Acts 29 is an organization and global network of churches bound together by relationship, theology, and mission.
About Acts 29
Acts 29 exists to plant churches worldwide by recruiting, assessing, training, and supporting church planters. We offer church leaders decades of experience-proven training, guidance, and tools for planting churches designed to grow and thrive. The call to make disciples is answered most effectively through gospel-centered churches—join us in the mission.
WHO WE ARE
WHAT WE DO
We plant churches worldwide.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Acts 29 is a theologically-driven, gospel-centered organization that stands in the tradition of historic evangelical confessionalism. We affirm the Lausanne Covenant and embrace a reformed view of salvation. We are committed to the following five theological distinctives:
- Gospel centrality in all of life
- The sovereign grace of God in saving sinners
- The work of the Holy Spirit for life and ministry
- The equality of men and women and the principle of male servant leadership
- The local church as God’s primary mission strategy
Staff Members
Brian Howard has over 30 years of proven leadership experience as an executive coach, non-profit executive, church planter, lead pastor, consultant, and business owner. He has successfully started multiple businesses and several non-profit organizations and is in his fifth year as the President of Acts 29. Brian has coached thousands of leaders as the founder of Context Coaching and has worked as an organizational consultant across a wide range of industries. Brian holds a Master's degree from Talbot School of Theology and is an adjunct professor. Brian is also a doctoral student working toward a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership. Brian has been married for 30 years, has four adult children, and lives in Southern California.
After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill in 1997, Tyler and his wife Kimberly moved to Raleigh, where they now continue loving their city with their three kids. Tyler planted Vintage Church in the fall of 2002, which has now grown to five locations in the Triangle. Serving in a myriad of leadership roles with Acts29 since 2003, he is driven by his passion for planting and growing churches to advance the gospel across the US and the world.
Justin has spent the last 20 years leading churches. He has planted three thriving Acts 29 churches (Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle), led a large-scale church merger and has coached and consulted dozens of leaders through major church transitions. Justin currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Emilie and five kids.
Scott serves as the Vice President of Acts 29 Global. Previously, he served in church planting in India and then for many years as Executive Pastor at Redeemer Church of Dubai, a church with a strong emphasis on planting new congregations in the UAE and to Lebanon, Kuwait, and beyond. Having been actively involved in fostering church planting initiatives across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, Scott brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to his current focus of supporting Acts 29’s worldwide church planting ambition. He is married to Angela, and together they are raising four wonderful children.
Adam is married to Kristen. They have two children. Adam came into Acts29 when he planted The Crossing Church. He has been a pastor for over 25 years and has a doctorate from Reformed Theological Seminary and a Master of Divinity from Columbia. Adam loves anything outdoors: surfing, fly fishing, and hunting. Adam serves as Vice President for Acts 29, leading church planting, and as a pastor at The Church of Eleven22.
Dan Vander Plaats is the vice president of development for Acts 29. Dan has over 20 years of experience in leadership and fundraising for Christian ministries having served on the Boards of three Christian organizations and in church leadership. He also holds a master’s degree in Nonprofit Administration and a certificate in Church and Christian Ministry Leadership. He is married to Denise and is father to Ben and Emma.
Philip Moore is married to Rachel and they have five children. In 2006, Phillip moved to France to pastor a church in the eastern suburbs of Paris. The church has since planted three daughter churches and trained and sent a couple to plant a church in the centre of Paris. He is now starting a new church in the 5th Arrondissement of Paris. Philip is the Director for Acts 29 Europe.
Adam Ramsey leads Liberti Church on the Gold Coast, Australia and also serves as the director for Acts 29 Asia Pacific. The author of several books, including 'Truth on Fire' and ‘Faithfully Present', his favourite parts of life include being married to Kristina, making memories with their five kids, and preaching good news. Adam holds two masters degrees in theology and leadership, and is presently a PhD candidate at Queensland Theological College. He is quite serious about joy and an avid practitioner of laughter.
Francisco began his ministry as a teenager and has preached in several countries around the world during the last 20 years. He is the lead pastor of Casa de Libertad in Guatemala City and has a passion to reach others with the gospel through church planting. He lives in Guatemala with his wife Carol and his four children.
Cristiano serves as the Director of Acts 29 Brazil. Previously, Cristiano was the first assessment coordinator for Acts 29 in the Portuguese language. Additionally, he is the pastor of the Redentor Church in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cristiano was also the planter of the Comunidade Batista de Macaé Church and currently acts as a mentor at the FOCO Theological Seminary. He holds degrees in Theology and Business Administration. Cristiano worked for fourteen years in the Oil and Gas industry before working full-time in ministry. He is married to Edna and is the father of Mariana and Alice.
One, his wife Confidence, and their two daughters live in Pretoria, South Africa. He leads Rooted Fellowship, a gospel-centered, disciple making, and transcultural church, planted from a partnership with LIG.punt and Bryanston Bible Church. One’s desire is to see more churches planted in Pretoria and beyond.
Dwight and his wife, Jessica, live in Montréal with their four children. In 2011, they began Church 21, a multi-location church in the province of Québec. Dwight has a great desire to see churches planted all throughout Canada. He enjoys baseball, running, reading, U2, and playing in the city with his family.
Noel is the teaching pastor at Riverview, a multi-site church in the Lansing, Michigan area that actively engages younger generations in both in-person and digital spaces. He is an author, podcaster, speaker, and church leadership coach. He is married to Grace, and they have four adult children and one son-in-law.
David is the Lead Pastor of Christ Community Church in Houston, Texas. He has been actively involved in Acts 29 since 2001 and has served in various capacities (Regional Director, Board Member, International Team, Assessments, Area Leadership) along with planting churches in San Diego, Seattle, and now in Houston. He's interested in theology, leadership, culture, and is a Jiu Jitsu competitor and coach. He has a business background in corporate leadership in the executive recruiting industry specializing in finance, biotechnology, and organizational development, before planting his first church. David is married to the love of his life, Grace, and has two adult children, Michael and Madison.
David Pinckney has been married Sharon since 1988, and together they have raised four sons and one daughter. He began pastoring a historic village church in New Hampshire, and then served on staff at a large church in southern Pennsylvania. He led the planting of River of Grace Church in 2002 in Concord, NH where he continues to serve as one of the elders. David holds a master of divinity degree from Bethel Seminary, and serves on the leadership teams of Small Town Summit in New England. Previously he served as Acts 29’s Rural Strategist. He enjoys people, history, traveling, and bacon, but does not enjoy doing projects on their 1857 farm house.
Tyler St. Clair is the lead pastor of Cornerstone Church Detroit. He is a regular contributor to the Acts 29 blog. Tyler is also the Midwest Associate Regional Director. Tyler is married to his best friend and has five amazing kids.
Chan Kilgore is the Lead Pastor of New River Fellowship. He is passionate about how the gospel can inform and transform our everyday lives. He holds degrees from Central Florida and Reformed Theological Seminary. Chan has been married for more than 30 years and has been blessed with three beautiful daughters and a grandson. He enjoys woodworking, home remodeling, reading, and going to the beach with his wife.
Andy was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, where he lives with his wife, Ashley, and three children. Andy has 15 years of experience leading communications and operations teams through many different phases of church life: from planting to multiplication to multi-site. Andy and his family have been members of Redeemer Fellowship Church in Kansas City since 2009, where Andy serves as a lay-pastor.
Rachel worked in various marketing roles for Wycliffe Bible Translators for nine years before joining Acts 29. Originally from Florida, she’s an alumna of LeTourneau University and Eastern Michigan University. She lives in Colorado with her husband, Nick, and their three sons. She enjoys the outdoors, reading, and cooking.
Rebekah has 10+ years of experience planning and managing events ranging from corporate conferences and trainings to retreats and community outreach events. She believes every event, big or small, should be a memorable experience. She has been with Acts 29 for over 7 years and helped her husband, Edward, plant an Acts 29 Church in Oakland, California. Originally from Texas, she graduated from San Francisco State University and has lived in the Bay Area for 20+ years. When she's not planning the next big event, Rebekah enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants, and long walks with her Labradoodle.
Justin has over 10 years of church experience working with church planters and administrative teams. He been married for 10 years and they have 3 amazing children. He enjoys coffee, supporting the local community, and loves exploring the outdoors.
Yad is a graphic designer who currently resides in Oak Island, North Carolina. In 2000, he graduated with a BFA in graphic design from the School of Visual Arts in New York. That may seem like centuries ago in internet years, but don’t worry, this hyperbolic old dog is on top of all the new tricks. Yad enjoys houseplants and dogs.
Jessica has a BBA in marketing from Texas A&M University with a background in advertising and communications. She and her husband, Jason, have three children. Jessica is a member of The Village Church, serves on the PTA Board at her children’s elementary school, and loves spending time outdoors with her family.
Sarah and her husband, Brian, have two adult children and a beautiful granddaughter. She has a degree in accounting and has worked in church ministry and finance for over ten years. She and her husband are currently helping plant Restoration Community Church in Big Lake, Alaska. She likes to read, travel, and golf.
Zack is from north Georgia and served as a pastor for seven years before joining Acts 29. Zack is married to Shelby and they have two children. Zack is grateful to be part of the process of seeing healthy churches planted through Acts 29.
Tyler has been married to Jodi for 25 years and they have four children. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Denver Seminary and has been in ministry since 2001. Tyler currently serves as the Church Planting Director at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, overseeing their church planting residency, and previously served as the Assessment Director for Acts 29 from 2006–2015.
Jessie Roseberry is an artist, mom of four, and church planter’s wife. She lives in West Lafayette, Indiana, with her husband Eric and enjoys time with friends, painting, teaching watercolor classes, and hospitality. She has been married to Eric for more than 15 years. They are both over 6’ tall and are raising their own basketball team.
Ashley currently lives in Orange County, California. She is a recent graduate of California Baptist University with a BA in Business Administration and has been a part of the Acts 29 team since 2020 as a marketing and finance assistant. She enjoys going to the beach and reading in her free time.
Esther holds a BA in Public Relations from Biola University. Before joining the Acts 29 team, she spent 3+ years providing administrative support to national and local nonprofit organizations, as well as her own university campus. Esther lives in Southern California and still attends her home church, which became a part of the Acts 29 network in 2017.
Ronell, her husband Darret, and three children live in Johannesburg, South Africa. She studied interior design and décor and had her own business before going full-time into ministry in 2009. Ronell is eager to see church planting teams flourish for the sake of furthering the gospel and glorifying God's name.
Chandra has been a part of the Acts 29 family for seven years. She is married to Brian and they have four amazing adult kids. Chandra planted a church with her husband in 2002, has served as the marketing director for Context Coaching, and currently serves as the Global Partnerships and People Coordinator for Acts 29. Chandra received her masters in Human Resource Development from Villanova University and has earned a SHRM-CP.
Paul Cunningham focuses on Customer Success on the Equip team. He also serves as the Executive Pastor at Redeemer Church, an Acts 29 church in Bellingham, WA. Paul is married to Amy, has three kids, and loves exploring the mountains in his downtime.
