2026 Speaker and Worship Lineup

 

We are very excited to welcome this excellent line-up of speakers and worship leaders at this year's conference.  Please check out the bios of each of these outstanding speakers and learn more about them and their ministries.

 

SPEAKERS:

 

Craig Smith

Senior Pastor at The Vail Church, Avon, CO

Craig Smith has served as the Lead Pastor of The Vail Church for 19 years alongside his wife, Lenee, who serves at The Vail Church in Global & Local Missions.  They have three daughters, Addison (who is with the Lord), Kendelle and Presley.  Craig has served as a speaker with High Ground for nearly a decade and counts it a tremendous privilege to host the annual conference again this year at TVC!


 

Jeff Kemp

Jeff Kemp Team, MenHuddle.com, former NFL Quarterback, Little Rock, AK

 

Jeff Kemp is a former NFL quarterback and author of Facing the Blitz: Three Strategies for Turning Trials Into Triumphs (2015) and Receive: The Way of Jesus for Men (2023). He is the son of Joanne and Jack Kemp, a former NFL quarterback and Vice Presidential candidate. After graduating from Dartmouth, Jeff joined the Rams, making him and his dad one of just six sets of father-son NFL quarterbacks. After 11 seasons, Jeff retired to focus on his passion for families and seeing men become better friends, husbands, and fathers. He led Stronger Families, a non-profit dedicated to helping families thrive. From 2012 to 2017, Jeff served as a V.P. at FamilyLife, a leading ministry that supports marriages, families, and churches. He and his wife Stacy married in 1983 and have four married sons and nine grandkids. Today, Jeff speaks at conferences across the U.S., coaches leaders, and trains men in identity, relationship investing, and deep friendship. Find him at MenHuddle.com.

 

 

Reverend Dr. Matthew Waterstone

Senior Minister, The Reformed Church of Bronxville, NY

 

Rev. Dr. Matt Waterstone is the Senior Minister of The Reformed Church of Bronxville, in Bronxville, New York.  A native of Holland, MI, Dr. Waterstone did his undergraduate studies at Hope College and both his masters and doctorate work at Western Theological Seminary.  He is the author of the Letters to My First Church, and is a frequent columnist in Bronxville Living.

 

Dr. Waterstone is blessed beyond measure to be married to Sarah.  Together, they have two boys, Willem (age 14) and Bram (age 11).  When not at Church you can find Dr. Waterstone coaching his son’s football/basketball/baseball teams.  He loves the Church, the art of preaching and the intersection between the Bible and his congregation’s life.  While not a great golfer, he loves that too!

 

 

Reverend Tom Haugen, PhD

Senior Pastor, El Montecito Presbyterian Church, Santa Barbara, CA

 

Rev. Tom Haugen serves as the Lead Pastor of El Montecito Presbyterian

Church (ECO) in Santa Barbara, California. At eighteen, under the starry summer sky of North Carolina’s Windy Gap Young Life camp, he placed his trust in Jesus Christ—an encounter that continues to shape his life and ministry.

 

A graduate of the University of Georgia (B.A., Speech Communications), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), the University of Edinburgh (Th.M., Homiletics), and Middlesex University (Ph.D., Homiletics), Tom is passionate about relational ministry and preaching God’s Word in ways that connect biblical truth to everyday life.

 

Before his current role, he served as Campus Pastor at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, and in pastoral ministry across Zurich, Atlanta, and Boston’s North Shore. He and his wife, Lauri—who also serves in ministry as Assistant Pastor to Families at El Montecito Presbyterian Church—share a deep love for the Church and for their three daughters, Melia, Annie, and Jocelyn.

 

 

Mark Warren

Power of 4 Ministries, Newport Beach, CA

 

Mark Warren is a seasoned financial industry executive, speaker, and ministry leader with over 30 years of experience helping individuals and advisors navigate success with integrity and purpose. As Managing Director at one of America’s oldest investment firms, he spent decades guiding clients toward financial security while mentoring young professionals and coaching athletes to lead lives of character. Out of his passion for strengthening men’s spiritual and relational lives, Mark founded Power of 4 Ministries, a movement calling men to reclaim authentic biblical masculinity through community, brotherhood, and faith. Inspired by Jesus’ model of walking with His three closest disciples, Peter, James, and John, Power of 4 Ministries equips men to live with purpose, lead with love, and finish well together. 

 

 

 

Dr. Dave Gibson

Retired Pastor, Eagle, ID

 

Dave came to faith in Christ at the age of 19 after years of anxiety, fear, and loneliness. He is a forestry graduate of the University of Montana and worked in forestry for 7 years. He is a graduate of Dallas Seminary with a masters and a doctorate. Dave served in full time ministry at Alaska Bible College, Christ Community Church (Idaho Falls, ID), Cypress Bible Church (Houston, TX), and East-West Ministries (church planting in spiritually dark countries.) Dave retired to Eagle, Idaho in 2019. In the years since he has been speaking at churches and men’s retreats, leading short-term missions trips (mostly to Cuba and Ecuador), mentoring young men, serving as an interim pastor, writing, and consulting with local churches on various issues.

 

Dave is married to Kathi (51 years) and they have three children and eleven grandchildren. Dave’s hobbies include camping, hunting, reading, woodworking, and writing. He has visited all the continents, all the states, and 45 countries around the world—most of the travel being for ministry. You can hear Dave’s messages online at www.corkingoodsermons.com. (The humblest name he could think of at the time.)

 

Dave has written three books: Travel Required: 90 Days of Worry. Also, In My Father’s Wake: How an Anxious Boy Learned to Love a Difficult Dad. (The book was recognized by the Christian Independent Publisher’s Association in the 2023 relationship category.) And Treasures Along the Road: Ideas that Change Choices about Family, Faith, and Friends.

 

 

 

WORSHIP TEAM:

  • Morning Worship Leaders: 

Gary Ray and Rick Barton, Rick Barton Ministries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Evening Worship Leaders:   

Todd Doss, Vail Church Worship Pastor, guest artist Bruce Carroll, and members of the Vail Church Worship Team.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Friday evening Concert: 

Bruce Carroll, Singer and songwriter (and past High Ground participant). Bruce is a multiple Grammy and Dove award winner, and we are excited to have him return to lead the evening worship including a concert Friday night.  Learn more about Bruce on his website Bruce Carroll Music.