LEAD 2020 Speakers

UMC LEAD 2019 Speaker: Brandon Wrencher

UMC LEAD 2019 Speaker: Brandon Wrencher

Rooted in his formation in small towns and the Black Church, Brandon’s visionary leadership has spanned rural, small town and urban communities in North Carolina and Chicago.

LEAD 2020 Speaker: DJ del Rosario

LEAD 2020 Speaker: DJ del Rosario

While DJ was on a training run for his marathon, he noticed a lump in his leg. One year later doctors were not able to diagnose him. For his LEAD talk, DJ will share his story of chemo, moving to disability and his evolving identity from broken to bro-kin.

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Jeremy W Scott

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Jeremy W Scott

Jeremy’s Talk: Lack of proper infrastructure is the unglamorous, unsexy, and absolutely essential thing that is killing many of our congregations.

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Sophia Agtarap

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Sophia Agtarap

Sophia Agtarap serves as the Director of Communications at Vanderbilt Divinity School. She loves exploring the interconnectedness of food and community, and the ways that we can love and serve neighbor through those intersections.

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Meredith Dodd

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Meredith Dodd

Meredith’s Talk: Collaboration is not efficient. But collaborative leadership like co-pastoring slowly moves us closer to the kingdom of God.

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Ismael Ruiz-Millán

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Ismael Ruiz-Millán

Ismael’s Talk: Jesus in fact embodies what cultural humility means, his kenosis should be a reminder that the “emptying of one self” should be at the center of any effort toward becoming culturally humble, and consequently culturally competent.

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Ronald Bell

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Ronald Bell

Ronald’s Talk: Lets talk about the realities of grieving while leading. As leaders that tension to hide our grief often leads to resentment and burnout.

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Andy Lang

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Andy Lang

Andy’s Talk: In a culture of nonstop growth, churches have a unique role in creating small groups that allow for vulnerability and storytelling.

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Kate Kilroy

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Kate Kilroy

Kate’s talk with Jenny Smith: Healthy collaboration is all about a fierce trust in God, our own soul work, each other and the work we share.

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Jenny Smith

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Jenny Smith

Jenny and Kate Kilroy’s talk: Healthy collaboration is all about a fierce trust in God, our own soul work, each other and the work we share.

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Michelle Matthews

LEAD 2020 Speaker: Michelle Matthews

Michelle’s Talk: The willingness to collaboratively translate worship in spaces that people love & places where people are is critical for Church’s future.