Speakers

KEVIN KOMPELIEN

President, EFCA

Rev. Kevin Kompelien was elected president of the Evangelical Free Church of America in 2015. For the previous nine years, he served as the international leader for the Africa division with ReachGlobal (the international mission of the EFCA) and as a senior leader of the mission.

A graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (1983), Kompelien served over twenty years as pastor of two EFCA churches. In addition, he served on the North Central District Board chairing the church planting committee and on the Central California District Board (now EFCA West). In June 2019, President Kompelien was presented with an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois.

Carlton Harris

Executive Vice President, EFCA National Ministries

Carlton started ministry in 1981 as a pastoral intern at First Evangelical Free Church in Wichita, Kansas, and has spent 40 years in church leadership. He began his role at the EFCA national office leading the ReachNational division in September 2021.

He and his wife, Carol, attend New Hope Church in New Hope, Minnesota.

DAVID PAO

Dean and Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL

Prior to joining the faculty at Trinity, Dr. Pao taught at Harvard University as a Teaching Fellow in the area of Greco-Roman World and Early Christianity. He has also served as a visiting professor at several institutions in Hong Kong, China, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Dr. Pao is also involved in a number of Bible translation projects, and he is currently serving as the New Testament editor of the Tien Dao Bible Commentary series and consulting editor of the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary series.

Matthew St. John

Senior Pastor, New Hope Church, New Hope, MN

Matthew St. John and his wife Christa live in the Minneapolis area, where Matthew is the senior pastor of New Hope Church–a congregation endeavoring to be a Christ-centered community for all peoples. Having served as a pastor for nearly thirty years, and represented Christ around the world, Matthew nurtures a deep passion for sharing God’s Word so that all who are spiritually hungry may experience and proclaim the life-changing power of Jesus Christ.

A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM; DMin) and King University (BA), Matthew is also vice chair of the Board of Governors for Trinity Western University.

Cedrick Brown 

Superintendent, EFCA East and Lead Pastor, Commitment Church, Lindenwold, NJ 

Cedrick Brown was born and raised in the city of Compton, California, which some have labeled the “gang capital of the World.” Football became a way out, landing him at Washington State University (1982-1986), then signing with the Philadelphia Eagles (1986-1988). 

Cedrick transitioned into a business career, from hotel and restaurant management to sales and executive sales management. Now, he serves as the District Superintendent for EFCA East, planting pastor of Commitment Community Church in Lindenwold, NJ, public speaker and author of several books. He earned his Master’s and Doctorate Degrees in Theology from Slidell Baptist Seminary.

Cedrick has been married to his beautiful wife Lisa for over thirty years. They have three wonderful adult children together: Joshua, Jessica and Jaime.