Paul Twiss

Paul serves as the teaching pastor at Bethany Bible Church in Thousand Oaks, CA. He is also an associate faculty member at The Master’s Seminary. Paul loves to preach and teach the Bible. He is blessed to be a husband to Laura and a father to six young children.

Paul and Virginia Friesen

Drs. Paul and Virginia Friesen were married in 1976 and are the parents of three young women, two of whom are now married to wonderful, Godly men.  They have been involved in Family Ministries for over 40 years through family camps, church staff positions, speaking, consulting, and writing. In 2003, they founded Home Improvement Ministries (www.HIMweb.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to equipping individuals and churches to better encourage marriages and families in living out God’s design for healthy relationships.

As the lead resource couple at Home Improvement Ministries, the Friesens regularly speak at marriage, men’s, and women’s conferences in the US and internationally, as well as local family and parenting seminars, and have an ongoing ministry with professional athletes.  Paul and Virginia both have Doctorates in Marriage and Family Therapy from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

The Friesens have authored over ten books and curriculums on parenting and marriage, including Letters to My Daughters, In Our Image, Raising a Trailblazer, Before You Save the Date, and most recently, The Marriage App.

Paul and Virginia’s greatest joy in life is knowing that their children are walking in the Truth.

George Louis

Worship Leader, Artist, multi-instrumentalist, and singer/songwriter with over 15 years of musical achievements and accomplishments. George began by playing the drums alongside Eddie Espinosa and Andy Park. His original music has been recorded and played throughout Mexico, Latin America and Europe. Check out more here: https://georgelouismusic.com/

George has led worship at churches and events in Southern California such as Lake Avenue Church, the Crossing, KKLA Men’s Gathering, EPIC Worship Conference, Franklin Graham Samaritan’s Purse World Conference and Harvest Riverside. George is married and lives in Los Angeles.

Alika Polanco

Alika Polanco has been in ministry for nearly 20 years and is the Teaching, College, and Young Adults Pastor at Venture Church in Encinitas, California. Married to Samantha for 17 years, they have four amazing kids and a life full of love and laughter. Alika has a deep appreciation for Hawaiian culture, especially its music and food, and you can often find him playing tunes, enjoying poke, or spending quality time with his family. Whether mentoring young adults or sharing a meal with loved ones, Alika brings faith and fun to everything he does.

Phil and Diane Comer

Phil and Diane have been married for 38 years of marriage. They have four children and six grandchildren. Combining forty years of pastoral experience, Biblical instruction, and lessons learned in their own story, Phil and Diane bring parents hope and the practical help they need to accomplish their God-given task of raising children who will walk with God in vibrant faith.

Brook and Elizabeth Mosser

Brook leads Intentional with Phil Comer and has been in full-time Pastoral ministry for 18 years and has a heart to help “The Church” with spiritual formation in the family. He resides in Bend, OR with his wife Elizabeth (who also leads Intentional) and their four children, Duke (13), Scarlet (10), Birdie (6), and Sloane (4). Brook and Elizabeth host “The Intentional Parents Podcast” which is a global podcast on spiritual formation in the family. They are also passionate about leadership, marriage, spiritual formation, and seeing their own four kids become all in disciples of Jesus and helping other’s do the same.

Aaron Kellim

Aaron Kellim is a singer/songwriter and worship leader from Los Angeles, CA.  He has been creating music and leading worship since he was sixteen, and has traveled the country playing with bands such as Switchfoot and OneRepublic.  Aaron is currently writing new music and leading worship at churches across the Los Angeles and San Diego areas.  Aaron has been married to his beautiful wife, Kristin, for seven years, and has two rescue pups, Waino and BB.

Brandon Reed

Brandon Reed serves as the lead pastor of Mountain View Church in San Juan Capistrano, CA. Originally from Tennessee, Brandon has pastored across the US in Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, and California. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications, a Master’s in Divinity, and a Doctorate in Leadership. Beyond his professional life, Brandon is an avid fan of University of Tennessee football, is a dedicated collector of fountain pens, and most importantly, a loving family man.

He and his wife Kara have two kids, Addy and Bauer. The family loves spending time together, whether it’s Saturday mornings watching college football, exploring national parks, or a new adventure that creates new memories while laughing together.

Jason Carson

Jason Carson is the Senior Pastor of Encounter Church in Mission Viejo, CA.  He loves his family more than anything on the planet.  Jason and his wife Julie were married in 1998 and have 4 amazing children: Halley, Lucy, Janey, and Shane.  Jason was the Youth Pastor at Mission Hills Community Church in Rancho Santa Margarita for 14 years and saw it grow from 11 to 160. After transitioning to adult and family ministry for a couple of years, Jason got the clear call from God to plant a church in his hometown of Mission Viejo in March of 2015. His true passion is shepherding people and caring for them as they encounter a life changing God, and become passionate followers of Christ.

Formerly, Jason was the founding member of The OC Supertones, one of the most popular bands in all of Christian music. While serving in the band, Jason delivered the message of the gospel to over one million people.  He has spoken at numerous Harvest Crusades, Billy Graham crusades, Food for the Hungry events, Creation festivals, for the Pope, and at several youth camps.  Before the band, Jason worked as a small group leader, teacher, worship leader and youth director at Mission Hills Church in Mission Viejo, CA for 7 years.

Jason graduated with a degree in Pastoral Ministries from Vanguard University in Southern California.

Jonathan and Melissa Brown

From the moment they were married in 1992, God has taken special care to teach his truths about marriage and parenting to Jonathan and Melissa Brown. It is with joy that they pass on their knowledge and understanding at every opportunity. Jonathan and Melissa have 7 children plus one African son to whom they are his American parents.

Jonathan and Melissa do not just teach family and relationships, they live family and relationships. Their wisdom flows from their Spirit filled faith and is grounded in the clear teaching of the Word of God. Their insights are transforming and practical. They will leave you empowered and confident.

Brandon Grant

Brandon Grant is the lead pastor of Eastview Christian Church in Normal, IL. He recently came into that role in July 2024. Before this, Brandon planted and pastored Rise City Church located in the San Diego area. Eastview is a loving and life-giving people who bring hope and healing in Jesus. Brandon’s ministry passions include preaching, making disciples, church planting, creating healthy cultures, and spurring on acts of radical generosity. Brandon is married to the love of his life, Jamie, and he is the proud father of four – Elyse, Shepherd, Hope and Connor. They have now attended Family Camp at Forest Home for the past 8 years.

Matthew Cork

Pastor Matthew Cork is the Senior Pastor of Friends Church in Yorba Linda where he has served in his role since 2007 and served the church since 1992. With a BA and MA from Azusa Pacific University, Pastor Cork has led the development of Friends Church into 6 campuses located in Orange County and Riverside.

Matthew also serves as the Superintendent of the Friends Southwest family of 38 churches, bringing vision and growth to the region. As an author, Pastor Cork has published two books: Why Not Today and Broken for Good, both available on Amazon.

In addition to his work in the United States, Pastor Cork champions hope and freedom for the most marginalized people of India through the work of Dignity Freedom Network (DFN). Under his leadership, Friends Church continues to build educational centers and bring holistic transformation to the world.

Matthew and wife Mardi were married 28 years Oct. 22, 2023.  They are the proud parents of three adult children Nolan, Sophie, and Ella.

Dr. Greg & Erin Smalley

Dr. Greg Smalley serves as the vice president of Marriage and Family Formation at Focus on the Family. He is the best-selling author of 17 books and co-creator of the premarital curriculum “Ready to Wed” with his wife, Erin. As the program manager for Focus on the Family’s marriage ministry, Erin Smalley develops content for the marriage department. The Smalleys have four children.

David Gaulton

David Gaulton is a Worship Leader, Songwriter, and Ministry Leader from Southern California. Over the past 20 years David has traveled locally and internationally leading worship, writing and producing 10 worship albums, and worked with local churches to develop thriving worship leaders and ministries.  With a heart to see the Church awakened and mobilized to be the hands and feet of Jesus, David and his wife, Leah, co-founded the Jesus Use Me Movement in 2015, with a vision to inspire young people to live for Jesus in everyday life. David and Leah have two amazing children, Joseph and Sarah.

Tim Lukei

Tim Lukei is the Men’s Pastor of Mariners Church in Irvine California. He has over 20 years of ministry experience and has been on staff at Mariners since 2008. Tim has been married to Korrie since 2006 and has 3 kids (Maverick, Sawyer, Greenlee).

They live by the beach and enjoy all things in and out of the ocean, and love to travel and create family adventures. Tim is a dynamic leader with an entrepreneurial approach to ministry that has proven successful repeatedly at Mariners.

Tim believes when you activate the heart of men and they encounter Jesus everything changes. The marriage is changed, the fathering is changed, the workplace, the neighborhood, and the church all becomes better.

Eric Wakeling

Eric Wakeling is the Senior Pastor of Calvary Church of Santa Ana where he has served for almost 24 years in various roles. Eric has been married to Bea for 28 years and they have two young-adult daughters that they love deeply. He graduated from Biola University and Talbot School of Theology with degrees in Christian Ministry, Leadership and Biblical Studies. He is also the author of God Joy – a book all about finding freedom from guilt and strength in suffering. Eric enjoys surfing, triathlons, laughing a little loud, too many Christmas lights, and enjoying a great meal with family and friends. 

Eric also has a heart for global missions and has the privilege to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Greater Europe Mission International, a missions agency seeking to reach Europe by multiplying disciples for Christ.

Santosh Swamidass

Santosh Swamidass is the founder of Launching Ground and Launch Network and the architect of Project-Based Discipleship. He is deeply passionate about creating discipleship systems that equip the next generation, particularly within the family unit. By integrating his engineering background with his pastoral heart, Santosh develops innovative tools and frameworks that help families and churches intentionally follow Jesus with purpose and passion.

Born and raised in Southern California, as the son of Indian immigrants who lived on mission, Santosh’s upbringing shaped his global vision for sharing the hope of Jesus. A former Olympic hopeful in high jump, he earned full academic and athletic scholarships to UC Irvine, graduating with a degree in Computer Engineering. He balanced a decade-long career in the aerospace industry with missions outreach in Southeast Asia.

With over 25 years of ministry experience, Santosh has focused on planting churches, developing leaders, and fostering vibrant spiritual communities. His work centers on helping families embrace discipleship as a lifestyle through streamlined and compelling systems rooted in biblical truth. Santosh and his wife, Christy, are doing their best to prepare their seven children to be for godly influencers through passionate pursuit of Christ.

Eden Fine

First and foremost, Eden Fine is a husband and dad—his favorite roles in life. He and his wife, Brittany, are raising their 6 children in a home filled with faith, adventure, and a touch of chaos. A pastor and church planter, Eden has spent years discipling others and equipping families to grow in their faith.

Growing up as a pastor’s kid, Eden developed a love for ministry early on, later attending a discipleship school in Austria before serving as a youth pastor for a decade. He furthered his education through Re-Train, earning a Certificate in Missional Leadership, and is currently pursuing his Master’s in Biblical Studies.

In 2019, Eden and Brittany joined a church in Scottsdale, where he served in various pastoral roles until stepping out in 2025 to plant Veil Church. Alongside their ministry work, Eden and Brittany wrote a parenting curriculum and developed a five-part video series, which they had the privilege of teaching to over 200 couples over the past few years.

Eden might be the most outgoing introvert you’ll ever meet—deeply invested in people, always up for a theological debate, but just as happy recharging with a good book (preferably Pilgrim’s Progress) and a strong cup of coffee. He loves photography, discovering hidden-gem restaurants with Brittany, and helping families build a strong foundation in Christ.