Decolonizing Church Planting

Meet Brandon Wrencher

Brandon Wrencher is a minister, organizer, writer, and trainer. He works across the US within faith, education, and non-profit sectors at the intersections of decolonizing church, contemplative activism, and local presence to build beloved communities. As a serial innovator and church planter, Brandon’s latest venture is with a team of friends and neighbors starting The Good Neighbor Movement, a multiracial, Black-centered, queer inclusive, justice-driven network of missional communities. Brandon is an elder in the Western North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church and serves on several local and national faith-based and social justice committees and boards. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from UNC-Chapel Hill, a Master of Divinity from North Park Theological Seminary, and completed post-graduate studies in theology and ethics from Duke Divinity School. Brandon is a teaching faculty with Neighborhood Seminary, coach with V3 Church Planting Movement, and facilitator with Faith Matters Network. He is active with other national networks and recently joined a team to launch the Liberating Church Project, a research and writing collaborative seeking to decolonize new and established expressions of church. Brandon is married to his best friend and high school sweetheart Erica, who is a cultural and social justice educator. They have two sons Phillip (7) and Morris (3). Brandon enjoys hip-hop and soul music, good coffee and beer (but not at the same time!), oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, cookouts, reading, deep conversations, belly laughs, college basketball (Go HEELS!), wrestling and dancing with his sons, and quality time with Erica.

Meet Dan White Jr.

Dan White Jr is a full-time consultant and coach with the V3 Movement, coaching cohorts from around the country through a 9-month system for movement and mission. V3 has coached 200 faith communities in the last 5 years with the compelling commitments of life-forming discipleship, boundary-crossing mission, locally-rooted presence, and tight-knit community. He co-founded The Praxis Gathering: A Yearly Conference for Innovation and Immersion in Discipleship. Dan’s most recent book is Love Over Fear: Facing Monsters, Befriending Enemies, & Healing Our Polarized World (Moody Pub). He’s also written Subterranean (Cascade) and co-authored the award winning The Church as Movement (InterVarsity Press). Dan is married to Tonya (22 yrs), dad to Daniel and Ari, and can be found enjoying conversations at his local neighborhood coffee shop. Connect @ danwhitejr.com

Meet Lori Ruffin

Lori Ruffin is an upbeat strategic thinker. Fueled by a passion to help individuals and organizations fulfill their God-given purpose, she is the Operations Manager for the V3 Movement and the Founder of The COO Team, a virtual operations agency for nonprofits and small businesses. She enjoys helping others cultivate their relationship with God, songwriting and singing. She lives in Richmond, Va., with her husband and daughter. and and their three, seriously, amazing children.