2017 MDFW Events

Mayor Michael S. Rawlings 

Mayor | Dallas, TX

Mike Rawlings came to Dallas in 1976 with a couple hundred dollars in his pocket and plans to work as a radio reporter. He didn’t think he’d stay long. But over the next four decades, Rawlings proved that Dallas is truly a city of opportunity. Mayor Rawlings decided in early 2011 to run for Dallas Mayor on a platform that highlighted southern Dallas as the city’s greatest untapped resource. Following his June 2011 election, he launched GrowSouth, his signature initiative to spur economic development south of the Trinity River. Mayor Rawlings was re-elected to a second four-year term in May 2015. Rawlings and his wife, Micki, live in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of North Dallas.

Speakers

Click for 2017
Conference Photos

Bishop Claude Alexander 

Senior Pastor, The Park Church | Charlotte, NC

Bishop Claude Alexander has served as the Senior Pastor of The Park Church in Charlotte, North Carolina for the past 26 years. Currently, he serves on the boards of Charlotte Center City Partners, Wycliffe Bible Translators USA, Christianity Today, and the Mission America Coalition, and the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops. He is the Vice Chairman of Gordon-Conwell Board of Trustees and the Second-Presiding Bishop of the Kingdom Association of Covenant Pastors Married to Dr. Kimberly Alexander for 22 years, they have two daughters.


Bertrain Bailey

Senior Pastor, St. John Missionary Baptist Church | Dallas, TX


Gary Bradenburg

Lead Pastor & Elder, Fellowship Dallas | Dallas, TX

Gary Brandenburg grew up in California and attended Oklahoma State University on a baseball scholarship. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and played three seasons of professional baseball. Gary received his Master of Divinity degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston. Gary has been the Lead Pastor at Fellowship Bible Church of Dallas since 2004 .Gary has spoken all over the world in pastor’s conferences pursuing his desire to “influence the influencers.”

Mercury Bynum

Senior Pastor | Dallas, TX

Mercury is a dedicated executive leader with over 20 years of experience directing non-profit organizations, achieving successful mission-driven programs, promoting community development and involvement, and directing organizational growth and sustainability. He’s a senior pastor and has been facilitating collaboration around re-entry for three years as a part of Greater Dallas Movement Day. With Unite Greater Dallas, Mercury oversees church engagement and is responsible for analyzing the levels of church engagement in the coordinated city transformation efforts, then to develop strategies and plans to take it to the next level.

Bryan Carter

Senior Pastor, Concord Church | Dallas, TX

Bryan Carter is the Senior Pastor of Concord Church. The mission of their church is “We Grow People.” He has served as pastor since 2003 and the church has tripled in size under his leadership, currently serving more than 8,500 members. He serves on the boards of Dallas Habitat for Humanity, Dallas ISD Education Foundation, HIS Bridgebuilders and Mentoring Brother to Brother. He and his college sweetheart, Stephanie, have three children, Kaitlyn, Kennedy and Carson.


Mark Alan Davis

Senior Pastor, Park Cities Presbyterian Church | Dallas, TX

Mark worked at Heritage Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City for five years before going to Seminary in 1994. He also served as Executive Director of the Youth in Ministry Institute in St. Louis. Following graduation, Mark became the Pastor of Youth and Family at Chesterfield Presbyterian Church. Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas, called him to be Pastor to Youth and Families in 2003. In 2007 Mark was named Pastor of Spiritual Life at PCPC. In May, 2008, Mark was installed as the second Senior Pastor at Park Cities Presbyterian Church.

Dr. Jim Denison

Founder, Denison Ministries | Dallas, TX

Jim Denison, Ph.D., speaks and writes on cultural and contemporary issues. He produces a daily column which is distributed to more than 113,000 subscribers in 203 countries. Prior to founding the Denison Forum in 2009, Dr. Denison was pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church, a 10,000-member congregation in Dallas, Texas. He earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion and Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Dallas Baptist University. He and his wife live in Dallas and are the parents of two sons.


Dr. Conway Edwards

Founder & Lead Pastor, One Community Church | Dallas, TX

Dr. Conway Edwards is the founding and lead pastor of One Community Church, a fast growing church in Plano, Texas ministering to the communities of Collin and Denton County and hosting 8000 weekly in attendance. As lead pastor, Dr. Edward’s unique ability to communicate the truths of the Bible in a relevant and uncompromising manner has helped to reach a generation of men, women, singles, couples and families embedded in a culture defined by individualism, materialism and humanism. He formerly served at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas under the leadership of Senior Pastor, Dr. Tony Evans, and is passionate about leadership and the local church.

Dr. Tony Evans

Senior Pastor, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship | Dallas, T

Tony Evans, Th.D, is a Christian pastor, speaker, author, and a widely syndicated radio and television broadcaster in the United States. He was the first African American to earn a doctorate in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He serves as Senior Pastor to the over 9,500 member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Evans has served as chaplain for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and is currently the longest serving NBA chaplain which he has done by serving the Dallas Mavericks for over 30 years.

Getty Music

Keith & Kristyn Getty, Musicians | Nashville, TN & Ireland

Keith and Kristyn Getty occupy a unique space in the world of music today as preeminent modern hymn writers. In re-inventing the traditional hymn form, they have created a catalogue of songs teaching Christian doctrine and crossing the genres of traditional, classical, folk and contemporary composition which are sung the world over. Keith and Kristyn Getty continue to be global ambassadors for modern hymns in the USA and throughout the world.

Kristi Krock

Director of Operations, Initiative Network | Dallas, TX

Kristi Krock is an avid fan of the city of Dallas who has helped develop and grow INITIATIVE Network, where she now serves as Director of Operations. She’s passionate about local politics, strategy development, and good design. Her hope is to see the Church (all Christians across all aspects of culture) step into the role of pushing back darkness– starting in individual hearts, then moving out to communities and the city. In Dallas as it is in Heaven.

Terrence Maiden

Executive VP, Corinth Properties | Dallas, TX

A passion for business best describes Terrence Maiden. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Terrence has poured his energy, creativity and expertise into the development project leasing of over two-million square feet of retail. As Executive Vice President of Corinth Properties, he is at the forefront of implementing the growth strategy for the company, as a real estate owner and developer. Terrence’s most notable projects to date are Glen Oaks Crossings, The Canyon in Oak Cliff, and Red Oak Crossings, and redevelopment of Southwest Center Mall.

Tim Maiden

Co-Founder, Two-Wins Foundation | Dallas, TX

Tim Maiden co-founder Two-Wins Foundation with his identical twin brother, Terrence. Tim is widely regarded for his corporate leadership and financial operations experience. Tim Maiden has worked in the banking industry over the past sixteen years. Currently, he serves as a Senior Vice President and Community Leader at Frost Bank for the southern sector of Dallas. Additionally, Tim Maiden serves as an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University. He serves on the board of several civic organizations and he is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc. Tim was named to 2015 Forty under Forty by Dallas Business Journal.

Michael Mauldin

Executive Director, Upper Room Dallas | Dallas, TX

Michael Mauldin is the executive director of Upper Room Dallas, a praying church that host 36 hours a week of live worship and prayer in Dallas’ Design District.

Anthony Mays

Principal, Emmett J. Conrad H.S. | Dallas, TX

Anthony Mays is currently the principal of Emmett J. Conrad High School in Dallas I. S. D. A graduate of Huston-Tillotson College who is currently completing his doctorate with a focus on higher education administration at Tarleton State University. He began his career in Pflugerville, Texas as a high school teacher and has been a school administrator for 11 years, leading at both the middle and high school setting. He has made a personal proclamation that he will die working in the field of education, creating quality learning opportunities for those he is blessed to serve.

Wil McCall

Board of Directors, Jubilee Park & Community Center | Dallas, TX

Wil McCall is a foremost expert in leadership development. He has mentored hundreds of leaders across the city of Dallas and provided oversight to Dallas Leadership Foundation, a Texas nonprofit organization, for over a decade. As a nonprofit executive with over 20 years of business experience, Wil provides fiscal management, strategic planning, and executive coaching services for nonprofit agencies and professionals. He sits on the boards of directors of Jubilee Park and Community Center and Leadership Foundations. He is an ordained Baptist minister and a member of Friendship West Baptist Church.

Denise Nixon

Board Chair, Serve West Dallas | Dallas, TX

Denise and her husband Ray are active members of Park Cities Presbyterian Church and have 4 children and 9 grandchildren. Denise currently serves as the Board Chair of Serve West Dallas. She is also a board member of the Global Leadership Alliance and has served on the Urban Missions board at her church for the past 7 years. She began volunteer work in West Dallas over 20 years ago. Denise is a graduate of the University of Texas with a degree in Psychology and Social Work. Her favorite mantra that she seeks to live by is “Unity in diversity with humility”.

Dr. Samira Izadi Page

Founder & Executive Director, Gateway of Grace Ministries | Dallas, TX

Dr. Samira Izadi Page is the founder and Executive Director of Gateway of Grace Ministries. She was born and raised in Iran as a Muslim. Samira and her family fled Iran due to persecution and obtained political asylum status in the U.S. Samira converted to Christianity. She earned her Master of Divinity and doctorate in Missional Church Studies from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. She frequently speaks nationally and locally at conferences, churches and other venues on issues of interfaith relations, Islam and Christianity, and refugee outreach.


Vincent Parker

Pastor, Golden Gate Missionary Baptist Church | Dallas, TX

Vincent Parker was born in Washington, D.C. and currently pastors the Golden Gate Missionary Baptist Church for the last 20 years. He and his wife, Janice, have 3 children and have been married for 29 years. He has committed his life to discipleship in the urban context.

Mac Pier

Founder & CEO, The New York City Leadership Center | New York, NY

Mac founded The New York City Leadership Center in 2008. As CEO of The NYCLC, Mac seeks to exponentially increase the leadership effectiveness of ministry and marketplace leaders – to address the spiritual and social issues facing our world today. To that end, the annual Movement Day conference was established in 2010 to accelerate the growth of Christian leadership in the world’s major urban centers. The dream of Mac’s heart is to see the birth of citywide “gospel movements” that will grow into solid, mature efforts that measurably impact a city’s most vulnerable citizens.

Mark Porter

Senior Assoc. Pastor, Concord Church | Dallas, TX

Mark Porter is a native of Gonzales, Texas. In his 15-year career at Bank of America, he gained experience and exposure in several leadership and support roles in operations, customer service, employee relations and training & development achieving officer title of Vice President. Porter currently serves on the Concord Church staff as Senior Associate Pastor of Missions. He is also the Executive Director for Harmony Community Development Corporation, a non-profit organization focused on strengthening families and revitalizing neighborhoods in the southern sector of Dallas, TX.

Major Jonathan Rich

DFW Metroplex Commander, Salvation Army | Dallas, TX

Major Jonathan Rich was was commissioned as a Salvation Army officers in 1987. After he and his wife served together for 12 years in Corps, Divisional and Territorial appointments in the Central Territory, they accepted a calling to a congregation in Kansas City area church for thirteen years. During that time, Major Jonathan was the Executive Pastor. They both felt a strong calling to return to the Salvation Army as officers in the Southern Territory in 2012. Major Jonathan and Barbara his wife have two children.

Byron Sanders

Vice President, U.S. Trust | Dallas, TX

Byron Sanders serves as Vice President for U.S. Trust, the private bank of Bank of America.His philanthropic and entrepreneurial background has afforded Mr. Sanders a unique vantage point from which to serve a wide range of clientele. Previously, Mr. Sanders served as Executive Director of the Dallas Education Foundation. He was chosen as a Presidential Leadership Scholar and in addition to serving on the Advisory Council of the Dallas Foundation, he also serves as a board member with KIPP DFW, Big Thought (Executive Committee), CitySquare, Children at Risk.

Grant Skeldon

Founder, Initiative | Dallas, TX

Grant is the founder of INITIATIVE, a young local missionary network. In response to millennials being labeled as non-committal, critical, entitled, slacktivists, INITIATIVE’s mission is to shift the culture of Dallas by making millennials Christ-loving, city-changing, church-investing, disciple-making, local missionaries. He now lives and goes to church in West Dallas, where he serves on the preaching team at Mercy Street Church, a multicultural, urban church plant.

Brenda Teele

Business Relationship Manager, Federal Title, Inc. | Dallas, TX

Brenda Teele is Business Relationship Manager for Federal Title, Inc. She’s worked in the Real Estate title industry for more than 10 years and best known in North Texas for her experience in the media. A featured speaker for the non-profit, Just Say Yes, where she talks to teen parents about Breaking the Cycle of Teen Pregnancy. Brenda is the proud mother of three sons and they are members of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas.

Chelsea Vaughn

Culture Curator, Initiative Network | Dallas, TX

Chelsea Vaughn has served a ministry she helped start in the DFW Metroplex since she graduated from college. She received her undergraduate degree at Dallas Baptist University in Communication Theory. She does freelance writing, editing, and speaking for various organizations and non-profits. She hopes to spend her life using her gift for communication to reach culture and communities with the love of Jesus.

Dr. Jeff Warren

Senior Pastor, Park Cities Baptist Church | Dallas, TX

Jeff received a Master’s in Theology of Divinity and a Doctorate of Ministry from Southwestern Theological Seminary. He was named one of SWBT’s best preachers and was recognized for his doctoral project in his graduating class. After seminary he came to Park Cities Baptist Church as the Minister to Students for many years and then became the Minister to Young Marrieds and later, Minister over all Married Adults. Jeff is now the Senior Pastor of PCBC. Jeff is married to Stacy, and they are parents to three children.

Dr. Adam Wright

President, Dallas Baptist University | Dallas, TX

On May 19, 2016, the DBU Board of Trustees elected Dr. Adam C. Wright as the sixth president of Dallas Baptist University. Dr. previously served as Vice President and Dean of the Cook School of Leadership, where he provided academic leadership and taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Dr. Wright and his wife, Candice have two daughters, Abigail Grace and Katherine Elizabeth. They are members of Park Cities Baptist Church, where the Wrights teach Sunday School and are actively engaged in the life of the church.