Plenary Speakers

Peter will be joining us live via Zoom

Peter Greer is an author, speaker, and president and CEO of HOPE International, a global Christ-centered organization working to alleviate physical and spiritual poverty in more than 20 countries around the world.

Peter graduated from Messiah University and received a master’s in public policy in political and economic development from Harvard’s Kennedy School. Prior to joining HOPE, Peter worked in microfinance in Cambodia, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. As an advocate for the Church’s role in missions and economic development, Peter has co-authored over 15 books, including Lead With Prayer, The Gift of Disillusionment, Mission Drift (a Christianity Today Book Award Winner), Rooting for Rivals (a Leadership Resource of the Year in Outreach magazine), The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good (selected as one of the top 40 books on poverty by WORLD magazine) and Created to Flourish.

Adjunct Professor, Workship

Kara Martin is the author of Workship: How to Use your Work to Worship God, and Workship 2: How to Flourish at Work; as well as co-author of Keeping Faith: How Christian organisations can stay true to the way of Jesus. She is a lecturer with Mary Andrews College and Adjunct Professor with Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Boston. Kara is also a Visiting Fellow with the Mockler Center for Faith and Ethics in the Public Square and on the Board of the Theology of Work Project in the US. She has worked in media and communications, human resources, business analysis and policy development roles, in a variety of organisations, and as a consultant. Kara has presented, taught and run workshops in churches and theological colleges in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the US, New Zealand and throughout Australia. She is the 2024 winner of the Australian Faith & Work Award (presented by Ethos/Evangelical Alliance).

CEO, Canadian Centre for Christian Charities

John Pellowe has served the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities and its 3,200 members since 2003 as CEO. John’s passion is to help Christian churches and agencies become ever more exemplary, healthy, effective, and Christian organizations. Ordained by The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, John has served as pastor, treasurer, deacon, elder, and agency board member. His books include The Church at Work: A Manual for Excellent Church-Agency Relations, Serving as a Board Member: Training for Churches and Christian Agencies, The Board’s Most Important Relationship: Training for Christian Ministry Directors and Staff Leaders, and a peer-reviewed chapter “The Public Benefit of ‘Advancing Religion’ as a Charitable Purpose: A Canadian Perspective” in The Status of Religion and the Public Benefit in Charity Law. John writes about Christian ministry leadership in his blog, Christian Leadership Reflections.

CEO, Compassion Australia.

Following a successful business career, Clare has worked for over a decade in Christian ministry, focusing on strategic leadership that enables churches to better serve their communities. She studied Engineering in Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering at the University of Western Sydney as well as Master of Divinity through Sydney Missionary and Bible College.

As Compassion Australia CEO, she is excited to see churches and Christians around the world empowered to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name

Vice President of Church and Global Engagement, Mission Increase (USA)

Mission Increase coaches and consults faith-based non-profits to help them flourish – all at no charge to the ministry. Scott’s specific role is to help non-profits and churches work better together to disciple God’s people to reach all peoples. Born in San Jose, California, Scott grew up as an MK in the Caribbean and then lived in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong as a student minister and church planter with the International Mission Board (IMB). From 2009 –2017 Scott served as an IMB Trustee and was Trustee Chairman in 2016-2017. For 18 years he served as Missions Pastor at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Scott also serves as Chairman of the Board for Deaf Pathway Global – www.deafpathway.com; Deaf Pathway is bringing God’s Word to millions of Deaf people around the world through innovative Bible translation and technology twinned with church planting strategies. Scott lives in Brentwood with his wife, Beth, and two children, Elizabeth and Jonathan. Beth was born in Taiwan to missionary parents and spent 30 years in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.

CEO and Superintendent, Wesley Mission 

Stu is a purpose-driven entrepreneur, a collaborative leader and is passionate about advocacy and stewardship. He has led Wesley Mission since 2021, having previously served communities in Brisbane and the Gold Coast for 15 years. He brings a unique perspective to tackling some of the most significant challenges facing Australian society today, drawing on pastoral experience as a Christian Minister and his background as an Accountant.

Wesley Mission is a leading not-for-profit employing more than 2,300 people and is supported by more than 4,500 volunteers, with annual revenue of approximately $250m. Its truly diverse range of services includes housing and accommodation, gambling and financial counselling, child and parenting support, education and training, suicide prevention, professional mental health services, supporting people with disability to foster care, retirement living, home care, aged care and beyond.