Gary Vaughan serves as the Executive Pastor of Adult Discipleship at Harvest Church in Carmel, IN, where he and his family have served for the past 9 years.  From 1996-2015, Gary served full-time in Southeastern Virginia at Nansemond River Baptist Church, for 12 years in Student Ministry and 7 years as the Pastor of Groups, Discipleship, and Family Ministry.  He is passionate about shepherding leaders and equipping people to walk together in Christ-likeness, living on mission as ambassadors for Christ.

Gary & his wife Stacey have been married for 27 years, and have two sons, Ty (23) and Tripp (18), both attending Purdue University.  In the Vaughan house, there are two seasons: hunting season and baseball season.  Gary loves to hunt bucks & ducks, and also is a varsity baseball coach at Heritage Christian in Indy.  He is a passionate Baltimore Orioles, Virginia Cavaliers, Dallas Cowboys, & Indianapolis Colts family.  He loves spending time with his wife, Stacey, and sharing these passions with his family!

Steve is the Founder and CEO of the Small Group Network. An international, non-denominational network, started in 2007, to help churches Eradicate Loneliness, engage the Bible, and impact the world. Steve also serves as an Elder of Saddleback Church.  

He stepped away in August 2025 from local church ministry, where he had been Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church from February 1998 to August 2025, where he oversaw the strategic launch and spiritual development of over 7,000 adult small groups on multiple campuses. He has authored Small Groups With Purpose, which has been translated into fourteen languages to date, Leading Small Groups With Purpose, and Planning Small Groups With Purpose. 

He has a driving passion to see each church attendee connected to a qualified shepherd and become an integral part of their church body, living purposefully for Christ. He frequently speaks at conferences and consults with church leaders from many denominations, both in the United States and around the world.

Prior to stepping into his full-time role with the SGN, Steve had been on five other church staffs of varying sizes. He earned a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1985 and a B.A. in Biblical Studies, with minors in Greek and Philosophy, in 1982 from Evangel University. Steve and Lisa have been married since 1989 and have two children, Erika and Ethan.

Saddleback Community Group Leaders Handbook
Small Group Guardrails image

Scott Sullivan is the Discipleship Catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, where he serves hundreds of churches all across the state. Scott and his team take churches through thorough assessments and, focusing on relational disciple-making practices, partner with pastors and leaders to create customized strategies within the context of their churches and communities.

You can connect with Scott over at:
https://gabaptist.org/ministries/discipleship/

Joseph surrendered to full-time vocational ministry in 2010. He currently serves as the Adult Pastor at New Vision in Murfreesboro, TN. In 2022, Joseph began serving as the Director of Institutional Effectiveness at Williamson College in Franklin, TN. Joseph is involved in various networks, including Disciple Leaders Network, where he has served as the Chair of the Board and is now the Co-Executive Director. His passion for growing marriages and strengthening the local church has provided him with opportunities to speak, consult, and write.
Find out more about Disciple Leaders Network at www.discipleleaders.com

Allan Taylor is the Executive Pastor of Ministries at First Baptist Concord in Knoxville, Tennessee. Previously, he served as Director of Sunday School & Church Education Ministries at LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, TN. Allan conducts many Sunday School and Leadership conferences both nationally and internationally and mentors, instructs, and encourages Christian Educators and Sunday School leaders. He has written two Sunday School books: The Six Core Values of Sunday School and Sunday School in HD.

Rick spent thirteen years as an author, trainer, coach, and consultant at LifeWay Church Resources, three years with NavPress, and five years aiding churches for the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Prior to these experiences, he served as a Campus Minister on two campuses, a Teaching and Groups Pastor at a thriving church, and planted The Bridge Church in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Most recently, Rick served as the Central Groups Pastor at Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, Texas, a church with a weekly attendance of over 25,000, where he set the pace for the Groups Ministry.

Rick has authored or co-authored multiple books, studies, and leader training resources including The Perpetually Growing Church: Best Practices of America’s Most Influential Churches, Disciples Path: A Practical Guide to Disciple Making, Deacon Ministry Handbook: A Practical Guide to Servant Leadership, A Different Kind of Tribe: Embracing the New Small Group Dynamic, Destination Community: Small Group Ministry Manual, The Gospel and the Truth: Living the Message of Jesus, Small Group Life Ministry Manual: A New Approach to Small Groups, Redeeming the Tears: a Journey Through Grief and Loss, Small Group Life: Kingdom, Small Group Kickoff Retreat: Experiential Training for Small Group Leaders, Great Beginnings: Your First Small Group Study, and Countdown: Launching and Leading Transformational Groups. 

Rick’s varied ministry experiences as a pastor, teaching pastor, church planter, small group pastor, collegiate minister, elder, full-time trainer, and church consultant and having been a successful church planter gives him a perspective of church life that is all-encompassing and multi-dimensional. Rick is a highly sought-after communicator and trainer.

Check out A Different Kind of Tribe:
https://www.buildgroups.net/tribes

Craig Walker is the founder of Craig Walker Coaching, where he helps men struggling with self-doubt discover that God created them as masterpieces. After years of battling self-doubt and shame-based living, Craig discovered freedom by embracing the identity God gave him in Christ and living according to who God says he is, rather than who his doubts told him he was. Craig spent the majority of his ministry as a pastor and church planter. He now resides in East Texas with his wife, Debbie, and has six children and a whole lot of grandchildren.

For more information on Craig’s coaching, visit: craigwalkercoaching.com 

In this episode, the tables are turned as cohost Matt Moore sits down to interview Adam Erlichman and Sterling Archer to answer the question, "What is a healthy group?" and to ask them about their brand new small group curriculum, Healthy Groups, coming out January 13 on Amazon and the Build Groups website. Matt, Adam, and Sterling start the conversation by talking about what an unhealthy group looks like and move into the signs of a healthy small group. 

For more information about Healthy Groups or to order your copies, go to: 
buildgroups.net/healthy-groups

Bob Pittenger has been in ministry since 1992 as a volunteer missionary to Brazil, youth minister, and senior pastor. He has also used his spiritual gifts to preach and teach at conferences, camps, and retreats. Bob graduated from Florida Baptist Theological College in 1997 and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2018. In January 2015 Bob led Living Oaks Baptist Church to merge with Battle Creek Church. He is now the Adult Engagement Director where he oversees the groups ministry.

For more information, Bob can be reached by email at [email protected]

Bill and Kristi Gaultiere are Doctors of Psychology and the founders of Soul Shepherding, a ministry to help pastors, leaders, and churches to thrive with Jesus in emotional and relational health. They lead a Network of Spiritual Directors who offer empathy, guidance, and prayer to help people progress in their discipleship to Jesus. They are also the best-selling authors of a new book, "Journey of the Soul: A Practical Guide to Emotional and Spiritual Growth".

Follow the links below for more information.

https://www.soulshepherding.org

https://www.facebook.com/soulshepherding
https://www.instagram.com/soulshepherding/
https://www.pinterest.com/soulshepherding/_shop/

Dave Bruskas is the Director of Re:generation ministries at Watermark Community Church in Dallas, TX. Previously, Dave served as campus, campus network, executive, discipleship, and church planting pastor roles at the Village Church, Mars Hill Church, and City on a Hill Church. He served as a Regional Executive Director with Acts 29 Church Planting Network.

In this episode, Dave discusses the importance of groups and recovery-based ministry. Re:generation ministry at Watermark Community Church is helping people find freedom from addictions, past hurts, or destructive patterns. People are experiencing the abundant life God desires for them. Re:generation is a curriculum offered and used by many churches nationwide. Dave regularly guest speaks on the "The Older Pastor/Younger Pastor Podcast" with Ryan Williams, listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-older-pastor-younger-pastor-podcast/id1500142095

To learn more about using Re:generation ministry curriculum in your local church's ministries, go here: https://www.watermarkresources.com/ministries/regen