CONNECT22 Speakers

Nicola McDermott“When I was 8 years old, I had a dream to one day be an international High Jumper consistently jumping over 2 metres. I did not know the journey I would take to get there, but unknowingly I would one day be positioned to have everything I needed

ALAN HIRSCH is widely considered to be a global thought-leader on missional movements and leadership. He has worked with churches and organizations across the world, but mainly in North America, Europe, and Australia. Alan is the founder of the Movement Leaders Collective, Forge Mission Training Ne…

Deb Hirsch is a speaker, church leader, and writer. She has led churches in both Australia and Los Angeles. She is one of the founders of Forge Mission Training Network and a current member of the Forge America national team. She also serves as a board member for Missio Alliance.

Chris Sebastian(Source: https://theharbouragency.com/artist/chris-sebastian/) Chris Sebastian will headline at CONNECT22! As winner on The Voice Season 9 in 2020, mentored by Kelly Rowland, Chris Sebastian captured the attention and the hearts of Australians nationwide, both for his incredible talen…

Dave Adamson Dave Adamson, otherwise known as Aussie Dave will again be our co-host for CONNECT22. In 2008 Dave became one of the first online pastors in the world. He has grown and led online communities of more than 80,000 people each week at two of Outreach Magazine’s

Aunty Yvonne PartridgeAunty Yvonne Partridge is a Yidinji Woman from Yarrabah in the FNQ region of Cairns. She is married with two amazing adult children. She is a Local Indigenous Artist who weaves cultural tradition and biblical perspective into modern contemporary paint artwork for personal and…

Mike Cosper is the founder of Harbor Media in Louisville, Kentucky and serves as the Director of Podcasting for Christianity Today. He is the host of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, and of Cultivated: A Podcast about Faith and Work. He is the author of Faith Among the

Jo Bouris Jo Bouris will be joining us again as co-host for CONNECT22. For Jo Bouris it all started with a live date on the Footy Show! This opportunity cemented Jo’s passion to be in the television industry. With this in mind Jo spent the next four years in

Brenda Uwubuntu Brenda Uwubuntu is a Christian Development and fundraising consultant with Christianityworks, a non-denominational media ministry. She passionately helps and encourages Christian media ministries across sub-Saharan Africa, to develop their own local supporter base, aimed at sustainab…

Phil Cooke Bio - from his website Phil Cooke works at the intersection of faith, media, and culture, and he’s pretty rare – a working producer in Hollywood with a Ph.D. in Theology. His client list has included studios and networks like Walt Disney, Dreamworks, and USA Network, as

Dr Ruth Powell is Director of NCLS Research, a research centre that focuses on church vitality and community spirituality and wellbeing. Ruth commenced working with NCLS Research in 1991 and became Director in 2007. She also holds a position as Associate Professor and Research Fellow, Public and Con…

Karl Faase is a well known Australian Christian communicator. He is the CEO of Christian media company Olive Tree Media, through which he hosted and created the documentaries Faith Runs Deep and Jesus the Game Changer. Karl is widely known as the presenter of Daily Nudge spots – which are heard

Brian HarrisDirector - AvenirWith extensive experience leading organisations and boards in both the education and NFP sectors, Brian brings a wealth of expertise and passion to his work. He is an internationally recognised author in the areas of theology and leadership, a cultural thought-leader, a …

Jennifer ArgueExecutive Consultant - AvenirJennifer has been an executive leader in the education sector since 1998. She is passionate about creating cultures where people can flourish and find a community of connection and belonging. In the knowledge that organisational culture is powerfully influe…

Mandy Smith Mandy Smith is pastor of St Lucia Uniting Church, Brisbane, and the author of The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry and Unfettered: Imagining a Childlike Faith Beyond the Baggage of Western Culture and Making a Mess and Meeting God: Unruly Ideas and Everyday E…

For the past 40 years Mike and Helen had the incredible joy of serving the Lord by serving His Church in closed and restricted nations. Mike had the privilege to travel extensively into Africa, the Arab World, Asia, the Sub Continent, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East. The privilege

Anthony Cora Tribe: Minjungbal/Bundjalung (Tweed Heads, NSW) Dunghutti (Kempsey/Bellbrook, NSW) Anthony is 27 years old and was born and raised in Tweed Heads. He comes from a large family of 13 children. He has 2 children himself. He recently began painting around mid-year 2020. His extended family…

Penny MulveyPenny Mulvey has spent most of her career working in Media and International Development. Her current role as Chief Wellbeing and Communications Officer at Bible Society Australia (BSA) has a bit of both of those along with her passion to see people flourishing. Penny is also the Chair o…