Annual Connect Conference

Nate Hettinga has been married to his childhood sweetheart, Amy, for 38 years, and together they have 6 children and 9 grandkids. He planted Cascade Church in Monroe, WA, in 1997 and led it through many seasons of growth over 23 years. Cascade is known for generosity, faith, disciple-making, and church multiplication.

In January 2020, Nate became the Regional President for Converge Northwest — serving over 100 churches in 5 Northwest states. He is passionate about multiplying disciples, leaders, and churches.

Dusty Taylor and his wife, Tammi, have been married for 28 years and have four kids—plus a brand-new daughter-in-law. Called to ministry as a teenager, he served as a youth pastor and worship leader before sensing God’s leading to plant a church. In 2008, he and Tammi launched Revive Church in Boise, Idaho, with tremendous support from Converge Northwest—an investment he’s continued to pay forward by serving on the district board for over a decade. Five years ago, he asked his congregation, “How many of you have been discipled?” Very few hands went up. That moment sparked Discipleship Relay, an experience designed to help regular people disciple regular people so every believer can obey the call to make disciples.

Phil Goodman is the Founder and CEO of Talent Realized, a people advisory firm serving churches, nonprofits, and businesses. He helps ministry leaders hire well, coach honestly, and manage staff separations with wisdom and grace. Phil lives in Edmonds with his wife, Rachel, and their homeschooled children.

Chris Highfill is the Lead Pastor and founding planter of Grace River Church in the St. Louis area. What began as a handful of people gathering in his living room has grown into a thriving church that averages more than 750 people each week. He is passionate about helping people encounter Jesus in practical, life-changing ways. He has spent years building a healthy church culture, developing leaders, and creating environments where people far from God feel welcome.

In addition to leading Grace River, Chris serves as the Church Planting Director for Converge MidAmerica Southeast, coaching, equipping, and supporting church planters across a multi-state region from Michigan to Florida. Through leadership development, strategic coaching, and hands-on experience, he helps new churches launch strong and grow healthy.
He has a heart for the local church and a passion to see leaders thrive, churches multiply, and communities transformed by the hope of Jesus.

Kevin works with local churches and their leadership to help them clarify their mission, cultivate a healthy culture, and create the structure to deliver on their mission. He has also served in rural churches, small-town congregations, and metro areas. He earned his M.Div. degree from Bethel Theological Seminary and his D.Min. degree in Biblical Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary. Kevin enjoys spending time with his family, going on hikes, playing basketball, and having a good conversation over a cup of coffee. 

Rebecca Jacobson is the Executive Director of Youth Ministry Consultants, where she spends her days helping children’s and youth ministry leaders feel more equipped, supported, and a little less alone. She has spent nearly 20 years in ministry, including 15 years in local church youth ministry, and has a particular heart for leaders in small and under-resourced churches. Rebecca loves making ministry training practical, accessible, and genuinely useful on Monday morning. She lives in Colorado with her husband, Nate, and their three kids. When she’s not working, you can usually find her with her family, traveling, or enjoying a good cup of coffee.

After serving as the Worship Pastor for 10 years, Dave Morgan is currently the Executive Pastor at Canyon Hills Community Church in Bothell, where he has served in that role for the past 8 years. Under his leadership, he oversees a staff of over 100 employees, leads the Board of Trustees and the Deacon Board, and serves as a pastor/elder on the Elder Board. He also serves alongside the Lead Pastor and two other pastors on the church’s Executive leadership team. He enjoys creating an environment where the Lead Pastor, the staff, and thousands of volunteers can thrive in their service to the Lord.

Dave is married to his wife, Diane. Together, they have two grown kids who are also married and have blessed them with six amazing grandkids. The family all enjoys the sun and water sports of every kind. 

Michelle Newell has served in various ministry roles for almost three decades and on staff at Cascade for 14 years. She has been married to her husband, Jerry, for 21 years, and homeschools her two children, Brooklynn, who is a Senior in High School, and Tristan, who is in 5th Grade.

In 2021, Michelle stepped into the role as Director of Women’s Ministry, where her passion for the Word of God has fueled her desire to teach women to be women of the Word. Not women who merely know the Word of God, but women who live by the Word and do what it says (James 1:22).

Ian is a native of Wheaton, IL, a 20-year military veteran, and a retired Master Chief (E9) from the United States Navy. His passion is to see people discover and follow Jesus. His goal is to inspire everyday Christians to impact the world for Christ every day. He graduated from Southern Illinois University and Bethel Seminary in San Diego. He is the lead pastor at Sylvan Way Church in Bremerton, WA.

Jeremiah Porter has been in full-time pastoral ministry since 2007, serving churches in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Since 2017, Jeremiah has served as a Renewal Coach with Strategic Renewal, guiding churches in developing a dynamic culture of prayer. In 2019, Jeremiah began dedicating one day a week to serving as a Regional Director for The 6:4 Fellowship. In 2025, Jeremiah transitioned to full-time with 6:4 as Regional Director of the Pacific Northwest. He and Kim have been married since 2002 and have four children. In their free time, the Porters love outdoor adventures – hiking, dirt-biking, skiing, cliff jumping, backpacking, and many other adrenaline-pumping activities.

Neil Tibbott is the Executive Director of LeadershipOnRamp and currently serves as the Church Planting Director for Converge Northwest. He works to raise up and equip leaders for ministry both nationally and internationally. His newest venture, OnRamp2Explore, offers a workshop that helps younger leaders assess their readiness to serve in a variety of ministry roles, including starting new churches.

Ahmad Zeividavi is the Founder and Executive Director of House of Omeed, an international Christian charity based in Port Moody, British Columbia. Born blind into a Muslim family in Iran, Ahmad came to faith in Jesus Christ while living as a refugee in Turkey. Since then, God has called him to dedicate his life to reaching the least-reached and serving the persecuted Church. He is passionate about mobilizing the Church to fulfill the Great Commission and encouraging believers to stand alongside those who faithfully serve Christ in some of the world’s most difficult places.