Francis Chan
Francis Chan is the best-selling author of books, Crazy Love, Forgotten God, Erasing Hell and the host of the BASIC.series (Who is God & We Are Church). He has also written the children’s books Halfway Herbert, The Big Red Tractor and the Little Village and Ronnie Wilson’s Gift.
Francis is the founding pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, and is the founder of Eternity Bible College. He also sits on the board of directors of World Impact.
Currently, Francis is working to start a house church planting movement in the inner city of San Francisco and also working to launch a countrywide discipleship movement called We Are Church. You can learn more here: http://wearechurch.com
Francis Chan “Rethinking Church”
Francis Chan & David Platt on the “Multiply Movement”
David Bercot
David Bercot is an Early Church Historian who has spent over 25 years studying, writing, and teaching on the writings of the Early Church.
David Bercot began his professional career in 1980 as an attorney, and he still practices law part time. However, for most of his life, his driving passion has been for Christ. In 1985, to satisfy his theological curiosity, he began reading all of the existing writings of the early Christians (A.D. 100-325). Although his aim at the time was merely for theological inquiry, what he learned about Christianity in the early centuries profoundly affected his entire life. When David shared what he had discovered with various Christian friends, they encouraged him to write a book about how Christianity looked when it was still young.
Bercot eventually followed up on their suggestion, and he wrote the book Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up, which was published in 1989. That book provides a provocative look at early Christianity in contrast to modern Christianity. Since the book challenges many of the cherished beliefs of evangelicals, Protestants, and Catholics alike, Bercot wasn’t sure what type of response the book would have. To his astonishment, the book sold out of its first printing in six months—and the Heretics book is still in demand over twenty years later.
David Bercot on His Background, Church History, and Early Christianity
David Bercot Answers Questions on Early Christianity
Debate on Christians and War
Steve Atkerson
Married since 1983, Steve Atkerson and his wife Sandra have three children, two in college and one married, and two grandchildren. A graduate of Georgia Tech, Steve worked for several years in electronics before enrolling in seminary.
While there he served on the part-time staff of a 14,000 member Baptist church. After receiving an M. Div. from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, he ministered on the pastoral staff of a Southern Baptist Church in Atlanta with a membership of around 1000.
Then in 1990, after seven years in the traditional pastorate, he resigned to begin working with churches that desire to follow apostolic traditions in their church practice. He thus has transitioned all the way from mega churches to much smaller churches.
He travels and teaches about the practice of the early church as the Lord opens doors of opportunity.
Steve is an elder at a local house church, is president of NTRF, edited Toward A House Church Theology, authored both The Practice of the Early Church: A Theological Workbook and The Equipping Manual, and is editor of and a contributing author to both Ekklesia andHouse Church: Simple, Strategic, Scriptural.