Welcome to GO 2023

The GO 2023 Conference is Friday, April 28th – Saturday, April 29th at Burke Community Church in Burke, Virginia. The conference starts Friday evening and is followed by a full day of speakers, seminars, and worship sessions on Saturday.

The world today is a vexing place, a place plagued by pandemics, wars, political extremism, inflation and poverty. It’s a place where people have lost track of their true identity, and any sense of harmony is sinking in a sea of dissonance. In the midst of all of this, the dark forces of the world seek to marginalize the movements of God and to push the church aside as irrelevant and immaterial. But it is not time for the church to step aside. It’s time for the church to step up. GO 2023 is about seizing the opportunity before us; the chance for the church to shine the one true Light in dark times.  

The GO Conference is a unique event, sponsored by Burke Community Church and Dallas Theological Seminary, through which we explore how to share the transformative power of the gospel message. At GO 2023, we will delve into the varied experiences of both believers and unbelievers in our world today, ranging from those facing extreme persecution for their faith to those who have no faith at all. In doing so, we will learn how to share the one true hope available to all: a revolutionary hope that’s grounded in the grace, love, and sovereignty of God.

Dr. Mark Yarbrough

Dr. Yarbrough began his tenure as the 6th president of Dallas Theological Seminary on July 1, 2020. He has served in a variety of positions during his tenure at DTS: Research Assistant to the President, Executive Director of Information Technology, Associate Dean for External Education, Vice President for Communications, Academic Dean, and Vice President of Academic Affairs. His love for the classroom draws him to the Bible Exposition department where he serves as Professor. Along with his responsibilities of leading DTS, he serves as an elder of Centerpoint Church in Mesquite and travels extensively leading tours and speaking at conference centers. Mark has recently authored Jonah: Beyond the Tale of a Whale and Tidings of Comfort and Joy. He has been married for thirty years to Jennifer, his high school sweetheart. They have four adult children, one son-in-law, and reside in Sunnyvale, Texas.

Ellen Vaughn

Ellen Vaughn is a New York Times bestselling author and speaker who has written or co-written 23 books. Former vice president of executive communications at Prison Fellowship, she collaborated with the late Chuck Colson on a number of his seminal works. She speaks at conferences, often travels to interview Christ-followers in hostile parts of the world, and serves on the board of directors for ICM, the global church developer. With degrees from Georgetown University and the University of Richmond, Ellen lives in northern Virginia. She enjoys reading, hiking, drinking coffee, and staring pensively at the ocean. Her latest book, Becoming Elizabeth Elliot, is available now at all major book retailers.

Randy Newman

Randy Newman, Author, is the Senior Fellow for Apologetics and Evangelism at the C.S. Lewis Institute. He has taught at several evangelical seminaries. After serving for over 30 years with Campus Crusade for Christ, he established Connection Points, a ministry to help Christians engage people’s hearts the way Jesus did. He has written six books, Questioning Evangelism, Corner Conversations, Bringing the Gospel Home, Engaging with Jewish People, Unlikely Converts: Improbable Stories of Faith and What They Teach Us About Evangelism and his most recent, Mere Evangelism. Randy has also written numerous articles about evangelism and other ways our lives intertwine with God’s creation. He earned his MDiv and PhD in Intercultural Studies from Trinity International University.

Rev. Rick Whitcomb

Rick Whitcomb first heard the call of God to go to Africa while he was in Bible College at Christ For the Nations Institute in 1975. He willingly answered the call and in 1983, together with his new wife Donna, moved to Nigeria to begin sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with those who had never heard. For 40 years, the Whitcomb’s passion has been to evangelize the lost, empower the church, and embrace the poor. To this end, Rick founded the Agape Gospel Mission in Ghana whose ministries have grown to include a church, Bible college, children’s home, and international academy.  Through these ministries hundreds of pastors have been trained and many orphaned, abandoned, trafficked and abused children have had their residential and academic needs met. 

Friday, April 28, 2023

5:30pm – Doors Open 

6:00-7:40pm – Opening Session with Rick Whitcomb
7:40-8:30pm – Pannel discussion with 21 Martyrs short film production team

Saturday, April 29, 2023

8:30am – Doors Open

9:00-10:20am – Dr. Mark Yarborough

10:20-10:30am – Break

10:30-11:20am – Ellen Vaughn

11:30-12:30pm – Panel: Current Issues in Evangelism: Yarborough, Vaughn, Newman

12:30-1:30pm – Lunch (provided)

1:30-2:30pm – Breakout Session #1

2:30-2:40pm – Break

2:40-3:40pm – Breakout Session #2

3:40-3:50pm – Break

3:50-5:10pm – Randy Newman

All breakout sessions are available session 1 & 2

Mere Evangelism:  In this session, author Randy Newman will draw from his book Mere Evangelism as he leads an exploration of what we can learn from C.S. Lewis about how to go about sharing the gospel. Leader: Randy Newman

Armor Up for Sharing Boldly: Spiritual Warfare is part of our daily existence as believers.  However, seeking to share your faith with nonbelievers is an offensive act towards our enemy and a direct affront to his purposes and therefore, we should not be surprised when we get a response from him.  Come get prepared for the greatest adventure of your life. Leader: Dr. Rodney Orr, DTS

Rethinking Communication: Clarifying Your Message In A Digitally Saturated World:  Greg Triplett, Communications Pastor for Burke Community Church, will lead a discussion on how to effectively communicate the gospel in an on-line world. Leader: Greg Triplett

Resilience and Self-Care in the Midst of Trauma and Stress in Ministry:  Individuals serving in ministry often face intense stress, hardship, and trauma.  This produces a demanding environment that impacts the individual serving in ministry as well as the whole family.  Join us to explore strategies for how to process, persist, and prosper through the challenges of being in ministry. Leader: Pastor Bob Thornton and Bethany Hardy

Art and Evangelism – We would all describe the gospel as a thing of beauty.  But how might we paint it, compose it, or act it out as such? In this session, we will explore creativity and its roles in sharing the gospel and making Jesus known. Leaders: Pastor Matt Sims, Ellie DuHadway, Josh Toth

Equipping Your Mind Through Seminary Training – Do you feel God calling you into ministry? If so, you may be wondering what the next step might be. In this session, a team from Dallas Theological Seminary will share important information and insights for those considering seminary and ministry.

Accelerating and Improving Bible Translation – Missionaries with SIL International and Wycliffe Bible Translators will highlight the importance of reaching the world’s most marginalized peoples with the Good News.  We will highlight the tremendous progress we have made in accelerating and improving bible translation by relying more heavily on locals, cooperating with churches and other ministries, and by developing innovative computer tools, including artificial intelligence. 

Conference Location:

Burke Community Church

9900 Old Keene Mill Road

Burke, Virginia 22015

burkecommunity.com

Local Lodging

Residence Inn by Marriott Springfield Old Keene Mill (6.4 mi)

Homewood Suites by Hilton Springfield, VA (6.5 mi)

Embassy Suites by Hilton Springfield (7.6 mi)

Local Food

Glory Days (American – 1.0 mi)

El Pueblo (Mexican – 1.0 mi)

Chi Mc (Korean Fried Chicken – 2.3 mi)

Chick-Fil-A (3.1 mi)

Five Guys (3.1 mi)

Cava (Mediterranean – 3.1 mi)

Curry House (Indian – 3.1 mi)

Chipotle (3.1 mi)

Pupatella (Pizza – 3.2) 

Located in Burke, Virginia, 30 minutes outside of Washington D.C., Burke Community Church is a large non-denominational church with a family feel.  With a heart for people and a heart to understand, “What is True?”, Burke Community Church founded the Digging Deeper Conference and Podcast in 2022. Join us in-person or online at burkecommunity.com.

Dallas Theological Seminary is a non-denominational evangelical seminary in Dallas, Texas, with satellite campuses and regional locations throughout the United States and the world, including its Washington D.C. campus located at Burke Community Church. Founded in 1924, our mission is to glorify God by equipping godly servant-leaders for the proclamation of His Word and the building up of the body of Christ worldwide. Learn more about DTS programs and all of the degrees offered at dts.edu.