WordCenteredChurch

Aaron Menikoff has served as senior pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Sandy Springs, Georgia, since 2008. He holds an M.Div. and a Ph.D. in American church history from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and teaches church history as an adjunct at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta. He is the author of Character Matters: Shepherding in the Fruit of the Spirit and Politics and Piety, and serves on the boards of 9Marks and ACME. He and his wife, Deana, have four children.

Jonathan Leeman (Ph.D., University of Wales) is the president of 9Marks and co-host of the Pastors Talk podcast. He is the author or editor of more than a dozen books, including Church Membership, How the Nations Rage, and Authority. He lives with his wife and four daughters in suburban Washington, D.C.

Omar Johnson is the lead pastor of Temple Hills Baptist Church in Temple Hills, Maryland, where he has served since 2019. A Temple Hills native, he came to faith in 2009 and served as a lay elder before completing the pastoral internship at Capitol Hill Baptist Church and earning an M.Div. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a regular contributor and speaker with 9Marks and CROSS, and serves on the board of ACME. He and his wife Stephanie have three children.

Kevin Rogers serves as lead pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, installed as lead elder in 2021 after joining the church’s staff in 2007 and serving on its preaching team. Raised in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, he attended Liberty University and graduated from the Sovereign Grace Ministries Pastors College in 2010. He and his wife Jami have six children.

James Choi is the lead pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church, a gospel-centered, multi-ethnic church in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. Born in Seoul, South Korea, he holds a B.A. from the University of Florida, an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Th.M. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and is pursuing a Ph.D. at Midwestern. Before founding NCBC he served as an elder and pastoral intern at Capitol Hill Baptist Church and as a church-planting catalyst in Maryland. He and his wife Jeri have three children.

Joel Kurz is the lead pastor of The Garden Church, a multicultural congregation in Baltimore, Maryland, which he moved to Baltimore to plant in 2008. He holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Spurgeon Baptist Bible College and an M.Div. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He writes regularly on church ministry for The Gospel Coalition and 9Marks, and serves as a Regional Moderator for ACME. Joel and his wife, Jess, have four children, and they live one block from the church building.