The Impact Movement began as a conference for college students in 1991. We are now a movement reaching thousands of and people of African descent nationally with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The inaugural conference in 1991 was pioneered by Dr. Tom Fritz, a Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) staff member who served as director of InterCultural Resources for Campus Crusade for Christ.  More than 500 students attended this conference, Impact 91, and their lives were significantly changed. Charles Gilmer took over the leadership of the national Impact Conferences from Dr. Fritz in 1992. The national conferences continued with Impact 94, followed by Impact 96, where Dr. Gilmer announced our vision to see Impact be more than a conference, but an actual movement. Broadening the focus from a conference to a movement was needed in order to fully encompass the mission and vision of Impact. After 10 years of incubation under CCC, in 2002 The Impact Movement filed incorporation papers as an independent 501.c.3 organization with Dr. Gilmer as its President and Chairman of the Board. The Impact Movement works to see God redeem communities of African descent. This can only happen as we allow God to use us as agents of change. We realize the need to train and mobilize a great army for the Lord.  Therefore, we use the Impact National Conference to cast vision, build momentum, and equip successive generations of emerging leaders. Past National Conferences include Impact 91, Impact 94, Impact 96, Impact 98, Impact 2000, Impact 2002, Impact 2004, Impact 2006, our most recent, Impact 2008 and our upcoming, Impact 2010, which will celebrate 10 years of Impact conferences. Today, the Impact National Conference has become a rallying point for college students, high school students, marketplace professionals, pastors, youth workers and more. The Impact Movement is headquartered in Orlando, Fla. and includes a staff of more than 40 full-time staff and ministry fellows.

Charles Gilmer