By Dustin Sams –
October 27, 2009Posted in: Ministry Resource, Recommended Speakers/Bands
Matt is currently serving in El Dorado Arkansas, at Parkers Chapel FBC. He’s been married to his beautiful wife Julie for the past five years and they have an amazing little girl named Maggie, and another girl on the way.
“I was always the kid in youth group who paid attention because he was worried he’d miss something funny, so when I became a youth pastor I made it a point to be the kind of speaker that would keep teens attention using humor. I was taught by my spiritual mentor to package the truth in just enough funny that their there for the truth, and that’s something that I try to do each week, I add just enough humor that the Jesus in the story shines through.” -Matt Rothacher
Matt focuses his messages on the truth found in the stories and teachings of Jesus. “I have found that when Jesus said ‘when I am lifted up… I will draw all men unto me’ that He wasn’t playing He meant it, and I’ve seen Him back it up over and over again.” Topics that Matt has a passion to speak on: Jesus, angels & demons, spiritual warfare, dangers of premarital sex.
Based out of Parkers Chapel, AR
Contact via his Facebook
By Dustin Sams –
October 21, 2009Posted in: Ministry Resource, Recommended Speakers/Bands

Carmen is a great resource to Youth Pastors and Student Ministries anywhere. She has the ability to teach/share on a number of topics and I am sure you have a need in your ministry for effective female speakers. Dating/Relationships, Student Evangelism, Abstinence, and even how to build a safe room in your home! You won’t be disappointed. Carmen also serves on the Super Summer Leadership Team as the registrar and has been in Student Ministry for over 12 years. Currently, she is serving in the local church as a volunteer, heading up Student Evangelism. Whether it is a Ladies Event, large event, or filling in on a Wednesday Night Youth Rally, Carmen has a heart for God and a heart for students. She leads by example and is great role model for the younger generation.
Carmen is the wife to Brian and super-mom to their two kids, Chloe & Harrison.
Based out of Vilonia, AR
Contact via Carmen Lane
By Dustin Sams –
October 21, 2009Posted in: Recommended Speakers/Bands
Matt Morrison was born and raised in the suburbs of Dallas, TX. He graduated from Ouachita Baptist University with a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies and a minor in Speech Communications. He is currently a student at Dallas Theological Seminary, seeking a Master of Theology.
“When I come out to a place, I love to communicate the powerful stories of the Bible. When I share stories from my own life, it helps these ancient narratives become tangible. Through that, it is my goal to see the student connect the dots and walk out differently than he came in. But above all, if I don’t take the time to invest in the kids off stage, I have failed to minister the way God has called me to.”
“To the youth leaders out there: I admire the men and women who dare to bridge that gap between the adults and the youth every time the church doors open. Your investments will live long past your own days. It is a great honor to minister alongside you from the pulpit during your events.”
Based out of Garland, TX
Contact via www.gravityministries.org
By Dustin Sams –
October 14, 2009Posted in: Recommended Speakers/Bands
Eric Ball is a great friend, father, and speaker. He would be a great fit for any event. He has a passion for students and youth pastors/workers alike. Eric is able to take the Gospel and present it in ways that resonate with people and lives are changed. I have known Eric as a mentor and he has invested in my students on a personal level, even opening his home to them. I am sure that you and your ministry will benefit from having Eric share his Faith at your event.
“As a veteran student pastor, Eric has experienced the explosive move of God in his ministry having the privilege to see it grow from three students to over several hundred students weekly. The evangelistic and discipleship strategies Eric implemented had profound affect upon the community with even non-churched parents giving financially to his youth ministry because of the impact upon their children. Eric also pioneered student missions in his church by developing its first junior and senior high student-led short-term mission trips. His vision for training led to the development of an intensive Intern Training Program which received acceptance as an official training program from the Youth Ministry Department of Columbia International University. Hundreds of young men and women received practical ministry skills and are now serving the Lord all over the world.” excerpt from www.e3ministries.com
See a quote from me from 2005 that was published in a ROYS Newsletter.
“First of all I wanted to say thanks to all of you at ROYS for your continued investment in Youth Pastors like me. Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry is a tool that allows us to bring our ministries into focus. Any youth guy with a few tricks in his pocket and some half-baked ideas can draw students, but to truly have an impact on the lives of the younger generation there needs to be a genuine desire to be in their lives for the long haul. I had some skills and even a little creativity, but what JFYM has done is bring all of those things I was doing for ministry and centralized them to be more effective, and I have seen the results first hand. I had read a little of Barry’s writings early on in my ministry and then served in a church were I had the privilege to pastor the daughters of one of your Eagle Leaders, Eric Ball. Eric invested in me in a way that didn’t seem condescending, but out of a friendship that he extended to me. Through him I began to grasp the overall idea of what JFYM was all about. I now find myself serving in a great
church in Arkansas and I am applying the JFYM biblical principles throughout our ministry here. It has been a fun ride. I am starting to see students feel the beginnings of a call to ministry, students that genuinely have a desire to see their peers know Christ, and adults that are starting to catch on, too. I prayed for other youth workers and pastors in my area that I could help mentor and train, and God has begun building those relationships, too. Matt is a young man in his 20′s who has a desire to be better equipped for ministry. (He serves in another church in town, but that doesn’t matter.) Our relationship supersedes any “turf war”.
Since becoming an Eagle Leader with ROYS, I have become even more impressed with the individuals at ROYS. There is a desire to see others become what God has planned them to be. There are no egos involved, just a passion to see students come to Jesus. You do that by multiplying yourselves. Not a new concept…just an effective one. Thanks for being there for us!” Dustin Sams, FBC Stuttgart, Arkansas
Based out of Titusville, FL
Contact via E-3 Ministries @ www.e3ministries.com
By Dustin Sams –
October 10, 2009Posted in: Ministry Resource, Recommended Speakers/Bands
Joey and I have been friends since the day two extroverts collided in the Admin Building of Williams Baptist College, circa 1998 or so. He is a man that I would recommend for any event you may have, large or small. I first invited Joey to an Associational Camp that had a reputation for being uneventful and boring. He worked with us and we pulled off a great camp. From then on I knew he was something special. Now many years later, the world-traveler is back in Arkansas teaching at Ouachita Baptist University. He is a student of the Word and makes it come alive for students and adults alike. Joey is a funny man…how he can have all the stuff he has in that gray matter of his and still be funny…well, it’s just a God thing. As a lifer in Student Ministry, very few speakers make me want to dig into scripture more than my friend Joey. He does a fantastic job and is very easy to work with. Having Joey at one of your events is a must ingredient for any event you may have…he is highly recommended.
I pulled this from the Joey Dodson page on facebook…”In short, I desire to set young students on fire for God so that people will come from all around to watch us burn. I try to bring to the pulpit the mind of a scholar, the heart of a pastor and the humor of a comedian.”
Based out of Arkadelphia, AR.
Contact via Facebook Page or 870.723.1451