Meet our Board

Intentional Churches is proudly supported by a dedicated board that brings a wealth of experience and passion to our work. Their support ensures we effectively serve churches to reach and grow their Ones. We are deeply grateful for their commitment and leadership, which enable us to continue making a meaningful impact with the American Church.

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Dr. Matthew Robinson

Dr. Matthew Robinson has served on the Executive Team at First Orlando as Pastor of Ministries & Administration since 2015. He loves leading teams to tackle complex ministry opportunities in innovative ways. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Matthew is a recovering college mathematics professor and higher education administrator (at Florida State University and Tallahassee Community College). He transitioned into full-time ministry as a bio-vocational Executive Pastor after helping plant City Church Tallahassee 17 years ago. He loves spreadsheets, baking, monorails, his wife Rachel and their two daughters.

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Samuel Hallberg

Before acting as the director of my in-laws’ charitable giving fund, I spent over a decade in nonprofit marketing and fund development at the ministry and agency levels. I spent my childhood in Pakistan and Germany, where my parents worked as missionaries. My wife and I also served as staff missionaries at Black Forest Academy. Today, I live in Winfield, IL, with my two daughters and my wife.

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Erik Rees

For more than 30 years, Erik Rees has dedicated himself to empowering people to use their lives to helping others. Erik began his career in 1993 as a pastor, strategist and trainer at world-renowned Saddleback Church, where he helped grow the congregation from 3,000 to more than 30,000 followers over a 20-year period. During this amazing time he helped train church leaders around the world on keys to building an “Empowering Church”. In addition, he wrote several best selling’s books: SHAPE: Finding & Fulfilling Your Purpose In Life and Only You Can Be You: 21 Days to Living Your Purpose.

On March 3, 2011 he and his wife, Stacey, were told their 11 year old daughter, Jessie, had terminal brain cancer. As Jessie started her treatment at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, she discovered there were many other kids fighting cancer that couldn’t leave the hospital. Upon hearing this news, Jessie created her fun-filled JoyJars to hand out. She also created and adopted her NEGU (Never Ever Give Up) message and motto, which she loved sharing. Sadly Jessie lost her fight to cancer on January 5, 2012.

Under the daily leadership with his wife, the Jessie Rees Foundation has become a beacon of help and hope for all children impacted by cancer. Since 2011, the foundation has raised over $38M, teamed up with over 60,000 volunteers, sent out over 475,000 JoyJars, and given away over $3M in financial support. To learn more about the impact made worldwide, please visit www.negu.org.

Erik and Stacey live in Orange County, Calif. with their dogs and close to their other two grown children, Shaya and JT.

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Doug Parks

Doug is the Co-founder and CEO of Intentional Churches. He is the co-author of Intentional Churches: How Implementing an Operating System Clarifies Vision, Improves Decision Making, and Stimulates Growth (Harper Collins / Thomas Nelson / Leadership Network).

Doug’s love and commitment to help churches comes from his own experience of being eternally impacted as a teenager by a committed church leader. He served for seventeen years as the executive pastor at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. Doug and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Las Vegas with their two children, where he still finds time to follow sports, including his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes.

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Bart Rendel

Bart is the Co-founder and CSO of Intentional churches. He is also the co-author of Intentional Churches: How Implementing an Operating System Clarifies Vision, Improves Decision Making, and Stimulates Growth (Harper Collins / Thomas Nelson / Leadership Network).

Bart has dedicated his life to helping churches reach more people for Christ. His passion for serving churches comes from his upbringing as a pastor’s kid and learning from his parents about the intentionality of reaching and growing people in Christ. His conviction runs deep. Bart served as an executive leader for over eighteen years at Crossroads Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, and Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he and his family remain deeply connected. He and his wife, Catherine, have two children. Bart occasionally plays a round of golf, but he always takes in Kentucky Wildcats games.