President of TCP

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Derrick Puckett is the Lead Pastor and Church Planter of Renewal Church of Chicago and serves as President of The Chicago Partnership. He and his wife, Kaley, moved to Chicago in 2013 to plant a Gospel centered disciple making multi-ethnic church. Renewal started in 2014 and has been thriving ever since. Derrick has a B.A. from Indiana University and a M.Div. from Mid America Baptist Theological Seminary. Derrick and Kaley have 4 beautiful daughters, Ramiyah, Elyana, Isabelle and Nalah and a new son, DJ.

Director of Leader Development

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Brian Dye serves as Director of Leader Development for The Chicago Partnership. Brian’s passion is "to train leaders in ministry to urban America." In 2006 he founded The Legacy Conference to equip those that are serious about being disciples of Christ to make disciples for Christ. In 2008 he co-founded Legacy Christian Fellowship, a multiplying house church movement in the city of Chicago. He has been married to his best friend and ministry partner, Heidi, since July 2000.

Board Member

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Eric Rivera (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the Lead Pastor at The Brook, a multiethnic church in Chicago that he and his team planted with the EFCA in 2013. Eric is passionate for mobilizing the church to be on mission in an urban context. He is the Department Chair and Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and is the author of Christ is Yours (Lexham 2019) and Unexpected Jesus (Forthcoming Kirkdale Press 2022). He contributed the chapter “Planting a New Church” in the One Volume Seminary (Moody Publishers 2022) and “Building up your Spouse” with his wife Erikah in The Story of Us: A Couples Devotional (FamilyLife 2019). He and Erikah have been married since 2003 and together speak for FamilyLife’s Weekend to Remember marriage getaways. They are parents to three amazing kids.

Eric Rivera (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the Lead Pastor at The Brook, a multiethnic church in Chicago that he and his team planted with the EFCA in 2013. Eric is passionate for mobilizing the church to be on mission in an urban context. He is the Department Chair and Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and is the author of Christ is Yours (Lexham 2019) and Unexpected Jesus (Forthcoming Kirkdale Press 2022). He contributed the chapter “Planting a New Church” in the One Volume Seminary (Moody Publishers 2022) and “Building up your Spouse” with his wife Erikah in The Story of Us: A Couples Devotional (FamilyLife 2019). He and Erikah have been married since 2003 and together speak for FamilyLife’s Weekend to Remember marriage getaways. They are parents to three amazing kids.

Board Member

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Charlie Dates is the senior pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago and serves on the board of TCP. Before his call to Progressive, he served as an apprentice pastor at New Zion Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois, and as a pastor at Salem Baptist Church in Chicago. Charlie earned an M.Div. and Ph.D. at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where his research focused on the burden of black preaching in late 20th-century Chicago. Charlie and his wife, Kristie, have two children.

Board Member

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Watson Jones III is the Senior Pastor of Compassion Baptist Church on Chicago’s Southside and serves on the board of TCP. He was the Founding and Lead Pastor of Restoration Church of Philadelphia. Before moving to Philadelphia, Watson served at his home church, Salem Baptist Church of Chicago. Watson has a B.A. in Business from Trinity International University, an M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric. Watson is married to his wife Kelli, and together they have three children, Yeshaya, Watson IV, and Ellison.

Board Member

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Rod Penner serves on the executive board of The Chicago Partnership as Vice Chair & Director of Capital. His focus is on connecting a network of visionary leaders to resource 100 new church plants over the next decade throughout Chicago. He and his wife, Jona, have three active children and he has served as an Elder at Park Community Church since 2005. Vocationally, he is a marketplace leader that works to help people understand their Ephesians 2:10 calling and the innate motivation that God implants in us to fulfill it.

Admin Assistant

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Liz Carroll is the Administrative Assistant for Derrick Puckett, President of The Chicago Partnership. Liz and her husband, Jordan, moved to Chicago from NYC in 2015. She attended graduate school at Teachers College, Columbia University and earned a master’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology. While in NYC, Liz was also involved in group leadership and children’s ministry in an urban church, where she developed greater passion for children and multiethnic ministry. She now serves at Renewal Church as the Executive Assistant.

Communications + Events

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Samantha Connour manages design and communications for The Chicago Partnership. She and her late husband moved their family to Chicago in 2010 to help plant The Painted Door Church where she formerly served as Arts and Music Director. Sam recently relocated to Holland, Michigan with her husband, Jordan, and two kids, and is working on staff at a local church undergoing a church revitalization process. She is also a singer-songwriter who writes music for the church, performing as Lo Sy Lo and Prairie House Hymns.

Networking + Coaching

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Rev. Larry Perez is the Lead Pastor of U-turn Covenant Church in Northlake, Illinois. Devoted husband to Yezenia and proud father of Caleb (25), Sadie (16), and Micah (14). Larry’s journey includes serving as the National Director for the Young Defenders Ministry, a trustee at MCIN, a Worldwide Discipleship Movement and empowering church leaders through the New Life Association. His inspiring journey of triumph over adversity fuels his mission to guide others towards reaching their God- given destiny and maturity in Christ. Larry is a seasoned speaker, focusing on church planting, leadership development, discipleship, and evangelism. He holds a B.A in Communications from Northeastern Illinois University, a MACM from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has recently earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Southeastern University.

Program Coordinator

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Omar Jackson is the assistant to Brian Dye, Director of Leader Development, and Program Coordinator for the Chicago Partnership. Omar and his wife, Charity, moved to the Chicagoland area from Virginia Beach, VA in 2023. Omar earned his B.S. in Technical/Professional Writing from Old Dominion University and an M.Div in Christian Theology from Regent University.