Speakers

Ron Giese

Executive Pastor, West Side Community Church

Traverse City, MI

Biography

Ron Giese is the Executive Pastor, West Side Community Church in Traverse City, MI. He has served in pastoral and teaching ministry for a number of year, including many years at Desert Springs Church in Albuquerque, NM. He is an Old Testament scholar with a particular love for biblical poetry and the Psalms. Ron co-authored Cracking Old Testament Codes: A Guide to Interpreting the Literary Genres of the Old Testament (Broadman & Holman, 1995) and has contributed to Themelios, the international evangelical theology journal of The Gospel Coalition. His preaching is shaped by careful exegesis, theological depth, and a commitment to bringing the riches of the Old Testament to bear on the life of the local church.

Jeremy Meeks

Director, Chicago Course on Preaching for Charles Simeon Trust and Pastor, Christ Church

Chicago, IL

Biography

Jeremy Meeks serves as the Director of the Chicago Course on Preaching, a residential preaching training program of the Charles Simeon Trust, and as an Associate Pastor at Christ Church Chicago. He is also an instructor and contributor for 9Marks, where he has written on pastoral ministry and bioethics. Before coming to Chicago, Jeremy served as the Lead Pastor of Hope Community Church in West Nashville, Tennessee, and prior to that as a church planting missionary in Nicaragua. He holds a BS from Liberty University and an MA in Bioethics from Trinity Graduate School, and is pursuing a PhD in Theological Ethics from Trinity College Bristol. Jeremy’s preaching is marked by careful attention to the biblical text and a deep pastoral concern for those who suffer. He and his family are members of Christ Church Chicago.

Resources

Mark Vroegop

President, The Gospel Coalition

Indianapolis, IN

Biography

Mark Vroegop is the President of The Gospel Coalition and one of evangelicalism’s most recognized voices on the biblical practice of lament. He served in pastoral ministry for nearly thirty years, most recently as the Lead Pastor of College Park Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. Mark is the award-winning author of Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament, which received the ECPA 2020 Christian Book of the Year, as well as Waiting Isn’t a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life and Weep with Me: How Lament Opens a Door for Racial Reconciliation. His writing and preaching are marked by a pastor’s heart and a deep commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture in seasons of pain. Mark is married to Sarah, and they have three married sons, a daughter, and several grandchildren.