Exponential 2026 National Conference

Jason ‘Stew’ Stewart catalyzes movement for The 16% Mission as the Executive Director of Mobilization at Exponential.

He bridges the gap between vision, strategy, and implementation, spearheading initiatives to mobilize multipliers. Jason's blend of relational and strategic approaches has allowed him to lead in diverse ministry settings, crisscrossing the nation multiple times in church planting, multisite, and megachurch contexts.

Jason and his wife, Kelly, guide their "Stew Crew" of six from the Nashville area, consisting of two young adult daughters, a son in college, and their adopted high school son.

Dave Ferguson is the CEO / President and co-founder for Exponential. He is also the lead pastor of Community Christian Church, an innovative multi-site missional community that is passionate about "helping people find their way back to God." Community has grown from a few college friends to thousands every weekend meeting at multiple locations in the Chicago area and has been recognized as one of America's most influential churches.

Dave provides visionary leadership for NewThing, a global movement of multiplying churches. He is an award-winning author of eight books, including Hero Maker: 5 Essential Practices for Leaders to Multiply Leaders.

Dave and his wife, Sue, live in Naperville IL. They have three adult children - Amy, Joshua and Caleb.

The Most Reverend Dr Ric Thorpe is the Archbishop of Melbourne, elected in May 2025 and installed at St Paul’s Cathedral later that year. A leading Anglican voice in church planting, he previously served as the Bishop of Islington in the Diocese of London, a national role focused on helping the Church of England develop new worshipping communities and revitalise existing churches.

Ric founded and led the Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication (CCX) for a decade and continues as a trustee. He has a doctorate in church planting and has trained many leaders at St Mellitus College, London. Earlier in his ministry, he and his wife Louie led a church revitalisation from Holy Trinity Brompton into St Paul’s Shadwell, which went on to support several further plants in East London.

Educated at Stowe School and the University of Birmingham, Ric first worked in marketing with Unilever before training for ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He is married to Louie, with whom he has three children. He loves the sea, wide horizons, and sailing whenever he can.

As Archbishop of Melbourne, he is committed to listening well, discerning God’s leading, and strengthening the shared life and mission of the Diocese.

Darren's Bio is coming soon!

Bron is the Co-Senior Pastor of The Chapel Collective, a multisite church with eight locations across villages, towns, and cities. She carries a deep passion for the local church and for seeing people live heart and soul for Jesus, believing the Church is God’s primary vehicle for renewal and revival in this generation.

Bron oversees church planting training for the ACC in NSW and trains leaders across Australia. Currently into the second year into planting again herself, she speaks from the frontline with fresh faith and lived conviction, calling leaders and churches to spiritual vitality, courageous obedience, and a renewed hunger for the presence of God.

Kristin is a professional counsellor with her own private practice, where she works extensively with church leaders and provides supervision to those in ministry. Her work focuses on helping leaders navigate the complexities of life, relationships, and leadership with wisdom and emotional health.

Jason and Kristin have been married for nearly 30 years and have spent more than 25 years serving together in both local church and not-for-profit ministry contexts. With a shared passion for seeing leaders thrive in both life and leadership, they have devoted their lives to helping church leaders build ministries that are healthy, sustainable, and deeply aligned with the gospel.

Together, Jason and Kristin bring a unique blend of theological depth, relational insight, and practical experience. They have been personally trained and mentored for the past five years by Pete and Geri Scazzero, and have participated in multiple marriage intensives with them. This formation has deeply shaped their approach to marriage, leadership, and discipleship, and forms the foundation of what they teach.

At the heart of their work is a simple but powerful conviction: church leaders should not have to choose between reaching their goals and preserving their souls. Through their ministry, Jason and Kristin are committed to helping leaders build lives, marriages, and ministries that reflect the beauty and integrity of the gospel.

Jason is the founder and director of the Irresistible Churches Network in Australasia, and serves as the director of Emotionally Healthy Discipleship for Australasia. He also leads the School of Emotionally Healthy Leadership, equipping pastors and church leaders to integrate emotional health and spiritual maturity in their leadership.

Jason and Kristin have been married for nearly 30 years and have spent more than 25 years serving together in both local church and not-for-profit ministry contexts. With a shared passion for seeing leaders thrive in both life and leadership, they have devoted their lives to helping church leaders build ministries that are healthy, sustainable, and deeply aligned with the gospel.

Together, Jason and Kristin bring a unique blend of theological depth, relational insight, and practical experience. They have been personally trained and mentored for the past five years by Pete and Geri Scazzero, and have participated in multiple marriage intensives with them. This formation has deeply shaped their approach to marriage, leadership, and discipleship, and forms the foundation of what they teach.

At the heart of their work is a simple but powerful conviction: church leaders should not have to choose between reaching their goals and preserving their souls. Through their ministry, Jason and Kristin are committed to helping leaders build lives, marriages, and ministries that reflect the beauty and integrity of the gospel.

Matt Millar lives in Nairobi, Kenya, with his wife, TaLarrya, and their sons, Ta'raii and Tavian, where he executes the vision of Exponential as the Global Integrator. Under his leadership 40,000 new churches have been catalyzed in nearly 70 nations since 2018.

He has an MBA in Business Management from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, a Masters degree in Global Leadership from Fuller Seminary, as well as a certificate in Intercultural Studies from the University for British Columbia.

He has traveled to seventy-five nations, trained local leaders in over forty of those nations, and planted churches in three different countries. He is the founder of a Cultural Equipping Center called Thriving Beyond and has authored the books: Thriving Beyond: Engaging Meaningfully with Our Multicultural World and The Church in Context: Harnessing Cultural Humility for Kingdom Advancement.