| Panelist Bios
Jeff Minor - Pastor Jeff Minor is Senior Pastor of Jesus Metropolitan Community Church, Indianapolis - the largest predominately gay Christian congregation in Middle America. Jeff is also co-author of a book on homosexuality and the Bible that is rapidly becoming a best seller in its field; The Children Are Free - Reexamining the Biblical Evidence on Same-sex Relationships. Jeff is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School (J.D., 1983) and Bob Jones University (B.A., 1980). He prepared for the clergy in our denomination's Samaritan Clergy Training Program. Jeff is 48 years old and lives with his spouse of fifteen years, David Zier, who is a biomedical engineer. Jeff was born and raised in Indianapolis.
Dr. Kent Millard - Dr. Millard is senior pastor of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, which is a 5200 member congregation with 3400 in worship on Sundays in 11 different worship services. Dr. Millard is a graduate of Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota, Boston University School of Theology and Graduate School in Boston, and received his Doctor of Ministry degree from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. Dr. Millard is the author of "A Passion Driven Congregation" with the previous Senior Pastor of St. Luke's, Dr. Carver McGriff, which focuses on continuing church growth during uncertain times and times of pastor transition. He also authored the Life Search Series book entitled, "Spiritual Gifts", in 1994 and the book "Get Acquainted with Your Christian Faith", 1996, both published by the United Methodist Publishing House. He is the author of an article in the March, 2002, Net Results entitled "Challenging the Assumptions about Church Leadership." Dr. Millard has been a delegate to two General Conference and five Jurisdictional Conferences of the United Methodist Church. He currently is c0-chairperson of Celebration of Hope and the Large Church Initiative of the United Methodist Church.
Micah Clark - In 1989 Micah Clark graduated from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri with a bachelor's degree in Political Science, and has been involved in many different aspects of politics. Micah Clark has been a frequent writer for several publications and his editorials are often seen in newspapers across the state. In 1996, he authored the groundbreaking report, Shattered Dreams, A Report on Indiana's Divorce Culture and the Restoration of Marriage. On November 1, 2001, Micah became the Executive Director of the American Family Association of Indiana. Micah is the only person to ever have worked for all three of Indiana's statewide pro-family organizations.
Hosea Baxter - Mr. Baxter is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, who graduated from Arlington High School in 1977 after three years of study; later, he was honorably discharged from the United States Air Force. Mr. Baxter served as a Special Deputy United States Marshal for 18 years (ten of those years was spent as an assistant supervisor) while he worked his way through college at Martin University, where he graduated with honors. Thereafter, he attended Christian Theological Seminary for approximately three years before returning to Martin University (Magna cum laude) with a master's degree in urban ministry. Mr. Baxter is a member of Eagle Church Christian Missionary Alliance where he served as an elder for three years as well as assisting in the development of a three year discipleship program. Mr. Baxter has conducted seminars for churches in Indianapolis, where in he has instructed in the areas of building strong marriages, Christian Education, and Apologetics. Mr. Baxter is currently the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Crossroads Bible College. He is the father of four children and has been married for twenty four years.
Dr. Mark Hearn - Dr. Mark Hearn was ordained in 1980. He later received a Bachelor of Arts from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, TN in 1981, Master of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY 1985, and Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary in Atlanta, GA in 1992. Dr. Hearn's ministry has carried him to several churches across the United States as the Associate Pastor or Pastor. From 1997-2002, he served as Senior Pastor of Calvary Baptist Temple in Savannah, GA. Presently, Dr. Hearn is the Senior Pastor of the largest Southern Baptist Congregation in Indianapolis, Northside Baptist Church. Dr. Hearn and his wife Glenda have four daughters.
Brad Grammer - For the past 13 years, Brad Grammer has sought to bridge the gap between the Church and the gay community. As director of Face-to-Face Ministries in Chicago, Brad reached out to men involved in prostitution on the streets and in the gay bars for six years. Through support groups and discipleship, Brad also counseled many Christian men and women bound by sexual sin. Presently, Brad is executive director of Hope & New Life Ministries, an equipping and training ministry for churches seeking to offer a redemptive response to issues of broken sexuality. Through numerous speaking engagements, Brad has educated the public on root issues of sexual brokenness and the path to freedom. In addition, he shares his story of freedom from homosexual attractions. Brad resides with his wife and two sons in Indianapolis.
Robert Ferguson - Native of Indianapolis, I graduated from North Central High School and attended Indiana State University, majoring in Psychology. I am also a veteran of the United States Navy, where I served overseas as an information specialist and data processor. I received a license to preach in 2000 from the Missionary Baptist Church. It was during this time that I started to question some of the man made tenets surrounding religion and realized that in order to have a right relationship with God, I had to live an honest life. I joined Jesus Metropolitan Community Church in 2002, where I currently serve as a Deacon, ministry leader and volunteer minister. I am the President and founder of Indiana Black Pride, which is Indiana's largest African American gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender organization. Our organization exists to promote unity and strength through the black same gender loving community. I also serve on the board of directors for Operation Rebirth, a national organization aimed at fostering dialogue between the black church and the African American GLBT community, as well as ending homophobia in the black church. |
