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 25 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. Ellen’s book Jesus Revolution, coauthored with Greg Laurie, was released by Lionsgate as a major motion picture in February ’23. Her newest book, Being Elisabeth Elliot, will be published by Lifeway in September 2023. Ellen lives in the Washington, D.C. area, and enjoys hiking, coffee, and staring pensively at the ocean.

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. 

Mark Rodgers

Mark Rodgers is the founder of The Clapham Group, a social-impact agency which works at the intersection of right/left and secular/faith and whose namesake comes from a community of 18th century abolitionists.  After working on Capitol Hill for 16 years as a senior staffer, he has consulted on issues such as global health, child welfare, the racial wealth gap, and animal cruelty for various organizations including the ONE Campaign, the Humane Society and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Mark is also a champion of artist-cause relationships, working with artists including Kirk Franklin and Bono. He founded More Productions for creative content production, where he has been a producer, writer and contributor on feature films, documentaries, stage productions and graphic novels. 

Rev. Ron Stanley

Rev. Stanley serves as pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church (Washington, DC). He is also professor at Washington Baptist Seminary and adjunct professor of Bible and theology at Lancaster Bible College. He has earned a masters of theology concentrating in systematic theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Science in biblical education focusing on curriculum development and design from Columbia International University.

Trishia Shank

Trisha Shank serves as the Executive Assistant on staff at Passion City Church in Washington D.C. Formerly, she served as an Associate at The Clapham Group, specializing in qualitative research and strategic support for visionaries who aim toward reconciliation, justice, and culture-shaping for well-being. Her portfolio includes social and spiritual analysis of Gen Z; landscape creation and analysis; and foundation relations and strategy.

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: Dr. Yarborough, Vaughn, Rev. Ron Stanley

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

Dr. Orr spent his formative years in Ethiopia and Germany. He served with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) for 34 years, 17 of which were overseas. Dr. Orr taught at the Nairobi International School of Theology in Kenya and, serving as executive director, helped build Africa Leadership and Management Academy (ALMA), a graduate school in Zimbabwe.

Rethinking Communication: Clarifying Your Message In A Digitally Saturated World:  How do we effectively communicate the good news of Jesus with all of the noise going on in our world today? Join us for a thought provoking discussion with some practical tools to help you more effectively communicate the greatest message ever. Leader: Greg Triplett

Greg is the Communications Pastor for Burke Community Church. He has a visionary mind and a passion for communicating Christ within our culture. He received his MDiv from Western Seminary in 2015.

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

Bob is the Care and Community Pastor at Burke Community Church.  He holds a Master’s from DTS in Christian Leadership and Professional Counseling.

Bethany is a licensed professional counselor and board-certified supervisor in Virginia and in New Hampshire. She utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy. 

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

Matt gained his Masters in Theology from DTS and has 25 years ministry experience.  Born in Bristol England he moved to the US 16 years ago.  Has a background in music and theatre performance, and 20+ film and TV show credits.

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.

Kevin Gottlieb is the Admissions Counselor at DTS DC Campus. Originally from Northern Virginia he went to Northern Virginia Community College, George Mason University, and began seminary at the DTS-DC campus came back after spending several years finishing his ThM in Dallas.

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.