Cedarville University
October 22–23, 2025

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Overview

Have you been thinking too small about using your business for Gospel impact? Your business is a powerful platform to glorify King Jesus, and it’s time you start dreaming God-sized dreams for your company.  

Join us at Impact 2025, a collaboration between Cedarville University’s Robert W. Plaster School of Business and the Christian Business Fellowship, where you’ll come together with business professionals and pastors to revolutionize the way you view your work and harness its potential for Kingdom purposes. Through engaging keynotes, dynamic breakout sessions, and networking opportunities, you’ll be empowered with the tools, knowledge, and inspiration you need to excel in your work and maximize your impact. 

Event Schedule

All sessions are held in the newly opened Scharnberg Business and Communication Center.

Select an event from the calendar to see the details below the event list.

Keynote Speakers

Earl Seals

Friday Evening Keynote

Session title: A Radical Life, Romans 11:36

Earl Seals is the president and co-founder of N2 Publishing. His company has 700 locations across the U.S. and breaks $140 million in advertising revenue annually. He is also the founder of Christian Business Fellowship and executive producer of The Chosen series.

Dallas Jenkins

Friday Evening Keynote
(joining via video)

Session title: A Radical Life, Romans 11:36

Dallas is the writer/director of over a dozen feature films and TV projects, most notably The Chosen, the first-ever multi-season series about the life of Christ. The Chosen has been seen by over 100 million people in 200 countries. He is also a speaker and commentator on faith and media topics. His books include the best-selling The Chosen devotionals and The Chosen Bible Studies, each of which corresponds to each season of The Chosen.

Thomas White
Dr. Thomas White

Saturday Afternoon Keynote

Session title: Bridging the Sacred/Secular Divide: Practical Steps for Gospel Impact Through Business Excellence

Thomas White became the 10th president of Cedarville University on July 1, 2013. Serving in a variety of leadership roles and responsibilities, White has more than a decade of administrative, teaching, and research experience. He combines strong leadership with a pastoral heart for ministry while standing for biblical truth.

Other Speakers and Panelists

Krystal Parker
Krystal Parker

Speaker

Session title: Transforming Profit: Business as a Force for Good

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Krystal Parker is a former executive for a Fortune 200 publicly traded oil and gas company with over 25 years of experience in organizational management. She is the president of the U.S. Christian Chamber of Commerce; a member of the board of directors for Missionary Ventures International, Founder Collective, and Central Florida Christian Chamber of Commerce; and a member of the Advisory Board for Alpha Kingdom Capital. Alongside her work as a best-selling author and professor, Parker opened a boutique consulting company, Intent & Impact, to help companies increase profit, reduce turnover, and enhance employee engagement. Krystal is a marketplace missionary committed to seeing faith in action in the marketplace. She is a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, a wife and a mother.

Bob Pruitt

Speaker

Session title: Sharing and Living Out Your Faith in the Workplace

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Bob Pruitt serves as Senior Counsel, Corporate Affairs Director with Alliance Defending Freedom. Prior to ADF, he operated a business and commercial law practice in Texas. Pruitt also served as President, General Counsel, and Board member for CalTex, a national manufacturer in the automotive aftermarket sector. Before CalTex, he was Senior Counsel for Gulf States Toyota, Inc., an independent distributor of Toyota vehicles. Pruitt began his legal career as a civil litigator in Houston, where he was a shareholder of a litigation firm. Pruitt graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and Marketing and earned his Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law Houston, where he was a member of two national championship moot court teams. Pruitt is a member of the State Bar of Texas and is admitted to practice in all federal courts in Texas. He is also commissioned as a Colson Fellow.

Dean Fulks
Dean Fulks

Panelist

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Dean has been the lead pastor at Lifepoint since its beginning in 2004. He is the coordinator for SEND Columbus, an initiative to plant churches throughout the city. Dean is married to Angie and they have three children — Sydney, Dillon, and Sylvia. He has a Master’s of Divinity from Mid-America Theological Seminary (Memphis, TN) with a minor in Memphis barbecue.

Shara Hutchinson
Shara Hutchinson

Speaker

Session title: Leading Change that Sticks

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Shara Hutchinson is the Founder and Chief Change Strategist at Xposeyour, an emerging tech startup dedicated to preparing leaders and teams for transformation. She is focused on partnering with organizations to minimize employee resistance during change, ensuring projects are completed on time and within budget.

She is a TEDx speaker, a Forbes Contributor, and author of Barefoot in the Boardroom: Every Leader's Guide to Navigating Change. What sets Shara apart is her ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels, aligning initiatives with overarching business objectives. She is passionate about empowering teams through effective communication, training, and coaching, enabling them to embrace change and sustain desired outcomes. Shara has a proven track record of leading complex, multi-faceted change programs from planning to post-implementation review, delivering quantifiable results and long-term value.

Shara currently serves on several boards and loves making an impact in the community. A fun fact about her is that she ghostwrites speeches for celebrities, CEOs, and other leaders. When Shara is not working, she spends time making memories with her husband and son.

Gary Wilkins
Gary Wilkins

Panelist

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Gary Wilkins, DMin, was a pastor for 20 years before joining MLA Companies, a Christian-owned consulting firm based in Dayton, Ohio. He combines his ministry and business backgrounds to help organizations scale without violating their biblical values.  Gary developed a scriptural definition and understanding of culture in his Doctor of Ministry work.   From that foundation, he developed a biblical model of organizational change, which he deploys through MLA’s Business Redeemed Process.

Jeff Haymond

Speaker

Session title: Why Free Enterprise Is the Best Economic System for a Fallen World

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Jeff Haymond is a passionate, mission-focused leader who believes that the best path to human flourishing is when people think and act biblically. As the dean of a business school at a Christian university, Jeff is able to pour into thousands of potential change agents, helping awaken students' latent entrepreneurial ambitions and motivating them to pursue business excellence. He continues to teach and research on the intersection of free market economics and a biblical worldview. In his 25 years of commissioned service in the Air Force, he had multiple command assignments (squadron, group, and wing level) in space and engineering units.

Elijah Low
Elijah Low

Speaker

Session title: Leveraging AI for Kingdom Expansion

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Elijah Low is a dynamic leader in the fields of AI and economics, renowned for his comprehensive insights on the integration of AI in driving economic growth and societal benefits. A passionate advocate for social improvement, Elijah is dedicated to using AI to enhance the quality of life for impoverished communities.

As an AI consultant, Elijah is actively developing AI roadmaps to help companies integrate and leverage AI technologies. His work focuses on lowering costs, improving productivity, and building new competitive advantages for businesses. Elijah has also authored two influential books on AI, titled "Navigating AI with Faith" and "Built for AI," contributing significantly to the field's body of knowledge. Elijah Low graduated with a triple major in Business Administration, including degrees in Finance, Investment, Banking; Marketing; and Management and Human Resources. He also holds a master's and doctorate in Theology.

Jeff Joiner

Speaker

Session title: Everyone Is in Sales! Learning How to Connect

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Jeff Joiner ’91 combines his experience as a university instructor, sales manager, entrepreneur, and corporate trainer to provide impactful keynote speaking and training for organizations in a wide range of industries. He is the CEO of Jeff Joiner Training and has worked with more than 1,000 organizations across 49 U.S. states. He is the author of Say It Like It Matters When It Matters: Communicating with Power, Effectiveness, and Authenticity.

Joel Wayne
Joel Wayne

Panelist

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Joel Wayne is the lead pastor of Chapel Pointe Church in Hudsonville, Michigan.

Wayne has been the lead pastor of Chapel Pointe Church since May 2014. With 25 years in leadership development and ministry, he is passionate about helping organizations recognize their potential through healthy culture and leadership strategies in order to thrive.

He is also the author of the book “Steer: Eight Practices to Drive Leadership.” In this book, Wayne lays out eight key practices that are essential for leading with greater influence.

Mike and Linda Oberbrunner
Mike and Linda Oberbrunner

Speaker

Session title: Making Your Oldest Years Your Boldest Years

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Mike Oberbrunner has served in both full-time ministry and the marketplace. His roles have included Executive Director for The New Man Project, a church planter, a pastor, and the Director of Outreach Ministries at the Salvation Army. He's also served in a variety of trades including landscaping, carpentry and sheet metal at Briggs and Stratton.

Linda Oberbrunner has served as the Wisconsin District Director of Evangelical Child and Family Agency, with homeless men and families at the Waukesha Salvation Army and the Waukesha County Jail and Prison providing mental health and suicide intervention for the inmates. She's the author of Mercy Extended, The Gift That Transforms Lives, Impacts Generations and Mobilizes Multitudes for Eternity.

Mike and Linda reside in Watertown, Wisconsin, have been married for 51 years, and consider themselves immensely blessed to be the parents of four awesome adult children plus two their wonderful spouses, and grandparents to six fun-loving grandchildren.

Josh Bowmann
Josh Bowman

Speaker

Session title: Deepening our Missional Mindset

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After graduating from Southern Seminary in 2002, Dr. Josh Bowman served as a rural church planter in Zambia with the International Mission Board. After eight years in Zambia, the Lord led his family to South Asia to focus on church strengthening, leadership development, and unengaged people groups. His goals are to see healthy churches with theologically sound leaders reach those who have never heard the Gospel and to raise up students with a passion for Jesus and the nations.

Joe Abraham

Panelist

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Joe Abraham is a serial entrepreneur, award winning business advisor, angel investor, and author of the critically acclaimed book Entrepreneurial DNA, named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of top business books to read in 2014. Today, Joe serves as managing partner at the Beyond Group of companies and serves on the board of Administer Justice, a Christ-centered legal aid nonprofit organization with service locations across the nation.  Joe has been featured on the TEDx stage, Fox News, CNN, network TV and the Wall Street Journal.

Jeremy Kimble
Jeremy Kimble

Speaker

Session title: A Theology of Work

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Jeremy Kimble is a Professor of Theology and the director of the Synergy Initiative at Cedarville University. He is passionate about teaching college and graduate students the truths of the Word of God. His hope is that through his courses, mentoring, and preaching opportunities that church members would be equipped for ministry and church leaders would minister to others out of the overflow of their love for God. Dr. Kimble’s research interests include the doctrine of the church, preaching, and discipleship. He is a member of University Baptist Church.

Justin Powell

Speaker

Session title: Guiding Growth: Using an Advisory Board to Propel Your Company Forward

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Justin Powell is the founder and CEO of Huntington Outdoor, one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing independently owned billboard companies with operations in 15 states. Justin also founded the Atlas Institute, an organization that exists to train young men interested in entrepreneurship to start their own companies, and co-founded Forge Leadership Network, an organization that mentors young conservatives entering politics. Justin grew up in Darke County, Ohio. He attended Cedarville University and Liberty University for his undergraduate degree and received his Master of Business Management, Accounting, and Finance degree from Harvard.

Kamal Boulos

Panelist

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Kamal Boulous has been the owner and CEO of The Refectory restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, for the restaurant’s 37 years in operation. After starting out as the assistant general manager in 1977, Boulous purchased and renamed the restaurant in 1991. The Refectory was named one of the Top 10 Columbus Fine Dining Restaurants of 2023 and the best French restaurant in Columbus. Boulous aims to create a relaxing and leisurely dining experience for everyone who walks through his restaurant’s doors.

Karl Diffenderfer

Speaker

Session title: Scaling for Exponential Growth

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Karl Diffenderfer is a Certified Master business coach, award-winning keynote speaker, author, and coach of coaches. He believes that business owners are the next generation of pastors who will bring revival to the workplace. Ranked in the top 4% of business coaches globally, Karl mentors Kingdom-minded business owners and is building a team of 127 coaches to impact over 1,000 businesses for God's Kingdom. Having conducted over 10,000 coaching sessions, he empowers leaders to reach their potential, fostering spiritually thriving and successful companies with his unique business operating system. Karl previously built an award-winning marketing firm that helped its customers generate over $100 million before transitioning to coaching at age 32. Beyond his work, he values his relationship with his Heavenly Father, family, and passion for classical piano.

Kary Oberbrunner
Kary Oberbrunner

Speaker

Session title: Making Your Oldest Years Your Boldest Years

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Kary Oberbrunner is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen books. As CEO of Igniting Souls and Blockchain Life, he helps authors, entrepreneurs, and influencers publish, protect, and promote their Intellectual Property and turn it into 18 streams of income. He’s been featured in Entrepreneur, Forbes, CBS, Fox News, Yahoo, and many other major media outlets.

Kary has several earned degrees, including a Bachelor of Arts, Masters in Divinity, and Doctorate in Transformational Leadership. He also serves as the Berry Chair of Entrepreneurship at Cedarville University, where he teaches on the topics of Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing. He lives in Ohio with his wife Kelly and three children: Keegan, Isabel, and Addison.

Austin Mathis
Austin Mathis

Panelist

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Austin planted Grace Church in Cincinnati, OH 2022 and founded Co:Mission Collaborative Coworking shortly after in January 2023.

Austin’s undergraduate degree and background is in Operations Management, but he also holds an Master of Arts and Master of Divinity from Liberty University. In addition to pastoring Grace Church and managing Co:Mission Collaborative, he also works as the Strength and Conditioning coach at his local high school.

Austin is married to his high school sweetheart, Amy, and they have one son – Easton.

Jon Giganti

Speaker

Session title: Leading With Intention: How to Create a High-Impact Culture

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Jon Giganti is a keynote speaker, author, and 25-year technology sales leader.

Currently helping to grow a SaaS tech company to $1 billion in annualized recurring revenue, Jon brings a wealth of experience and insight into leadership and sales. His 2022 book, With Intention: A Path to Uncommon Results, Unleashed Influence & Ultimate Fulfillment, became a USA Today best-seller, resonating with readers seeking meaningful success and influence.

Through his work, Jon emphasizes the power of intention and how it can transform both personal and professional realms.

When not speaking or leading, Jon is dedicated to helping others through his online courses and resources, available at www.jongiganti.com.

Nathan Scroggins

Speaker

Session title: Marketplace SoulCARE

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Nathan’s focus on making business a force for good fundamentally shapes his role as the corporate chaplain at Lippert, a prominent manufacturing company. He has brought a passion for pastoral care and executive leadership to many pastoral, business, board, and educational roles across over two decades of experience. As the founder and president of Care Track, a counseling-based software for churches, Nathan has pioneered innovative solutions to enhance leadership and pastoral care. He has a doctorate in executive leadership from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Nathan strives to equip individuals through discipleship and training to develop a profound relationship with Jesus Christ and discover how their unique gifts can serve Him. He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Barbara, for over 20 years and has two children: Micah and Ashlyn.

Scott Moffat

Speaker

Session title: Value of Strategic Partnerships

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A Christian, husband, and father, Scott Moffat is also the Co-Founder/Head of Partnerships for Ideal Strategic Partners in Tampa, Florida. Scott's professional career has been focused on helping entrepreneurs succeed in the marketplace. He has been recognized by Marquis Who's Who for his significant contribution to entrepreneurship and the people who he has helped in their journeys. Scott has worked directly with over 100 portfolio partners in his career to take their business concept from ideation to revenue generation. His greatest professional joy is being able to help/mentor young adults who aspire to take the daunting yet rewarding path of entrepreneurship. As part of this mission, he has partnered with two Cedarville University students to launch Kingdom Kommerce, a podcast centered on equipping Christians with the practices and principles necessary to succeed as entrepreneurs.

Jeff Hostetter
Jeff Hostetter

Speaker

Session title: Uncommon Strategies for Kingdom Impact in Your Church and Business

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Jeff is a child of God, a kingdom builder, married to his bride for 34 years, enjoys time with his kids and grandchild, stewards his body by eating nutritarian, and likes the thrill of electric bikes. God started Jeff’s lifework as a programmer at age eighteen. In 2002, he co-founded Elexio, was the sales & marketing manager, then CEO – providing software for churches in all 50 states. In 2015, the Lord led Jeff to serve as VP of Partnerships with Creating Jobs Inc to help organizations raise up entrepreneurs globally. Mission Church is Jeff’s church family where he is an elder and provides discipleship through business. He serves entrepreneurs in Lancaster PA as the chapter president of Christian Business Fellowship. Jeff is co-owner of Koble Systems, ERP software for businesses. He enjoys helping churches and businesses expand their kingdom impact.

Steve Black

Speaker

Session title: Fact vs. Fiction: Effective Methods for Attracting and Retaining Top Talent

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With over 15 years of human capital management experience, Steve Black ’01 helps clients find, develop, and keep amazing people while building vibrant cultures. At Brixey & Meyer, a regional public accounting and business advisory firm, Steve oversees both the firm's internal HR function and the external HR Services Practice Line. From small businesses and high-growth ventures to Fortune 500 companies, Steve partners with growth-minded organizations to sharpen their people strategy. When he's not tackling complex "people-related" challenges, Steve enjoys time with his wife, Beth, and their four kids — usually at a field, diamond, court, concert, or meet.

Joel Mathew

Speaker

Session title: The Power of Personal Branding: Building Kingdom Influence

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Joel Mathew is an entrepreneur who has built multiple award-winning companies in a variety of verticals, including branding, website design and development, advertising and marketing, higher education consulting, and publishing.

He started his first company, Fortress, a branding, website, and marketing agency headquartered in Chicago, 13 years ago. This entrepreneurship experience allowed him to help launch a private equity firm, called Woodson Equity, which focuses on acquiring companies in the lower middle market.

Joel graduated from Northern Illinois University and holds a certificate from Harvard Business School. He is on multiple non-profit boards and speaks at organizations and universities on entrepreneurship, branding, marketing, advertising and how his faith is woven into all of it.

Pricing and Perks

Pricing

  • Attendee Pricing
    • $299 Regular Price
    • $349 Day-of
    • $150 Family/Pastor Attendee
    • $49 Pastor
  • VIP Attendee
    • $449 Regular Price
  • Student Attendee
    • $49 Undergraduate Student
    • $59 MBA/MAI Student Regular Price

Note: Cedarville University alumni receive a $50 off discount.

VIP Perks

  • VIP dinner on Friday, which includes meeting the speakers
  • VIP seating at Saturday lunch
  • Leader’s Library: selection of books from our speakers
  • Access to complete session recordings

MBA/MAI Student VIP Perks

  • MBA/MAI Student-only Session: "Making the Most of Your MBA/MAI Degree"
  • Friday VIP dinner
  • Saturday MBA/MAI - only dinner with professors and conference speakers
  • VIP seating at Saturday lunch
  • CBF coaching curriculum, $297 value
  • Leader’s Library: selection of books from our speakers
  • Access to complete session recordings

Register for Impact

Are you ready to energize your company for Gospel impact? Register now to sharpen your business skills, deepen your missional mindset, and advance your Kingdom impact.

Sponsors

Travel Information

Robert W. Plaster School of Business logo.Christian Business Fellowship



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