MAIN SPEAKER
Dr. D.J. Horton has been the Senior Pastor of Church at The Mill since 2004. Under his leadership, Church at the Mill has grown to be a thriving multi-campus church in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He holds a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctorate in Preaching from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Pastor D.J. served as the President of the 2025 Pastors’ Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention. In addition to his pastoral role, D.J. shares sermons, podcasts, and free biblical resources through Living Worthy Ministries at djhorton.com. Through this platform, he also mentors and equips pastors across the country. He and his wife, Laurel, are the proud parents of seven children.
CONFERENCE HOST PASTOR
Byron has been the lead pastor of Redemption Church since 2004. He received his M.Div. in Expository Preaching and his Ph.D. in Preaching from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Byron’s passion is to faithfully teach God’s Word so people will see the greatness of God and the amazing truths found in His scripture. You will often hear Pastor Byron say, “Do you see it?!!” He desires to preach and lead in such a way that the people of Redemption Church will Delight in God, Declare Jesus, and Disciple all People. Byron and his wife Liz have been married for 25 years and have four children.
(BA, Samford University; M.Div., Th.M, Ph.D., New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary).
BREAKOUT SESSION SPEAKERS
Dr. Asah Hudgins has pastored Crossroads Church in Hammond LA going on 20 years this March. He and his wife, Tara, are grateful parents to two wonderful young adult children, Jordan and Jaxon, and are officially empty nesters! As a preacher, Asah is committed to gospel-centered, expository preaching, teaching the whole counsel of God book by book and verse by verse. His lifelong aim is to preach through the entire Bible with clarity, depth, and faithfulness to the text. An avid reader and devoted student of Scripture, Asah delights in exploring the riches of God’s Word and equipping future leaders with the truth he continues to learn
(BA, Valdosta State University; MDiv, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; DMin, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
John is a follower of Jesus, passionate about His Word and making disciples. He is committed to biblical exposition and helping believers grow in gospel-centered maturity. After 20 years of serving our country in the U.S. Coast Guard on search-and-rescue missions, God has called him to a new search-and-rescue mission for His Kingdom. John is blessed to be the husband of his best friend, Blair, and the father of their four children: Hays, Declan, Elliot, and Ty.
Josh, his wife Kristen, and their daughters moved from Kentucky to New Orleans in 2016 to help plant Immanuel Community Church where he currently serves as a lay pastor. They are passionate about seeing disciples made, and believers matured in their faith through healthy local churches. In 2020, Josh joined the staff of Reaching & Teaching International Ministries (RTIM) in the mobilization department where he serves churches in helping them to send missionaries all over the world to see the gospel go forth, churches planted and strengthened, and Jesus Christ glorified.
Don serves as mission strategist for the Northshore Baptist Association in Covington, Louisiana, where he partners with pastors and congregations across the region. He and his wife Gail have three daughters, three sons, and three grandsons. With over 45 years of ministry experience, Don has devoted himself to understanding what happens when God transforms a human heart.
Jay Victory serves as the Executive Pastor at Northshore Church in Slidell, Louisiana. Passionate about healthy leadership and sustainable ministry, Jay is dedicated to equipping leaders to guard their own spiritual well-being while effectively pouring into and caring for their teams.Jay has spent the past 30+ years serving the local church, helping lead staff, develop teams, and guide operations so ministry can thrive. His heart is to see people grow in Christ and the local church flourish as a place of hope, transformation, and community.