Preachers Conference

Rick Atchley began his ministry career in 1978 at Southern Hills Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas. A proud alumnus of Abilene Christian University, he earned a bachelor’s degree in oral communication in 1978 and a master’s degree in religious communications in 1982, both with a minor in Bible. In June 1989, he became the preaching minister for The Hills Church, which has grown to four campuses across North Richland Hills, Keller, West Fort Worth and Dallas.

He and his wife of 45 years, Jamie Lyda, have three children and six grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys golf and exercise and is a retired fantasy football champion.

Dr. Anwar Carter holds degrees from Mississippi Valley State University and Delta State University and in 2024 completed a Doctor of Ministry at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He and his wife of more than 25 years, Dr. Shelia Carter, have two daughters. 

James W. Thompson is professor emeritus at Abilene Christian University, where he served as professor and associate dean. He also served as editor of Restoration Quarterly for 31 years. He is the author of numerous articles and books on the Pauline correspondence, including Preaching Like Paul, Pastoral Ministry according to Paul and The Church according to Paul. His major focus has been on the intersection between biblical exegesis and preaching. He has also written several books on the Epistle to the Hebrews. He is an elder at the University Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas.

Rev. Dr. Paul Scott Wilson is professor emeritus of homiletics at Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto and the Toronto School of Theology, where he taught until 2019. The son of a minister, he has served several churches, has supervised many doctoral students and is the recipient of several awards. He is a past president of the Academy of Homiletics and, among numerous other recent speaking engagements, was the keynote speaker at the 2024 meeting of the Evangelical Homiletics Society. 

He is the author of many articles and numerous books including: The Four Pages of the Sermon; Preaching as Poetry; Setting Words on Fire: Putting God at the Center of the Sermon; The Practice of Preaching,; Broken Words: Reflections on the Craft of Preaching; Preaching and Homiletical Theory; God Sense: Reading the Bible for Preaching; A Concise History of Preaching; and Imagination of the Heart: New Understandings in Preaching. He was the general editor for The New Interpreter’s Handbook on Preaching and two series of books, Preaching and its Partners (Chalice Press) and The Artistry of Preaching Series (Abingdon Press) He lectures and preaches widely throughout the United States, Europe, South Korea, Taiwan and Canada. He and his wife, Deanna, have three grown children and two grandchildren.

Dr. Kevin Youngblood serves as professor of biblical studies in the College of Bible and Ministry at Harding and as preaching minister for the Westridge Church of Christ in Pocahontas, Arkansas. During his 30 years of ministry, he has served churches in Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Kentucky.  He holds bachelor’s  and master’s degrees from Lipscomb University, a Master of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary, and a doctorate from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His research and teaching interests center on Hebrew and Greek linguistics, biblical poetry, prophetic literature, and Septuagint studies. Dr. Youngblood is the author of the Jonah volume in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament and is currently working on the Lamentations volume in that same series. He has four children: Karissa, who is married to Josh Williams, Carmen, who is deceased, Khyle and Gabriel, and two grandchildren, Grant Oliver and Grace Marie.