Speakers

Speaker Schedule




Ben Stuart

Ben Stuart has been the Director for Breakaway since the summer of 2005. He grew up in Houston, Texas, and graduated from Texas A&M University in 1998. After graduation, Ben served as a youth pastor in Spring, Texas, as a teacher at Houston's Metro Bible Study, and as a speaker at youth camps and conferences. Along with Breakaway, Ben currently attends Dallas Theological Seminary and enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, Donna, and their dog, Tai. Ben's passion in life is knowing God and making Him known.

Find out more at BreakawayMinistries.org.

Jerrell Altic

Jerrell Altic is the Minister of Connection & Community at Houston's First Baptist Church in the Prayer, Missions & Connection Center. He is involved in connecting new Christians in authentic, community field training college students through semester & summer internships, hosting and training mission teams that embark to Houston on mission, embodying missional change through speaking and travel. Jerrell has been on staff for over 10 years and has been married 9 years to Kay and has 2 boys: Jayk & Judah.

Steve Knox

Steve is a sought after communicator and consultant who travels the country leading workshops and speaking at retreats and conferences with students and leaders. Steve is the founder and lead consultant of Orbiting Normal, an organization whose mission is to develop and unleash people to become all they were created to be. Steve currently lives with his wife, Meg, in Houston, Texas.

Find out more at OrbitingNormal.org.

Timothy Ateek

Timothy serves as one of the pastors and communicators at Austin Ridge Bible Church in Austin, TX. He also spends time during the year traveling and speaking at various camps and retreats. Timothy was born and raised in Dallas, TX. He graduated from Texas A&M University and then received a Master's degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. Timothy is married to his wife Kathryn and considers himself to be the poster child for the "how did that guy get that girl" foundation. Timothy and Kathryn have a son named Noah and are expecting their second child in the Fall. Timothy loves Back to the Future and wonders why we can't have background music in real life.

Scot Pollok

Scot grew up in a tiny little town in South Texas called Falls City. He first heard the gospel as a first-semester freshman at Texas A&M University. His life was radically changed almost overnight. He knew very quickly that God wanted him to serve in vocational ministry and that he would attend seminary. That first summer Scot served at a Christian summer camp in Arkansas and taught the Bible for the very first time, a monumental event in his life.

During a Bible Study in his own living room, Scot met a beautiful Australian woman named Liza Staines. It turns out that she already loved Jesus and would soon fall in love with Scot, that is, only after he fell head-over-heels in love with her. Four months later, a ring. Nine months after that, a ceremony (November 2000). In 2003, Scot and Liza decided it was time for him to enter Dallas Theological Seminary. All the while he traveled the country speaking for various groups in various settings, teaching the Bible. During this time, Scot and Liza had their first son, Andrew, in 2004 and his younger sister, Isabel (Izzy) in 2005. Scot graduated from Dallas Seminary with a Masters in Theology from the New Testament Department in May of 2009.

Right before Andrew was born, they found their way to Faith Bible Church through some friends. They immediately felt more connected there than any church experience before. Only after serving as a part-time assistant to Student Pastor, Mark Cornelison, was Scot invited to join the full-time pastoral staff as a teaching pastor for Faith Bible Church. He could not have imagined a better job at a better church. Scot loves being a part of the Faith Bible family but lovesbeing one of its servants even more.

Afshin Ziafat

Afshin was born in Houston, Texas. He moved with his family to their native country of Iran when he was two years old. In the midst of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Afshin's family moved back to Houston when he was six years old. In the second grade, he was given a Bible by a tutor who was teaching him the English language. He read that Bible 10 years later as a senior in high school and came to faith in Christ. His conversion to Christianity was only the beginning of his journey to understand what it would look like to follow Christ.

Ultimately, his family would disown him because of his faith in Christ. His story illustrates the call of Christ on each of our lives—to follow Him regardless of the cost. In so doing, Afshin found that the reward was greater than the cost. He found the life Christ had for him. Afshin says, "My story is not about a man's faithfulness to God; it's about God's faithfulness to a man." His story is one of hope and inspiration, which demonstrates the truth of Matthew 16: 25- that whoever loses his life for the sake of Christ will find it.

Afshin received his undergraduate degree in history from the University of Texas at Austin. He received his Master of Divinity with Biblical Languages degree from Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Currently, Afshin resides in Frisco, Texas, with his wife Meredith. He is the Lead Pastor of Providence Church in Frisco, TX. He is also the founder of Afshin Ziafat Ministries and travels nationally and internationally proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in churches, retreats, camps, conferences, and missions. Afshin speaks weekly at Vertical Bible Study at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He also partners with Elam Ministries and travels into the Middle East regularly to train Iranian pastors. Afshin's passion is to teach the Word of God as the authority and guide for life, to preach Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Redeemer of mankind, and to proclaim the love of Christ as the greatest treasure and hope in life.

Find out more at AfshinZiafat.com.