Rick is Professor of Evangelism and Leadership at Wheaton College and also directs the Church Evangelism and Research Institutes for the Billy Graham Center. Rick founded the Church Evangelism Institute and has worked with hundreds of senior pastors and their leaders in revitalizing churches through conversion growth. He has also co-founded with three influential Black pastors the African American Church Evangelism Institute. He worked in campus ministry for 25 years, and regularly speaks and ministers as an evangelist on campuses in many different parts of the country. He was the National Coordinator of Evangelism with InterVarsity in the late 1990s. In addition, Rick is an ordained Anglican priest, and served for several years as a Pastor of Evangelism and Small Groups. He also helped launch the Willow Creek Wheaton site, Willow Creek’s first multi-site campus. Presently he is part of an Anglican church plant in the West Loop Neighborhood of urban Chicago. He consults widely with churches on Evangelism, Church Revitalization, Healing, Reconciliation, the emerging generation and contemporary missional churches and missional movements. Rick earned his M.Div. from Northern Baptist Seminary, studying with Ray Bakke, and focusing his studies in evangelism and urban ministry. He received his PHD in Intercultural Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 2007. Rick also serves as an affiliate professor for TEDS working with the PHD program.

Rick has published numerous articles and six books. Evangelism Outside the Box and Reimagining Evangelism have been well received, and widely used among churches and in seminary classes on evangelism. Rick has also published four Bible discussion guides for seekers and skeptics, a book on healing prayer and a book co-written with Brenda Salter McNeil entitled The Heart of Racial Justice: How Soul Change Leads to Social Change. His latest book, You Found Me: New Research on How Unchurched Millennials, Nones, and Irreligious are Surprisingly Open to Christian Faith, presents the current new research on the unchurched and the churches reaching them.

Rick seeks to bring together his passions for evangelism, prayer, and racial reconciliation in order to cast vision and equip an emerging generation and the churches who want to disciple them in ministry for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Rick and his wife Mary Kay have three boys. Rick enjoys fly fishing, tennis, hiking in the Colorado mountains, and reading fantasy literature. Rick is also secretly working on a science fiction/fantasy novel in his spare time.

SESSIONS

PRE-CONFERENCE: Faith Sharing with Skeptics and Nones — Hosted by Great Commission Research Network
North America is becoming one of the fastest growing mission fields due in part to the rise of those who are skeptical, indifferent, or simply do not want to be affiliated with a church. Learn how to reach this group from practitioners and the latest research from the Great Commission Research Network. We will address the idea of better equipping leaders to reach Generation Z and others who are far from God. More details for this pre-con here.
Day / Time: Monday 1:00pm — 5:00pm and Tuesday 8:00am — 11:30am
Location: Kids 2 - Room 106K

Workshop Session 2: Lost Cause: Reviving Evangelism — The Values of the Lost Cause
We believe that both Heaven and Hell are real, and we want to share eternity in Heaven with our lost friends and neighbors. We value eternity because God is eternal. we willingly give whatever it takes to reach our lost friends and neighbors. We do this not out of obligation or because we “have to” but we do this willingly, because we “want to” knowing this is how we can make the greatest difference with our lives.
Time: Wednesday, 8:45am — 9:45am
Location: Worship Center - Main Auditorium
Speakers: Keri Ladouceur, Rick Richardson, Grant Skeldon

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