The Gospel Invitation: Why Publicly Inviting People to Receive Christ Still Matters

O. S. Hawkins, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, is a graduate of Texas Christian University (BBA) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv, PhD). He is Chancellor and Senior Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the former pastor of the historic First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and is President Emeritus of GuideStone Financial Resources, the world's largest Christian-screened mutual fund serving 250,000 church workers and Christian university personnel with an asset base exceeding twenty billion dollars, where he served as President/CEO from 1997 to 2022.

Dr. Hawkins is the author of more than 50 books including the bestselling "Code Series" with over two million in print, including The Joshua Code: 52 Scripture Verses Every Believer Should Know, The Bible Code: Finding Jesus in Every Book in the Bible, The Christmas Code: Daily Devotionals Celebrating the Advent Season, and The Easter Code: A 40-Day Journey to the Cross.

He preaches in churches and conferences across the nation. He is married to Susie and has two daughters, two sons-in-law, and six grandchildren. Visit him at OSHawkins.com and follow him on X @OSHawkins.

Matt Queen is the L.R. Scarborough Chair of Evangelism ("Chair of Fire") and professor of evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He also serves as associate dean in Southwestern's Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions. He is the author of Recapturing Evangelism: A Biblical-Theological Approach (B&H Academic, 2023), Everyday Evangelism, 3rd edition (Seminary Hill Press, 2020), and Mobilize to Evangelize (Seminary Hill Press, 2018). In addition to having edited and contributed chapters in several other books, he has also been published in academic journals. He also serves as Associate Pastor of Evangelism at Lane Prairie Baptist Church, Joshua, Texas and as an Evangelism Consultant for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Queen regularly leads evangelism workshops and preaches in churches across the country. He is married to his wife, Hope, and together they have two daughters. Follow him on Twitter @DrMattQueen.