Equip Conference
The Equip conference is a one-day series of events designed to empower Christians to grow and strengthen their local congregations. Equip will feature church leaders from Nebraska, Tennessee and Texas. Equip derives its name from Ephesians 4:12, “...to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up..”
Date: March 14, 2023
Time: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. (See Schedule)
Location: York University
Registration Fee: $25 (covers breakfast, lunch and resources)
Keynote Speaker: Jim Tuttle
Breakout Session Speakers: Garrett Best, Glenn Dallmann, Justin & JL Gerhardt, Jeff Hill, Evertt Huffard, Terry Seufferlein, Caleb Smith
2023 Speakers
Jim is a Graduate of Abilene Christian University where he majored in Business Marketing in 1983, Jim was a 4 year letter winner at ACU in football and team captain his senior year. He had no plans to spend his life in full time ministry but things changed. He began his professional life in Dallas, Texas where he met his wife of 37 years, Judy. Through God’s leading and opportunities presented Jim and Judy became a part of the "Institute of Practical Ministry” at the Highlands Oaks Church of Christ. There he received a Masters Degree in Ministry from Oklahoma Christian University. Jim and Judy moved to Lincoln, Ne in 1991. He was the Pulpit Minister at the Lincoln Church of Christ in 1991, In 1998, that church help plant Heartlands Church where Jim began as a founding minister and serves as the Senior Minister to this day. Heartlands is a diverse church that focuses on Jesus. He continues to love to see Jesus in the Word and in others. Jim and Judy have two children who both graduated from York University. Kristin, who is now married to Ryan Rampton and live and do full-time ministry in Midland, Texas. They also have 2 children, Lucy and Lincoln. Carson, their son, is married to Natalie and they live in Iowa City, Iowa where Carson is a middle school teacher. Jim loves York University and is looking forward to sharing Jesus.
Jim Tuttle
Dr. Evertt Huffard is a professor emeritus of the Harding School of Theology in Memphis, Tennessee where he taught for more than 30 years. His cross-cultural experiences began as a teenager when his parents moved to Jerusalem in 1963, and he enrolled at an Arab high school on the West Bank. He would later serve as a minister and educator in Nazareth, Israel. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harding University and an M.A. and M.Th. from the Harding School of Theology. He earned his Ph.D. in Inter-Cultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. Dr. Huffard has hosted more than thirty-five tour groups to Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Israel. He lectures on leadership, missions, biblical archaeology, and the Muslim-Christian encounter.
Evertt Huffard
Justin Gerhardt is the creator of the podcast Holy Ghost Stories—an episodic, immersive telling of the stories of the Old Testament with an emphasis on character and craft. Holy Ghost Stories reaches listeners in more than 50 countries and has been identified by Spotify as one of the top religion & spirituality podcasts in the world. He serves as the founder and president of Hazefire Studios, a nonprofit devoted to expanding the intersection of story and worship. After studying philosophy and Biblical studies, Justin served for 20 years as a lead minister before beginning a 2-year-long season of global nomadism with his family in 2021, working alongside churches in England, Croatia, Ireland, and South Africa. He and his wife, author JL Gerhardt, work as partners at Hazefire Studios on various projects, including live storytelling events, training for creatives, and The Storied Family, a parenting workshop designed to help families discover their identity in the context of God’s story. Every other week, he publishes “The Latest,” a newsletter devoted to his newest projects and discoveries. .
Justin Gerhardt
JL Gerhardt is the author of five books including Look to Love: A Better Way to Read the Bible and Prayer In Practice, two Bible studies (Philippians & Nehemiah), and the bi-weekly email essay The Goodness. She teaches how to read the Bible to fall in love with God via her podcast, Look to Love. Gerhardt partners with her husband Justin at Hazefire Studios, a nonprofit devoted to expanding the intersection of story and worship. JL and Justin also lead The Storied Family, a parenting workshop to help families discover their identity and purpose in the context of God’s story. They homeschool their two teenage daughters. JL has an MA from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She’s a former college English lecturer, newspaper journalist, and storytelling minister.
JL Gerhardt
Garrett serves as the Chair of the Bible Department at York University. Garrett received his Master of Divinity from Harding School of Theology in 2014 and his PhD in Biblical Studies from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2021. Before moving to York, he served as a minister for 12 years, most recently at the Oliver Creek Church of Christ in Bartlett, TN. He and his wife Robin have been married for 11 years and they have two children: Jackson (7) and Anna (4). Garrett loves reading books, playing pickleball, and camping with his family.
Glenn Dallmann graduated from Harding University with degrees in Bible and Psychology and completed a Master of Religious Education in Missional Leadership at Rochester University. In addition to working with churches, he spent ten years at a residential treatment facility working with youth and families. He currently serves with the East Hill Church of Christ in York, NE, as the Worship and Family Minister.
Mr. Hill is in his second year as an Associate Professor of Psychology at York University.
Prior to accepting a position on the faculty at York, Hill served thirty years in church ministry. For the past ten years, he has been bi-vocational, serving in preaching ministry and as a licensed professional counselor for the church and a community mental health clinic.
Terry Seufferlein graduated from York College in 1985 and went on to earn three master's degrees and a Doctorate of Ministry from Abilene Christian University. He has over 20 years of ministry experience with churches in Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia, Iowa, and Nebraska. He is currently a professor at York University, where he teaches courses in Bible, ministry, preaching, missions, theology, philosophy, ethics, and Faith and Film. He is the creator and director of the Second Chance Education program which helps incarcerated women earn a college degree. He is also the Thomas Schultz Chair of Mission Studies, and has taught in several countries. He has an ongoing interest in the relationship between faith and culture.
Terry's wife, Catherine, has an M.A. in Global and Organizational Leadership from York University. She previously served as Vice President for Student Life at York University. Their daughter, Lindsey, and her husband Lawson live in Chicago. Their son, Grant, teaches high school in Seattle. Terry loves reading, teaching, traveling, and spending time with his grandson, Emerson.
Caleb graduated from York College/University in 2015 with a degree in Bible with an emphasis in Ministry. In 2015 he married his best friend, Dr. Brianna Smith, and they live in Omaha, Nebraska, where Caleb works as a youth minister at the Southwest Church of Christ. They have one dog, who is a Jack Russell Terrier mix. They don’t know what mix, most likely a weed whacker or with his amount of energy a collapsing star. Caleb has been in youth ministry for 7 and 2/3 years. He loves finding fun and new restaurants, and going to movies is his #1 hobby. He loves his youth group, and believes that kids today have almost-unbelievable levels of potential.
“...to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up..."- Eph. 4:12
Schedule
7:00 Holy Ghost Stories Live Event with Justin and JL Gerhardt
Holy Ghost Stories is a podcast to help people experience the Bible in a way that honors its weirdness and wonder, its mystery and power. Justin Gerhardt believe the narrative portions of Scripture—especially those of the Old Testament—possess a dark luminescence, showing us who God is and who we are and what kind of chemistry we can expect when we come into contact with Him.
7:00–8:25 Breakfast and Registration (Mackey Center First Floor)
8:30–9:00 Morning Worship (Prayer Chapel)
9:00–9:45 Keynote: Jim Tuttle “The Most Important Lessons I’ve Learned from 30
Years of Ministry”
10:00–10:30 The Well (York University’s Chapel in Campbell Activity Center)
10:45–11:45 Breakout Session 1
- Prayer Chapel: Evertt Huffard,“Hope for Small Churches: Enriching Values in a Small Church”
- 2nd Floor ARC at Levitt: Justin & JL Gerhardt, “The Storied Church Pt 1: Biblical Narrative”
- Museum: Garrett Best, “Jonah the Prophet: A Complex Character”
- 3rd Floor Hulitt: Jeff Hill, “The Relationship between Spiritual Health and Mental Health”
11:45–12:45 Lunch (Mackey Center Second Floor)
1:00–2:00 Breakout Session 2
- Prayer Chapel: Evertt Huffard, “Hope for Small Churches: On Mission in a Small Church”
- 2nd Floor ARC at Levitt: Justin & JL Gerhardt, “The Storied Church Pt. 2: Witness: Cultivating a Proficiency in Seeing and Sharing the Stories God’s Writing Now”
- Museum: Garrett Best, “How Ancient Roman Coins Help us Better Understand the Book of Revelation”
- 3rd Floor Hulitt: Glenn Dallmann, “Strengthening Marriages and Families in our Churches”
2:00–2:30 Coffee and Snacks (ARC at Levitt First Floor)
2:45–3:45 Breakout Session 3
- Prayer Chapel: Jim Tuttle, “The Importance of Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing”
- 2nd Floor ARC at Levitt: JL Gerhardt, “The Whole Story: A Brave Approach to Teaching (And Living) Complex Truth"
- Museum: Terry Seufferlein, "Saved By the Blood of the Lamb: From Passover to the Lord's Supper"
- 3rd Floor Hulitt: Caleb Smith, “Youth Ministry: A Death-Defying Balance Act”
4:00–5:30 Clayton Museum of Ancient History Open (guided tour with Garrett Best)
6:00–8:00 Ides of March Dinner (Evertt Huffard: “Antiquities: the Real, the Replicas,
and the Restored”)