These conferences are geared specifically toward the recognized  leaders of the Italian churches and are more in-depth than the general conferences. Pastors, missionaries, elders, and deacons attend the sessions desiring to be challenged to uphold a higher standard of teaching Scripture. Three courses are generally taught: one course on doctrine, one on expository preaching, and one on ministry and personal growth.

 

Do You Want to Impact Italy through Church Leaders?

We are looking for prayer partners who would also be willing to participate financially in our annual conferences. We try to keep costs to a minimum for our participants, so the fee they pay only partially covers the cost of the conference. We need partners who understand the value of encouraging and equipping these men and their wives. Find out more about partnering with us. 

Carey Hardy graduated from the University of Houston with a B.S. in Pharmacy in 1977.  In 1984 he sold his pharmacy to go on staff of a Baptist church in Texas as Christian School Principal and Minister of Music. Carey moved to California in 1990 to study at The Master’s Seminary and graduated with a Master of Divinity degree.  From 1993 through 2006, he served on the pastoral staff at Grace Community Church in the Los Angeles area.  In October of 2006, he became the Senior Pastor of Twin City Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  Carey and his wife, Pam, married 31 plus years, have four children.      

Dr. John MacArthur is Pastor/Teacher of Grace Community Church. Following in the footsteps of his father, Dr. Jack MacArthur, John represents five successive generations of pastors in his family. Dr. MacArthur is also president of The Master’s College and Seminary and is heard daily on “Grace to You,” a nationally syndicated radio broadcast. The Grace to You ministry has distributed more than ten million audio-cassettes and CD's of his messages. He is the author of many books, some of which have ready been translated into Italian.

Dr. Larry McCall serves as Senior Pastor of Christ Covenant Church in Warsaw, Indiana. He also serves on the board of Aurora Ministries. He graduated from Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana with a Master of Divinity Degree. He earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He and his wife, Gladine, have three children: David, Janelle and Laura. 

 

 

Bill and Maria Teresa Standridge have been ministering together in Italy for over 55 years. Bill graduated from Wheaton College and earned an MA from Grace Theological Seminary. He went to Italy as a missionary in 1949, while Maria Teresa grew up in Italy and received her doctorate from the University of Genoa. They married in 1956. The Standridges founded the “ Berea” Independent Gospel Church of Rome, which is now helping plant new churches. They have been active in editing a monthly gospel newspaper called “La Voce del Vangelo,” and they also direct a Bible correspondence school called the Berean Bible Institute. They joined Aurora Mission in 2004, and they are the authors of several books.

 

Dr. Lance Quinn is the Pastor-Teacher of The Bible Church of Little Rock, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Arkansas State University, Master of Divinity, and Master of Theology degrees from The Master’s Seminary, and a Ph.D. degree from the Evangelische Theologische Faculteit (Evangelical Theological Faculty) in Leuven, Belgium. Prior to coming to The Bible Church of Little Rock, he served as Manager of Ministries at Grace To You Radio, and for ten years served at Grace Community Church in Southern California as the Senior Associate Pastor and Personal Assistant to Dr. John MacArthur.  He and his wife, Beth, have eight children and reside in Little Rock.

 

Dr. Steven J. Lawson is the Senior Pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama; he has served as a pastor in Arkansas and Alabama for the past twenty-six years. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University (B.B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.), and Reformed Theological Seminary (D. Min.). The focus of Dr. Lawson's ministry is the verse-by-verse exposition of God's Word. From this, he has authored thirteen books. Dr. Lawson’s ministry takes him around the world, preaching most recently in Russia, the Ukraine, Wales, England, Ireland, Germany and also many conferences in the United States, including The Shepherd’s Conference and "Resolved" at Grace Community Church, and the Ligonier Ministries Pastor’s Conference. Steve and his wife Anne have three sons, Andrew, James, and John, and a daughter, Grace Anne. 

 

Tom Pennington has served as Senior Pastor at Countryside Bible Church in Southlake, TX since October 2003. Prior to arriving in Texas, Tom served for 16 years in various roles at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, including as an elder. He spent his last four years there as Senior Associate Pastor and as the personal assistant to Dr. John MacArthur. He has also served as managing director of the radio ministry, Grace to You. He completed his B.A. and M.A. at Bob Jones University and served as a member of the faculty while taking additional Ph.D. classes in New Testament Interpretation. Tom and Sheila have three children, Lauren, Katie, and Jessica.