MATT MARKINS serves as the President and CEO of Awana, a global leader in child discipleship. As a researcher in child discipleship and children’s ministry, Matt has commissioned eleven research projects since 2013, including a study conducted by Barna Group called
Children’s Ministry in a New Reality. He’s a board member at large for the National Association of Evangelicals and is the author or coauthor of four books, most notably
The Faith of Our Children: Eight Timely Research Insights for Discipling the Next Generation and
RESILIENT: Child Discipleship and the Fearless Future of the Church. He’s also the cofounder of the Child Discipleship Forum and D6 Conference. Matt and his wife, Katie, have been involved in children’s ministry for more than 25 years and spend their time in Nashville with their two sons. For more information go to
www.ChildDiscipleship.com and
www.Awana.org.
MIKE HANDLER serves as the Chief Innovation Officer for Awana. Prior to Awana, Mike was a pastor, a church planter as well as the principle of a creative agency. Mike is a coauthor of
Resilient and the cofounder of the Child Discipleship Forum. Now in the Nashville area, Mike and his family are originally from Chicagoland and miss the food there.
SAM LUCE has been a pastor at Redeemer Church in Utica, NY, for over 25 years. He holds a BA in Theology, an MA in Biblical and Theological Studies, and an MA in Christian and Classical Studies. Sam and his wife, Sandra, have four beautiful kids together.
