Speakers & Leaders
John V. Upton, Jr.
John V. Upton, Jr. was elected Executive Director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia and the Virginia Baptist Mission Board during the annual meeting of the General Association in November 2001.
John had been group leader of the Mission Mobilization Group since 1995. Earlier he was pastor of Urbanna Baptist Church in Urbanna and he and his wife, Deborah, served as missionaries in Taiwan through the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board.
John, a Norfolk born Virginia native, is a graduate of Averett College (now University) in Danville and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. The Uptons have two sons, Christopher and Richard, a daughter, Emily, and four grandchildren.
John assumed his responsibilities as Executive Director of the VBMB/BGAV on March 1, 2002. He was elected to a fiveyear term as President of the Baptist World Alliance on July 31, 2010.
Education
- Averett College (now University), BA
- Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, MDiv Taiwan Language Institute
- International Baptist Theological Seminary, India, DDiv
Missions
- Foreign Mission Board Missionary to Taiwan, 1986-1991 (Mandarin speaking Missions)
- Group Leader of Mission Mobilization Group, 1995-2002
Pastorates
- Lake Shore Baptist Church, Waco, Texas
- Colts Neck Baptist Church, Colts Neck, New Jersey
- Urbanna Baptist Church, Urbanna, Virginia, 1984-1986
- Urbanna Baptist Church, Urbanna, Virginia, 1991-1995
Dr. Daniel G. Bagby
Daniel G. Bagby is the Theodore F. Adams Emeritus Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling and Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, son and grandson of missionary parents.
Did undergraduate work in Psychology, Religion, English (Baylor U), a Master's in Psychology, an MDiv. at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. and a PhD. in Marriage & Family Counseling (Wayne E. Oates fellow). Post-Doc study at Univ. Of Edinburgh, Scotland. Pastored for twenty six years (Virginia, Indiana, and Texas), was chaplain to a Juvenile Detention Ctr., to a mental hospital, and chaplain to a Women's Prison four years (Ky), a pastoral Counselor in two Pastoral Counseling Centers (Indiana and Texas), and taught Pastoral Care at two seminaries (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville and BTSR).
Married to a 9th grade English teacher, father to a 38 yr. old son ( Ph.D. teaching in Fla.), and a 31 yr. old daughter (UR,UVA,& BTSR grad). Teaches Pastoral Care, Marriage & Family Counseling, Crisis Care, etc. (teaches in Brazil at seminary every two years). Consultant to Hospice Programs and United Way agencies.
A few other notable points about Dr. Bagby:
- Clinical member of professional membership organizations: American Association of Marriage & Family Therapists (AAMFT), the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), and the American Orthopsychiatric Association.
- Supervisor of seminary clinical pastoral education programs (on MCV and Caring Community CPE Consultation Boards).
- Wrote seven books: Understanding Anger in the Church, Transition and Newness (on Loss), Before You Marry, The Church: The Power to Help and to Hurt, Seeing Through Our Tears, Crisis Handbook: First Response, and Beyond The Myths: The Journey To Adulthood.
- Edited three books in series for Abingdon: The Church and Addiction (2002), Pastoral Responses to Sexual Abuse (2003), and Pastoral Responses to Suicide (2006).
- Wrote section on “Anger” in The Dictionary of Pastoral Care & Counseling (Abingdon), and chapter on “Managing BiPolar Issues” (Oxford).
- Taught at educational institutions: Baylor University, Purdue University, and Southern Seminary, as well as for the International Mission Board’s Journeyman Training Program.
- He is the 2005 recipient of the Wayne Oates Award.
Dr. Waylon B. Moore
Among a rare handful of church-oriented teachers in the field of mentoring, discipleship and leadership training is Dr. Waylon B. Moore. Dr. Moore is committed to mentoring disciples of Jesus Christ in the context of the local church. In his ministry, he was Minister of Evangelism at First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida.
He has pastored rural and mission churches, and for 13 years pastored Spencer Memorial Baptist Church in Tampa, a large city-wide church that averaged over 100 baptisms per year. In his background he touched lives on skid-row at Pacific Garden Mission, and did personal soul-winning at M.I.T., Harvard, and the University of Texas. As resource lecturer for more than 30 years for the International Mission Board of the SBC, Dr. Moore has held seminars and leadership conferences in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Central and South America.
His new book Living God's Word is currently being used in more than 7,000 church Bible-study groups. Preaching to hundreds of pastors and ministers around the world, his Bible messages have fired-up ministries and chartered new directions for pastors.
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Dr. Moore has degrees from Baylor University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and LeTourneau College. He is married to Clemmie E. Moore, M.D. They have two grown, committed children and make their home in Tampa, Florida.
Dr. Sebastian al-Masih
The speaker has doctorates in both philosophy and psychology as well as a masters degree in marriage and family therapy.
Within philosophy his focus has been on analytic epistemology and Islamic philosophy and theology, including Islamic social and political philosophy. In psychology his emphasis has been on cognitive behavioral psychotherapy and the integration of religious content into evidence-based psychotherapy. These two areas of study have come together in his research on the psychology of discipleship with a particular interest in the discipleship of MBB’s.
He has taught Islamic studies for many years both within the United States and Europe and has worked in Eastern Europe to help universities and seminaries develop psychotherapy training programs.
He is the founder of a psychotherapy training center on the east coast, is a full time pastor, and is currently working on developing and assessing a computerized system to help churches organize teams of individuals to care for those in need and to track that care to make sure that no one is overlooked.
Dr. Sebastian is recognized as an expert on Muslims in America.
Dr. Don Davidson
Don is a native of Suffolk, Virginia. He received his BA degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and then his Master of Divinity degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC.
He preached his first sermon at age 16 and was pastor of his first church, Worsham Baptist of Farmville, VA., at age 19. He later served churches in North Carolina and Florida, coming back to Virginia in 1989 to pastor Mount Hermon Church in Danville. He came to First Baptist Alexandria in November, 2005.
Don has served as president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia (2004), and as a trustee for the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (1995-2005). He is currently on the boards of Hopetree Family Services of Virginia, the John Leland Center for Theological Studies, and Guidestone Financial Resources (the Annuity Board of the SBC).
His wife, Audrey, is from Keysville, Virginia, and has been involved in education all of her career. In 1999 she was appointed by the Governor to serve a term on Virginia’s State Board of Education.