FEBRUARY 28-29, 2024

what is MOVE?

MOVE Conference is designed for anyone who is passionate about sharing the gospel locally, nationally, and internationally. Pastors, church staff, students, and any leader who desires to learn, grow, and develop in the area of missions will benefit from MOVE.

REGISTER HERE

Conference Schedule

We will have 4 dynamic main sessions with worship, speakers, and stories from special guests who live and serve around the world.

    Meet our 2024 Speakers

    Clay Smith

    Clay Smith

    Senior Pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church

    Meet Clay
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    In August 2019, Clay was approved unanimously by the congregation to serve as the senior pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. He is a native of Greenville, South Carolina, and the son of a pastor. Clay's passion for ministry revolves around the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and includes Biblical concentration in three major areas: evangelism, relational discipleship, and missions. Clay earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of South Carolina in 2001 and a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2005. He is currently a Ph.D. student at Southwestern with a concentration in preaching. He and his wife, Terrica, have three daughters.

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    Meet Amir

    Hear stories about the persecuted church from a Muslim background believer.

    John Ensor

    John Ensor

    President of PassionLife Ministries

    Meet John
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    John Ensor’s contribution to the pro-life movement is recognized in Legacy of Life: Honoring Fifty of the Greatest Pro-Life leaders of the Last Fifty Years (Florida Family Policy Council, 2023). This book, written to commemorate the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, pays tribute to the greatest founders, builders, strategists, and innovators of the pro-life movement during the last 50 years.

    John Ensor is an Evangelical pastor and leader in the prolife movement. He is the President of PassionLife Ministries and the author of numerous books on theology and ethics, including Innocent Blood: Challenging the Powers of Death with the Gospel of Life. His newest book is Pregnancy Crisis Intervention: What To Do and Say When It Matters Most.

    John, along with the PassionLife team, train leaders and their churches in biblical bio-ethics, prolife apologetics and pregnancy crisis intervention. They work in countries suffering the highest rates of abortion, infanticide, and gendercide (gender-targeted abortion) to help the local Church stand for life with courage and compassion in the name of Jesus Christ.

    Starting in 1991, John helped churches in Boston establish a network of six ultrasound-equipped pregnancy help medical clinics. In 2006, he went to Miami to train Hispanic and Haitian pastors and their churches in pro-life bioethics and helped them set up five pregnancy crisis intervention ministries. Since 2011, John has taught this blend of theology, bio-ethics and intervention ministries in China, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Zambia, Ghana, Cuba, and Russia.

    John has an undergraduate degree in Biblical Studies from Bethel College (1977) and a Masters of Divinity (M.Div) from Gordon- Conwell Theological Seminary (1981).

    John and his wife, Kristen, have been married for 45 years. They have three married children and five grandchildren. They live in Atlanta, GA.

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    Meet Heather

    Heather is an associate teaching professor at Penn State, speaker, and author. She designs advanced writing curriculum for the English department and loves helping students thrive professionally. She has written eight books, including the bestseller Seated with Christ: Living Freely in a Culture of Comparison, and an award-winning book on evangelism (cowritten with her husband, Ashley Holleman) called Sent: Living a Life That Invites Others to Jesus. Her latest book, The Six Conversations: Pathways to Connecting in an Age of Isolation and Incivility (Fall 2022) helps fight the loneliness epidemic by inviting readers to enjoy better conversations.

    Heather also serves with Faculty Commons, the graduate student and professor ministry of Cru. She has two daughters and three cats, and she blogs daily at heatherholleman.com. Her podcast is “The Verb with Heather Holleman.” When she’s not writing or teaching, Heather is growing a plum orchard, looking for turtles in the woods, or gathering with friends for dinner and a movie.

    Rafik Makram Khalil

    Rafik Makram Khalil

    Executive Director of Bridges of Hope - Jossour

    Meet Rafik
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    After finishing his college degree in Mechanical Engineering, Rafik has been involved in the mission fields for 23 years. With his wife and their two sons, Rafik has a passion for planting churches in unreached areas and empowering the oppressed churches. Rafik is the Executive Director of Bridges of Hope - Jossour, which focuses on sending missionaries, equipping churches, and responding to the emerging needs in their area.

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    Meet Edward

    Edward Paz planted The Movement Church in Oakland, California in 2013. After 8 years of proclaiming the gospel, making disciples, and serving the city, Edward transitioned the leadership of the church to a new Senior Pastor, and took a role at Hope Church in Las Vegas as their Lead Pastor of Prayer and Teaching Ministries.

    Edward has been married to his wife Rebekah for 18 years. His passions include creating/cultivating a culture of corporate prayer within a church, training the next generation of preachers, and encouraging pastors to be spiritually and emotionally healthy.

    Edward also enjoys writing. He published “Only God – A Supernatural Church Planting Story” in 2020 and has written extensively at edwardpaz.com.

     

    Dr. David Thompson

    Dr. David Thompson

    PAACS Founder & Author

    Meet Dr. David
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    Dr. David Thompson is a retired missionary surgeon who, with his wife Rebecca, served under the Christian & Missionary Alliance at Bongolo Hospital in the country of Gabon for 35 years and at Harpur Memorial Hospital in Egypt for five years. He and his wife, Becki, retired to Redding, California in 2018.

    David grew up in Cambodia, the son of missionary parents Ed and Ruth Thompson, both of whom were martyred in Banmethuot, Vietnam, during the 1968 Tet Offensive. David and his wife Becki married in 1971 and have three children and six grandchildren. He is currently 75 years old.

    From 1977 to 2014, Dr. Thompson led the Alliance team in Gabon that built Bongolo Hospital. Since the hospital's inception, more than 20,000 patients have come to faith in Jesus, and many churches have been planted in the region, several of which the Thompsons personally started.

    In 1996, Dr. Thompson helped establish the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons(PAACS) to respond to Africa's desperate shortage of formally trained surgeons. In 1997, he started one of the first PAACS programs at Bongolo Hospital. He helped train and disciple 20 Christian African surgeons, all of whom continue to serve and proclaim the gospel in Africa. Between 2013 and 2018, Dr. Thompson and his wife Rebecca moved to Egypt to open a new PAACS training program and a nursing school, both of which are still thriving. The Thompsons left Egypt in December 2017 after turning their work over to other Christian faculty surgeons and nursing educators.

    Since retiring from full-time missionary service in 2018, Dr. Thompson has remained active on the PAACS Board of Directors, on the Bongolo Hospital board, and two other NGO boards for Christian hospitals in Africa. He has made numerous mission trips to Gabon and Egypt in support of the hospitals he worked at, and this year, he served as the Interim Medical Director of Bongolo Hospital in Gabon during June. Dr. Thompson is also active as a speaker at missions conferences, such as the Prescription for Renewal Conference in Orlando in October of 2022 and the recent Global Health Missions Conference in Louisville, KY. He also speaks several times a year at PAACS fundraisers.

    Finally, Dr. Thompson is a volunteer in serving Redding's homeless community, providing medical care in homeless camps, helping drug addicts get into rehab, and being a witness for Christ.

    Dr. Thompson has authored five books describing his years of overseas experience: "On Call," "The Hand on My Scalpel," "Beyond the Mist," "Christian Mercy," and "Training God’s Surgeons for Africa." All are available on Amazon.

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    Meet Steve
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    Meet James
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    Meet Clay

    breakout sessions

    BIAS TO THE UNREACHED

    “Why should we support gospel work overseas when there are so many needs in our own community?” The breakout sessions in this track will help answer this question by sharing the status of global evangelization, the places with the greatest gospel need, and how every individual and church can play their part in helping accomplish the Great Commission.

    CREATING A SENDING CULTURE

    Many churches want to know how they can participate in the Great Commission and equip their members to reach the nations with the Gospel.  These breakouts will give practical next steps that churches, small and large, can use to take ownership in their part of sending people to the nations.

    "HOW TO ... "

    We are called to “go and make disciples of all nations,” but if you are asking yourself where to even begin with this endeavor, then this is the breakout track for you! Here, you will learn not only the “why” but also the “how.” These practical sessions will focus on the nuts and bolts of missions.

    MINISTRY TO THE VULNERABLE

    This breakout track is all about Jesus’ command to care for the orphan, the widow, the stranger, the hungry, and the refugee. But how do we care well for our neighbors in our community and those around the world? Learn from experts and those who are serving on the field about how you can be a part of meeting people’s physical and spiritual needs.

    MOBILIZING THE NEXT GENERATION

    Establishing a missions culture from your preschool ministry to your college ministry will have a lasting impact across your entire church. From casting vision across ministry areas to sending families on short-term mission trips to challenging students to use their summers on missions and more, these breakouts will help you and your ministry see how to engage and mobilize the next generation.

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    PRICING

    General

    Dec 16, 2023 - Feb 27, 2024
    $109

    Walk-Up

    Feb 28-29, 2024
    $159

    Special Offers

    We offer special rates for groups of 10 or more — this discount will automatically apply when you register.

    We also offer special rates for college/seminary students and church planters! If you fall into one of these categories, please contact us at [email protected] to register.

    Frequently Asked Questions

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    Who should attend?

    MOVE Conference is designed for anyone who is passionate about sharing the gospel locally, nationally, and internationally. Pastors, church staff, college students, and any leader who desires to learn, grow, and develop in the area of missions will benefit from MOVE Conference.

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    How do I pay my conference fee?

    Payments are made through credit or debit cards during the registration process.

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    Can I cancel my registration?

    We understand that plans sometimes change. While we cannot guarantee a refund, we will do our best to work with specific situations. All registrations are transferable to another individual. Please contact [email protected] for any questions about registration.

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    What is included in my registration fee?

    Registration for this in-person conference includes access to all main and breakout sessions, MOVE swag, three (3) meals, and digital access to all sessions for 90 days after the conference.

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    If I attend Johnson Ferry, what part of the conference can I attend?

    There are several ways you can be a part of the MOVE Conference. You can register for the full mission leaders conference or be a part of the JF family events. Contact [email protected] for more information.

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    How is the MOVE Conference connected to Johnson Ferry Baptist Church?

    The MOVE Conference is an exciting part of Johnson Ferry’s annual MOVE missions week.

    Didn’t See Your Question?

    Please contact us at [email protected]; we would be glad to help answer all your questions.