keynote speakers
John Roberto is the founder of Lifelong Faith Associates and is currently serving as executive director of the National Community of Catechetical Leaders, the Catholic organization serving parish and diocesan religious education leaders. He has spent a lifetime working in faith formation—teaching, writing, researching, consulting, and developing programs. Among his latest publications are Guided by the Directory for Catechesis: Transforming the Vision and Practice of Parish Catechesis (2024) and Lifelong Faith: Formation with All Ages and Generations (Church Publishing, 2022). Through Lifelong Faith he published Families at the Center of Faith Formation, Seasons of Adult Faith Formation, Reimagining Faith Formation for the 21st Century, Generations Together, and Faith Formation 2020. He has a masters degree in religious education from Fordham University and a honorary doctor of divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School.
Dr. Holly Catterton Allen retired in 2022 from her position as Professor of Christian Ministries and Family Science at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she taught undergraduate courses such as Family Ministry and Nurturing Spiritual Development in Children. In retirement, her areas of interest continue to be children’s spiritual formation and intergenerational ministry. From 2015-2021, she chaired two biennial international, cross-denominational conferences: InterGenerate and the Children’s Spirituality Summit. Dr. Allen previously taught at John Brown University, Biola University, and Abilene Christian University. Dr. Allen is the co-author of Intergenerational Christian Formation: Bringing the Whole Church Together in Ministry, Community, and Worship, 2nd edition (InterVarsity Academic, 2023). In 2021, Forming Resilient Children: The Role of Spiritual Formation for Healthy Development was released (InterVarsity Academic). She also edited InterGenerate: Transforming Churches through Intergenerational Ministry (ACU Press, 2018). Her first book, Nurturing Children’s Spirituality: Christian Perspectives and Best Practices (Cascade), an edited volume, was released in 2008. Dr. Allen has published articles in journals such as Christian Education Journal, Lutheran Education, Lifelong Faith, and Christian Scholar’s Review as well as in Christianity Today; she has also authored chapters in twenty books. Dr. Allen received her Ph.D. in Christian Education from the Talbot School of Theology in 2002. She and her husband Leonard live in Nashville, TN and have three adult children and five grandchildren.
Mini Presentation Speakers
Dr. Peter Joseph earned a Doctoral Degree in Educational Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His academic preparation has prepared him for family leadership and discipleship. As a Family Practitioner, he works closely with families to equip parents with strategies and practical routines to be the primary spiritual caregivers of their children. As a pastor for thirty-three years, he has used the spiritual gifts in the church to observe the conditions of families and plan relevant practical and biblical responses to the needs of families and individuals. He uses his training in Family Leadership and Discipleship to conduct seminars and workshops which bring clarity and confidence in order to generate enthusiasm among parents for their primary task as disciple makers. Dr. Joseph engages in the discipline of Biblical Counseling as well as Marriage and Family Therapy to address emotional processes and cohesion between husbands and wives, church family and natural family for the purpose of facilitating the passing on of religious heritage. These skill sets had their underpinning in earlier academic preparation. He earned a BA in Religion and History from Northern Caribbean University and a Master of Arts Degree in Religion and Church History from Andrews University. Also, he earned a Graduate Certificate in Family Life Education from Andrews University.
Joy Kim studied piano, church music, and music education before graduating from Dallas International University with a master’s degree in World Arts. She currently works as an ethnodoxologist in Clarkston, Georgia, with Proskuneo Ministries and designs and directs arts programs for youth and adults which encourage multimodal co-creation, build community, and encourage artists in creative leadership. Joy works with diaspora artists from diverse backgrounds to engage in global mission through building intercultural and intergenerational worshiping communities.
Rev. Dr. Julian Wong was an I.T. architect, and God called him into full-time ministry in 2005. He is currently the Senior Pastor of Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has a vision of leading the church with 3 congregations of Cantonese, English, and Mandarin with a total of around 1,500 members into an Intergenerational, Missional, and Disciple-Making church. He graduated with a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary focusing on Transforming Congregations through Storytelling in Worship and Discipleship. Julian is married to Jennifer with two teenage girls Jocelyn and Jasmine.