Leonard Sweet
Author of more than seventy books and 1,500+ published sermons, Leonard Sweet’s recent publications include groundbreaking textbooks on preaching (Giving Blood), evangelism (Nudge), ecclesiology (So Beautiful) and discipleship (I Am A Follower). The second volume in his Christmas trilogy with Lisa Samson is just out (St.As). Len and co-author Lisa Samson are working on volume four (for Dementia and Alzheimer’s patients) of their Songs of Light series. Len often appears on the “50 Most Influential Christians in America” listings, and in 2010 was selected by the top non-English Christian website as one of the “Top 10 Influential World Christians of 2010.” His “Napkin Scribbles” podcasts can be accessed on leonardsweet.com or Spotify. His Twitter and Facebook microblogs are ranked as some of the most influential in the religious arena. His “LenTalk” vlogs are found on his Leonard Sweet YouTube channel. Len works with doctoral students at four institutions: Drew University, where he has occupied the E. Stanley Jones Chair, George Fox University, Northwind Seminary, and Evangelical Seminary (Kairos), where he currently holds the Charles Wesley Senior Professorship of Doctoral Studies. In 2015 he launched his own homiletics resource preachthestory.com. In 2020 he founded his own publishing house the Salish Sea Press. One of the most sought-after speakers in the religious world today, he resides on Orcas Island in the San Juans in the PNW.
Len Wilson
Len's life mission is to use oral, written, and visual communication with equal effectiveness in telling the story of Jesus Christ. He is a “master wordsmith and communicator,” “creative master,” “thought leader,” and according to one Fulbright scholar, “captures the future of language.” Len is Executive Director of Invite Resources and Director of Innovation and Strategy at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas. Len is formerly the Senior Leadership Editor at Abingdon Press, the main imprint of the United Methodist Publishing House. A pioneer in the use of visual media and storytelling in church life, Len first practiced his calling as a 24-year-old Media Minister, leading the creative arts ministry of Ginghamsburg Church, one of the great stories of late 20th century United Methodism in America. Len has served as a creative director, teacher, speaker, consultant, and coach. His ministry has helped thousands of churches to more innovative ways of doing ministry through ministries he has co-founded and led since 1996. Len has been writing since age 13 and published his first work at age 16. Greater Things is his eleventh published title. Other works include Think Like a Five Year Old, Taking Flight with Creativity, and The Wired Church. As a producer and director of dozens of short films, Len has won Silver and Bronze Telly Awards, and interned at CBS Television City in Hollywood, CA. Len’s maintains an active professional blog at lenwilson.us, which is known for its annual list of the fastest growing congregations throughout Methodism.
A summa cum laude graduate of McMurry University, Len earned his Master of Arts degree in the innovative Religious Communication program at United Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree in Semiotics and Future Studies from Portland Seminary. In addition, Len did master’s course study work at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, prior to pursuing a call to ministry. Len has been married since 1991 to the lovely Shar Wilson. They are parents to four creative children.
