Jarrod Robinson was born and raised in Northern California.  He is a graduate of Abilene Christian University and holds a D.Min. from Lipscomb University.  Jarrod preached for the Eastside Church of Christ in Antioch, California, and the Riverside Church of Christ in the north Dallas suburb of Coppell, Texas, before coming to the Southern Hills Church of Christ in Abilene, where he has preached for ten years.  Jarrod and his wife, Lauren, have been married for over twenty years and have two daughters.

Prior to coming to ACU, Jennifer Schroeder served in congregational ministry for almost two decades, in addition to being an accomplished musician, teacher, and scholar. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of North Texas, a doctorate from Michigan State University, and a master’s degree in family studies from Lubbock Christian University; additionally, she earned her Doctor of Ministry degree from ACU. Jennifer has served in children’s ministry in congregations in Garland, Plano, and Houston, Texas, as well as Atlanta, Georgia. Jennifer currently serves the Siburt Institute for Church Ministry as the Summit Director and a consultant for churches. In addition to her role as Summit Director, she is the College Fellow for Children and Family Ministry for the Department of Bible, Missions and Ministry, where she teaches courses in children and family ministry in ACU’s College of Biblical Studies. Jennifer also serves as the director of the Center for Women in Christian Ministry. Jennifer and her husband, Greg, have four children, and they love calling Abilene home.

Houston and his wife, Karen, have been married 28 years and have four children. He teaches courses on spiritual formation and ministry for ACU’s Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry and Graduate School of Theology. Additionally, he serves as director for the Siburt Institute's Contemplative Ministers' Initiative. Houston has authored several books and articles on spiritual disciplines, including Pray Like You Breathe: Exploring the Practice of Breath Prayer, Teaching Eutychus: Engaging Today’s Learners With Passion and Creativity, and most recently Faith in Mirrors, a book of mirror poems based on the life and teachings of Jesus. He frequently visits churches for preaching, teaching, consulting, and seminars in the area of spiritual formation.

Jason Locke has preached for the College Church of Christ in Fresno, California since 2009. His adventure in full-time ministry began in 1994. He worked first as a church planter in Prague, Czechia, and later as a campus minister at West Virginia University. Jason's Doctor of Ministry and Master of Divinity degrees are from Abilene Christian, but he did his undergraduate work at Tennessee Tech in mechanical engineering. His current areas of interest are in congregational renewal and adaptive leadership, and he has led his church in Fresno through a remarkable journey of transformation. Jason is a curious adventurer and an avid reader who loves to travel, cook and follow his favorite sports teams. He has been married to Julie since 1992. They have two married sons. One lives in Fresno with his wife and their new baby. The other lives with his wife in Washington, DC, and they're expecting a child in April.

Dr. Ryan Jespersen is married to Joanna, and they have two children, Rachel, and Mary Kate.   He served as the senior pastor of Grace Temple Baptist church and has served in various churches as an interim pastor, helping churches through the transition process.  He served at the Baptist General Convention of Texas as Director of Urban Missions, and also at Dallas Baptist University as Director of Denominational Relations, relating to churches and Baptist entities on behalf of the university. He then moved to the Dallas Baptist Association, where he serves as Executive Director, giving general oversight to the work of the association serving churches to fulfill the Great Commission.  Dr. Jespersen is the author of Asking Seeking Knocking: Transitioning Churches in an Urban Context.  He has taught as an adjunct at Dallas Baptist University in the Graduate School of Ministry, and he holds degrees from Dallas Baptist University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.