Thom S. Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. He served at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for twelve years where he was the founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism. Rainer graduated from the University of Alabama in 1977. He earned his Master of Divinity and Ph.D. degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to speaking in hundreds of venues, Rainer led Rainer Group, a church and denominational consulting firm, from 1990 to 2005. Rainer is the author of twenty-two books, including Breakout Churches, Simple Life, Simple Church, Raising Dad, The Millennials, and Essential Church. His book, I Am a Church… Member, hit #1 on the CBA best-seller list.