The Coaches
Nathan smith
Nathan’s history includes being a pastor’s kid, church planter’s kid, landscape designer, and now a student pastor. His passion is for training leaders to have successful youth ministries that reach people for Jesus as well as seeing students stick with their faith after high school. He is the student pastor at First Baptist Church, Roswell NM. Nathan has served as a youth pastor for 15 years with his amazing wife (Kendra) of 16 years and their amazing 4 kids, Jonathan (14), Naomi (13), Elliot (9), & Gianna (7). He is living Roswell seeing God do big things and believes everyone can see God do big things when doing ministry like Jesus modeled it.
Doug Henry
Doug is currently serving as the Youth Pastor at Mission Baptist Church in Washburn MO. Doug has served in the ministry for 10 years with adults and 5 years in the youth ministry. Doug is married to his lovely wife, Mandy Henry and has two children, Laura 12 and Joe 8. Doug is a graduate of Missouri Southern State College and has been in law enforcement for 23 years where he has seen the clear picture of the struggles of humanity, both adult and juvenile. Doug also serves on the Southwest R-5 School Board. Doug’s passion is to serve the Lord and to advance the Gospel wherever God leads him with a goal to make disciples who make disciples.
nate gillen
Nate is currently the youth pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Joplin Mo. Nate and his wife Kristi have 4 kids. Zac, Austin, Hayle, and Laney. They followed God to Joplin in August for Nate and the family’s first full time position in youth ministry. Nate and Kristi have implemented and watched how a Gospel Advancing Ministry transforms the youth and the ministries they are blessed to lead. For the past 9 years they had the privilege of reaching and leading teens in Northeast Iowa to know and love Jesus. “I love watching students hearts transform and grow to love Jesus by teaching kids to relationaly advance the gospel. We have watched the love of Jesus change their hearts to love the church, the lost, and grow their personal relationship with God. By loving Jesus and loving life we have watched the power of the gospel come alive through the youth as they reach the lost and change the world around them” says Gillen. It's all in all the time for the Gillen family when it comes to advancing the Gospel. “We can't wait to see what God does in Joplin as we share our passion of Jesus with Southwest Missouri” says Gillen.
Jonathan Waters
With 20 years of ministry experience, Jonathan has seen and learned the necessity of Gospel Advancing Ministry. Youth ministry can easily become teen childcare for church and services look more like the children’s services than adult services. With GAM, he has learned and implemented the necessary values to shape the identity of their youth ministry into a Biblical model. After experiencing what GAM can do, you will be reminded of the reason your heart was first called to youth ministry. Inspiring, Equipping, and Multiplying disciple makers to reach a lost and dying world is the reason for youth ministry, and GAM is the necessary process to get you there.
"Mr Bill" Freund
Mr Bill is one of those guys who came to know Jesus after high school. He was invited numerous times by a friend to a “church” thing & reluctantly went. It was there that he heard for the first time how much God loved him, that Jesus died & rose again for his sins & was offering new life & eternal life to ALL who would trust in Him! Mr Bill believed & received and his life has been forever changed! He is currently Pastor of Student Ministries at Grace Church in Roseville, MN. He has been married to Jean since 1991, has a son Drew (26) and a daughter Jessica (21). Mr Bill has been helping students, youth leaders & everyone he can for the past 37 years to Know Jesus & Make Him Known! Best. Job. Ever.
Carrie Evans
Carrie is currently a Family Ministries Director and has been in full time youth ministry for 15 years. Her testimony includes coming to know Jesus as a young adult and being in awe of the grace God offers after never feeling like she was good enough as a teen. She is passionate about equipping youth leaders to advance the gospel, developing student leaders, and explaining God’s Word in creative and relevant ways. She has worked as a volunteer, bi-vocational and full time employee and understands the unique challenges and blessings of all those roles. She speaks dynamically and loves teaching on God’s Word whether it’s for students, kids or adults. She would love to encourage any youth leader and help them to be more effective in both discipleship and reaching out to those who don’t yet know the good news of Jesus. She was introduced to Jesus by an amazing man who is now her husband and volunteer partner in youth ministry. They have identical twin daughters who are young adults pursuing Jesus with their lives and careers.
Andy McGowan
Andy McGowan has a heart to see teenagers across this country know Jesus and make disciples who make disciples.
In his first six months of youth ministry, Andy McGowan was shaken to the core by a tragic string of teen suicides in his community. Something had to change. He and the youth pastors in his area knew they couldn’t stand by. Hurting students had to be reached with the love of Christ, and fast.
Andy and some local pastors started meeting weekly to pray for the lost in their community. Then, they trained and unleashed the students in their churches to go out and share the gospel with their friends. Soon, hundreds of new teenagers where visiting the youth groups around town, and teens who were once trapped in hopelessness were transformed by the hope of the gospel. This story can be found in Greg Stier’s book GOSPELIZE.
Andy is not just a speaker, but was in youth ministry for over 15 years and is now speaking and training youth pastors around the country. Andy is also on the Dare 2 Share counsel. Andy is currently lead pastor at Immanuel Kenosha.Church in Kenosha, WI and is married to his awesome wife Allison and has three kids Elias, Etta, and Graham.
John Chronister
John was raised in church with two grandfathers and his father serving as
deacons, his mom a church secretary, and his aunt and uncle serving as career missionaries in Africa. But John was not active with a youth ministry in high school. It wasn't until college that John began to see the importance of discipleship and a close knit group of friends to help him in his faith. John began volunteering with local youth ministries through college. Ten years later God called him into ministry vocationally. John currently serves as youth pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Morrilton AR. He serves with his wife of 20 years, Tamara. They have 4 children: Emily (16), Gabe (14), Annabelle (9), and Oliver (6).
