, which is useful in various settings such as Bible classes, home studies, as a mentoring tool, and with a counselor or therapist. He is also the author of The Acceptance: What Brings and Keeps Lifelong Love and 365 Days of Growing Love.

As the self-appointed communication evangelist, Amanda Box coaches people on all things communication as president of Box Communication, Inc. Amanda served Meadowbrook Church of Christ in Jackson, Mississippi in two different roles for 11 years as children’s minister and connections minister. As connections minister, she worked with ministry leaders, small groups, and new members.

Amanda has consulted with business and industry for over 20 years to equip people with improved communication skills in critical areas such as conflict, presentation skills, and team building. Additionally, Amanda was a full-time college professor for 10 years and spent four years as the public relations professional for a non-profit.

Amanda earned her undergraduate degree in communication from Freed-Hardeman University in 1991 and a master’s degree in communication from Mississippi College in 1993. Amanda and her husband Chuck live in Austin, Texas.

Steven serves as Associate Minister at Altamesa Church of Christ in Fort Worth (since 2010). He has been in full-time congregational ministry since 1991, also serving as youth minister in churches in Houston and Denton (TX). He is a graduate of Abilene Christian University with an undergraduate degree in Youth & Family Ministry and a graduate degree in Christian Ministry.

Steven is a certified Grip-Birkman Coach and Catalyze Coach. He has a passion for helping young ministers who are just getting started or making a transition.

Steven is an avid reader of theology, spiritual formation, leadership, business, and personal growth, as well as a little history and fiction. He loves great food and great conversation. Most of all he finds great joy spending time with his family. Steven and Debbi have been married since 1992. They have three grown children and two grandchildren.

Brad Cox serves as the Senior Minister for the High Pointe Church in McKinney, Texas. Brad has over 25 years of youth and pulpit ministry experience in Churches of Christ.

He received his Doctorate in Adolescent Development and Family Systems from Fuller Theological Seminary. Brad has a passion for helping churches to minister effectively to teens, young adults, and young families.

Brad and his wife, Jill, have been married 25 years and have two children: Maggie (18) and Colby (17).

Mark Frost currently leads our Interim Ministry Division. He spent 34 years preaching for a congregation in metropolitan Detroit and, for eight of those years, he also served as an elder. In that time, he encountered many of the typical challenges, struggles, and conflicts that face leaders in growing churches. He retired from full-time ministry in May 2012.

Since then, he has completed interim ministries in Michigan, Kentucky, California, Kansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, in addition to consulting with other congregations in transition. His goal is to help make the transition season a time of self-examination and spiritual growth for congregational leaders.

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 and his wife Niki were married in December 2013. Both 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.

Chris Goldman is a native of Hobbs, New Mexico. He serves as the preaching minister and catalyst leader at the Northwest Church in Seattle, Washington. Married to Kim (Christensen) Goldman of Puyallup, Washington in 1986, he is the father of two children, Ashley and Joshua.

He holds a B.S. from Abilene Christian University (’87) and an M.S. from Pepperdine University (’93), and has completed the continuing education certification program in business management from California State University, Sacramento (’98).

Certified as a Professional Coach/LifeCoach (2012), he has been a featured speaker at Pepperdine University, Abilene Christian University, and Ozark Christian, in addition to retreats, camps, and conferences. He serves as a mentoring partner for HOPE Network Ministries. His ministry experience includes work in Texas at Abilene (’83–’87) and Fort Worth (’87–’88), in California in the Bay Area (’88–’95) and Sacramento (’95–’09), and in Seattle since ’09. He is the author of Vibrant Faith: A Study of James.

Carlus grew up playing trombone, singing, and acting. This presumed call to entertainment arts was profoundly redirected by his conversion at age 17 and a small congregation that welcomed him as their teen preacher. This led to training at Lipscomb University (B.A.), Harding School of Theology (M.Div.), and Abilene Christian University (D.Min.).

Dr. Gupton’s first love is preaching and teaching the Word, which he has done for 50 years. He has served churches ranging in size from 15 to 800. In 2001, he expanded his ministry into teaching leadership, conflict, and spiritual formation. He taught at Johnson University (2001–2013) and the University of Tennessee School of Communication Studies (2001–2011). From 2014–2021, he was Professor of Ministry, Director of Field Education, and Co-Director of the Doctor of Ministry at Harding School of Theology. He is currently Director of the Doctor of Ministry and Professor of Ministry at Hazelip School of Theology, Lipscomb University.

Dr. Gupton has consulted with churches for 30 years. He has expertise in numerous forms of congregational development, is an ICF-credentialed coach, and is certified in an extensive suite of psychometric instruments for leadership and team effectiveness. He publishes two websites, LifeandLeadership.com and DISCPersonalitySource.com.

Carlus and Ann have been married for 43 years and have two grown daughters, Erin and Katlyn (David) Nowers, and two grandsons. He reads voraciously, loves listening to music, enjoys TED Talks and Ken Burns documentaries, and runs slowly to the tunes of 70s classic rock.

Dr. Evertt W. Huffard is Professor Emeritus of missions and leadership at Harding School of Theology in Memphis, TN, where he taught from 1987–2019. He also served as VP/Dean at HST from 1999–2014. He currently works part-time with church equipping for Mission Resource Network, a resource for consulting church leaders in the USA, and coaches church leaders in equipping emerging leaders internationally.

The son of church planters in the Middle East, he has also served among the Arabs in Nazareth, Israel, and in an urban ministry in Los Angeles, CA.

Evertt has been involved in church consulting nationally and internationally for over 25 years, including congregations in Montana, Colorado, Arkansas, Florida, and Australia, along with tour groups to Israel, an excavation at Beth Shemesh, and leadership retreats in South Africa, Germany, and Australia. He helped initiate the Shepherd’s Network at HST to encourage and equip church leaders.

He is married to Ileene and they have three children and ten grandchildren.

Kaley Ihfe serves as the Director of Lavish HOPE ministries. She has a B.S. in Communications, an M.Ed. in School Counseling, and an M.A. in Christian Ministry. In the past, she worked at the Volunteer Center of Lubbock, Pflugerville ISD, and Abilene Christian University.

She has served alongside her husband, Karl Ihfe, in ministry for 25 years, first in Austin and currently in Lubbock. She is passionate about teaching scripture and being an active part of her community. She teaches adult Bible classes, writes Bible study curriculum, and speaks at retreats.

She loves traveling, hiking, reading, cooking, and gardening. She and Karl have a son in graduate school at Wichita State University and a daughter at Lipscomb.

Brent Isbell was born and raised in Texas. He spent 33 years preaching for a wide variety of churches in Texas: the Dallas–Fort Worth area, Houston, and Abilene.

Brent 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).

He is married to Melinda, a faculty research librarian at Abilene Christian University. They have two daughters, Jordan, serving in the U.S. Navy, and Sarah, attending Abilene High School. Brent spends a lot of time with college students, teaching religion and Bible classes at both the University of Houston and Abilene Christian since 2004.

Brent and Melinda love to travel and have led large tour groups to Israel and Jordan multiple times. Brent has a special passion for missions and missionaries, traveling to South Africa, Russia, and Mexico to equip local ministers for success in their leadership roles.

Jay Jarboe is the Director of the Emerging Leadership Initiative at Mission Resource Network (MRN), a global network with the vision to multiply healthy leaders to disciple the unreached and under-served people groups of the world. He is a coach and mentor for global leaders, with a focus on equipping them to multiply healthy leaders for future generations.

Before joining MRN, Jay served as the Lead Minister for the Sunset Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas for five years. During his 25-year ministry with the Sunset Church of Christ and Sunset International Bible Institute (SIBI), Jay served as Director of the Adventures in Missions (AIM) program, an apprentice missionary training program, and as Dean of Missions and instructor at SIBI.

He is married to Sherry, and they have two adult children and four grandchildren: Kenny, Meagan, Cash, and Adelaide Husband; Ryan, Mary, Oliver, and Lucy Jarboe. Jay and Sherry were missionaries in Mexico City and now work with global workers, leaders, and churches around the world. His passion is seeking to be transformed into the image of Christ and helping others in that same quest.

Grady serves as President Emeritus of HOPE Network (HN). His ministry life spans fifty years, with forty years in congregational ministry in Churches of Christ in Oklahoma and Texas. While with HN he served six years as director of church resources at Oklahoma Christian.

His formal education includes degrees from Oklahoma Christian University (Bachelor of Science in Education) and Abilene Christian University (Master of Science and Doctor of Ministry). His ministry passion is healthy leaders and healthy churches rooted in the gospel and missional life.

He and his wife, Karen, live in Irving, TX, and are members of the Mansfield Church of Christ. They have two grown children and three grandchildren: Josh, Carolyn, and Madeline King; Chad, Christin, Sawyer, and Hudson Paradowski. He enjoys reading, writing, sports, playing with grandchildren, and anything helpful for church leaders.

Scott Laird became a Christian through the campus ministry at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT in 1978. There he met his wife of forty-four years, Patty. They have two children and four grandchildren.

Scott has been supported in ministry for over forty-three years. Scott and Patty were missionaries to Canada for twelve years before moving back to Montana to serve as the evangelist for the Great Falls Church of Christ. Scott began his thirty-first year of ministry in Great Falls on November 1, 2025, where he now serves in a part-time capacity, having handed the preaching role to Matt Burleson on June 30, 2024. Great Falls is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, making for a very transitory church. Since 1994, Scott has helped the church send over 850 individuals into ministry opportunities in the United States and around the world. The church averages about 200 in person.

Outside the traditional roles of preaching and teaching, Scott invests in the wellbeing and unity of the churches in the northwestern plains of the United States and Canada as a consultant and leader. Since July 1, 2025, Scott has served as Co-Executive Director of the Kite Center for Ministry at York University in York, NE, which equips and encourages small and rural churches in the Midwest, Northern Plains, and Rocky Mountain regions. These opportunities let Scott use his primary gifts of leadership, discipleship, evangelism, and small groups.

Jason Locke has preached for the College Church of Christ in Fresno, California since 2009. His adventure in full-time ministry began in 1994. He worked first as a church planter in Prague, Czechia, and later as a campus minister at West Virginia University.

Jason’s Doctor of Ministry and Master of Divinity degrees are from Abilene Christian, but he did his undergraduate work at Tennessee Tech in mechanical engineering. His current areas of interest are congregational renewal and adaptive leadership, and he has led his church in Fresno through a remarkable journey of transformation.

Jason is a curious adventurer and an avid reader who loves to travel, cook, and follow his favorite sports teams. He has been married to Julie since 1992. They have two married sons and are proud grandparents.

Jim Martin served as Vice-President of Harding School of Theology in Memphis, Tennessee from January 2014 to August 2024.

He served as a preaching minister for 36 years, including the Crestview Church of Christ in Waco, Texas from 1993–2013. He has also served churches in Missouri and Alabama. He was reared in Dallas and received his M.Div. from Abilene Christian University and his D.Min. from Harding School of Theology.

Jim has led a number of mentoring groups for church leaders. He writes a newsletter, Jim Martin’s Encouragement Note. Jim is a certified coach (ACC) and is invested in coaching ministers and other church leaders. You can find him on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Jim is husband to Charlotte, father to Christine and Jamie, father-in-law to Calvin, and grandfather to Brody, Lincoln, Sully, and Elsie.

Bryan Moss has been the Minister for the Brooks Avenue Church in Raleigh, NC since August 2023. Before that, he served as Senior Minister for the Lake Como Church of Christ in Fort Worth, TX for 12 years, where he and his wife, Tondra, were blessed to see God bless their Kingdom efforts in a wide variety of ministries.

Bryan conducts annual teaching and training on personal evangelism, has taught a personal evangelism workshop for National Crusade for Christ, and has served as a chaplain for Texas Health Resources.

Bryan also developed the Atlantic Bridge Initiative, a two-fold international ministry (in partnership with Mission Resource Network). Its first aim is building a bridge across the racial divide between African American Churches of Christ and historically white congregations; its second is building a bridge across the Atlantic between African American Churches of Christ and African Churches of Christ.

He has a BA in Economics from East Carolina University, a Religious Studies degree from Southwestern Christian College, and a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies from Liberty Theological Seminary.

Jon serves as Interim Leader of HOPE Network (HN). Jon is passionate about enhancing relationships within the church by facilitating authentic, open dialogue. He has a gift for discernment and listening in a way that allows people to be heard and understood, and provides opportunities for deep connection with God and with others.

Jon has served two congregations as Executive Minister, one in Tulsa and one in Dallas. He coaches church leaders using the Enneagram and other assessments to support their personal growth and self-awareness. He earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the United States Naval Academy in 1985 and a Master of Science in Organization Development from Pepperdine University in 2005.

In his free time, Jon enjoys spending time with his family, taking his wife, Dana, out on dates, and making furniture in his garage when time permits. Jon and Dana have three grown children, Katie, Sarah, and Daniel, and two grandchildren.

Shane J. Mushonga was born in Zimbabwe and came to the US to attend Southwestern Christian College in preparation for Christian ministry, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies. He furthered his education at Amberton University in Dallas, majoring in Counseling, and at Brite Divinity and Southwest Seminary in Fort Worth, where he pursued an M.Div.

His ministry includes serving as Lead Minister with the Faith Pointe Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Senior Minister at the Metropolitan Church of Christ, Associate Minister at the Lake Como Church of Christ, Minister of Evangelism at Southern Hills Church of Christ in Dallas, and Youth Minister with the Wagner Ave Church of Christ in St. Louis, MO. Shane also worked at Southwestern Christian College as Director of Admissions, Assistant to the President, and Instructor in the Bible Department, which allowed him to travel extensively and build meaningful relationships. He currently serves as lead minister for the New Braunfels Church of Christ in New Braunfels, TX.

Shane has been married to the former Brenee Session of Fort Worth, TX for 20 years. They are the proud parents of three children, Jacoby, Shanen, and Breea.

Doug Peters is the Executive Director of Heritage21. Prior to this, he was a “second career” minister who started out in electrical engineering at a nuclear power facility. Sensing a call from God to focus on church ministry like his dad, Doug left the utility company to pursue degrees in Bible and Ministry from Abilene Christian University (BA, MS, DMin).

With diverse experience in congregational ministry (mostly in Abilene, Arlington, and Houston, TX), Doug also served as a professor in the College of Biblical Studies at Oklahoma Christian University. His doctoral work focused on “Communal Spiritual Discernment and the Selection of Church Leaders.”

Doug has a special interest in helping churches and their leaders become more spiritually discerning as they prayerfully live out their God-given mission, vision, and values in their unique context. Doug and his wife, Sheryl, are blessed with two daughters and a son-in-law.

Rodney Plunket holds the M.Div. from Harding School of Theology and the Ph.D. 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. He enjoys backpacking, canoeing, fishing, gardening, and spending time with the grandchildren.

Shannon Rains teaches at Lubbock Christian University, where she serves as Academic Chair of the College of Biblical Studies and Associate Professor of Children’s Ministry. She teaches courses in children’s ministry, congregational leadership, and general education Bible, working with students preparing for a wide range of ministry roles.

Shannon brings over fifteen years of hands-on church ministry experience, with a particular focus on children and family ministry. She is an active member of Broadway Church of Christ, where she serves in both children’s ministry and adult education.

Shannon speaks and writes on intergenerational ministry, children’s spiritual formation, mentoring and sustaining ministers, and the inclusion of women in church leadership. She works with churches through conferences, workshops, and consultation, and teaches Bible courses and ministry seminars in congregational and global contexts, including East Africa.

She also writes a regular newsletter, The Children’s Wing, which engages the real questions, challenges, and conversations shared by church volunteers and ministry leaders. Shannon is married to David, and they have two children.

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 Illinois and Mississippi until retiring from full-time ministry in 2023.

He holds BS Physics, MS Optics, MMFT, MDiv, and DMin degrees.

Jason Thompson has served for over two decades as the Executive Minister at the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ in Brentwood, TN. He also serves as a Partner and Senior Consultant with the Carpenter’s Plan, assisting churches and non-profits with capital fundraising, strategic planning, staffing, and governance. His work has raised millions of dollars for good works.

Before moving to Nashville, Jason ministered in the Atlanta area for eleven years. He holds religious degrees from Faulkner University and Harding School of Theology, completed additional studies at Emory University, and was awarded a Doctorate of Education in Strategic Change from Lipscomb University. The Nashville Business Journal named him one of 40 leaders making a difference in Middle Tennessee. He serves on the executive boards of the World Convention of Churches and Onward Church Planting.

Jason is married to Megan, and they have three children: Kelsey Joy, Ella Grace, and Will Hudson.