Dr. Alitz currently serves as the Director of Faith Formation at Light of the World Lutheran Church, a mission-start congregation in Farmington, Minnesota. She is passionate about creating partnerships between homes and congregations where trusted relationships can flourish and creating the opportunity for vital and relevant faith practices. Her strengths includetheological and strategic discernment, both for individuals and faith communities, and equipping congregations to become revitalized and move out into the public arena.

Dawn received her Master's and PhD from Luther Seminary, where she has also served as an adjunct instructor Christian Education and Children, Youth and Family courses.  She has been trained as a Spiritual Director at the Christos Center for Spiritual Direction.  Dawn lives in Apple Valley, Minnesota with her husband, Dave and their two daughters. When she's not writing or working, she can often be found performing as an accomplished oboist and freelance musician in the Twin Cities.

Pastor Carlson is a Youth and Family specialist who has provided solid ministry as a youth and family minister in the parish and in the community. Mike has developed programs in Peer Ministry that have proven to be powerful tools for ministry in the lives of hundreds of people. His energy and practical applications have proven to work well in any size group.

He is a pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Grand Rapids, MN, where he lives with his three boys and his wife Tammy. He received his M.Div. from Wartburg Theological Seminary. He is also serves as a Speaker, Trainer, and Consultant all over the United States, teaching and preaching on the wonders of God's powerful and transforming love.

Mike keeps groups spell bound as he weaves Biblical foundations with life stories that apply to the priesthood of all believers. He is an accomplished speaker at Synod gatherings, graduations, school groups, and churches as well as being a powerful trainer. Mike is dedicated to empowering all people to find their gifts of ministry.

Workshop and seminar areas include: Surviving Learning Disabilities, Sexuality, Parents Passing on Faith, Intergenerational Ministry, and Sunday School.

Peggy Contos serves as Assistant to the Bishop of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod. She is Executive Director of Camp Hope Ministries and the developer of The Discipleship Project. Peggy serves as adjunct faculty for the Center for Youth Ministry at Wartburg Seminary, co-directing Certification Schools for the synod staff in youth and family ministry. She continues to work with Vibrant Faith Ministries doing congregational training and facilitating numerous training events.

Peggy also has experience working with congregations in El Salvador for over ten years and is the mother of three young adults—Kristen (24), Jeff (22) and Matt (20)—and a chocolate Labrador named Lucy.

Peggy is passionate about faith formation with people of all ages and is dedicated to outreach among Latino families. She is committed to leadership development through discipleship, and will be assisting The Institute in expanding our coaching services which are available to church leaders and congregations. She will deepen the relationships we enjoy among denominational bodies and continue to grow partnerships with organizations that share our values of passing on Christian faith and living well in Christ.

Susan Debner serves as an senior pastor at Nokomis Heights Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. She brings over 20 years of parish-based experience to VFM, having served in various capacities at congregations in Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and Connecticut.  In addition, she also has extensive experience with outdoor ministries and has served on the board of directors and as a staff consultant for Bible camps.  

Susan knows first-hand how VFM's ideas and resources can work with congregations as small as 40 and as large as 4000. Her congregational experience stretches from small, rural parishes to mega-suburban churches and multi-cultural inner-city congregations. Susan has experienced many roles within the church; from pew-sitter to Sunday school teacher to lay staff member, and ordained preacher.  Susan enjoys incorporating ideas from The Institute's into her preaching, worship, confirmation and visitation ministry.  She believes learning should be interactive and that children's sermons should never require young people to sit still.

Susan is a graduate of Augustana College (Sioux Falls) and Yale Divinity School. Her ecumenical seminary experience has fueled her enthusiasm for working across denominational lines.

Susan has learned that the best things in life are often second-hand, not the least of which is the gift of faith. Faith always comes to us from those who are already using it.

Pat Eidsness is currently serving as Associate in Ministry for Youth & Family at First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She has worked in youth and family minsitry in three congregations, and is a certified youth minister through Wartburg Seminary. For five years, Pat served the South Dakota Synod, ELCA, as Director of Faith Family Style, which teaches congregations how to put the "and family" into youth and family ministry. Pat preaches, teaches, plans intergenerational events and does strategic planning with congregational leaders. She teaches practical ways to use the milestones in children's lives to connect families to each other and to the church. Pat brings passion, experience, research and theology into the discussion of passing on faith to the next generation.

Pat and her husband, Roe, have four grown children, eight grandchildren, one great-grandson and a puppy! They are avid bicyclists, riding the 115-mile Mickelson Trek through the Black HIlls of South Dakota each fall.

Andrea Fieldhouse serves at Director of Family Ministry in Excelsior, MN. and is a student at St. Kate's in Spiritual Direction. Her main call is helping parents to talk and live God and faith with their children. She served as a Youth Director for 12 years before being called to Faith Inkubators to train and write. She loves reading, rocks and scrapbooking.

Eric Hamrick, currently serves as the Director of Youth and Family Ministries at Living Lord Church in Lake Saint Louis Missouri. He enjoys building ministries for children, youth and families to help people find new ways to connect with one another and with Jesus Christ. He is co-creator of BAG Ministry (Blessings and Grace) a tool to celebrate milestones and equip parents with foundational faith formation skills as they nurture and teach their children. As the father of two girls, Eric stays connected to youth and parenting trends and makes every effort to “practice what he preaches.”

He has served in Youth & Family Ministry in three churches, worked as Program Director and Program Coordinator for two Big Brothers/Big Sisters agencies and worked three years as a Crisis Counselor. Eric has a MA from Luther Seminary in Youth and Family Ministry and a BA from Luther College majoring in Psychology. Eric has 18 years experience working with youth and parents, developing effective models of ministry for congregations as well as teaching and equipping parents for their most important ministry with their own family. Through his interactive use of stories, real life examples, practical illustrations and humor, he inspires and equips people for ministry, helping people find new and creative ways to reach out and serve the needs of the church and community.

Paul serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Birchwood, Wisconsin. As an artist-pastor, Paul engages congregations and audiences in the Biblical story through the creation of larger-than-life murals during worship and teaching events. In a short period of time, a blank canvas becomes a story illuminating God’s story. These experiences have been life-changing for audiences. “Seeing is Believing” speaks to the effect of such events, a living parable paralleling one’s thoughts, emotions, and life experiences where “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Paul believes that a key to vibrant faith is to actively engage the people in the Biblical story so they can “see” the connection between faith and life. The arts are an impacting means of doing this in our visually-oriented culture. Theology can go over one’s head, but an image moves from the head to the heart and touches one’s life.

Prior to becoming a pastor, Paul taught middle and high school science in Hopkins, Minnesota and Amery, Wisconsin. Paul has pursued his passion for drawing and painting since he was a child. He is an accomplished watercolor artist, teaching workshops to all ability levels. Paul and his wife, Jana, have been married for 12 years and enjoy camping, fishing, skiing, and fun with their children, Tommy, Kelsey, and Emily, and their chocolate lab, Jasper.

Kari Lyn has been advocating for the wellbeing of youth and adults for over twenty years. She is a Youth and Family Therapist,  international speaker, teacher, and author who empowers adults, families, and youth to live their best life.

Her dedication to this vision brought her to Luther Seminary where she earned a Masters Degree in Pastoral Theology and Youth Leadership.

After serving in the church for many years Kari Lyn went back to school to pursue a specialty in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is the founder of Deo' Advocates, an organization dedicated to the wellbeing of adolescents and their families.

She enjoys music, traveling, spiritual discovery, hangin'out and, most of all, spending time with her family. Kari Lyn loves to serve and encourage others toward a path of wellness.