Our Team

Rural Church Institute

Home
Our Approach
Our Team
Our Partners
Resources
Events
Blogs

Home
Our Approach
Our Team
Our Partners
Resources
Events
Blogs

Dr. Jason R. McConnell

Director, Rural Church Institute

View Profile

No posts found

Dr. Jason R. McConnell

Director, Rural Church Institute

View Profile

No posts found

RCI Advisory Council

The Rural Church Institute Advisory Council is a distinguished and diverse group of leaders, scholars, and practitioners with deep experience in rural ministry. Together, they bring a wide range of perspectives, ontheground insights, and strategic wisdom shaped by years of service in rural communities.

The council’s primary role is to offer guidance and support to the RCI director, strengthening the institute’s mission and shaping its ministry initiatives. Through thoughtful counsel, collaborative discernment, and a shared commitment to thriving rural congregations, the Advisory Council helps ensure that every endeavor of the Rural Church Institute is grounded, effective, and responsive to the needs of rural pastors and churches.

Dr. Jeff Clark

Read Bio

Dr. Jeff Clark is a seasoned missiologist, church planter, and rural ministry strategist whose leadership has shaped both national and global ministry landscapes. He served as the inaugural Director of the Rural Church Institute at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, where he helped elevate the visibility and vitality of rural congregations through research, training, and strategic partnerships.

Jeff continues to serve with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention as the Global Rural Researcher. In this role, he studies rural contexts around the world and equips missionaries and church leaders with insights that strengthen gospel engagement in often-overlooked regions. He also serves as Executive Director of the Montana Southern Baptist Convention and as the Church Planting Strategist for the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists.

Earlier in his ministry, Jeff and his wife, Melva, planted three churches in Michigan, Florida, and Tennessee—work that reflects their long-standing passion for pioneering ministry and developing healthy, multiplying congregations. The Clarks also spent 12 years serving in East Asia, where they invested deeply in cross-cultural ministry, leadership development, and church-planting movements.

Dr. Clark holds both the Master of Divinity in Christian Education (M.Div./CE) and the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

Dr. Mandy Kellums-Baraka

Read Bio

Dr. Mandy Kellums Baraka serves as Associate Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Wheaton College. A counselor educator, researcher, and practitioner, she brings a rich academic foundation to her work, having earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from Southwest Baptist University, an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College, and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University. Her scholarship and teaching focus on faith integration, trauma care, multicultural counseling, and the formation of both clinical mental health counselors and play therapists.

In her role as professor and supervisor, Dr. Baraka is known for cultivating learning environments marked by hospitality, presence, and equity—values she carries into her work in global counseling contexts. Before joining the faculty at Wheaton, she spent a decade in international service, where she deepened her passion for cross-cultural collaboration and holistic care. These experiences continue to shape her commitment to preparing counselors who can engage diverse communities with humility, cultural responsiveness, and spiritual sensitivity.

Mandy is especially devoted to supporting and equipping church and ministry leaders, helping them foster spiritually grounded, relationally attuned care within their communities. Her perspective is profoundly shaped by her rural upbringing, where community, resourcefulness, and neighborly care were daily realities rather than abstract ideals. This background informs her relational approach to teaching, supervision, and cross-cultural engagement, grounding her belief that healing often begins with presence, humility, and shared story.

Dr. Ron Klassen

Read Bio

Dr. Ron Klassen is a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and the Executive Director Emeritus of the Rural Home Missionary Association (RHMA), where he provided decades of visionary leadership to strengthen and encourage rural churches across North America.

Before joining RHMA, Ron served as pastor of rural churches in Nebraska and Oklahoma. These early years in local church ministry deeply shaped his understanding of rural communities and fueled his lifelong commitment to equipping pastors who serve in places often overlooked but rich with gospel potential.

Dr. Klassen earned his B.A. from John Brown University, his Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and his D. Min. from Bethel Seminary. His academic background, combined with extensive ministry experience, has made him a sought-after teacher. He has served as a guest professor or lecturer at numerous Bible colleges, universities, and seminaries, where he brings both scholarship and practical insight to the classroom.

A gifted communicator, Ron has preached in churches across the country and spoken at countless pastors’ conferences. He is a frequent seminar leader, known for his ability to encourage, challenge, and equip ministry leaders with clarity and compassion. His writing includes dozens of articles—several published in Leadership Journal—and multiple influential books. He is the author of Maximize! Leveraging the Strengths of Your Small Church and coauthor of No Little Places: The Untapped Potential of the Small-Town Church and Leading Through Change: Shepherding the Town and Country Church in a New Era. His work continues to serve as a key resource for pastors navigating the unique dynamics of rural ministry.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Ron treasures his family. He and his wife, Roxy, have been married since 1977 and share a rich life together. They are the proud parents of three children, and their family has grown to include a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and two beloved granddaughters.

Dr. Glenn Daman

Read Bio

Dr. Glenn Daman has served as pastor of River Christian Church in Stevenson, Washington since 1991. His ministry reflects a deep commitment to the health and vitality of rural congregations, and his influence extends far beyond his local church. In addition to his pastoral work, he serves on the Board of Directors for Village Missions, helping support and equip pastors serving in rural and remote communities across North America.

A respected voice in rural and smallchurch ministry, Glenn is a frequent conference and seminar speaker and has written extensively on the unique challenges and opportunities facing rural congregations. He has authored or edited six significant books, including Leading the Small Church; Shepherding the Small Church (an ECPA Gold Medallion finalist); Developing Leaders for the Small Church; When Shepherds Weep; The Forgotten Church (a Christianity Today Book of Merit award winner); Retooling the Rural Church for a Postmodern World (coauthored with Jeff Clark); and The God of Small Places, an anthology he coedited with Clark. His writing continues to shape the national conversation around rural ministry and provide practical guidance for pastors serving in smalltown contexts.

Glenn was raised on a farm in northern Idaho, where he learned the values of community, perseverance, and stewardship. He earned a B.S. in Biblical Studies from Big Sky Bible College, followed by M.A. degrees in both Old Testament and New Testament Studies from Western Seminary, and later completed a Doctor of Ministry at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Outside of ministry, Glenn enjoys photography, woodworking, camping with his family, and spending time on the family farm. He is married to Becky, and together they have two adult sons—Nathan (married to Emily) and Andrew (married to Paige).

Dr. Ira Antoine

Read Bio

Dr. Ira Antoine is the Director of the Bi-vocational Pastor Ministry with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, where he equips and encourages pastors who faithfully shepherd congregations while balancing additional vocational responsibilities. Alongside this statewide leadership role, he also serves as pastor of Minnehulla Baptist Church, offering steady guidance, biblical teaching, and compassionate care to his local community.

With more than 37 years of service in both local church ministry and denominational leadership, Dr. Antoine brings a wealth of experience to every setting. He is a pastor, preacher, and mentor who desires to influence and encourage other leaders as they pursue the calling God has placed on their lives. His teaching and training focus on leadership development, church health and growth, and strategic planning—areas where he blends academic insight with practical, real-world ministry experience.

Dr. Antoine holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, as well as a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, further strengthening his commitment to theological scholarship and ministry excellence.

A devoted husband, pastor, and ministry leader, Ira has been joyfully married to his wife, Cynthia Tillman Antoine, for more than 35 years. His life and ministry reflect a deep commitment to faith, family, and the strengthening of God’s church.

Dr. Martin Giese

Read Bio

Dr. Martin Giese serves as the President of Oak Hills Christian College and Oak Hills Fellowship in Bemidji, Minnesota—a ministry network that includes Oak Hills Christian College, Camp Oak Hills, the Oak Hills Center for Native American Ministries, and Oak Hills Church Ministries. Before his role at Oak Hills, he was the Senior Pastor of Faithbridge Church in Park Rapids, Minnesota and pastor of First Baptist Church of Parkers Prairie, Minnesota.

Dr. Giese grew up on a farm in western Minnesota, (Appleton) and came to personal faith in Christ at age 8. He attended the University of Minnesota, Morris, St. Cloud State University, Oak Hills Bible College, Moody Graduate School, and Bethel University/Bethel Theological Seminary. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies with a concentration in Christian Education from Oak Hills Bible College (Now Oak Hills Christian College), a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from Moody Graduate School, and a Doctor of Ministry in Executive Leadership from Bethel University/Bethel Theological Seminary in St. Paul, MN.

Marty served for 10 years as an adjunct faculty member of the Billy Graham Schools of Evangelism – instructing church leaders in the area of motivating Town and Country Churches for evangelism. Martin also served as founder and director of the “Country Shepherds’ Workshop,” an interdenominational training seminar for pastors of Town and Country churches. He continues to travel as a conference speaker and consultant on Town and Country Church leadership throughout North America.

In his spare time, he delights in family events, hunting, fishing, reading, and landscaping. Marty and his wife Marcia have four children: Anna (Shane) Long, Sarah (Jeff) Donatelle, Rachel Giese, and David (Sally) Giese, and eight grandchildren.