Loren Cunningham— Biographical Sketch
is the Founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), an ever-expanding global "family of ministries" born in 1960 which has reached into every nation. The work of YWAM encompasses evangelism, training and mercy ministries and is manned by nearly 20,000 full-time staff from more than 150 nationalities and a wide variety of denominations who serve at more than 1,200 YWAM locations in 173 nations. More than four million students, short-term volunteers and staff have served with YWAM since its inception.
Loren is also one of three founders and the President of the University of the Nations (UofN), YWAM's global university, and the leader of the Kona Campus in Hawaii. Since the university’s inception in 1978, the UofN has grown to offer more than 800 different kinds of courses and seminars (some of which are offered in 60 languages), held at more than 500 locations/campuses in more than 140 countries. There are currently approximately 150,000 students registered within the global UofN system who have taken at least a Discipleship Training School (the entry course and prerequisite for all other UofN courses, for pursuing a UofN degree, and/or for becoming YWAM staff).
Loren has personally gone to every sovereign nation on earth, all dependent countries, and more than 150 territories and islands, for the sake of the Gospel. This has given him valuable insights into global trends and uniquely prepares him to share God's strategies for world evangelism. His wisdom, experience, leadership understanding and call to build bridges of unity within the body of Christ have caused him to be sought out by leaders of nations and organizations worldwide. He speaks publicly in 30 to 40 nations a year, and has spoken to live audiences from a few to more than a million people gathered in one location.
Born in Taft, California, Loren’s family heritage is rich with generations of Christian ministers. His educational background includes three Bachelor degrees, a Master of Science in Administration of Education, and three Honorary Doctorates. Loren is the author of five books: Is That Really You, God? (translated into more than 100 languages) Making Jesus Lord, Daring to Live on the Edge, Why Not Women? and The Book that Transforms Nations—the Power of the Bible to Change any Country.
Credit to http://www.fathersofthefaith.com/dpk/bios-lc.html for the biographical information.
Tim Freeman — Biographical Sketch
Tim Freeman
serves as the Executive Vice President at Bethany International.
Tim came to Christ at age 17 and a year later in 1975 was
called to be a missionary while reading and praying through the biography of
C.T. Studd, pioneer missionary to Africa. In 1976, Tim began his studies
at Bethany College of Missions in Minneapolis and graduated in 1980 with a BA
in Theology and Missions.
Tim and his wife Carol were married in 1979, and in
1980 they formed a missions team with 8 others from their Bethany graduating
class. They served for 15 years in the Philippines in church planting and
leadership development in an association that now has a membership of about 80
churches.
In 1995 Tim helped form GlobeServe, a partnership of
missionary training and sending entities that now works in more than 50
countries. The partnership has assisted in the development of more than
170 missionary training schools around the world, focused on training pioneer
missionaries for church planting among least-reached peoples.
Tim currently serves as Bethany International’s Executive Vice
President, and in that capacity oversees Bethany’s overseas operations: Bethany
International Ministries (Bethany’s mission sending agency), GO100 (Developing
new missionary training schools worldwide), STEM (Bethany’s short term teams
ministry), and the Bethany Center for Global Studies (its distance education
ministry for equipping missionary leaders for service).
Tim and Carol have five children, three of whom were born in the Philippines: Jennifer, David, Rebecca, Megan and Michelle. Jennifer is married to Cullen Hall and they are expecting their first baby in June of 2011.
Linda Olson— Biographical Sketch
Linda Olson
is the Executive Director of Learning Communities and Civic Engagement for the University of Denver. Linda received a BA in psychology and MEd in Recreation and Parks Administration with a focus in Therapeutic Recreation from the University of Minnesota. After three years in community mental health work she joined the staff of InterVarsity, a nonprofit collegiate leadership development agency. She developed curriculum and trained agency staff and emerging university student leaders for cross-cultural service learning in domestic and international sites. Her 25 years of training expertise has taken her to numerous countries or regions including South Africa, Kenya, Central America, China, Russia, and Ukraine.
In 2000, Linda began teaching at the University of Denver in the Human Communication Studies Department while she began and completed her doctoral studies. Her area of communication research and writing has included group and team communication, collaboration, leadership development and leadership ethics.
Linda makes her home in Denver with her husband, Joel, and three children.
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