Tim Tebow and Craig Groeschel spoke at the Sioux Center Leadership IGNITE conference at Terrace View Event Center in Sioux Center on Oct. 5.
Tebow is a jack of all trades, known for his professional athletic career, his New York Times best-sellers, his work with the Tim Tebow Foundation (TTF) and his Christian faith.
When Tebow was in college, he played for the University of Florida, the Gators, as a quarterback. His name started to become know when he received the Heisman Trophy, a trophy given to the most outstanding college football player, as an underclassman in 2007. He won two more in the consecutive years.
He played for multiple teams in the NFL from 2010 to 2015 and 2021. From 2016 to 2019, Tebow played on multiple minor league baseball teams in the MLB.
Three of Tebow’s books have made him a NY Times Bestselling author: “Mission Possible: Go Create a Life That Counts,” “This is the Day” and “Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the Midst’s of Life’s Storms.”
Tebow has written other books, such as “Bronco & Friends: Mission Possible,” “Bronco and Friends: A Party to Remember,” “Through my Eyes: A Quarterback’s Journey” and “Know Who You Are.”
The TTF’s mission “is to bring faith, hope and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need,” according to timtebowfoundation.org. “TTF also has a heart to share the Gospel with as many vulnerable people as possible to help them know their inherent value as children of God.” The TTF has ministries in “Orphan Care + Prevention,” “Special Needs Ministry,” “Profound Medical Needs” and “Anti-Human Trafficking + Child Exploitation.”
Tim Tebow is an out-spoken Christian, and one of his most popular ways of showcasing his faith was in 2009 in a game against the Oklahoma Sooners. During this game, Tebow wrote “John 3:16” in white on his eye-black, which led to 90 million people Googling the verse.
Keynote speaker Groeschel is the founder of Life Church, a church known for its digital presence and the creation of the You Version Bible App. Like Tebow, Groeschel is also a New York Times Best Selling Author. Groeschel also hosts a podcast called “Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast.”
In 1996, Life.Church was founded by Groeschel and his wife Amy. Within the next few years, the church saw rapid growth, causing the church to expand to dozens of locations. “Life.Church has led the way in pioneering innovations for the global Church, including video teaching, multi-site locations, online church services, and more,” according to craiggroeschel.com.
Life .Church pioneered the way for the You Version App. In 2008, the pastor of Life .Church, Bobby Gruenewald, founded the You Version Bible App, which has over 500 million global downloads.
Groeschel’s New York Times Best Sellers are “The Power to Change,” “Lead Like It Matters” and “Winning the War in Your Mind.”
Each episode of Groeschel’s leadership podcast is available on Spotify, with most episodes being under an hour long. According to Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast page on Spotify, it offers “personal, practical coaching lessons that take the mystery out of leadership.”
Because of these two prominent people, the conference was sold out. Overall, the time for the conference spanned five hours. At 1 p.m., the doors opened; 2 p.m., the event began, which included presentations from Groeschel and Tebow, plus a Q&A with the keynote speakers; 4:30 p.m., the event was moved to the Ridge Golf Club for a post-networking event.
