John Easterling, D.Miss., D.Min.

John Easterling has been teaching at University Northwestern – St. Paul since the fall of 1988.

Prior to Northwestern, his experiences and titles include Youth Director, Assistant Children’s Pastor, Pastor, and church planter with World Venture in France for 10 years.

He has taught overseas in multiple locations spanning from the UK, to China, to South Africa.

Ministry Background

2009–Present
Calvary Baptist Church of Roseville
Member, Choir, Adult Teacher

1988–2008
First Baptist Church of Minneapolis
Former Deacon, Missions Committee, Choir, Adult Teacher

1977–88
Missionary- Church planting in France with CBFMS (Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society known today as World Venture).

1975–77
Pastorate – First Baptist Church of Gila Bend, Arizona

1970–74
Youth and Children’s Ministries in churches in California — Fairview Heights Baptist Church of Inglewood, Massachusetts, First Baptist Church of Manchester, North Shore Baptist Church of West Peabody, and Texas — Columbus Avenue Baptist Church of Waco

1972 and 1973
Summer Minister at a Christian ministry in the National Parks in Alaska and Washington State.

Professional Memberships

• American Society of Missiology
• Evangelical Missiological Society
• Next Step
• Great Commission Research Network

Professional Accomplishments

Teaching

• Teaching Missions and participating in conferences overseas, Pac Rim Christian College, Honolulu, HI 2010, 2011
• Alliance for Vulnerable Mission Andover, UK, 2009
• Bible Institute of Hawaii, 2008
• Hawaii Theological Seminary, Aiea, Hawaii 2007, 2008
• University of Callao, Peru (Teaching English with UNW students) 2004
• International College of Bible & Missions (Johannesburg, South Africa) 2002, 2008
• Lausanne Researchers Conferences, UK, 1997 & Chaing Mai, Thailand 2001
• Jerusalem Institute of Biblical Studies (Bible Teacher) 1996, 2000
• Beijing Institute of Technology (Lecturer in Ethics & Worldview), 1996

Publications & Presentations

Book Reviews: Missiology

• Where No One Has Heard: Life of J Christy Wilson, Jr. by Ken Wilson
• From Bubble to Bridge by Marion Larson & Sarah Shady
• Innovations in World Missions by Derek Seipp
• Pray for the World by Jason Mandryke
• Early Christianity in Christian Context edited by William Tabbernee
• Llqng Q-Fa: China’s First Preacher, 1899-1995 by George McNeur
• The Indian Great Awakening: Religion and the Shaping of Native Cultures in Early America by Linford Fisher
• Encylopedia of Hindusim released by Brill
• Bligh: William Bligh in the South Seas by Anne Salmond
• The Early Religious History of France: An Introduction for Church Planters and Missionaries by David Dunaetz
• Lottie Moon by Regina Sullivan
• Why Business Matters to God by Jeff VanDuzer
• Missionaries in Hawai’i: The Lives of Peter and Fanny Gulick by Clifford Putney
• Transcendent In Ameica by Lola Williamson
• Into Deep Waters, Evangelical Spirituality Maritime Calvinstic Baptist Miinisters
• Indian and Indianess of Christianity by Richard Fox
• Christianity in Action: The international History of the Salvation Army by by Henry Gariepy
• Native Cristians by Aparecida Vilaca & Robin M. Wright
• Pathways in Christian Music Communication by Roberta King
• Reshaping the Holy by Elora Shehabuddin
• A New Vision for Missions by William Lawrence Svelmoe
• “JETS” The Promise-Plan of God by Walter Kaiser, Jr.
• William Wilberforce, A Biography by Stephen Tomkins
• Good News from the Barrio by Harold J. Recinos
• The Will to Arise: Theological and Political Themes in African Christianity and the Renewal of Faith and Identity by Oluremi Caleb Oladipo
• Introduction to Apologetics by James Taylor
• The Spiritual Revolution by Paul Heelas and Linda Woodhead
• Charis and Charisma by David Yonggi Cho and the Growth of the Yoido Full Gospel Church
• Developing a Biblical Worldview in a Culture of Myths
• Building Credible Multicultural Teams by Lianne Roembke
• Stiles Guide to Short Terms (IVP) by J. Mack and Leeann Stiles
• Unfamiliar Paths by W.M. Carey

Book Reviews: Miscellaneous Categories

• “The Making of a Local Church” by Franciso Claver Evangelical Missions Quarterly
• “Holy People, Holy Land” by Michael Dauphinais and Matthew Levering Journal of Evangelical Theology
• “A Guide to New Religious Movements” by Ronald Enroth Evangelical Missions Quarterly
• “The Quest for Freedom & Dignity October” – Evangelical Missions Quarterly
• “Overcoming World Missions Crisis” – Evangelical Missions Quarterly

Courses Authored

• MNS4395 Contemporary Religious Cultures and Evangelism for the Adult Undergraduate Ministry Program
• Cultural Anthroplogy On-line course for Northwestern Graduate Studies
• Contemporary Religious Movements – Worked with Northwestern College’s Distance Education version of the course including lectures accompanying Power Point Slides on CDs to accompany the course.
• Introduction to Sociology: A Teaching Manual for the Pathway Project of Northwestern College. This is an intensive course of four hours per week for six weeks for older adults in the degree completion program.
• Introduction to Anthropology: A Teaching Manual for the Pathway Project of Northwestern College. This is an intensive course of four hours per week over five weeks for older adults in the degree completion program.

Publications

• Church Planting in the Slums of Bangkok – Moving from a Missionary Dependency Model to a Vulnerable Mission Model, Journal of Global Missiology
• “Incarnational Ministry Norwegian Settler’s Church in S Africa.” – Great Commission Research Journal
• Evangelical Dictionary of Cults, compiled by Stephen Rost, Editor. Contributing Editor with seven articles: Paul Twitchell (founder of Eckankar), Rosicrucian, Telestial Kingdom (LDS), Terrestrial Kingdom (LDS), The Way Corps, The Way International Victor Wierville
• A Manual for Planning the Cross-cultural Ministries Internship at Northwestern College. This is a departmental publication for aiding faculty and staff in the preparation, execution, and evaluation of the overseas Cross-cultural Ministries Internship.
• Evangelical Dictionary of Missiology Scott Moreau, Editor. Baker, Contributing Editor with ten articles: Ambassador of God Anderson, John Casalis, Eugene Coillard, Francois France Deputatation Fund Raising Furlough Martin of Tours Morale

Presentations

• Church Planting in the Slums of Bangkok – Moving from a Missionary Dependency Model to a Vulnerable Mission Model, Alliance for Vulnerable Missions, Norwich, UK
• William Carey and William Cameron Townsend – their lives, wives & ministries –Deerfield, IL
• The Cross-cultural Ministries Internship at NWC EMS Regional – Wheaton, IL
• Urbana and Recruitment of the Next Generation of Missionaries EFMA/IFMA Personnel Orlando, FL
• The Urbana Factor. Lausaune Researchers Conference, Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Training the Next Generation of Missionaries – Evangelical Missiological Society St. Louis, MO
• Spiritual Warfare and Penetration of the Secular West: France A Case Study Evangelical Missiological Society, Chicago, IL
• Divergent Fundamentalism: A case study of First Baptist Church and Fourth Baptist Church of Minneapolis, Minnesota over 125 years Midwest Sociological Society, St. Louis, MO
• The Hmong, a people and their Adaptation to Life in the Twin Cities Midwestern Sociological Society, St. Louis, MO
• Bridging the Generation Gap in Missions Evangelical Missiological Society, Kansas City, KS
• The Recruitment of Missions Majors on the Undergraduate and Graduate Levels Evangelical Missiological Society, St. Paul, MO

Favorite Authors/Writings

The works of Adrian Plass
The writings of the late P.G. Wodehouse
It’s Not Over Until the Fat Lady Sings by Bob Jackson

Family

• Married to Kathleen Ellen Comly
• Two daughters: Sarah Elizabeth of Roseville, MN, and Miriam Helen of Khartoum, Sudan
• One grandson

Life Verse

“I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24