General Sessions
CREDENTIALING SERVICE Sunday Evening
Dr. Michael Rakes
President of Evangel University
Dr. Mike Rakes is a Spirit-led leader, university president, and turnaround leader known for blending theological depth with bold executive leadership. With terminal degrees in both theology and business, he operates at the intersection of spiritual discernment and organizational transformation. Dr. Rakes has raised over $100 million in philanthropic investment, led institutional renewals, and coached leaders to navigate complexity with clarity and conviction.
He is the author of The Black Start Leader, a groundbreaking framework that helps leaders restore momentum after seasons of breakdown, using biblical and energy metaphors to reignite vision and restore the organization to greatness. His voice is prophetic, his leadership catalytic, and his message clear: this generation needs leaders who are as committed to the presence of God as they are to measurable impact. Dr. Rakes speaks with a singular passion — to see leaders formed in the fire of God’s presence and to power the organizations they lead.
General session Monday Morning
Supt. John Davis
Superintendent of Wisconsin Northern Michigan Ministries Network
Pastor John Davis is the Network Superintendent of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan for the Assemblies of God. He has served thirty years of faithful ministry as lead pastor of Poplar Creek Church in New Berlin, WI, along with serving on numerous boards.
He has been in the ministry for 38 years and has also served as President of the Board of Directors of City on a Hill – an inner city ministry in Milwaukee – and as a Member of the Board of Regents at North Central University, Minneapolis, MN. In May 2018, Pastor Davis earned a Master of Arts Degree in Strategic Leadership through the Graduate School at North Central University.
Pastor John has a shepherd’s heart for the people of the Body of Christ. The mercy and grace of the Lord shows through his actions and his anointed preaching and teaching. His passion is to have the people God places in his care walk closely with the Lord Jesus Christ and experience the power of His Holy Spirit.
General session MONDAY AFTERNOON
Dr. Darla Rakes
Evangel University's ambassador to Students & Donors
Darla Rakes currently serves as Evangel University’s Ambassador to Students and Donors. Her speaking inspires and awakens people to rise up from every false identification to discover the power of their real identity in Christ. In addition to serving as a student pastor in Oklahoma and Missouri, she has held various other positions in Florida churches and, most notably, as a co-lead pastor with her husband in North Carolina.
General session Tuesday sessions
Dr. Darnell Williams
President North Central University & the National Black Fellowship
Darnell K. Williams, Sr. is a Cleveland native, lifelong Browns fan, and ordained Assemblies of God minister. He and his wife, Charlene—married since 1993—are the parents of one adult son, Adrian (Darnell Jr.). Together, they spent nearly 30 years as Lead Pastors in Columbus and Lima, Ohio, with a deep passion for multiethnic ministry, practical leadership, and removing barriers in urban ministry contexts.
Dr. Williams currently serves as President of the National Black Fellowship of the Assemblies of God and the 9th President of North Central University (NCU) in Minneapolis, where he has been an Associate Professor of Pastoral Studies since 2022. He also leads NCU’s Preaching Institute for City Transformation, a Lilly Endowment–funded initiative promoting preaching that inspires and guides spiritual growth.
He holds a D.Min. from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, an M.A. in Business Management from Regent University, and a B.A. in Pastoral Ministry from Holmes Bible College. Dr. Williams is the author of Wings to Rise: Blacks, Leadership and the Assemblies of God and Set-Up for a Breakthrough: Reflections on the Life of Joseph.