2026 Speakers

Will Cover grew up in the Houston area and moved his family back there in 2017 to start Arise Baptist Church. He and his wife Shandi have been serving together since they first met while working as camp counselors at Southland Christian Camp in Louisiana. They love serving God together with their five children.

Will Galkin traveled in evangelism for almost 25 years, a number of years with a team and then with his own family until 2019. He now serves full time at Gospel Grace Church in Salt Lake City, UT, which he and his wife Christy helped plant in 2012. Will is the church’s pastor for church planting and revitalization, training church planters and has served in preaching and discipleship. Their passion is to love and serve those in the city of Salt Lake specifically with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He and Christy have five children.

Nathan Mestler grew up in a missionary family in Kenya, East Africa, and graduated from International Baptist College with a missions degree. He directed the youth program at Tri-City Baptist Church in Tempe, AZ, before earning his M Div at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. He served as the IBCS Dean of Students, then as the college pastor at Tri-City Baptist Church. He was installed as the president and CEO of IBCS in the spring of 2020 and continues to teach Bible and Biblical languages in both the undergraduate and graduate programs at IBCS. He also serves as the wing chaplain of the 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard. He and his wife Bethany have two sons and two daughters.

Mike McConnell is a businessman from Texas who serves as a deacon at Arise Baptist Church in Houston, TX. Mike and his wife Daphne have lived in several different states throughout his 35-year career. He has served in public and private companies as an executive who led power generation and private equity operations teams. Throughout his career, he has had the opportunity to live out his faith through servant leadership which offered him multiple opportunities to share the gospel with others, and glorify Christ through his leadership.

Randy Melchert is active in education in Wisconsin.

Corey Pfaffe is a CPA who advises individuals and organizations as they steward the financial resources entrusted to them through his organization, MinistryCPA. Not-for-profit and business leaders rely on his expertise in matters of succession planning, employee compensation, accounting integrity and security, and strategic decision-making. From 1993 until his retirement in 2018, Corey served as the Dean of the School of Business at Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, Wisconsin. He holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Management Science. Corey and his wife Laurie have three children

Previous Speakers

David Brock grew up at Ironwood and graduated from Ironwood Christian Academy before attending Bob Jones University. After seminary in Pennsylvania, he served as the college pastor at Tri-City Baptist Church in Arizona for over 12 years. Yvonne, born in Hawaii, was living in Alaska when she and David met while he was speaking at a summer camp. They married in 2013 and joined resident staff in 2014. David directs Ironwood’s Ministry Connect program, focusing on ways Ironwood can better serve churches; he also pastors Faith Baptist Church of Cherokee Road. David and Yvonne have two children.

Mark Brock was born in California but grew up in Wisconsin. He was raised in a Christian home and was saved at an early age. He met his wife Charity while attending Maranatha Baptist University and Seminary. Burdened for the West, they moved to Bakersfield, CA, after Mark completed seminary. They planted Crossway Baptist Church and continue to serve there. Mark desires to clearly teach and preach God’s Word and help others apply it to their daily lives. He and Charity have six children and are involved in foster care.

Sam Brock moved to Ironwood with his parents, Walt and Betty Brock, in the early 1970s. He and his wife Cindy met at camp and both attended Bob Jones University. They married after graduation and joined resident staff in 1991. He served as the camper services director setting priorities for the various operations crews as well as filling the calendar before he became the director; he became executive director in 2013. He and Cindy have four adult children and seven grandchildren.

Walt Brock and his wife Betty co-founded Ironwood in 1973. Walt, from California, and Betty, from Tennessee, met at Bob Jones University and were married in 1966. While teaching and serving as a youth pastor, he developed a passion for camp ministry. For over 40 years, Walt’s vision of a camp ministry in the desert has led Ironwood in reaching young people for the Lord Jesus Christ, strengthening families, and serving local churches. Walt speaks and fundraises frequently, and serves on the boards of several ministries; Betty also enjoys speaking and serves as his administrative assistant. Our staff are thankful for their godly example and wisdom. They have four children and 19 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Allen Cover was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He has been involved in church youth and camp ministry and serves in the music and youth ministry at his local church. He now serves at Pioneer Bible Camp in Utah. He and his wife Laura have four children.

Mark Cover and his wife Ann Marie reside in Houston, Texas. He is a proud father of four grown children and happy grandfather of nine. He has served or currently serves in various capacities including boards of several civic and religious non-profits as well as supporting his local church through Sunday school teaching and outreach over the years. Currently he is involved in supporting a church planting effort in inner city Houston. Professionally Mark works in large scale commercial real estate development and investing. He enjoys mentoring men in their personal and public walk with Christ through a layman’s eyes.

Gary Gerrard started Gerrard Excavating in 1984 with one employee and a small backhoe. Today the company is one of the largest infrastructure/site development contractors in Colorado’s Northern Front Range, working on real estate developments, commercial and industrial sites, and government/public works projects.

Joe Helm practices law part-time and is the associate pastor at Brookside Baptist Church in Brookfield, WI. He has served in various capacities at the church with his wife Lana Lee since the church was founded in 1983. He serves on the boards of Bob Jones University and Ironwood and frequently speaks in both the United States and overseas about stewardship, finances, and estate planning. He has a burden for believers to understand stewardship responsibilities in all areas of life and for laymen to be committed to Christian service, regardless of their vocation. He and his wife Lana Lee have three adult children.

Ron Perry was saved at the age of 18 after running from the Lord for a number of years. He graduated from Bob Jones University and moved to California to become part of the Ironwood team. While serving at Ironwood, Ron planted a church in the small, rural community surrounding the camp. In 2009, he and his family moved to northern California where he pastors Faith Baptist Church of Folsom. In his free time, Pastor Ron enjoys exploring the outdoors with his wife Beneth and two daughters, reading westerns, and bike riding.

Josh Teis grew up in a pastor’s family in Las Vegas, NV. At a young age, he put his trust in Jesus as Savior and surrendered to full-time ministry at 15. He earned his BA in Pastoral Theology from Pensacola Christian College where he met his wife, Heather. He finished his Master’s Degree in Bible Exposition from Pensacola Theological Seminary in 2010 and Master of Divinity from Liberty University. Josh and his wife have ministered to the southwest valley at Southern Hills for the past fifteen years as they have pastored the people of Las Vegas. The church has grown from a small church plant to 1,100 members in that time. He and his wife Heather have three children.

Matt Teis is the Executive Pastor at Liberty Baptist Church in Las Vegas and is the oldest son of the church’s founder Pastor Dave Teis. Since graduating from Pensacola Christian College in 2000, he has led the youth ministry, young adult ministry, and outreach programs of Liberty Baptist Church. In 2011 he completed his masters in theological studies from Liberty University and also serves as chaplain for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He and his wife Breanna were married in June 2002 and have five children.