John Roberto is on the team of Vibrant Faith Ministries and serves as project coordinator of the Faith Formation Learning Exchange. He is president of LifelongFaith Associates (www.lifelongfaith.com), editor of the journal Lifelong Faith, and project coordinator for the Faith Formation 2020 Initiative (www.faithformation2020.net). John works as a consultant to churches and national organizations, teaches courses and conducts workshops in faith formation, and has authored books and program manuals in youth ministry, family ministry, and intergenerational faith formation. John created the theory and practice of Generations of Faith—an intergenerational, lifelong approach to faith formation; and administered the five-year Lilly Endowment funded project to develop lifelong faith formation in Catholic parishes across the U.S. His latest publications include Faith Formation 2020: Designing the Future of Faith Formation, The Spirit and Culture of Youth Ministry (co-authored). Living Well: Christian Practices for Everyday Life, Becoming a Church of Lifelong Learners, and four volumes of intergenerational learning programs in the People of Faith series. John is the founder and former director of the Center for Ministry Development, where he worked for 28 years.  

Lisa Kimball, Ph.D. is the Director of the Center for the Ministry of Teaching and Professor of Christian Formation and Congregational Leadership at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS). She is passionate about equipping church leaders to nurture Christian faith across the lifespan, in formal and informal settings. Before joining the academy, Lisa worked at the congregational, regional and judicatory levels of the Episcopal Church focusing particularly on lay leadership development. With a background in cross-cultural communication and human development, Lisa draws from multiple disciplines and popular culture to inspire attentiveness to the holy in everyday life. In addition to her regular teaching and directing the MA program at VTS, Lisa is regularly invited to consult with denominational and ecumenical bodies because of her authentic and hopeful approach to ministry.

Dorothy Linthicum, an instructor at Virginia Theological Seminary, has studied and taught human growth and faith development; researched the changing demographics in the Church and our culture, and continues her role as managing editor of the Episcopal Children’s Curriculum and Episcopal Teacher. She has observed and been a part of several congregations in the Episcopal Church, and has a passion for Christian formation and its role in weaving together disparate parts of parishes into a tapestry of beauty and function.

Jolene Roehlkepartain is a writer and speaker on family, children and teenagers, and spirituality. She is also the founder and president of Ideas to Ink, LLC, an innovative company based in Minnesota that focuses on the areas of parenting, children’s issues, youth development, spirituality, and education. Jolene has written 31 books, including Raising Healthy Children Day by Day, Parenting Preschoolers with a Purpose, 101 Great Games for Kids, Teaching Kids to Care and Share, and Taking It Personally. She has also coauthored 10 books, including Doing Good Together and What Young Children Need to Succeed. Her books have been translated into a number of languages, including Chinese, Hindi, Bahasa Indonesia, Polish, and Korean, and are sold internationally. She has previously been featured in broadcasts and publications including National Public Radio, The Washington Post, Time, Psychology Today, KARE 11 (the NBC affiliate based in Minneapolis), Glamour, and Woman’s Day. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband. They have two children: a young adult and a teenager.

After ministering for many years in parish and archdiocesan ministry in faith formation, Janet Schaeffler, OP, an Adrian Dominican Sister, is currently ministering in freelance work as an adult faith formation consultant and presenter. She facilitates of days of reflection/retreats, gives workshops/presentations, teaches graduate courses, and is a  facilitator for online courses at VLCFF (University of Dayton) and C21 Online (Boston College). She is the author of hundreds of articles and several publications in faith formation and parish ministry. Her articles can be found in Today's Parish, Catechist, RTJ: Creative Catechist, The Priest, Ministry and Liturgy, as well as several other publications. Among her most recent books are What We Believe: Praying and Living the Apostles’ Creed; Advent 2011-An Amazing Journey: Everyday Reflections, Practices and Prayers; and Nuts and Bolts: Ideas and Practices for Adult Faith Formation. She has also created GEMS (Great Endeavors Mined and Shared) - a monthly newsletter from an international best practices study on adult faith formation. In 2010 Janet received the NCCL Distinguished Service Award in Catechetics. Janet can be reached at:  www.janetschaeffler.com or jansch@juno.com.