Dr. Edwards ‘Deep Preaching’ book was specially translated and printed in Panama for presentation to our Cuban students during ’Taste of CrossTalk’ in La Havana, November 2014′
The leadership of CrossTalk Global is comprised of:
Founder / CEO
J. Kent Edwards, Ph.D., D.Min. – Founder and CEO.
Kent’s purpose in life is to change people’s lives with the Word of God and help others do the same. He has spent his life pastoring God’s people, preaching God’s word, and helping pastors around the world serve their Savior more effectively.
Dr. Edwards is the tenured professor of Preaching and Leadership at Talbot School of Theology / Biola University (La Mirada, CA). He previously served on the faculty Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (S. Hamilton, MA), and, for 13 years, served as Director of the Doctor of Ministry programs at Gordon-Conwell Seminary and Talbot School of Theology.
Kent has earned a Ph.D. in Intercultural Education (BIOLA University), a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching (Denver Seminary), a Master of Divinity (Tyndale Seminary), and a Bachelor of Theology (Ambrose University).
He has authored two award-winning books, Deep Preaching (B&H 2009) and Effective First-Person Biblical Preaching (Zondervan, 2005). Kent began pastoral ministry in 1981, was ordained by the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination in 1986, and has successfully pastored churches across Canada and the USA ever since. Kent currently serves as pastor of Oasis Community Church in Yorba Linda, CA.
Executive Board
Jerry Burden – Secretary / Treasurer
Jerry earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State University and a Mater of Science degree from Arizona State University. He taught high school in Tempe Arizona from 1969-1976. In 1976 Jerry entered full-time ministry with the Gideons International.
In the years that followed, Jerry held a variety of management positions including USA Field Representative; Administrator-International Division; Manager-USA Division; Assistant to Executive Director; and International Executive Director from 1997-2010. He has traveled and worked extensively internationally having visited more than 70 countries participating in numerous conferences, training programs, and leadership management.
During Jerry’s tenure as Executive Director, 19 new countries joined the Gideons, world membership expanded from 134,000 to 294,000 members, annual Scripture distribution grew from 45.3 million to 79.9 million and Scripture funding expanded from $62.5 million to $103.6 million.
Stephen Gunn
Dr. Gunn was born in the United States, but he has lived in Latin America, mostly in Panama, since he was 15 days old. Steve graduated from high school in Panama City, earned his Bachelor’s degree from Moody Bible Institute, his Master’s degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and his D.Min. degree from Talbot School of Theology / Biola University.
Dr. Gunn serves as senior pastor of Crossroads Bible Church, Panama City. Crossroads is a bilingual church with three Sunday worship services. Crossroads also has a K4–12 Christian school, a ministry center in one of Panama City’s worst slums, and a language institute.
Dr. Gunn enjoys mentoring other pastors in Latin America, especially in the area of preaching, which is why he is so excited about the privilege of being involved in the leadership of CrossTalk Global.
Perrin Prescott
Mr. Prescott is the President of R.E. Prescott CO., Inc. in Exeter, NH.
For over 35 years Perrin has led this water system distributor and manufacturing company of proprietary water treatment equipment and industrial controls. The company has demonstrated a consistent record of increased profits and sales throughout his tenure. During this time, Mr. Prescott has overseen the development of new products, opened new market areas and had oversight of operational and personnel relations. Perrin is the joint holder of 5 US Patents with three of them in current production.
Mr. Prescott has also held a wide variety of positions with the Gideons International from 1995 to present. These include International Trustee, Chairman of the International Outreach Committee, Chairman of the International Finance Committee, International Vice President and International President.
Beau Eckert
Beau Eckert was born and raised in Lancaster, PA. He was a graduate and football and baseball standout at Hempfield High School (1993) and Franklin & Marshall College (1997). He began attending Calvary Church as a high school student in 1990. After graduating from college, he served on a 6-month Calvary-sponsored missions team in Zambia and Malawi. After returning from the mission field and recovering from two bouts of Malaria, he became a student ministry intern at Calvary working mainly junior high students.
His heart for ministry led him to seminary training at Columbia International University, Columbia, SC, where he earned a Masters of Divinity (2002). After graduating from CIU, he returned to Calvary Church, becoming Pastor of College, Young Adults and Sports.
The elders of Calvary Church ordained him on June 11, 2005. In 2010 the church began a process leading to the Elders unanimously recommending Pastor Eckert to become Senior Pastor. On October 9, 2011 the congregation gave its overwhelming affirmation, and Beau currently is serving as the 5th Senior Pastor in the 75-year history of Calvary Church in Lancaster, PA.
He is currently working on a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University in the areas of leadership and preaching.
Steven E. Smith
Steve Smith is a born-again Christian evangelical who is a licensed attorney. Born and raised in Southern California, he was saved at age 18 through Campus Crusade for Christ.
Steve graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science, attended Loyola of Los Angeles Law School, and graduated with a Juris Doctorate in 1980. In 1988, he joined The Gideons International and has served in various leadership roles.
For 20 years Steve specialized in commercial litigation and bankruptcy law with a corporation and two law firms. In 2001, he was invited to serve on the International Headquarters staff of the Gideons International in the newly created position of Director, Communications and Development where he directed the updating the all major Gideon programs and assisted in updating the Gideon’s public website. In 2009 Steve joined the Legal Division of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as an attorney investigating failed banks and overseeing litigation.
Steve has been active in ministry for 40 years. In his churches, he served in music, education, missions, and deacon ministries, including teaching for two years at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Gardena, California. Prior to joining the International headquarters staff, Steve served nine years on the Southern California state Gideon leadership team ending with three years as President of the 1,500 member California/Nevada South State Gideon Association in 2000. After returning to his legal career, he served on one year on the Florida state leadership team and is completing his first year on the Texas state leadership team. Steve has been involved in international ministry through The Gideons and a church, serving on six International Scripture Blitz teams for the Gideons in seven countries and leading two mission trips to Russia for Calvary Chapel South Bay.
Advisory Board
Haddon Robinson
Haddon Robinson earned a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, a M.A. from Southern Methodist University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.
Dr. Robinson has served as a member of the faculty at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary as the Harold John Ockenga Distinguished Professor of Preaching and the Senior Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program. From July 2007 to August 2008, he served as Interim President.
Recognized as an expert in the area of preaching, Preaching magazine named Dr. Robinson as one of the 25 most influential preachers of the past 25 years in 2010. He was also recognized by Christianity Today in the top 10 of its “Top 25 Most Influential Preachers” from 1956-2006. He was named one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world in a 1996 Baylor University poll and in 2008 he received the E.K. Bailey Living Legend Award.
Dr. Robinson had served 12 years (1979-1991) as President of Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary in Denver, CO. From 1970-1979, he was General Director of the Christian Medical and Dental Society, whose membership is made up of more than 7,000 physicians and dentists in the United States. He also directed the Dallas Youth for Christ (1952-55), was Associate Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Medford, OR (1956-58), and served as Instructor of Speech at the University of Illinois (1960-62). In addition, he taught homiletics on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary for 19 years.
Dr. Robinson has written many books including the widely respected Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages (Baker Academics, 2001). From 1990 to 2014, he co-hosted Discover the Word (formerly Radio Bible Class), with Alice Mathews and Mart DeHaan.
Patricia Batten
Dr. Patricia Batten earned her M.Div., M.Th., and D.Min degrees from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. As a recipient of Gordon-Conwell’s Parish Pulpit Preaching Fellowship, Pat also studied preaching for a year in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Dr. Batten is a Ranked Adjunct Assistant Professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and has taught homiletics (working very closely with Dr. Haddon W. Robinson) since 2007. Patricia is an ordained minister in the American Baptist Church USA, and has been active in pastoral ministry since 2002. While serving as the full-time pastor of a church in Main, Dr. Batten increased attendance at the weekly service and Bible study program and created a Sunday school curriculum.
John Bell 
Dr. John Bell is an Associate Professor at Michigan Sate University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Michigan State University, an M.S. and Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley, a Masters of Divinity from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and a D.Min. degree from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.
John is the director of the CEPSE/COE Design Studio and cocoordinator of the Hybrid Educational Psychology and Educational Technology PhD program. Prior to this work, he served as course designer and director of instructor development for the Educational Technology Certificate Program for many years. He has been involved in a variety of teaching and service work internationally. His current research interest is focused on idea-based teaching and learning using technology.
Valerie Bogel
Valerie Bogel is as versatile as she is professional. With her photography Valerie specializes in helping businesses in the Resort & Tourism category by providing them with effective photography that showcases their business or product in the best possible light. In her design work Valerie does web design, advertising, branding and brochures for a wide variety of companies. Valerie’s design touch is evident many places including the CrossTalk Global logo!
David Briggs 
David Briggs is a SoCal native, a graduate of Biola University, and the Senior Creative Director of Mousetrappe in Burbank, CA .
Moustrappe offers creative design and development, media design and production and mapped projection for a wide variety of clients. Recent projects include ‘Villians Mix & Mingle’, Celebrate the Magic’, ‘The Magic the Memories and You!’ and the Skyline Bar for the Walt Disney Company. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex – Space Shuttle Atlantis, Star Trek Jordan, and the USA Pavilion at the World Expo 2012 in Yeosu, South Korea are some additional recent projects in which David has invested his considerable creative abilities.
Nola Edwards
Nola earned a B.Math from the University of Waterloo and an M.B.A. from the Crowell School of Business.
Ms. Edwards is a certified information systems security professional with more than twenty years of experience, primarily in the financial services industry. Her expertise includes data governance, vendor risk management, secure application development, cloud governance, and business continuity planning.
Nola is the owner of Sage Information Security, a consulting firm that provides program management and risk advisory services to enhance security awareness, mitigate technology risk, and drive compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards.
Beau Eckert
Beau Eckert is the senior pastor of Calvary Church in Lancaster, PA. He was a graduate and football and baseball standout at Hempfield High School (1993), earned a B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College (1997), an M.Div. from Columbia International University, Columbia, SC, and is completing a D.Min. at Talbot School of Theology / Biola University.
Mr. Eckert was ordained in 2005 and was affirmed as the fifth Senior Pastor in the 75-year history of Calvary Church in Lancaster, PA in 2011.
Alice Mathews
Dr. Alice Mathews received her B.A. from Bob Jones University, an M.A. from Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. from Iliff School of Theology/University of Denver.
Dr. Mathews is Academic Dean for Christian University GlobalNet in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Aurora, Colorado as well as the Lois W. Bennett Distinguished Professor Emerita of Educational and Women’s Ministries at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts where she also served for a time as Academic Dean.
After more than a decade in church ministries in the USA, Dr. Mathews and her husband spent 17 years serving churches in France and Austria. From 1990 to 2014 she cohosted the daily RBC radio program, Discover the Word, with Mart DeHaan and Haddon Robinson.
Dr. Mathews is the author of several books of Bible studies for women (Discovery Press) as well as a homiletics textbook, Preaching That Speaks to Women, and a marriage textbook, Marriage Made in Eden, co-authored with M. Gay Hubbard (Baker Book House).
Phil Posthuma 
Rev. Posthuma earned a B.A. in Music Education, a M.Min. & M.A. in Theological Studies from Grace Theological Seminary, an M.A. in Management from Webster University, and is a D.Min Candidate at Talbot School of Theology / Biola University.
Rev. Posthuma has over twenty years of pastoral ministry experience and currently serves as the lead Pastor of Montgomery Community Church in Cincinnati, OH.
Steven E. Smith
Mr. Smith graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science, attended Loyola of Los Angeles Law School, and graduated with a Juris Doctorate in 1980.
For 20 years Steve specialized in commercial litigation and bankruptcy law with a corporation and two law firms. In 2001, he was invited to serve on the International Headquarters staff of the Gideons International in the newly created position of Director, Communications and Development. In this role, Steven directed the updating the all major Gideon programs and assisted in updating the Gideon’s public website.
In 2009 Steve joined the Legal Division of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as an attorney investigating failed banks and overseeing litigation.
Stephen E. Tierney 
Stephen Tierney earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Biola University in 1995, and became a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California in 1998.
Mr. Tierney is a partner in Nienow & Tierney, LLP, and a memer of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, California Society of Certified Public Accountants and serves as Secretary and State Council Representative, California Society of Certified Public Accountants (Orange County/Long Beach Chapter).
Stephen is the President of Up and Running Again, an innovative non-profit organization that helps people who are homeless, and serves as a trustee at First Evangelical Church, Fullerton CA.
Dan Whims
Dan Whims graduated with a B.ME from Ohio State University in 1975 and studied Graphic Communication at California State University-Northridge.
Dan was President of Webwest Internet Solutions, Inc. from 1995-2013, a Los Angeles based Search Engine Friendly Web Design company that specialized in the development of custom search engine optimized websites and MIVA Merchant E-commerce stores for small to medium size businesses. From 2000-2013 Dan was the President / Founder of LA Servers International, a full featured business and MIVA Merchant Store Web Hosting, and world-class data center.