The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Randy Stinson
www.cbmw.org
www.sbts.edu/church-ministries/dean

Dr. Stinson is the Dean of the School of Church Ministries at Southern Seminary. Dr. Stinson also serves as the Executive Director for The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. He is a renowned authority on the subject of Biblical manhood and womanhood. He has served as a senior pastor as well as other church staff positions.

Dr. Stinson has earned a B.A. from the University of South Florida, a M.Div. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Th.M. and Ph.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He and his wife, Danna, have six children, three of whom were adopted.

Justin Taylor
www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor

Justin Taylor serves as Study Bible project director and associate publisher at Crossway in Wheaton, IL. He has edited and contributed to several books, including A God-Entranced Vision of All Things and Reclaiming the Center.  Prior to his time at Crossway, he worked at Desiring God in Minneapolis, MN. Mr. Taylor manages Between Two Worlds, a popular blog focused on faith and culture, and is a frequent guest speaker at conferences. In 2009, Mr. Taylor began serving as an elder at Grace Community Bible Church in Roselle, IL.

He and his wife, Leah, have three kids, all of whom were adopted.

Dan Cruver
www.togetherforadoption.org
www.eucatastrophe.com/blog

Dan Cruver is the co-founder and director of Together for Adoption, an organization founded to equip churches and educate Christians theologically about orphan care and horizontal adoption. Dan regularly writes and speaks about the Gospel and its implications for earthly adoption and the care of orphans. He recently wrote the foreword to Heirs with Christ: The Puritans on Adoption by Dr. Joel Beeke.  Prior to founding Together for Adoption, Dan served as a professor of Bible and Theology at Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, PA.

Dan earned a B.S. in Bible from Baptist Bible College of Clarks Summit, PA. He also has a M.S. in Counseling and 90+hours toward a Ph.D. in Theology.

He and his wife, Melissa, have three children, two of whom were adopted.

Maridel Sandberg
www.micahfund.org

Maridel Sandberg is the director of The MICAH Fund.  A ministry of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, The Minority Infant Child Adoption Help Fund strives to make adoption financially possible for Christian families.  Maridel uses her personal life experiences as a platform to not only advocate for adoption, but also to communicate the message of God’s redeeming love.  Some of her past speaking topics include “Orphan Care Ministry in the Church” and “Transracial Adoption.” In addition to her directorship of The MICAH Fund, she also serves on the board of the Christian Alliance for Orphans.

She and her husband, Bruce, have eight children, five of whom were adopted.  They also have four grandchildren, two of whom were adopted.

Timothy Paul Jones
www.timothypauljones.com
www.sbts.edu/church-ministries

Dr. Timothy Paul Jones serves as Associate Professor of Leadership and Church Ministry at Southern Seminary. Dr. Jones came to Southern with fifteen years of vocational ministry experience as a children’s minister, student minister, administrative pastor, and senior pastor. Dr. Jones formerly served as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Rolling Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for eight years. In addition to his ministry roles, Dr. Jones has authored or contributed to more than a dozen books, including Christian History Made Easy, The Da Vinci Codebreaker, Misquoting Truth: A Guide to the Fallacies of Bart Ehrman’s “Misquoting Jesus”, Conspiracies and the Cross, and Perspectives on Family Ministry.

Dr. Jones earned a B.A. from Manhattan Christian College, a M.Div. from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He and his wife, Rayann, have adopted one daughter.

Kevin Ezell
www.hbcpastor.wordpress.com
www.highviewbaptist.org

Kevin Ezell is the Senior Pastor of Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, KY.  In addition to his pastorate, he has also served as the Chairman of the Nominating Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention and currently serves on the Advisory Council at Boyce College.

He earned an undergraduate degree from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, a M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and a D.Min. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

He and his wife, Lynette, have five children, two of whom were adopted.

Andy Lehman
www.lifesongfororphans.org
www.lifesong.squarespace.com

Andy Lehman serves as Vice President of Lifesong for Orphans in Gridley, IL. With a passion to “join voices” in advocating for the fatherless, Andy serves as a board member for the Christian Alliance for Orphans. Compelled by James 1:27, Andy and his wife had the privilege of serving as house parents at Gateway Woods Apostolic Christian Children’s Home.

He and his wife, Jill, have four children, two of whom were adopted.

Jason Kovacs
www.togetherforadoption.org

Jason Kovacs is the Director of Ministry Development for ABBA Fund, a ministry that provides financial resources to Christian couples and churches to help make adoption possible. Prior to ABBA Fund, Jason served as a director of a biblical counseling center and as a pastor in Charlotte and Minneapolis. It is Jason’s passion to see the church gripped with the adoptive heart of God and practically living out the Gospel through adoption and orphan care.

He and his wife, Shawnda, have four children, three of whom were adopted.

Mark Tatlock
www.masters.edu

Mark Tatlock serves as the Senior Vice President and Provost of The Master’s College in Santa Clarita, California. Prior to his current position, Dr. Tatlock had served The Master’s College in a number of roles, including Vice President of Student Development, Vice President of Student Life, Associate Dean of Students, Director of International Ministries, and Resident Director. In addition to his responsibilities as Provost he teaches courses within the Biblical Studies Missions emphasis and participates in the theological training of pastors in cross-cultural ministry within urban and international contexts. He has also coordinated and led student mission trips to South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Dr. Tatlock has earned a B.A. from The Master’s College, a M.Div. from The Master’s Seminary, and a D.Ed. from Nova Southeastern University.

He and his wife, Lisa, have five children, three of whom were adopted.

Dan Dumas
www.eastsidelouisville.org

Dan Dumas joined Southern Seminary as the Senior Vice President for Institutional Administration in October of 2007. Prior to this, he served as executive pastor at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California where he oversaw conferences at Grace Community Church, a congregation shepherded by noted evangelical leader John MacArthur. Dan has also served as college and singles pastor at Westside Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, Cottage Hill Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, and at Victory Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. In addition to his role at Southern, Dan also serves as one of the teaching pastors at Eastside Community Church in Louisville.

Mr. Dumas has earned degrees from Criswell College in Dallas, Texas and The Master’s Seminary in Southern California. He is also a veteran of the United States Navy.

Dan and his wife, Jane, have two sons, both of whom were adopted.

Eric Bancroft
www.castleview.org

Eric Bancroft serves as the senior pastor of Castleview Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. Prior to his ministry at Castleview, Eric served as a pastor and elder at Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, California while also teaching as an adjunct professor at The Master’s College.

Eric earned degrees from Trinity International University and a M.Div. from The Master’s Seminary.

He and his wife, Danelle, have three sons, one of whom was adopted.

Bill Bistransky
www.adoption.state.gov

Bill Bistransky is the Chief for the Adoption Division in the Office of Children’s Issues, Bureau of Consular Affairs, at the U.S. Department of State.  He manages a team of approximately 20 officers dedicated to implementing the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, as well as handling issues related to non-Convention adoptions worldwide.  A career consular officer, Mr. Bistransky handled visa, adoption, and fraud prevention issues while serving with his wife and two children in Moscow, Russia; Havana, Cuba; Kyiv, Ukraine; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  This is his third tour in Washington, DC.

Tera Melber
www.highviewbaptist.org

Tera Melber is the Director of Adoption Ministry at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, KY. The Adoption and Orphan Care Ministry operates under a four-fold mission to educate, encourage, equip, and engage families in regards to adoption and orphan issues.  In addition, they provide helpful resources for families interested in adoption or involved in the adoption process.

She and her husband, David, have five children, two of whom were adopted.

David Prince
www.ashlandbaptistchurch.org
www.soundwordsministries.com

David is the pastor of preaching and vision at Ashland Avenue Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. He also serves as an adjunct instructor of Christian preaching at Southern Seminary.  In addition to preaching and teaching, David hosts the website Sound Words, featuring original articles, sermon podcasts, and other resources.

David is a graduate of Huntingdon College in Montgomery, AL.  He received a M.Div. from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is in the process of completing a Ph.D. in preaching at Southern Seminary.

He and his wife, Judi, have six children.