Dan Coffin was born and raised in northern Maine and moved to South Portland, Maine for his senior year of High School. After graduation, Dan served fourteen years in the U.S. Army before leaving active duty to pursue the pastoral ministry. He spent four years serving as a pastor in Hudson, New Hampshire followed by twenty-seven years at Small Point Baptist Church in Phippsburg, Maine. Dan is a graduate of New England Bible College. Dan and his wife, Kathi, lead Shepherd’s Knoll II, a B&B experience for pastoral couples and retreat center for small groups on the shores of Androscoggin Lake in Wayne, Maine.
Mark J. Crocco is the Owner, and President of Integrity Leadership Development Inc. Mark spent fifteen years in pastoral ministry and has spent the last twenty years developing leadership in organizations. Mark is a highly sought-after leadership development expert, public speaker, and author. He oversees the Crocco Catalytic Leadership Institute, which exists to create leadership materials with the goal of developing leadership. Mark speaks at many leadership conferences throughout the country and often speaks at churches, bible conferences, and retreats. He is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Bible and Grace Theological Seminary.
Jack L. Daniel is Field Director for Overseed, a nonprofit ministry organization whose vision is to revitalize historic New England churches by recruiting, training, and supporting godly pastors to serve in their pulpits. He is Pastor Emeritus of Free Christian Church of Andover and North Andover, MA, a congregational church he pastored for 35 years. Jack holds degrees from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Andover-Newton Theological School (D.Min. in Pastoral Counseling). Retired from full-time ministry in 2012, he remains passionate about preaching the gospel and coaching younger pastors.
Dave Deuel (MDiv, Th.M, M.A, PhD) is the Academic Dean Emeritus of the Master’s Academy International, Senior Research Fellow for the Christian Institute on Disability, and Lausanne Catalyst for Disability Concerns for the Lausanne Movement. He has taught Old Testament courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels; was the General Editor for the Journal of Global Christianity and Committee Chairman of the Old Testament and Ancient Near East Section of the Evangelical Theological Society, and has served on numerous boards. Throughout his ministry, Dave has focused on helping others design and develop educational ministries primarily outside the USA.
Lee Eclov recently retired as the Senior Pastor of the Village Church of Lincolnshire (Evangelical Free) in the northern suburbs of Chicago. Eclov’s 2012 book, Pastoral Graces: Reflections on the Care of Souls, won Leadership Journal’s “Best of the Best” 2012 book award in the category, “The Leader’s Inner Life.” He has also written, Feels Like Home: How Rediscovering the Church as Family Changes Everything. Lee has a great love of other ordinary pastors like himself and delights in drawing them into the heart of shepherding. He is a mentor to many seminary students and younger pastors and occasionally speaks in pastors’ gatherings. Lee has long been a contributor of both articles and sermons to PreachingToday.com and is a Contributing Editor of Leadership Journal, both publications of Christianity Today Inc. He has been an adjunct professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Ill., for well over ten years. Lee and his wife Susan have been married for over 40 years and have one son, Anders.
Ira Hall has served as Senior Pastor of Bean’s Corner since December of 2006 after serving as Youth/Associate Pastor for the 10 previous years. He and his wife Sarah have a daughter and three sons. Ira’s focus at Bean’s Corner is the equipping of disciple-makers and building up the ministry team. He is the primary speaker on Sunday mornings, seeking to share the truth of God’s Word in a real-life context. Ira & Sarah have a strong passion for the youth ministry and Direct Camp Berea in North Turner, Maine. Ira is a graduate of Lancaster Bible College and Bonny Eagle High School in southern Maine. He continues to work with the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of UMF, where he previously served as staff member (98-02). Ira also does some chapel and conference speaking. Ira’s greatest joy is spending time with his family.
Rev. Ken Hinkley has been in pastoral ministry for more than 25 years, serving several churches in western Maine. He is the author of several books including his latest, “It’s Not About Me: a guide to an amazing marriage (Westbow Press).” He has composed more than 300 poems and several short stories. His greatest love is to teach the Word of God and gives God the credit for his creative talent.
James Simpson has been a church planter for the Christian Reformed Church in Athens, Maine for over 15 years. He is now serving as co-pastor at Cornerstone Christian Fellowship (with Wayne Denny) in Vassalboro, Maine. When he is not preaching, he loves to fish, play music, bike, and read fiction. He, and his wife, Jane, have four children whom they love.
Garrett Soucy and his wife, Siiri, live in Liberty, Maine with their nine children. He is the pastor of Christ the King Church in Belfast. He is also a writer and musician.
Stephen Witmer (PhD, Cambridge University) is the Lead Pastor of Pepperell Christian Fellowship in Pepperell, Massachusetts. He teaches New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and helps to lead Small Town Summits, which partners with The Gospel Coalition New England to serve small-town churches and pastors. He is the author of Eternity Changes Everything and the volume on Revelation in Crossway’s Knowing the Bible series, and is currently writing a book for InterVarsity Press on small-town ministry.