Our Board Members
Wayne Kent
Born in Katoomba, Australia, Wayne moved to Vancouver, BC with his family at a young age.
He and his amazing wife,
Leslie, met while attending Oral Roberts University where he got a degree
in business administration. Wayne also has a Master of Divinity from
Phillips Graduate Seminary in Tulsa and obtained a Doctor of Ministry
from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston.
Wayne has served in ministry at First Christian Church Decatur Illinois since January 1994.
He
has 2 wonderful kids, Jacqueline (married to Eric) and Ben. If
asked what heaven is like, Wayne is convinced there will be beaches
where one can water ski or surf everyday.
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Elvin Dillard
Elvin currently serves
as Lead Pastor at Grace Community Church in Overbrook, Kansas where he began
his ministry there in July 1999 after returning from the mission field in
Haiti. Elvin has also served churches in Florida and Illinois. His
passion for missions continues to drive his ministry and has provided
opportunities to share the Gospel on five continents around the world.
The 1040 window of opportunity is the focus of mission right now with Pakistan
and Sudan in his sights.
Elvin has been married to his beautiful bride Connie for 40 years. Their
marriage hit “restart” in 1983 when Elvin was saved and delivered from years of
alcohol and substance abuse. They are blessed with three children and
seven grandchildren, with number eight due in August. They also have an
11-year-old son waiting for them in Glory. Elvin’s hobbies include riding
his Harley, hunting, fishing, collecting military firearms, and skydiving.
Grace Community Church believes it is called to be a Rescue and Refuge Center for
people from all walks of life. Grace and Mercy meet you at the
door. Grace Community Church is located in a town of less than 1,000
residents and has a worship center that will seat 750+. But the vision is
not “how many can we hold” but “how many can we send!”
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Rick Grace
Rick began ministry in Illinois in 1974. He has served as a Youth Pastor, Associate Pastor and Senior Pastor since that time. He received his B.A. in Education from Eastern Illinois University, a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary.
Rick is currently serving as the Senior Pastor of the First Christian Church in Springdale, AR. In addition to those responsibilities, he also teaches Pauline Studies at Ecclesia College in Springdale, AR and Christian Foundations for Counseling in the graduate school of John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR.
Rick is a life-long student of the Word of God and loves preaching and teaching from the Scriptures. He has written several articles for DHF, including The Truth Shall Set You Free: An Evangelical Response to Homosexuality, along with being a frequent contributor to Disciples World magazine.
Rick has been active in Disciple Renewal since 1985, serving previously on the board for an extended time. He has also spoken at many National Conferences, along with leading workshops on marriage with his wife and best friend, Nancy, to whom he has been married since 1975. The Graces have two children, Erick of Fort Worth, TX and LeeAnne of Springdale, AR.
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Michael Ten Eyck
Michael is pastor of First Christian Church of Pittsfield, Illinois. Michael was born in Virginia but has spent most of his life in Central Illinois. Michael graduated from Jacksonville High School in Jacksonville, Illinois and received a Bachelors Degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Il. Michael studied abroad in Florence, Italy and was a professional singer until finally yielding to the call to ministry.
Michael trained for the ministry in central Illinois and has been in full time ministry for 15 years, serving in several diverse churches. As a minister, Michael has a passion for preaching and teaching God’s word. Michael is also an anointed singer and worship leader. Michael is married to Renita, his wife of 15 years, and they have one son and two daughters. Michael loves to laugh and spend time with friends and family. His hobbies include fishing, biking, golfing, laughing, cooking, and creating music.
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Joe Briseno
Joe is pastor of Mason City Christian in Mason City, IL. Joe was born in Mexico and at the age of two, his family moved to the United States to establish residence there. Joe grew up in El Paso, TX and graduated from high school there in 1984. After attending three semesters at the University of Texas at El Paso, Joe transferred to Oral Roberts University where he earned a BA in Pastoral Ministries and studied at the Oral Roberts Graduate Seminary as well.
Joe has served full time in pastoral ministry since 1990 in the following states: New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Illinois. Joe is married to Cheryl, wife of 20 years and they both have three beautiful daughters. Joe's hobbies include running, reading, movies, fashions and music.
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Debbie Sullivan
Debbie married Joe Sullivan in 1978. They have four sons, Luke, Drew, Reed, Beau. They live north of Decatur.
Debbie had B.S. degree from Greenville College in Leadership. She is a member of First Christian Church Decatur IL, first attended1993 under the pastorate of Richard Bowman - the ministry of Disciple Renewal brought us to First... have served there as a Sunday School teacher for children and adults, children and teen ministry, coordinator for women's ministry, elder (since 2000) ... feel prayer is a primary calling on my life.
Cannot remember a time I did not feel a love for Christ, formally walked forward to receive Christ age 13 ... experienced a spiritual awakening through Bible Study in 1996... have had a passion ever since about studying the Word.
Debbie has been a blessing to Disciple Heritage through serving on the prayer team for conferences and spoken regarding women's ministry.