Baltimore-Washington Conference: Lay Planter Training (Basic)

Rev. Doug Ruffle was born in New York and grew up in New Jersey, Doug served churches in New Jersey and Argentina, where he worked with the Methodist Church of that country as a missionary of The United Methodist Church. For ten years he served as Director of Congregational Development for the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. Currently, he works at Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, as Director of Community Engagement and Church Planting Resources. He also serves as liaison with The Upper Room and Discipleship Resources International.

Rev. Dr. Bener Baysa Agtarap is Executive Director, Community Engagement & Church Planting / Path1, and Director, Connectional Mobilization. His life and ministry began in the Philippines, continuing to the United States in the upper midwest, the deep south, and on to the west coast. Bener has church planting in his blood and plants some kind of new faith community everywhere he moves. Bener is a pastor, church planter, and a disciple-making movement multiplier that makes him uniquely qualified to lead our denomination’s efforts to create new places for new people in Jesus’ name.

Bener is an ordained elder of the California Nevada Annual Conference. He graduated from Philippines School of Business & Administration (PSBA) with a B.S. in Business Administration, Management & Accounting, received a Master’s in Business Administration & Organizational Behavior from PSBA, an MDiv from Union Theological Seminary (cum laude), and a Doctorate of Philosophy & Development Administration from Philippines Christian University.