Training Team
The team below are your national trainers who will be asked to train your seminar, based on location/region.
If you're wanting a Guest Speaker to be part of your church-wide campaign on a Sunday morning, click here.
Earhart, Chad
Chad is the Lee’s Summit Campus Pastor of a multi-campus church called Legacy Christian. He has been a pastor, church planter, student’s minister, professor, consultant, and all around nice guy. He graduated with a Bachelor of Theology – Majoring in New Testament and has a wife, Robin, four children, and a dog. As a hobby he enjoys doing anything that he has never been done before as well as run a real estate investment mentoring company (www.heartshomes.com). Chad is passionate about wanting to reach the world, and yet sees that it starts with your next door neighbor. Chad loves helping Christians and non-Christians alike get “unstuck” because of their baggage and belief systems so they are ultimately “free” in Christ (www.graceadventure.org). Chad has been teaching Contagious Christian seminars in North America and Europe since 1996, and sees it as a wonderful tool for churches that truly desire to reach their world. He loves to learn from the smallest church to the largest church and also be available to help them think through solutions on how to be a more effective as a church.
Chad feels that, as Contagious Christian teaches, everyone is "wired up" by God differently, and is most effective evangelizing out of who they are at their core. He personally enjoys sharing his faith with a method he refers to as the Socratic method of evangelism. He loves to ask loving leading questions.
Chad would love to mentor anyone who is willing to learn how to share their faith or to help those who are furthest away from Christ. He is often seen at Border's bookstore where he helps his seeking friends with their tough questions over a cup of coffee and the Bible.
Everett, Craig
Craig is the Pastor/Planter of Community Bible Fellowship in Manchester, NH. The church was planted with the idea of developing compassionate ministries in an urban environment which has led to Craig's additional role as Executive Director of Helping Hands Outreach Center, a 31 bed transitional housing shelter for men in recovery from alcohol and drug abuse.
As a church planter, Craig learned many years ago that the most effective evangelism today takes place not in the church, but restaurants, offices and homes. In today's culture people don't come to church and find God, they find God through personal introductions and then find a church where they can grow and serve. It was this realization and conviction that led Craig to the study of evangelism techniques and evangelistic styles that have been used throughout church history and particularly in this post modern world. He has been teaching on this subject both as a local church pastor and as a seminar leader for over fifteen years.
Today, Craig remains convinced that church is where Christians meet for teaching, encouragement and fellowship and that evangelism can and must take place almost anywhere and everywhere outside the church's walls. When Jesus spoke the words of the great commission He didn't simply command the disciples to go, rather, He instructed them what they should do while going - make disciples.
Foster, Donna
Donna Foster graduated from Nyack College in New York with a major in Christian Education and Bible. She came to the Lord through her parents as a five year old during a family devotional time. Donna also credits her commitment to evangelism to her parents who served as lay leaders in their church and continually modeled life-style evangelism before her. Donna’s twin brother, David, also carries on that dedication as an international missionary with Barnabas Ministries.
Donna, a veteran educator, trainer, and curriculum writer, has served on the administrative staff of several churches as the Education Director, Middle School Director, Children’s Coordinator, and, currently, ministers as the Director of Singles at Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Florida. She also taught the subjects Social Science, Speech, Drama, and Bible in Christian middle schools. In addition, Donna has worked for Gospel Light Publications as a contributing writer and a seminar leader for their International Center for Learning.
Before joining Outreach, Donna led teams and seminars on evangelism training for the International Bible Society for sixteen years in the Mid-Atlantic States. During that time, Donna taught the course “Becoming a Contagious Christian” many times, including an opportunity to train eastern European church leaders in evangelism. Using the course, Donna has also shared these principles with volunteers at a local pregnancy center to equip them with the tools needed to share the gospel with their clientele.
Aside from enjoying her family, which includes two daughters and their families, Donna coaches women as a birth and labor “doula” with The Love of Birth organization. She also loves to travel with friends, create scrap books, and collect antiques.
Harrienger, Marc
Marc Harrienger has been in full time vocational evangelism ministry for five years. Previously,
Marc was a Regional Manager for Daimler-Chrysler Corporation. Coming to faith in that challenging environment has given Marc a heart for people far from Jesus.
Marc currently serves as Director of Church Based Evangelism for Vision New England. Vision New England is a para-church ministry that unities Christians for effective evangelism. Marc serves eighty different denominations in the six New England states. Presently, Marc is working as Adjunct Evangelism Pastor with three large churches to foster evangelism culture change using Contagious Church principles. In addition, Marc serves as track pastor for the New England Motocross Association.
Marc graduated from Southeastern Massachusetts University and Gordon Conwell Theological seminary with a Master's Degree in Evangelism and Theology.
Marc is married to Cathy and they have three children. They reside in Holden, Massachusetts and travel extensively whenever possible if the winters become long and cold.
Marc is actively involved in any "kid related" community activity. The family is active in all forms of extreme sports and participates in the amateur motocross series. Numerous community contacts have become participants in ALPHA classes that Marc leads at several churches.
Brad Mitchell
Rev. Brad Mitchell (B.A., Wheaton College; MDiv., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the Senior Teaching Pastor in a church of 3,500 at Trinity Church in Lansing, Michigan. Previously he was on staff at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago as the Director of three ministries: Men’s, Sports, and Prayer. Brad spent nine years in Minnesota planting a church in a small town that reached over 500 people for Christ.
Through the years Brad has taught Becoming a Contagious Christian dozens of times across the country and in his own church. Recently he took his church through the six week BACC campaign culminating in a final Sunday attendance increase of over 40%.
Brad draws on a wealth of talent and experience in communicating to a wide variety of audiences. He has spoken multiple times at Willow Creek Community Church services. He has developed and taught breakouts for the National Coalition of Men’s Ministries as well as for Willow Creek and Saddleback Church conferences. He has also been a trainer for the International Bible Society. Brad’s love for teaching God’s Word has earned him invitations to teach all over the world. He has spoken for numerous men’s retreats across the country and is often a repeat guest.
Brad and his wife, Heidi, have been married for 24 years. They have two daughters and an adult son.
Pate, Steve
Steve is currently serving as Church Consultant for the Denton Baptist Association, a groups of Southern Baptist Churches in the Dallas/Ft Worth Metro-Plex. I also am in the process of obtaining an EED with special emphasis in leadership. His major area of responsibility is church growth, with specific attention to conversion growth. Steve has been teaching "Contagious" for the past 6 years. He has trained more than 4000 people in how to share their faith utilizing "Contagious".
While finishing up college, Steve was fortunate to observe the beginning of Willow Creek Community Church. It instantly became the most compelling impression of a current day model of an Acts 2 church. Therefore when he says that lost people matter to God, he is not just repeating a phrase from Bill Hybels, he is saying something that has been burned in his heart since the early 1970's. "My heart beats fast to see people begin a relationship with Christ."
Seth, John
John has pastored in W. PA since 1980, for nineteen years as the Senior Pastor of Harmony-Zelienople United Methodist Church. He currently is pastoring the First United Methodist Church of Murrysville. HZUMC grew under his leadership from a small struggling congregation of 90 to a growing vibrant seven-day-a-week ministry that now averages 500+ in worship. The congregation, every week-end, offers three unique services traditional, blended, and contemporary.
John has worn a variety of hats while pastoring that keep him connected to the community: E.M.T./firefighter, Judge of Elections, Hospital Chaplain, and Board Member for Children and Youth Services. He is very connected in the UMC serving as a mentor to young pastors and is a Delegate to the General Conference of the UMC. He annually hosts an ecumenical "Pastor's Gathering" for over 250 pastors to encourage them.
John began to do evangelism seminars in 1994 with the International Bible Society. He has been in over 100 churches from Lincoln, NE to Houston, TX to Pocono, PA to Prague, Chezch Republic to St. John, Antigua. John is married to Susan and they have three children, Jessica (25), Phillip (22), and Erika (20) plus numerous foster-children.
Vega, ISRAEL ("IZZY")
Chaplain Izzy Vega has 40 years ministry experience in evangelism, event coordination and media relations in Latin America and the United States. His strengths include training, preaching, ministry development and fund raising.
Izzy has worked in men's ministries for 12 years with Promise Keepers as California State Director, national bilingual trainer and International Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Izzy also served as District Honor Bound Men's Ministries Director. He served as media/crusade coordinator for Latin America Radio and Television Evangelism (now Hermano Pablo Ministries). While serving at Templo Calvario Church in Santa Ana, XCA (1966-1993), one of the largest Hispanic churches in the US as Ministry of Expansion/Missions, Izzy planted two churches and assisted with the establishment of several others. Chaplian Izzy founded Race Track Chaplaincy of CA, an evangelistic outreach to the employees of the horce racing industry in 1974. The ministry expanded to 10 tracks and continues to minister to the social, physical, eduational, and spiritual needs of individuals.
Chaplain Izzy and Grace have been marred for 25 years, and have three grown children. Izzy;'s favorite past times include teaching, working with special children, gardening, golfing and fishing.