- Dr. John Franke - John is a professor of theology @ Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, PA. John is particularly interested in engaging postmodern thought and culture from the perspective of Christian faith in order to explore the opportunities and challenges they present for the witness and ministry of the gospel. In addition to teaching at Biblical, he has lectured and taught on the relationships between theology, ministry, and postmodernity in the United States, Canada, England, and New Zealand and is actively involved in research and writing. In addition to publishing numerous articles and reviews, he is the coauthor of Beyond Foundationalism: Shaping Theology in a Postmodern Context and the author of The Character of Theology and Barth for Armchair Theologians.
- Adam Walker Cleaveland - Adam is an M.Div./M.A. (Youth Ministry) student at Princeton Theological Seminary (’08), a member of the Emergent Village Coordinating Group, and a contributing author for An Emergent Manifesto of Hope. Adam blogs regularly at pomomusings.com and does web and graphic design at cleavedesign.com. Adam has been actively involved in two Presbyterian (PCUSA) camping ministries, served as a Director of Youth Ministries at Living Waters Presbyterian Church in Wendell, ID for two years, and is currently a candidate in the PC(USA) Ordination process. Adam and his wife Sarah currently live in Princeton, NJ and Adam can be contacted at cleave@gmail.com.
- Vera K. White - Vera serves as Director of New Church Development, Stewardship, and Committee on Ministry for Pittsburgh Presbytery. She is the author of numerous study and devotional resources. Vera is a former high school English teacher and Christian Educator with a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership. She is married to Tom and the mother of Alex (22) and Adam (14). Her hobbies are gardening, reading, and travel.
- Karen Sloan - Karen grew up at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church where she fostered a meaningful personal relationship with Christ. But it was only when she went to Fuller seminary that she began to understand what being Presbyterian meant. For her Fuller years she was active at a small multi-ethnic Presbyterian church that was going through a process of Appreciative Inquiry. This past fall she was ordained to working in campus ministry and her first book, Flirting with Monasticism, was published. When she came across Emergent about three years ago she was overjoyed to connect with other people asking similar questions, and keep returning to Emergent for more conversations.
- Nanette Sawyer - Nanette is an artist, writer, and organizing pastor of Wicker Park Grace, a small urban faith community which gathers in an art gallery in Chicago. She is also an active part of presbymergent, the Presbyterian Church (USA) Emergent conversation. She has a Masters of Theological Studies in comparative world religions from Harvard Divinity School, and a Masters of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. Nanette has recently contributed to An Emergent Manifesto of Hope and is currently working on her first book, Hospitality, the Sacred Art: Discovering the Hidden Spiritual Power of Invitation and Welcome, to be published November 2007.
- Dr. Scott W. Sunquist - Scott W. Sunquist is the W.Don McClure Associate Professor of World Mission and Evangelism at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Previously he taught for 8 years at Trinity Theological College in the Republic of Singapore where he was the pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church for three years. He is the co-author of History of the World Christian Movement vol. 1 (Orbis, 2001), vol. 2 (to be published in 2008) and is the editor of A Dictionary of Asian Christianity (Eerdmans, 2001) and co-editor with Caroline Becker of A History of Presbyterian Missions, 1944-2006 (Westminster-John Knox, 2008). He has one wife and four grown children.
- Dr. Andrew Purves - Andrew Purves it the Hugh Thompson Kerr Professor of Pastoral Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He holds degrees from Duke Divinity School as well as Edinburgh. He is the author of numerous books including Reconstructing Pastoral Theology: A Christological Foundation (Westminster-John Knox, 2004) and The Crucifixion of Ministry (IVP, 2007). He recently completed research in the area of Celtic Christianity. He speaks frequently throughout country at both churches as well as conferences.
- Derek Weston - Derrick is a native of Southwest PA who studied film at the University of Pittsburgh. He received his Masters of Divinity from San Francisco Theological Seminary and is currently in the ordination process with Pittsburgh Presbytery. Derrick is the mission advancement manager for the Pittsburgh Project, an urban community development ministry on the city’s North side. Derrick has been married four years to his wife Marnie whom he met while working at The Pittsburgh Project.
- Terry Timm - Terry is a fan of strong coffee, Taylor guitars, David Crowder Band and U2. He believes the task of leadership is to create healthy environments where people can connect with God, one another, and our world and currently serves as lead pastor of Christ Community Church, a missional community of faith located in the south hills of Pittsburgh. His background and educational experience in music, education and theology (Duquesne University, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and Northern Baptist Seminary) provide a unique framework and perspective for his involvement in the emerging church conversation.
- BJ Woodworth - B.J. Woodworth is the lead pastor of the Open Door which is a new church development of the Pittsburgh Presbytery. Previously he spent 11 years doing campus ministry at Bellefield Presbyterian church at the University of Pittsburgh. He currently serves the Open Door by being a visionary guide, worship chorographer, mission equipper, community catalyst, and prophetic poet. The Open Door is an emerging missional community in the East End of Pittsburgh. He is a graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and Westminster College. He is married to Katrina and has four children, Kyra, Elena, and Zach, and Alex who are twins. He is particularly passionate about the church, social justice and community development, which are evidenced, in his involvement in racial reconciliation initiatives, Habitat for Humanity and living in an intentional urban community in Pittsburgh’s East End. And if you can’t find him at home or an East End coffee shop, he’s most likely at the local pub called the Sharp Edge sampling the latest Indian Pale Ale.
- Brian Wallace - Brian is a computer scientist/physicist turned pastor with a passion for youth ministry and alternative worship. He graduated from Grove City College and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and serves as Associate Pastor for Youth and Outreach at Hampton Presbyterian Church, about 12 miles north of Pittsburgh. There his responsibilities include the Jr and Sr High ministry as well as turningpoint, an alternative approach to Presbyterian worship within a 200 year old congregation. Outside of work Brian enjoys running, messing around with computers, and watching sports of all types - but especially Buffalo Sabres hockey and Syracuse Orange basketball.