Gernot Elsner is married to Sabine and has three children. After three years at the Bible school in Bad Gandersheim, he worked for two years in a Pentecostal church in Karlsruhe and at the same time studied English and history at the University of Teacher Education. In 2002 he went to the United States for a little over two years, where he graduated from Regent University with a master’s degree in practical theology and intercultural studies. After spending time in various countries in South America, Gernot founded GOSPELTRIBE in January 2006. In the past few years the ministry has participated in short-term missions, evangelizations and conferences in over 40 nations. Gospeltribe sends youth on short term trips around the globe and also has a two year residential Bible College and local ministries focusing on refugees, homeless people, secular high schools and victims of human trafficking.
Herb is a covenant pastor and church planter. He serves at Evangelical Covenant Church in Minnesota as the Director of Spiritual and Vocational Development in their denominational office. Herb’s passion is about fostering pastoral resilience. He and his wife, Paula Frost, serve together in helping others move toward a whole life apprenticeship to Jesus.
Jack Herschend has served as an elder at one of LFM’s church partners and joined the Strategic Advisory Board in 2023.
For nearly 50 years, Jack served as Chairman, President and CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment and its portfolio of theme park, resorts, and aquariums.
Today, Herschend Family Entertainment and its parent company Herschend Enterprises are considered the nation’s largest family-owned themed attractions corporation in the US. Our team of more than 11,000 employees creates, develops and operates entertainment, tourism and hospitality properties that currently span 26 locations across the US and British Columbia.
Herschend’s roots date back to 1950 when the Herschend family founded their first attraction, a small cave tour in Branson, Mo., which later expanded into the famed Silver Dollar City®. Operating companies within Herschend Family Entertainment include Dollywood® Parks & Resorts, Silver Dollar City® Attractions, Adventure Aquarium®, Newport Aquarium®, Kentucky Kingdom®, Vancouver Aquarium, and Wild Adventures®.
Jack’s intensity and deep caring for people shaped the company culture into what it is today. Jack attended Northwestern University and served as a Lieutenant in the Marine Corps before returning home to focus on the family business. He has a deep passion for personal service and giving and has actively served several Christian ministries including including Lives Under Construction Boys Ranch, Kids Across America and the National Institute of Marriage. In 1992, Jack founded The Gift of Green which has planted nearly 200,000 trees to counter deforestation due to development in the Missouri Ozarks.
Dr. John Bernard has served as president of United World Mission since 2001. Prior to serving in organizational leadership, John and his wife Melinda were missionaries in Spain involved in church planting and leadership training. John has also served as a local church pastor in New Hampshire.
John earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Columbia International University in 2005 with a dissertation entitled, “Training Church Planters in Vietnam.” In 1987 he earned a Master of Divinity Degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and was ordained by the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (CCCC). John is a member of Leighton’s Charlotte-area mentoring community.
John Hunt is the Executive Director of Church Administration at River City Christian in Rancho Cordova, California. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento in Business Management and received his MDiv from Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.
John spent the first 30 years of his vocational life in the lending/ finance/ technology world. He gained invaluable experience in working for such companies as Citibank, Wells Fargo, and Intuit. At the same time, he was able to serve in multiple ministry capacities including Singles’ Ministry Pastor and Chairman of the Elder Board. As an executive pastor and the business administrator at River City Christian, he has been blessed with the ability to engage in two of his biggest passions in life.
John has been married to his beautiful wife, Augusta, for almost 29 years. They have two awesome kids, Zachary and Haley. They have lived in Gold River, California for the last 30 years.
Joshua trains and coaches others to ignite movements to Christ. He is a former English teacher and college basketball coach. He loves 2 Timothy 2:2 and is thrilled by the idea of exponential multiplication. He has spent seven years living in the Middle East and Asia catalyzing Disciple Making Movements. He has a Masters in Social and Civic Entrepreneurship from Bakke Graduate University. Joshua and his wife, Meredith, work together with All Nations and mentor a group of couples.
Bishop Ken Carter is Resident Bishop of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church and Immediate Past President of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church. Along with the Cabinet, he gives pastoral and administrative leadership to almost 800 congregations, fresh expressions of church, campus ministries, and outreach initiatives in an episcopal area that stretches from Tallahassee and Jacksonville to Miami and the Keys.
Ken is the author of ten books, most recently Embracing the Wideness: The Shared Convictions of United Methodists (Abingdon Press, 2018). He came to the Florida Conference in 2012 following a ministry of almost thirty years in Western North Carolina. Bishop Carter has participated in LFM’s mentoring ministry at The Bellfry and is a long-term personal friend of Leighton’s.
Anne Grizzle is an author, spiritual director, family therapist, and retreat leader who serves as Chaplain of the Boys Home of Virginia. These experiences enrich her work with Leighton Ford Ministries, where she serves on the Board of Directors, oversees mentoring communities for global ministry leaders, and provides coaching for pastors.
She regularly hosts spiritual retreats at the Bellfry near Lexington, Virginia, which she envisioned and created as a place of welcome, rest, renewal, and solace. Anne is associate faculty for Shalem Institute for Spirituality, where she offers workshops on group spiritual direction and young adult leadership. She also serves on the board of Bittersweet Creative and is co-chair of World Vision’s Every Last One campaign to end extreme poverty.
Anne received her B.S. (Magna Cum Laude) from Harvard College with a concentration in Psychology and Social Relations, her M.S. from the Columbia University School of Social Work, and her Post Masters Certificate in Advanced Clinical Social Work and Family Therapy from Hunter College of New York. She is a member of the American Family Therapy Association, American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and National Association of Social Workers.
She has authored two books, contributed to two more, and been a featured speaker on national television, including Oprah and Donahue. Anne and her husband, David, have three sons, two daughters-in-law, and seven grandchildren. They live in Lexington, Virginia.
Chris Joyner is Senior Executive Advisor for Leighton Ford Ministries, where he helps pastors and ministry leadership teams recognize how God has uniquely called and gifted them to live out the Kingdom of God in their local context.
Chris brings a broad and unique background to his coaching relationships, having worked as a corporate consultant for Accenture, a pastoral staff member for two thriving congregations, and a church consultant.
He enjoys partnering with church leaders to help them navigate challenges, including day-to-day tactical challenges, future-oriented strategic challenges, and ongoing transformational challenges. His gift of discernment has proved valuable in helping churches move forward into fresh season of vibrant ministry.
Chris began his career with Accenture in Washington, D.C., helping clients adopt and adapt to new systems and processes. He then joined the executive pastoral staff of a growing church in Fairfax, Virginia, and also spent seven years leading corporate worship at Frontline, the nationally-recognized young adult ministry of McLean Bible Church.
Having previously been featured in Worship Leader and Song Discovery magazines, Chris now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife, Rachel, and two children.
Monika has lived in Austria since 1992. She is a teacher for French and Religious Education at a public secondary school. Her heart loves seeing Christians from all denominations working/ministering together in unity.
