The Lampstand
The Lampstand Conference casts a biblical vision for church health and ministry strategies. We focus on depending upon the means of grace for spiritual formation, making disciples through Christ-centered and Gospel-driven ministry, and leadership development and deployment.
The Conference offers three focused ministry tracks according to your need: Church Planting, Church Revitalization, and Church Acceleration.
Church Planting – Igniting the Flame
Our experienced church planting faculty and coaches provide instruction and insight that is both Biblical and practical for starting spiritually healthy churches that are committed to worship, evangelism, discipleship and leadership development.
Church Revitalization – Embers to a Flame
Lampstand uses the Biblical paradigm found in Jesus’ words in Revelation 2:5 to the church at Ephesus—“Remember, Repent, and Recover the First Things”—Lampstand’s revitalization track equips churches that have fallen into spiritual decline and functional malaise.
Church Acceleration – Fanning the Flame
As a church grows spiritually and expands its impact functionally, it is crucial to stay on Message, in Mission, and in Ministry. Our church acceleration track focuses on next-level leadership development, decision-making, and faithful shepherding for the next season in the life of Biblically healthy churches.
The Conference offers three focused ministry tracks according to your need: Church Planting, Church Revitalization, and Church Acceleration.
Church Planting – Igniting the Flame
Our experienced church planting faculty and coaches provide instruction and insight that is both Biblical and practical for starting spiritually healthy churches that are committed to worship, evangelism, discipleship and leadership development.
Church Revitalization – Embers to a Flame
Lampstand uses the Biblical paradigm found in Jesus’ words in Revelation 2:5 to the church at Ephesus—“Remember, Repent, and Recover the First Things”—Lampstand’s revitalization track equips churches that have fallen into spiritual decline and functional malaise.
Church Acceleration – Fanning the Flame
As a church grows spiritually and expands its impact functionally, it is crucial to stay on Message, in Mission, and in Ministry. Our church acceleration track focuses on next-level leadership development, decision-making, and faithful shepherding for the next season in the life of Biblically healthy churches.
Conference Speakers:
Dr. Tom Hawkes
Director of Church Planting, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
Dr. Tom Hawkes (Ph.D., London School of Theology/Middlesex U) is a minister in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church where he serves as the Director of Church Planting for the Florida Presbytery and as the planting pastor for Christ Presbyterian Church, Fernandina Beach, Florida, where he and his wife, Ann, live. Tom and Ann have four married sons and seven grandchildren. Tom and Ann share a passion for helping to raise up the next generation of leaders for the next generation of churches.
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Dr. Sandy Willson
Pastor Emeritus, Second Presbyterian Church
Sanders L. (Sandy) Willson is Pastor Emeritus at Second Presbyterian Church, Memphis, Tennessee where he served for twenty -two years. After retiring from Second Presbyterian, he served as an interim pastor in two PCA churches and then as interim president for The Gospel Coalition. He also pastored Memorial Presbyterian Church in Elizabethton, Tennessee and Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee and recently served as interim senior pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, AL.
Dr. J. Scott Redd
Lead Pastor, Briarwood Presbyterian Church
Dr. J. Scott Redd serves as Lead Pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church. He is committed to the faithful preaching of God’s Word, shepherding the congregation, and equipping believers to follow Christ in every area of life.
Before coming to Briarwood, Dr. Redd served as President and Stephen B. Elmer Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), he has also served congregations in Maryland, Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and Florida and has taught extensively in theological education both in the United States and abroad.
Dr. Redd holds a Master of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures from The Catholic University of America. His teaching and writing focus on Old Testament theology, the Hebrew Scriptures, and the unity of the Bible’s message in Christ. He is the author of The Wholeness Imperative: How Christ Unifies Our Desires, Identity, and Impact in the World and Ezekiel: A Prophet in Exile.
Scott and his wife, Jennifer, are grateful to be part of the Briarwood family. They have five daughters.
Before coming to Briarwood, Dr. Redd served as President and Stephen B. Elmer Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), he has also served congregations in Maryland, Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and Florida and has taught extensively in theological education both in the United States and abroad.
Dr. Redd holds a Master of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures from The Catholic University of America. His teaching and writing focus on Old Testament theology, the Hebrew Scriptures, and the unity of the Bible’s message in Christ. He is the author of The Wholeness Imperative: How Christ Unifies Our Desires, Identity, and Impact in the World and Ezekiel: A Prophet in Exile.
Scott and his wife, Jennifer, are grateful to be part of the Briarwood family. They have five daughters.
Brian Cosby
Senior Pastor) Wayside Church, Signal Mountain, TN
A native of Signal Mountain, Brian was called to Wayside in April 2012 after serving churches in Alabama and Georgia. He is an adjunct professor of historical theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Atlanta, and at Birmingham Theological Seminary in Birmingham, Alabama.
He holds degrees from Samford University (B.A.), Beeson Divinity School (M.Div.), and the Australian College of Theology (Ph.D.). A former chaplain (Capt.) in the United States Air Force Reserves, Brian now serves on the board of trustees for Covenant Theological Seminary, a council member of the Gospel Reformation Network, and a coach for Briarwood's Lampstand revitalization ministry. He is also the author of over a dozen books. Brian enjoys reading, carpentry, hunting, and fishing.
He and his wife, Ashley, have three children and live on a small farm.
He holds degrees from Samford University (B.A.), Beeson Divinity School (M.Div.), and the Australian College of Theology (Ph.D.). A former chaplain (Capt.) in the United States Air Force Reserves, Brian now serves on the board of trustees for Covenant Theological Seminary, a council member of the Gospel Reformation Network, and a coach for Briarwood's Lampstand revitalization ministry. He is also the author of over a dozen books. Brian enjoys reading, carpentry, hunting, and fishing.
He and his wife, Ashley, have three children and live on a small farm.
Rev. Rob Looper
Dr. John Currie
National / Revitalization Pastor, Briarwood Presbyterian Church
Senior Pastor, Proclamation Presbyterian Church
Rob attended both Clemson University and the University of South Carolina, graduating in 1988. It was at USC, through Reformed University Fellowship, that he came to know the Lord and discerned God’s call to pastoral ministry. Rob attended Covenant Theological Seminary and met and later married fellow CTS student Lisa Duck. In 1993, he received his Master of Divinity degree and was ordained in Missouri Presbytery and ministered at Twin Oaks Presbyterian church until 1998. After serving as Senior Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Tuscaloosa, Rob pastored the historic McIlwain Memorial Presbyterian Church in Pensacola, FL for 20 years. It was at McIlwain that Rob became involved with Dr. Harry Reeder’s ministry of church vitality, Embers to a Flame, now Lampstand. In 2022, the Lord called Rob to serve as National Missions and Church Revitalization Pastor at Briarwood, where he oversees support for over 120 USA-based missionaries and leads Lampstand, encouraging pastors and churches to be rooted in the means of grace. Rob and Lisa have three adult children, Hannah, Bennett, and Laura.
Dr. John Currie serves as the Senior Pastor of Proclamation Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He also serves as Broekhuizen Professor of Pastoral Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary and is the author of The Pastor as Leader (Crossway, 2024), as well as several articles in the field of pastoral theology.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
January 20, 2027
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm • (Pre Conference Check-in)
January 21, 2027
7:00 am – 8:00 am • (Conference Check-in)
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
January 22, 2027
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
January 23, 2027
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Detailed schedule to be posted September 1, 2026
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm • (Pre Conference Check-in)
January 21, 2027
7:00 am – 8:00 am • (Conference Check-in)
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
January 22, 2027
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
January 23, 2027
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Detailed schedule to be posted September 1, 2026
Information, Directions & Parking:
Event Location:
Briarwood Presbyterian Church
2200 Briarwood Way, Birmingham, AL 35243
Event Dates & Time:
January 20–23, 2027
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Parking & Entry:
• Enter the Briarwood campus from the south entrance off Acton Road.
• Follow the road around the left side of the church and park near the Chapel entrance.
• Our events will be in the Fellowship Hall, just to the right inside the Chapel entry.
Briarwood Presbyterian Church
2200 Briarwood Way, Birmingham, AL 35243
Event Dates & Time:
January 20–23, 2027
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Parking & Entry:
• Enter the Briarwood campus from the south entrance off Acton Road.
• Follow the road around the left side of the church and park near the Chapel entrance.
• Our events will be in the Fellowship Hall, just to the right inside the Chapel entry.
Map to First Presbyterian Church:
Briarwood Presbyterian Church
About Our Church:
Briarwood Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America located in suburban Birmingham, Alabama. Briarwood is located at 2200 Briarwood Way, Birmingham Al. You can access our campus off I-459 at Acton Road, exit #17. Our Acton Road entrance is across from the McDonald’s.
On Sundays, we hold two worship services in the morning, at 8:00 and 11:00 a.m., and one in the evening at 6:00 pm.
Briarwood Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America located in suburban Birmingham, Alabama. Briarwood is located at 2200 Briarwood Way, Birmingham Al. You can access our campus off I-459 at Acton Road, exit #17. Our Acton Road entrance is across from the McDonald’s.
On Sundays, we hold two worship services in the morning, at 8:00 and 11:00 a.m., and one in the evening at 6:00 pm.