Speaker:

Our 2008 speaker comes to us from Dallas Christian College (DCC). Dusty Rubeck is the President of DCC and is leading them in their process of educating and mentoring students to be people of influence, under god’s influence, for a life of influence. As he focuses on this task in his day to day leadership of the college he will be a powerful speaker on our 2008 theme: "When Influence Increases."

Dusty Rubeck joined the team of Dallas Christian College (DCC) as its president in 2004. Dallas Christian College was founded in 1950 as a private college dedicated to “Educating and Mentoring Students to be People of Influence, Under God’s Influence, for a Life of Influence. At DCC, the team is focused on experiential leadership training and a significant urban ministry program. The College has launched a dynamic online presence to extend its influence worldwide.

Prior to joining DCC, Dusty served as President & CEO of The Christian Network in Clearwater, Florida. This international media organization operated The Worship Television Network and Praise TV, reaching 75% of US TV households (over 80 million viewers) through distribution on over 200 television stations including PaxTV, and more than 50 foreign countries.

During this same period, he served as Executive Director of the North American Christian Convention. While there, he assisted in refining their mission and vision, while positioning the Convention for new leadership in the 21st century.

He has held executive positions with several other ministries including Kentucky Christian College, Christian Missionary Fellowship, and Christ In Youth. He holds a BA from Dallas Christian College and an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Dusty is married to Kathy and they have two kids, Whitney (17) and TJ (14).

In addition to working with DCC, Dusty regularly provides consulting services to other ministries and has served on the Boards of the Provision Ministry Group, Church Development Fund and Stadia in Irvine, CA, and Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, KY, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce, Farmers Branch, Texas.

Worship Leader:

Ryan Nelson is the worship minister at First Christian Church in Albuquerque, NM. He grew up in Wisconsin where he heard his calling to ministry under the influence of his grandfather who was his preacher. He’s a graduate of Ozark Christian College (Joplin, MO) and is about to finish his Master of Arts in Worship Studies from Lincoln Christian Seminary (Lincoln, IL). Ryan began serving in worship ministry in 1994 in the local church and also spent several years in an independent consulting organization helping to develop worship ministries in small churches. His desire is to help the community worship experience to be more than just a gathering, but rather a spiritually forming event.