2024 Evangelism Conference Speakers
Learn more about this year's speakers at ECON.
Mark Clifton
Mark Clifton is the Senior Director of Replanting at the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Mark has served as a pastor, church planter, church revitalizer, mission strategist, coach, and mentor to young leaders. He has planted and replanted numerous churches. His experience includes serving as the lead mission strategist for the Kansas/Nebraska Southern Baptist Convention, serving as a church planter in Montreal, Quebec, as a Southern Baptist National Church Planting Missionary for eastern Canada, and leading Southern Baptist church planting projects west of the Mississippi. Mark has been planting, replanting, and providing strategic mission leadership since 1978. Mark, the author of the Reclaiming Glory, co-author of Rubicons of Revitalization, and podcaster with Thom Rainer on the weekly Revitalize and Replant podcast, is a graduate of William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. Mark and his wife Jill live in Basehor, Kansas and have two sons, two daughters-in-law and four grandsons.
Noe Garcia
Noe Garcia is the Senior Pastor at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona. He and his wife, Clancey, have been married since 2010 and have four children. He holds a Doctorate of Ministry in Executive Leadership from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He serves on the Evangelism team for the North American Mission Board, is a Trustee for Union University, serves on the ERLC leadership council team, and is a writer for Lifeway Voices blogs. He is passionate about reaching and equipping people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in Phoenix and around the world.
Todd Kaunitz
Todd Kaunitz is the Lead Pastor of New Beginnings Baptist Church, located in East Texas. Since his arrival in 2010, God has moved in a gracious way allowing New Beginnings to baptize more than 2200 people. The church has grown from an average of 450 in weekly worship attendance into three campuses and more than 2,750 people. Todd is a Pastor, conference speaker, and consultant who is passionate about leading people and churches to pursue God's presence in prayer. A graduate of East Texas Baptist University, Todd and his wife, Adrian, have been married for twenty-two years and have three children.
Nathan Lino
A 4th generation African, Nathan Lino founded Northeast Houston Baptist Church in 2002 and served as their Senior Pastor until June 1, 2022 when he began his tenure as First Baptist Church Forney's Senior Pastor. His ministry opportunities have taken him to more than 25 countries around the world. Nathan has served as President of the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention 2015-2017, First Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention and on the board of the International Mission Board. Nathan became a Christian while attending Pinetown Baptist Church, in Pinetown, South Africa, and was baptized and ordained at Forest Cove Baptist Church in Kingwood, TX. He graduated from Texas A&M University, and graduate school at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC (M.Div.). Nathan and Nicole have been married since 1999 and have four children, Colton, Campbell, Cassidy and Chloe.
Fred Luter
Pastor Fred Luter, Jr., the first African American President of the Southern Baptist Convention, is the Senior Pastor at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Pastor Luter’s passion for the people of God, commitment to his family and his love for God’s Word led him to be unanimously elected as President of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest protestant organization in America, in June 2012. Many have referred to him as a man after God’s own heart that is known for his humility and powerful, lively preaching style. One of Pastor Luter’s famous sayings at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church is “It’s Not About the Pastor, It’s All About the Master”. When asked to say a few words after being elected, his response was simply “To God Be the Glory for the Things He Has Done.” On June 11, 2013 Pastor Luter was unanimously elected for the second time as President of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 11, 1956, he has been married to his “Prime Rib” Elizabeth Luter since 1980. They are the proud parents of one daughter Kimberly Luter-Terrell (Howard), one son Pastor Fred “Chip” Luter, III (Jasmine), grandparents of one grandson, Fred Luter, IV and two granddaughters, Zoe Grace & Gabrielle Luter.
David McKinney and Cross church Worship
Cross Church Worship is the worship ministry of Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas. The worship ministry helps to accomplish the mission of Cross Church (“Reaching Northwest Arkansas, America, and the World for Jesus Christ”) by creatively communicating the Truth of Who God is. They believe that through the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the gift of music they can effectively make much of Jesus through corporate worship. They are also committed to investing in the people of Cross Church to raise up the next generation of worship leaders.
Shane Pruitt
Shane serves as the National Next Gen Director for the North American Mission Board (NAMB). He and his wife, Kasi reside in Texas, with their five children. He has been in ministry for over 20 years as a denominational leader, church planter, lead pastor, and student pastor. Shane is also a traveling communicator, evangelist, and Bible teacher. Every year he speaks to over a hundred thousand people about the good news of Jesus Christ. He is the author of two books, 9 Common Lies Christians Believe: And Why God’s Truth Is Infinitely Better and Calling Out the Called: Discipling Those Called to Ministry Leadership, and is also one of the hosts of The Gensend Podcast. Follow him on Instagram & Twitter: @shane_pruitt78
Ken Whitten
Ken Whitten currently serves as the National Director of Pastoral Leadership with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Just as the late Pastor Adrian Rogers mentored Ken, he, too, enjoys mentoring up-and-coming pastors. Until this year, he served as Senior Pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Florida—a 33-year ministry that included two campus build outs, five church plants, and a current membership of nearly 14,000. He remarks that the strength of his ministry is Jesus and Ginny, in that order. He and Ginny, his wife of 47 years, have four children and 13 grandchildren.