Speaker Bios

Jon is the co-founding pastor of Community Christian Church in Chicagoland – a church that has grown from a handful of people to multiple expressions reaching thousands of people throughout Chicagoland and beyond. 

In addition, Jon led in the launch of NewThing, a church-planting movement that has helped start thousands of churches in 69 countries. Jon is now the Visionary Leader for North America and Chicagoland. 

Jon has an MA in Spiritual Formation from Wheaton College, where he is an adjunct professor. He has authored several books including B.L.E.S.S.: 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change the World. 

He resides in Chicago with his wife, Lisa. They have two adult children – Graham and Chloe, who live in New York. You can follow him on X @jonferguson, on Facebook at facebook.com/jonferguson, on Instagram at instagram.com/jonferguson1 or at www.jonferguson.org

Dr. Rondy M. Smith is Founder and CEO of Rest Stop Ministries, Inc. www.reststopministries.org, Tennessee’s first 24/7-365 staff-supported long-term residential restoration program designed uniquely & solely for adult female survivors of sex trafficking, which opened in 2015. Rest Stop Ministries is an official Nazarene Compassionate Ministry Center (approved for 10% giving missions specials). 

Rondy is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene and served as Community Life Pastor of the Hermitage congregation from 2001-2015. From 1991-2001 she was Associate Professor of Management at Trevecca Nazarene University and Founding Director of the Graduate degree program in Organizational Management. Dr. Smith began her career in the corporate sector serving the Leadership Development Center at Northern Telecom, Inc. She was also a consultant with Executive Learning, Inc. and continued her consulting practice after joining the academic ranks as university faculty. 

Rondy, a 1985 undergrad alumna of Trevecca Nazarene University, earned a Master’s degree in Organizational Communication from the University of Kansas in 1987 and a Doctorate in Human and Organizational Development from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University in 1996. 

Rondy loves sharing life with Bobby, her husband of 39 years, at their home on Old Hickory Lake and wherever their foodie/travel adventures take them! She loves being the biggest fan of their 2 adult sons and their wives, and her most sacred role is now GRANDY to their two grandchildren. She loves to read, study & teach the WORD, and to live in community with the women she serves and the team she leads at Rest Stop Ministries. Becoming Love and Inspiring Hope are her core values.
“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” – Saint Francis of Assisi

Dwayne Mills was born and raised in Eastern Kentucky in the heart of Appalachia. He has been in ministry for 30 years. His first love and passion is working with young people. He has served in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky in some capacity working and serving with youth and their families. Dwayne has had the opportunity to serve as Minister to Youth in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, was Dean of Students at Olivet Nazarene University (Bourbonnais, Illinois) and then Lead Pastor at Turkey Creek Church of the Nazarene in Martin County, Kentucky. Currently Dwayne serves as the Executive Director of Appalachia Reach Out, a non-profit organization serving the people of Eastern Kentucky in addressing issues of rural poverty alleviation. He is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene. Dwayne is married to his beautiful bride of almost 30 years, Dr. Bethany Mills, and they have four children, Ethan (24 years old), Evan (19 years old), Elijah (17 years old), and Cora Emily (13 years old). 

Andy was elected to the role of District Superintendent in June 2023. His focus is resourcing and inspiring local churches to build up leaders who will plant, revitalize and create all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people. 

Andy began preparing for pastoral ministry in 1996, enrolling at Nazarene Bible College and completing a BA in Pastoral Ministry degree in May 2003. He was ordained in 2004. Before he answered the call to pastoral ministry, Andy worked twelve and a half years for an Industrial Manufacturer, primarily in Technical Sales & Marketing. He also served 12 years in the Army National Guard, ending that chapter as a Platoon Sergeant in an M1 tank company. 

Prior to becoming the District Superintendent, Andy and his family were part of the launch team of The Valley Church when it was planted in 1994, a church that grew to three campuses and over 1200 people. Andy joined the staff full-time in 2001 and served at the various pastoral roles, most recently as Lead Pastor from 2012 to 2023. 

Andy is a certified Master Assessment Director for Church Planting Assessment Centers and helped form a six-district regional church planting assessment center centered in NWO which is the largest assessment center in the US. He is certified to teach Evangelism and Multiplication Training (EMT) and Churches Planting Churches classes (CPC). 

Andy’s greatest passion is helping people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, developing them as leaders to make an impact in our world for Jesus, and then sending them out to start new churches that reach unchurched people. His greatest joys are the changed lives he’s gotten to be part of and the leaders he’s been able to develop and send out. 

Andy & his wife Paula have three children: Kristen (Ryne) Davis, Daniel & Nathan (Kelsey), and five grandchildren, Olivia, Carter, Luke, Emma, and Ben.

Revs. Jad and Jaime Levi (M-Divs, Fuller Seminary) are the co-founding and co-lead pastors of Trinitas Church in Phoenix, Arizona. Trinitas Church is serving to form followers of Jesus to bring Heaven on Earth through a decentralized network of 20+ communities on mission or missional initiatives, engaging primarily with people on the margins across the Phoenix metro. In 2023, Trinitas began planting churches modeled after their Phoenix network. As of February 2025, the Trinitas Communities Network has 20 church plants, relaunches, or churches being remissioned across the US and internationally. https://tcom.life/

Chip is the lead pastor of Lima Community Church in Lima, Ohio. He has been in pastoral ministry for over 20 years serving in Indiana and Ohio. In the churches he has pastored, there has been vibrant growth, renewal, and these congregations living on mission in the communities they were in.

Chip is passionate about seeing strong discipling churches that equip people to live out the gospel in every part of their life. He is also passionate about leading people to live on mission for Jesus through a very intentional lifestyle.

Chip is married to Nichole and they have four children, Keegan, Saige, Kolby, and Selah. He enjoys playing an active role in his kids’ lives and activities. He and Nichole love to hike and he especially loves to golf.

Carson D. Castleman, Ph.D., was unanimously elected the 8th president of Mount Vernon Nazarene University on Aug. 11, 2023, and officially started his tenure on Oct. 1, 2023.

He grew up within the nurturing community of Covington Central Church of the Nazarene on the Eastern Kentucky District. He is a fourth generation Nazarene and has been a steadfast and dedicated member of the Church of the Nazarene his entire life. This unique connection makes him the first president to emerge from the region.

His remarkable career in Christian higher education spans over 26 years and includes expertise with both traditional and non-traditional student enrollment and engagement. He began his career in the MVNU Admissions Office as an admissions counselor and later as Associate Director of Admissions. He then was hired as the Director of University Advancement. After serving as the Chief Enrollment Officer at Nazarene Theological Seminary, he moved on to Indiana Wesleyan University where he has spent the last 20 years in progressive roles where he was instrumental in developing innovative partnerships that have resulted in incredible enrollment growth.

Dr. Carson Castleman graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication/English. He earned a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Indiana Wesleyan University and a Master of Arts in Religion and Counseling from Liberty University. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Administration from Capella University.

His wife, Dr. Angela Castleman, is a 2000 alumna of MVNU. She has served over 24 years in the field of education including roles as a classroom teacher, building administrator, and university professor. She was also a member of the MVNU Board of Trustees for over five years. They have two children, Claire (Neven) Perry and Carter.

Based out of Ohio, City of Bright has a passion and a heart for music with a purpose . The siblings have been playing music together since they were old enough to talk. As they grew older, they realized God had a bigger purpose for the music, and felt the call to do more. Along the way a couple friends joined the band with the same heart to see Jesus move and lives be impacted for the Kingdom. The true heart of the band is to spread a message of the hope found in Jesus. They want to reach the broken ones. They want to infuse faith into everyone who hears their music, and to bring a heart of worship to every event.