Olu Brown, February

Olujimi (Olu) Brown is the father of Daya Elom Brown and Langston Wesley Brown. Olu is a native of Lufkin, Texas. He graduated from Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas and earned a Master of Divinity degree from Gammon Theological Seminary of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. 

He served as the Lead Pastor of Impact Church, a young congregation in the East Point community of Metropolitan Atlanta (impactdcd.org). With Olu’s vision and leadership, since its founding in 2007, Impact grew from a core team of 25 people to more than 5,000 worshipers online and in person with a $4M budget and listed at number 5 in the 25 Fastest Growing Large United Methodist Churches, 2018 Edition. 

While at Impact, Olu strongly believed in an active church, one that makes a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals and communities. Impact is a multicultural community committed to Doing Church Differently™. Impact DCD redefines the church experience through inclusiveness, relatable messages, energetic weekly gatherings, unique events and activities, relevant youth programs and community outreach. The people of Impact are therefore compelled to help bring healing, justice and compassion to the world. 

On May 16, 2021, Olu announced his retirement from the local church effective June 2022. For his retirement, Olu is using the phrase, Normalizing Next®, which is the concept about how to best prepare for the future, especially churches that experience any kind of change or transition. Normalizing Next® is when you are no longer afraid to do your best to prepare for and strategize so that one can be fully successful. 

Olu is looking forward to his ‘next,’ as he has begun a new season and has transitioned from Impact to where he is coaching business leaders, church leaders and church teams. 

Olu is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC Level) through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). (Access olubrown.com to purchase copies of his latest resources and see details regarding speaking and coaching engagements.

Stephen Cady, January

Stephen Cady is the Senior Minister of Asbury First United Methodist Church—an LGBTQ-affirming congregation of more than 2,300 members dedicated to outreach and social justice in Rochester, NY. He received his PhD in Practical Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary where his research put the rich theology of Howard Thurman in conversation with the worship practices of youth and young adults. He completed his Mdiv at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL and currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. 

He has preached, lectured, and/or taught in seminaries and churches nationally and internationally, from England to Norway to South Africa, and has been the keynote speaker for the Rochester Citywide Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. Prior to Asbury First, Stephen served as the lead minister of Kingston UMC in Kingston, NJ—designated during his tenure as a teaching congregation for young adults—and as the associate minister of Park Ridge Community Church in Park Ridge, IL. In addition to managing an annual budget of more than $2.5M, he recently successfully completed the largest capital campaign in the church’s history, raising more than $8M, which included $6M for a fully accessible Community Outreach Center. As such, preaching about stewardship has been a central part of his ministry for many years.