Thursday, September 21, 2023
9a-2p
Registration opens at 8:45a
West U Baptist
6218 Auden
Houston, TX, 77005
CityRise is excited to host our network’s third annual Leadership Conference! This year’s theme is
“THE GREATEST”
Our conference theme has surely raised some eyebrows, which is better than ignoring or forgetting it. We aren’t claiming that this will be the best conference ever, but we are focusing on the greatest topics from the Bible.
Our culture is obsessed with the “Greatest of All Time,” that is, the GOAT. We see this all over professional sports. While we debate these trivial contests, we are diverted from the truly great questions and the truly great truths. Our conference’s focus will be on these greatest truths.
We will remember the GREATEST CROWNED, who gave the GREATEST COMMANDMENT and the GREATEST COMMISSION, which must prompt the GREATEST COLLABORATION if the Church is to truly impact our city and world. We will remember that the Lamb became the GOAT! Let us follow Him and the assignments He left us!
The mission of the CityRise Network is to lift our city and world by generously giving the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us for “The Greatest” CityRise Leadership Conference.
Lunch and networking opportunities with 30+ partner organizations and no registration fee!
(But please register below.)
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Roger Patterson CityRise Senior Pastor & Founder of the CityRise Network
Dr. Roger Patterson is the Senior Pastor for CityRise, a network of churches and ministries committed to lifting our city and the world by generously giving the gospel of Jesus Christ. CityRise includes campuses in and around the greater Houston area. He has held the role of Senior Pastor since 2010.
Roger graduated from Houston Baptist University in 1995 with a degree in Speech Communication and Christianity and attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he received his Master of Divinity in 1998 and Doctor of Ministry Degree in 2006. With over fifteen years of experience in the subordinate leadership role in the local church, Roger coauthored Leading from the Second Chair with his friend and colleague Mike Bonem. Roger has extensive experience in training other leaders, whether they are in the first or second chair, to understand the dynamics of what it looks like to lead and to follow.
Roger is also the author of Fight for It and A Minute of Vision for Men, a 365-day devotional guide aimed at bolstering men’s lives by helping them determine God’s vision and purpose for their lives.
Roger and his wife, Julee, have been married for twenty-six years and have three children: Brady, Cooper, and Carson. Roger loves to coach his kids’ sports teams, play golf, hunt, and spend time with his family.
Pastor Gregg Matte Senior Pastor of Houston's First Baptist Church
Gregg Matte is the senior pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church. Under his leadership, this historic church, founded in 1841, has moved to the cutting edge of ministry and experienced tremendous growth.
Before coming to Houston in 2004, Gregg founded Breakaway Ministries at Texas A&M University — the largest college Bible study in the nation. What started with twelve participants in his apartment grew to a weekly gathering of thousands of students each Tuesday night under his leadership.
Gregg holds a Bachelor’s degree in marketing from Texas A&M and a Master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is an author of numerous books, the latest being Capture the Moment. Gregg has received the “Outstanding Alumni Award” from the Mays Business School at Texas A&M; he was the first pastor and youngest person to receive the honor in the history of the award.
Most importantly, Gregg is married to Kelly and together they have a son and a daughter, Greyson (2001) and Valerie (2008).
Bryant Lee Pastor of Higher Expectations Community Church, Atascosita, TX
Bryant is pastor of Higher Expectations Community Church as well as a church consultant for UBA. Bryant has a particular passion for mentoring bi-vocational church planters and pastors reaching urban areas. This passion led to the launch of the Collaborative Fellowship. Bryant also serves with Cru Inner City as the Director of Expansion. He and Dell have been married for thirty-four years and have four adult children and three grandsons.
Mark Edworthy CityRise Missouri City Campus Pastor & CityRise Network Director
Mark has over forty years of ministerial and missionary experience across the United States and abroad. Most significantly, Mark served nearly thirty years as an International Mission Board missionary from January 1991 through March 2020 including holding the position of Academic Dean at the Polish Baptist Seminary, planting churches across Poland, and leading the IMB’s work in Europe from 2008 to 2020. (Not to mention coaching a professional Polish football team for two years!) Mark is also an Adjunct Professor at Houston Baptist University (1994-1995; 2016-present), the founding campus pastor of CityRise Missouri City, and is the CityRise Network Director.
Before serving the Lord through his decades of mission work, Mark earned Bachelor’s degrees in Religion, Communication, and Physical Education at HBU and, later on, a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Fort Worth); additionally, he holds a Doctor of Philosophy from SBTS (Wake Forest).
A speaker and published author (The Wall that Remains) and a contributor to various works, Mark still finds time to enjoy sports, working out, reading multiple books at a time, and spending family time with his wife, children, and nine grandchildren.