Jake is the lead planter for Huntsville Hills Church in Huntsville, Alabama, and has served in pastoral ministry in Alabama and South Carolina since 2011. He earned an M.Div. at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. in Expository Preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jake has been married to Laura since 2014, and they have one son.

Kenneth is the lead pastor and planter of Citizens Church in West Gastonia, NC. He loves to be around people, especially when he gets to see them come to a greater knowledge of Jesus. He is married to his best friend, Whitney, and they have three children: two daughters, Haddon and Ruby, and a son, Silas.

Richmond and McKinzie have been married for nine years and have three daughters: Hadley, Tatum, and Harper. In 2025, they planted Sanctuary Church in the Spring Branch area of Houston, where they have lived for the last 10 years. They feel called to plant a church that serves and reaches the community they love. Richmond is passionate about seeing the church be both grounded in the Word of God and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. His prayer is for Sanctuary Church to be a Spirit-led, disciple-making church with an overarching vision to build a culture of prayer for revival and awakening in their city.

Chris and his wife, Jen, have been married for over 20 years, and they have three beautiful daughters. He has been a pastor for about 10 years at Radiant Bible Church, after working previously as an engineer in the aerospace industry. Chris and his family are excited that God has called them to plant a new church in Danville, IN, in 2025, and they would love your prayers for God to be glorified through this gospel work!

Rodney Wilkinson, devoted husband to Kiesha and father to Jordyn, Ziyon, RJ, and Grace, has dedicated his life to ministry, serving at Florida Atlantic University’s college ministry before planting Gospel Fellowship Church and working with Acts 29. As Founder and President of the South Florida Collective, he leads a micro church planting network focused on inspiring, equipping, and establishing partnerships to spread the Gospel through strategic church planting initiatives across South Florida.

Gabe has served as the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Church in Bellevue, WA, since 2020 and has been part of the pastoral team since 2017. He and his wife, Taren, live in Maple Valley with their children, a dog, and 19 chickens. A lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, Gabe is passionate about making Christ’s Kingdom more evident in the region he calls home.

Anson is married to Heather and they are parents to two teenage daughters. Since planting Emmaus Church in 2010, he has served as their Lead Pastor. Anson has been in ministry for over 20 years and is a 2025 Pastor Sabbatical recipient.

Aaron Proffitt has been married to his wife, Ashlee, for 20 years, and together they have five children: Andrew, Aaden, Asher, Adelee, and Annalise. A devoted disciple of Christ for 40 years, Aaron has served as a pastor and church planter for nearly 25 years. He enjoys exploring new places, reading, staying active through exercise, Mexican food, dating his wife, and watching his sons play basketball and his daughter cheerlead.

Vince and Kirsten Black planted The Town Church in Fort Collins, Colorado in 2010. They have had the incredible privilege of raising 5 boys, one of whom now awaits them in heaven. In their free time, they love spending time together as a family, attending all their boys’ various sporting events and finding delicious food at off the beaten path restaurants around town.

Ronnie and Kaitlyn Goble are excited to be planting Rooted Church in Royal Oak, Michigan in the spring of 2024. They dream of contributing to gospel renewal in Metro Detroit for generations to come, and are thankful for the 23 Project's partnership in this vision. The Gobles have previously served church plants in Ohio and Wisconsin before returning to their home state of Michigan. They love being parents to Jackson, Hayes, and Jude. Ronnie has earned degrees from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Grimke Seminary and is passionate about seeing people awakened to the glory of Christ and his church. In addition to their passion for Jesus, the Gobles are die hard Michigan Wolverine and Detroit Lions football fans. Follow them here:

As a 2023 recipient, Jordan and Jessica Penley are excited to be planting King's Table Church in Raleigh, NC in January of 2024. They are trusting God to impact Raleigh for Jesus by equipping their church to share the gospel, make disciples, and care for vulnerable people in their city through foster & adoption care. The Penleys have both previously served on staff with Cru at NC State, Jessica has taught elementary school, and Jordan has served as a campus pastor for the past five years. They love being parents to their son who was born five days after they announced their church plant! We're so blessed, honored, and grateful to be a part of the 23 Project Foundation. Follow them here:

Adam grew up in a Muslim family, and was a follower of Islam until he was radically converted to faith in Christ as a teenager. Since believing the gospel, he has had a consistent vision for church planting. After Adam and Sherrie were married in 2013, Adam pursued his Masters of Divinity (M.DIV) degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and graduated first in his class and was a recipient of the Joe B. Brown Preaching Award. They have three boys, Aiden, Judah, and Micah. Adam and Sherrie dream of playing a part in a city-wide movement of church plants within the neighborhoods of Baltimore. In his free time, Adam loves playing basketball and spending time with Sherrie and friends on their rooftop deck. He is also an avid reader, especially of Tim Keller books. You can follow Adam on Twitter and Instagram.

Taylor Burgess serves as the Lead Pastor of Cross Community Church in Beaufort, SC. He has been married to Emily for 13 years, and they have three boys: Gideon (11), Nolan (8), and Lincoln (6). Taylor was raised in Boone, NC, but he and Emily have called Beaufort “home” since 2013. He holds an undergraduate degree in religious studies and a master’s degree in church planting and evangelism from Liberty University, and he is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in expository preaching from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to planting Cross Community in 2016, Taylor served multiple churches in North and South Carolina through student ministry, worship ministry, and preaching. He began his first internship as a high school senior in the fall of 2004, and his upcoming sabbatical in the summer of 2024 will be the first full sabbatical he has had the opportunity to take in 20 years of service to the local church. He and his family are looking forward to a summer of rest and renewal, and they are extremely grateful for the support received from 23 Project to help make it all possible.