As a young man in 1970, Byron Spradlin wrote down his assignment from God that’s guided every ministry effort he's undertaken for more than half a century, “to disciple and mentor people out of music and the arts, working them into the fabric of church, missions, and marketplace ministry around the world.”

Just three years later, he founded an organization dedicated to fulfilling that assignment and calling. Artists in Christian Testimony International reflects the heart, mission, and lessons learned through more than 50 years of Byron’s career as a musician, published songwriter, Bible teacher, church planter, pastor, professor, and international specialist on worship, imagination, and arts leadership.

Lew Flagg is the retired owner and principle of The Milford Group, a business software consultancy to project-oriented firms like architects and engineers. Prior to that, he worked in high tech marketing, transit system management and consulting, higher education administration, and church administration. He has been a gospel singer since he and Byron Spradlin toured together with the Continental Singers throughout the US, the Caribbean, and South America.

More recently, he has been involved in raising money for significant World Vision projects in three African countries. These days he is a teacher and preacher of the Bible and sings with two barbershop choruses and a barbershop quartet. Since they often sing for assisted living and nursing homes in Maine, the demographically oldest state in the nation, he considers this a ministry, too.

Marv and Evie Bowers served as missionaries with MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) for 17 years. Their first 11 years of service were in Zaire (now DR Congo), Africa flying for the national church. During their last term in Zaire, Marv founded and ran the first professional level flight school in Zaire for the Zaire Protestant Council of Churches (ECZ) The next six years Marv was MAF-USA's Africa Projects Manager.

In 1986 Marv and Evie founded ILS (Information and Learning Systems) International as a high-tech non-profit agency that focuses on designing low cost digital tools for pioneer leaders living, working, and serving the least reached peoples and places of the world, especially in areas with limited and/or no access to electricity, the Internet, and cell phone coverage.

Neal Joseph brings more than 35 years of senior-level leadership experience in the corporate, church, and nonprofit worlds to his role as Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Mission: Leadership, a faith-based executive recruiting firm.

Prior to this, he served as VP of Nonprofit Recruiting at Slingshot Group, Senior VP of International Partnerships at Compassion International, a megachurch Executive Pastor, Chief Operating Officer at Generous Giving, Label President at Warner Bros. Records, and VP of A&R and Marketing at Word Records. In addition to ACT International, Neal also serves on the boards of American Leprosy Missions, the Accord Network, and Free Guitars 4 Kids.

He has traveled to 50+ countries throughout the world—both Western and developing—and after many years in Nashville, Tennessee, now lives just north of Orlando, Florida with his bride of 41 years, Wendy.

Having spent 38 years in the corporate world as a VP of Sales & Marketing and company manager, David McCall became executive pastor of Highland Park Church, Nashville, Tennessee, in 2012, teaching weekly Bible studies and occasionally preaching. This position became full-time upon his corporate retirement in 2018. In the midst of those activities, David attained a degree in ministry and completed his masters degree in organizational leadership at Williamson College in Franklin, Tennessee.

After a trip he and his wife took to Israel in 2013, David answered the call to lead people of faith on biblical study trips to Israel, Greece, and Italy, and has been doing so ever since. His association with ACT International spans almost two decades, and he considers this ministry an invaluable component to God's kingdom for its expression of the Gospel through the many artistic and innovative people who have been called to be voices for Christ.

Brian Petak is the lead pastor at Ascent Church in Monument, Colorado, moving his family there from Nashville in 2017. Prior to Ascent Church, Brian served from 1998-2017 with Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, Tennessee, most recently as the pastor of missions, following over 15 years in worship and arts ministry. He completed his master’s degree in Systematic Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, IL) in 1997, an M.Div. in 2014, and is currently working on a D.Min. in Leadership through Denver Seminary. He has taught seminars and courses on Bible, theology, worship, and other topics in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He has a passion to encourage and equip pastors, leaders, and artists globally.

He currently holds positions on the boards of Moscow Theological Seminary (Russia), Solidarity Ministries Africa for Reconciliation and Development (South Sudan), PEACE Int’l (South Sudan/Uganda), and ACT Int'l (Artists in Christian Testimony International, Nashville, TN). As a songwriter and worship leader, he has had a number of songs published and recorded on a variety of CCM, worship, and choral projects. He also loves to play classical and jazz piano. Brian married his beautiful wife, Heidi (Ph.D. in Communication, Regent University), in 2001 and has four active sons, Josiah (19), Jonathan (17), Joshua (14), and Justin (12). The boys keep them busy skiing, camping, hiking, and mountain biking.

Dr. Whaley is Associate Vice President of Program Development in Music and Worship at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN. Having served for nearly 15 years as Dean of the School of Music and Director of the Center for Worship at Liberty University, Dr. Whaley has distinguished himself as a teacher of worship studies for better than thirty-five years. Under his leadership, hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students were enrolled in Liberty University’s Center for Music and Worship, Center for Music Education and Performance, Michael W. Smith Center for Commercial Music, and Department of Graduate Music and Worship Studies at Liberty University.

Recently serving as Minister of Music at the Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida, Dr. Whaley served churches in Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma in Music Education (Theory/Composition Concentration); D.W.S. from Liberty University; D. Min. (Church Music Administration Concentration) and M.C.M. from Luther Rice Seminary, M.A. from Middle Tennessee State University, and B.A. in Bible and Music from Welch College (formerly Free Will Baptist Bible College).

Dr. Whaley is president of Integra Music Group, a music publishing company based in Nashville, TN. He has published arrangements, compositions, and orchestrations with well-known Christian music publishers, created several musicals, and edited two popular hymnals. He is known as a creative choral arranger, dynamic worship leader, and effective conference speaker.

Dr. Whaley has written and co-authored nine books: Understanding Music and Worship in the Local Church (Evangelical Training Association, 1994), The Dynamics of Corporate Worship (Baker Books, 2001), Called to Worship (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2009), The Great Commission to Worship (B & H Publishers with Dr. David Wheeler, 2011), Worship Through the Ages (B & H Publishers with Dr. Elmer Towns, 2012), Exalt His Name: Understanding Music and Worship, Book 1 & 2 (Evangelical Training Association, 2018 & 2019), and The Way of Worship: A guide to living and leading authentic worship (Zondervan Publishers with Michael Neale, (2020).

Dr. Whaley is married to Beth, has two adult children, six grandchildren and resides in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.