Andrew Cook
Andrew J. Cook, Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. He is responsible for the daily leadership and direction of its institutes, initiatives, budget, and staff.
He is passionate about pastors and the calling of local churches to reach new people with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. Since joining Wheaton, he has developed a thriving team of institutes dedicated to the local church in various forms. He has led efforts to support pastoral mental health through a special GC2 Summit. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he partnered with a team of leaders to launch the Resilient Church Leadership initiative. He leads our Evangelism Leaders Fellowship, Chicago Pastors Alliance, and co-directs Lausanne North America. He also chairs the Wheaton Evangelism Group, a presidential committee of faculty, students, and staff dedicated to helping champion evangelism at Wheaton College. Beyond Wheaton, he advises the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Evangelism Commission and served on Duke University’s Clergy Health Initiative.
Prior to coming to Wheaton, Andy led operations for the team that built the Global Leadership Summit, which annually served 260,000 Christian leaders in over 100 countries. He also served as a leadership fellow at Huntington University and on the board of Lenawee Christian Ministries.
Andrew MacDonald
Andrew MacDonald, Associate Director of the Research Institute & Interim Director of the Billy Graham Center
Andrew’s research focuses on the history of North American Christianity and has overseen several Research Institute projects exploring the current state of the Church. He has written articles for Christianity Today, Outreach, Evangelicals Magazine, and Dallas Morning News among others, and is one of the editors of the forthcoming Formation for Mission with Lexham Press (2022).
He is a Ph.D. Candidate, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and has his MA from Talbot School of Theology in Philosophy of Religion.
Dr. Rick Richardson
Dr. Rick Richardson, Executive Director of the African American Church Evangelism Institutes, Church Evangelism Institute, and Research Institute
Rick is a Professor of Evangelism and Leadership at Wheaton College and consults widely with churches on Evangelism, healing, reconciliation, the emerging generation, and contemporary missional churches and missional movements. In addition, Rick is an ordained Anglican priest and served for several years as a Pastor of Evangelism and small groups.
Rick earned his M.Div. from Northern Baptist Seminary, and focused his studies in evangelism and urban ministry. He received his Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Dr. Dee Williams
Dr. Dee Crye, Operations Director of the Billy Graham Centers’ Church Evangelism Institute (CEI), Special Projects, and the Research Institute providing leadership and oversight to expand the quality, reach and impact of the work.
Wheaton College Profile
Sean McDowell
Sean McDowell, Director of the Church Evangelism Institute.
Previously, he served as a CEI Coach and as a Network Developer and Catalyst Coach on the Leadership Team.
A 2010 Wheaton graduate (M.A., Theological Studies), ordained in the Evangelical Free Church of America. Sean has 27+ years of ministry experience and has led his church to grow the new believer conversion rate from – 3% to 10%+ of average annual attendance.
Wheaton College Profile
Brandi N. Williams
Brandi N. Williams, Director of the African American Church Evangelism Institute
Brandi is currently studying at Eastern University, St. Davids, PA, and is wrapping up her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership degree.
She studied at Cornell University, for her Certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship, in 2020.
Trinity International University, Deerfield, IL, was where she received her M.A. in Theological Studies, in 2012.
DePaul University, Chicago, IL, Brandi received her B.A. Sociology, 2004
John K. Jenkins, Sr.
Pastor John K. Jenkins, Sr., serves on the African American Church Evangelism Institutes’ Executive Council
Pastor Jenkins serves as the Chairman of the Board for the National Association of Evangelical, Project Bridges, and The Skinner Institute. He also serves on the board for numerous organizations, including Bethel University, Denver Seminary, University of Maryland Capital Region Health, and the Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable. In addition, Pastor Jenkins serves as chairman emeritus of SHABACH! Ministries, Inc., a 501(c)3 organization that he founded in 1996 to provide food, clothing, education, and employment opportunities in the Maryland area. He also served for two years as Vice President/Executive Director of National Ministries with Converge Worldwide.
In 2001, he received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Southern California School of Ministry in Inglewood, CA.
Rev. Dr. Michael Henderson
Rev. Dr. Michael Henderson serves on the African American Church Evangelism Institute’s Executive Council.
Rev. Dr. Henderson has a passion for church growth and development and has been actively involved in planting four churches, including New Beginnings Church in Matthews, NC, Indian Trail, NC, and Harrisburg, NC. He serves as the Vice President of National Ministries for Converge Worldwide.Â
Rev. Dr. Henderson has personally trained approximately 100 Ministers through his ministerial licensing training. He is also a Spiritual Covering for several pastors, churches, and ministries, and is currently pursuing a Master of Art in Organizational Change in Ministry and Leadership for megachurch pastors at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL.
Daniel Yang
Daniel Yang, Director of the Church Multiplication Institute
Prior to directing the institute, he planted a church in Toronto where he also helped recruit, assess, and train church planters through the Send Network and the Release Initiative.
Daniel has served on various church staffs including Northwood Church, where he was trained as a church planter and involved in global and multi-faith engagement.
He earned an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Michigan, and is currently a Ph.D. Intercultural Studies student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is also the co-author of Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save the American Church.
Dr. Karen Swanson
Dr, Karen Swanson, Director of the Correctional Ministries Institute
Karen oversees the Charles W. Colson Scholarship Program and pursues the goals of CMI through networks, collaboration, and strategic partnerships, and has more than 25 years of higher education experience and faculty status, is an author, conference workshop speaker, and has developed training curriculum.
She holds an Ed.D. in Curriculum Leadership from Northern Illinois University and certifications in Justice Ministries, Motivational Interviewing, Moral Reconation Therapy, Bridges Out of Poverty, Truthought LLC, and Anger Management. Karen co-founded the Correctional Ministries and Chaplains Association.
Dr. Sam George
Sam George, Ph.D., Director of the Global Diaspora Institute
He serves as a catalyst of the Lausanne Movement and travels widely to teach and minister in diverse contexts. He holds degrees in Engineering, Management, and Theology. He studies at Fuller and Princeton Seminaries in the US and completed his doctoral research at Liverpool Hope University, UK.
He has authored or edited a dozen books including three-volume series on Asian Diaspora Christianity (Fortress Press 2021).
Dr. Andrew Lee
Rev. Andrew Lee, Ph.D., Associate Director, Global Diaspora Institute
Andrew has extensive experience serving in large Chinese churches and is the retired Sr. Pastor of the Chinese Christian Union Church in Chicago. He previously served in New York City as lead pastor of English Ministries and Interim Senior Pastor at Oversea Chinese Mission, Main Church. Â He was a recipient of the 2017-2018 John Stott Award for Pastoral Engagement from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
His academic experience includes being Director of Theological Education for the Northeastern Baptist School of Ministry and serving on the faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has taught as an Adjunct at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and New Brunswick Theological Seminary.
He has written for both the academic and church worlds.
Mark DeYmaz
Mark DeYmaz, Executive Director of Mosaix Institute
Mark planted the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas in 2001, a multi-ethnic and economically diverse church in the urban center of Little Rock where he remains the directional leader. In 2004, he co-founded the Mosaix Global Network and continues to serve as CEO and convene its triennial national conference in Dallas, TX. Mark has written eight books including Building a Healthy Multiethnic Church; Disruption; and The Coming Revolution in Church Economics.
Dr. Jeff Clark
Dr. Jeffrey Clark, Director Rural Matters Institute
Jeff also serves with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention as the Global Rural Researcher, and he has been involved in leadership roles as the Executive Director for the Montana SBC and as the Church Planting Strategist for the West Virginia SBC. Prior to this, Jeff and his wife, Melva, planted three churches in Michigan, Florida, and Tennessee. Most recently, they served 12 years in East Asia.
He received both his M.Div./CE and D.Min. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY.
Coordinator, African American Church Evangelism Institute & Church Evangelism Institute
Email | 630.752.7941 | kennedy.crye@wheaton.edu
Coordinator, Correctional Ministries Institute | 630.752.5727 | eileen.dudich@wheaton.edu
WCBGC Ministry Coordinator | 630-752-7947 | wcbgc@wheaton.edu
Operations Specialist, Correctional Ministries & Chaplains Association | 630.752.7085 | laurel.larson@wheaton.edu
Communications & Engagement Manager | 630.752.7959 | suzanne.macdonald@wheaton.edu
