By Jonathan Howe
As I mentioned previously, when we interviewed Brad Lomenick for the Rainer on Leadership podcast, we talked about his Young Influencer List and the reasons behind why he compiles such a list. Brad encouraged me to do the same—to find young influencers in our sphere and make our audience aware of how these young leaders are impacting others for Kingdom advancement. The qualifications are quite simple: under 40 and making a Kingdom difference.
Once again, the goal with this list is not to inflate the egos of those named, but to make you, the readers of ThomRainer.com, aware of the dozens and dozens of Christian leaders who are advancing the gospel in their respective spheres of influence. And while some pundits may sit back and claim Christianity is declining or dying, these leaders are clearly making a statement that it will not happen on their watch. They are passionate about Christ Jesus, His gospel, and taking it to the ends of the earth.
So without further adieu, here is this month’s young influencer list:
- Léonce B. Crump Jr. — Author and Lead Pastor at Renovation Church in Atlanta, GA – I first met Léonce at a church planting leadership event hosted here at LifeWay. His new book, Renovate, tells his story of planting a multi-ethnic church in one of the most violent areas in Atlanta.
- Lauren Daigle — Grammy-nominated musician and worship leader in Nashville, TN – Lauren’s debut album was nominated for a Grammy and the title track ‘How Can It Be?’ won a Dove Award for Best Song. She took home the Best New Artist award at the Dove awards last fall and is my favorite new CCM artist as well.
- Matt Brooks — Senior Pastor at First Baptist Jackson, MS – Matt recently began his tenure at First Baptist Jackson after having served as pastor in the Birmingham, AL, area. Matt has a contagious energy and enthusiasm to shepherd Christ’s church to fulfill the Great Commission in Jackson and throughout the world.
- Mike Cosper — Director of The Harbor Institute for Faith and Culture in Louisville, KY – Mike has authored several books and lessons for The Gospel Project, has directed worship and arts for Sojourn Community Church, and is now turning his attention to launching The Harbor Institute for Faith and Culture.
- Muche Ukegbu — Lead Pastor at The Brook in Miami, FL – One of the founders of Blueprint Church with Dhati Lewis in Atlanta, Muche planted The Brook in Miami and is seeing God work in great ways in South Florida.
- Katie Wylie — Marketing Strategist for Student Ministry at LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, TN – Katie directs the marketing efforts for our student ministry resources here at LifeWay and plays a major role in the discipleship of the next generation of leaders in the church.
Please continue to pray for these individuals and their ministries. If you’d like to nominate a young influencer for consideration, let me know on Twitter: @Jonathan_Howe or in the comments section below. For previous young influencer lists, click here.
What kind of influence are you measuring, if every “influencer” is in the Bible belt? Seems like the easiest place to influence for Christ on earth! What about those working in more challenging mission fields?
John
Great question, and one I was also pondering yesterday when I was compiling this month’s list. There has been a wider geographic spread the past couple of months. This month’s list just happened to be more concentrated in the Southeast.
And as I mention in the post, suggestions are always welcome. I’d love to have some more names from different regions of the country. Feel free to share the info of anyone I need to include.
Thanks,
JHowe
@Jonathan_Howe – I would like to recommend / suggest someone you have already met and know – Pastor Nathan Rose from Liberty Baptist Church in Liberty, MO (http://www.lbcliberty.org/). All by God’s grace, strength, and Holy Spirit, Nathan has led a church that was dying to one of health and vibrancy in 4 years. He is a leader at the association, seminary, state, and national level in the SBC. He is working on his Ph.D. His goal is advance Christ and glorify His name. Most importantly, perhaps, he loves his family and takes great strides to make sure they are taken care of. I can’t help but nominate him. I’ve known Nathan for over 11 years and have watched him grow.
I would like to nominate Senior Pastor Ezequiel Velez (33). He pastors The Dwelling Place Church in Kissimmee, Fl. He is originally from New York, and he left everything behind to follow a vision from God in 2009. Pastor Ezequiel (then 26) and 4 others began working on bringing to life the vision God gave him, and although it has been challenging and what we consider a slow process, today (over 6 years after) his church has approximately 140 constant congregants, and is growing. Seeing entire families change for the better is certainly an aspect that shows evidence that God indeed called him to do what he and his church are doing. Thank you!
Please visit http://www.thedwellingplacechurch.us
Respectfully,
Tanya Serrano-Velez
I’d like to nominate the founder of My Kingdom Business, she’s a young influencer for the Kingdom — check out http://www.mykingdombusiness.com