Leroy Fitts is a native of Norlina, North Carolina. After receiving the call of Jesus Christ to the Gospel Ministry at age 17, he continued his education at Virginia Seminary and College, Lynchburg VA (A.A.); Shaw University, Raleigh, NC, (B.A.); Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC (M.Div.) Baltimore Hebrew University, Baltimore, MD (M.A.); and Post Graduate studies as a NEH Fellow at Princeton University and the Urban Center of Graduate Studies, Southeastern Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC.
He received the D. Div. from St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, where he served on the faculty for more than 20 years. Dr. Fitts has lectured and taught at several colleges, universities, and seminaries, including a lecture at Oxford University, Oxford England where he holds membership in the Oxford Round Table.
Dr. Fitts greatest contributions to the Kingdom of God include the pastorate of several churches including three rural churches in North Carolina beginning at the age of 18; the First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, NC (1968-1972), and the historic First Baptist Church, Baltimore, MD (1972-2009).
Rev. Fitts married Alice Louise Alston more than 52 years ago and have two sons and two daughters. They have eight grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Dexter Holmes serves as the Co-Pastor of Church of the Rock Praise Factory. He is a graduate of the Calvary Bible Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, and a Master of Arts in Composition and Rhetoric from the University of the District of Columbia. He also holds a Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Capitol Bible Seminary. Elder Holmes is currently a PhD candidate at Capital Seminary. He serves as Adjunct Professor at Lancaster Bible College teaching Christian Narrative, Christian Literature, English Composition, and Writing & Research.
Pastor Holmes serves as Head of Men’s Ministry at Church of the Rock Praise Factory, and as the director of the Rock Basic Bible Institute assigned with teaching and curriculum development for the two-year program of elder training & leadership training.
He enjoys being married to Elder Juanita Holmes for over 30 years. They have a blended family of five sons.
Randy Millwood serves Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware churches in church strengthening, including an emphasis on leaders’ soul care, strategic disciple-making, small groups, and the Awaken church revitalization process. Randy brings to churches opportunities for spiritual depth, honest evaluation, and soothing encouragement. He also helps pastors slow down long enough to truly hear the voice of God.
In addition to his ministries with the BCM/D, Randy serves as a professional spiritual leadership coach with Blackaby Ministries, a Doctor of Ministry field mentor and adjunct faculty for various seminaries, including Gateway (formerly Golden Gate), New Orleans and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminaries. He also serves on the faculty for the fully on-line Rockbridge Seminary.
Randy has served in some form of ministry for over 40 years in church roles from founding pastor to bus pastor and everything in between. He has also worked with LifeWay Christian Resources and was on faculty with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary for eleven years before beginning his ministry at the BCM/D.
In 2012, Randy published his first book, “To Love and To Cherish from This Day Forward: A Portrait of a Healthy Church,” and a related Church Health assessment instrument, “A Portrait of a Healthy Church.” In addition, he has contributed articles to several magazines and journals, hosts a blog site (www.simplymillwood.com), and has written and presented several academic papers.
Randy and his wife, Adele, were high school sweethearts. They have two sons, seven grandchildren, and a beloved Corgi named Elly May.
He is available to meet with pastors and church leaders to discuss areas regarding church strengthening.
Rev. Zachary Ritvalsky is the Vice President of Institutional Alignment at Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School (LBC | Capital) where prior to his current position he served as their Philadelphia Site Director. In his current capacity he leads efforts to assess, create, maintain, and enhance strategic alignment across all LBC | Capital locations.
Ritvalsky also serves as pastor of Sweet Union Baptist Church in Philadelphia where he has served for 15 years. There, he was instrumental in forming Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower and Rebuild (P.O.W.E.R.), a social justice ecumenical organization comprised of more than 40 faith communities.
Ritvalsky earned his M.A. in Theological Studies from Westminster Theological Seminary and also held positions with several corporations, including LF Driscoll, Bristol Myers Squibb and Ernst & Young.
Ritvalsky is married to Cherie Ritvalsky who has been the apple of his eye for 27 years. Their marriage has produced two daughters, Ilana, and Kristy, as well as a granddaughter, McKenzie.
All registered will receive a Zoom Link for the Conference prior to the event.
If you are registering for others and want them to receive the Zoom link, please include their email.
For Additional Information Contact:
Event Questions – Michael Mattar Mmattar@bcmd.org
Registration Questions – Demetra Bennett dbennett@bcmd.org
