ED STETZER

Billy Graham Distinguished Chair, Wheaton College

"Rick Blackwood is a powerful communicator. He knows how to lead a church from the pulpit. Christ Fellowship has grown from one location in Miami to seven under his leadership. Rick's passion for expository preaching is evident. His high-impact preaching is combined with a passion for reaching people. It's a powerful combination. Christ Fellowship may be the largest church you've not heard of, but it's a story is worth telling."

JIM TOMBERLIN

Multisite and Merger Consultant, The Unstuck Group

 "Rick Blackwood is a skillful communicator who demonstrates you can build and grow a multi-generational, multicultural, multisite church on a steady diet of biblical exposition."

MARK CROSTON

National Director of Black & Western Church Partnerships,

LifeWay Christian Resources

"Rick Blackwood is one of the most creative and thoughtful expository preachers I know. As a proven practitioner, he has grown Christ Fellowship into a multi-site, multi-ethnic force for the Gospel across Miami and around the world.  He is focused and strategic in his teachings to coach strangers to become family, and family to move toward leadership."

HERSCHEL YORK

Dean of the School of Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"No one understands the dual pastoral components of preaching and leadership better than Rick Blackwood, but Rick is also uniquely gifted in equipping others to leverage biblical preaching to move a congregation toward greater Christlikeness and a deeper commitment to fulfilling the God-given mission. He helps pastors refuse the false dichotomy between spiritual growth and numerical growth. Any pastor who desires to feed and lead the Lord’s flock will find his strategic coaching in engaging exposition and focused leadership an invaluable game changer." 

MARK RICHT

Former Georgia and Miami Head Football Coach

Rick served as my pastor while I was head football coach at University of Miami. He is an extremely skilled communicator of the Word and combines that with the heart of a coach. While I was coaching football, Pastor Rick was coaching me in God’s word! If I were a pastor,  I would want to be on his team and have him as my coach. 

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“Great players make great plays; great coaches make great players.”