Dwight Zscheile is vice president of innovation and professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is author of Leading Faithful Innovation: Following God into a Hopeful Future (with Michael Binder and Tessa Pinkstaff, Fortress 2023), Participating in God’s Mission: A Theological Missiology for the U.S. (with Craig Van Gelder, Eerdmans 2018), The Agile Church: Spirit-Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age (Morehouse Publishing, 2014), People of the Way: Renewing Episcopal Identity (Morehouse Publishing, 2012) and The Missional Church in Perspective: Mapping Trends and Shaping the Conversation (with Craig Van Gelder, Baker Academic 2011) and editor of Cultivating Sent Communities: Missional Spiritual Formation (Eerdmans, 2012). A graduate of Stanford University (BA), Yale University (MDiv) and Luther Seminary (PhD, Congregational Mission and Leadership), he previously served congregations in Minnesota, Virginia and Connecticut. Dwight’s experience growing up in a secular home in California has shaped his commitment to helping the church cultivate Christian community with neighbors in today’s changing world.

The Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida, the Rt. Rev. Douglas Scharf leads the diocese where he was raised, ordained, and consecrated. One of the youngest bishops in The Episcopal Church, Bishop Scharf believes that Christ's love and transformational teachings paired with the authentic connection of a Church community can replenish the wellspring of the soul.

Dr. Kimball has focused her teaching and research on lifelong, life-wide, and life-deep discipleship and Christian vocation in contemporary, global and post-institutional contexts. She is a passionate advocate for lay ministry, the full inclusion of all generations, digital literacy, and leaders who are confident teachers of the faith. In addition to frequent keynote presentations at diocesan conventions, clergy conferences, religious education guilds and networks, Dr. Kimball’s commitment to the wider church includes serving as Chair of the Standing Committee on Formation and Ministry of the Baptized; co-founding of the Episcopal Confirmation Collaborative; serving on the Way of Love resource development team; and being the Episcopal representative on the Journey to Baptismal Living faculty team writing an ecumenical rite for the catechumenate.

Dr. Kimball’s areas of expertise include human development, experiential learning, faith formation, church history, and popular culture, adult formation, lay ministry development, adolescent spiritual development, and program evaluation. She is currently directing a 5-year, $1.5M grant project Baptized for Life: An Episcopal Discipleship Initiative in the Lilly Endowment Inc. Called to Lives of Meaning and Purpose Initiative.

Her published resources include webinars, book chapters, journal articles, book reviews, and regular articles for professional publications such as Vital Practices and Building Faith.

Prior to joining the faculty of VTS in 2009, Dr. Kimball was a member of the faculty in the College of Education at the University of Minnesota with dual appointments in the School of Social Work (Youth Studies) and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She also held a position as Research Scientist at Search Institute in Minneapolis, MN. While working full-time in the academy, Dr. Kimball maintained a regular schedule of national consulting, conference presentations, and teaching in youth ministry, evangelism, congregational and leadership development including serving as adjunct faculty at Luther Seminary, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Before assuming an academic career, she spent twenty years serving on the staff of five congregations and two dioceses in California and Minnesota.

Melissa and Ryan Flanigan live in Austin, TX with their three children, Lily (16), Liam (14), and Noelle (12). They are both on staff at Resurrection South Austin (EDOT) as parish administrator/neighborhood engagement coordinator (Melissa) and music director (Ryan). Ryan is also the theological artist-in-residence at Baylor University in Waco, TX. The Flanigan family have a music project called Liturgical Folk, which seeks to create beautiful and believable sacred music for church folk and the world. They have released eight albums of new liturgical music (hymns, settings, choruses) since 2017 and have toured extensively. Their music is accessible to all ages and faith stages and is rooted in the inherently joyful sounds of the American folk traditions. Melissa earned a BA with an emphasis in Worship Arts from Judson University in Elgin, IL, and Ryan earned a BAS from Dallas Baptist University, an MA from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a CTS from the University of Oxford. Listen to Liturgical Folk's music at https://www.liturgicalfolk.com/music