Daniel L. Akin is the president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He holds a Ph.D. in Humanities from the University of Texas at Arlington and is the author or editor of numerous books and Bible commentaries including A Handbook of Theology and the New American Commentary on 1, 2, and 3 John . He is also the co-author of Pastoral Theology: Theological Foundations for Who a Pastor Is and What He Does . James Merritt is the pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, Georgia. He is the host of a nationwide and worldwide broadcast ministry, Touching Lives .

He earned a Master of Divinity degree and a PhD in Evangelism from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as President of the Southern Baptist Convention - the largest protestant denomination in the country. He and his wife, Teresa, have three sons and five grandchildren.