This is part of a series of monthly staff spotlights at American Bible Society. We hope you enjoy getting to know our staff members, who are using their gifts to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.

What is your role at American Bible Society?

I serve as the director of Ministry Intelligence, which basically means that I’m a professional explainer. I lead the research efforts of American Bible Society in the United States and around the world. Internally, this looks like helping our staff analyze our programs and look for new opportunities to take the Bible to the places where it’s needed most. We also work with external experts like Barna Group and the Baylor University Institute for Studies of Religion to collect and share excellent research. One of the main parts of my job is communicating between ministry program people and research people—those two groups don’t necessarily speak the same language, so I help them share insights back and forth to ensure that we’re fulfilling our mission.

Tell us a little more about yourself!

I’m from Illinois and have three generations of ordained ministers on both sides of my family. Since ministry was always the family business, it was hard for me to decide to follow the same path. I wanted to know that it was God’s direction for my life. In the end, it was—I started in ministry in 1989 as a pastor in the Assemblies of God. After completing my master’s degree in Missions and Intercultural Studies at Wheaton College, I served as a missionary in Asia and Latin America. My focus was on cross-cultural training and working with short-term and long-term missionaries. Later, I became the missionary in residence at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, taught classes as a professor of Intercultural Studies, and served five years as the director of Spiritual Life. During that time, I also completed my Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies.

How did you make the jump from ministry to research?

While at Evangel, I started developing a rare sub-specialty in measuring things you can’t see—specifically spiritual formation. People would ask, “Can you really measure that?” I like to look at the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3. In order to help Nicodemus understand the impact of the Holy Spirit, Jesus makes a reference to the wind. You can imagine him pointing to the trees and watching the wind blow through the leaves. You can’t see the wind, but you can see the impact it has. Likewise, you can’t see God’s Spirit, but you can see the impact the Spirit makes in people’s lives. We can’t pretend to measure God, but we can see and measure how God influences our lives. From there, we developed resources for research in higher education. I heard about a position at American Bible Society that involved research and ministry—an extremely rare combination! Through a series of conversations with leaders at American Bible Society, I was invited to build what is now the Ministry Intelligence team, which included developing a strategy for measuring Scripture engagement.

How long have you worked at American Bible Society?

I’m celebrating my four-year work anniversary this July!

What is something you love about your job?

I love identifying so-called “hidden opportunities” for the Bible to make a difference in people’s lives. These opportunities could be hidden culturally or geographically. In the United States, the Bible is accessible but not always seen as relevant. Many Americans don’t know Genesis from Revelation and don’t know what the Bible can offer them. Globally, there are people who desperately want the Bible but don’t have access. It’s not always apparent to people who can provide the Bible where God’s Word is needed. Our research helps us fill in those data gaps, guide generous partners toward the people who need the Bible most, and strategically provide God’s Word around the world through our international partnership with United Bible Societies.

The connection between the Bible and research might not be immediately apparent to many people. Why do data insights matter to the church?

I’d say that there are two reasons. Within the church, the reason is simply this: everyone in ministry, including me, tends to do ministry in a way that is designed for people like them. But the data tell us that there are a lot of people who aren’t like me or you. We interviewed more than 3,000 Americans for State of the Bible USA 2021—and every person was different! Research helps us understand these people in a way that affirms how important they are to God, which should make them important to us!

We also need to understand whether the ministry we’re doing is effective. Appearances can be deceiving—just because you can draw a crowd, doesn’t mean you’re growing people spiritually. We know that people’s relationship with the Bible is the greatest predictor of overall spiritual health. There’s nothing else like it. So, if we want people to be spiritually healthy, research tells us that we need to help them have a healthy relationship with the Bible. You probably won’t know that automatically, and you don’t necessarily know where people are in their spiritual journey. They might not have the vocabulary to explain it to you, or they might not tell you. It’s hard to be honest about the hard things that are in your life. Research gives us a neutral space where people can be honest about what they’re experiencing. In turn, that honest feedback informs pastors and church leaders. Maybe a lot of people in their churches or communities struggle with forgiveness, or parenting, or relationships. These data insights help them care for church members and engage with their community in a more informed and focused way.

Can people use the data insights in State of the Bible in their everyday lives?

Yes! At the end of every chapter of State of the Bible, we have suggestions for next steps. These suggestions help individuals and church leaders find additional resources and apply what they’ve learned to their lives and ministry. I’d recommend those next steps to anyone who wants to use State of the Bible insights in a practical way.

Would you share one of your favorite Bible verses with us?

Ephesians 2:8-10 has been a transformative passage for me and for my kids. I especially love verse 10 (NIV): “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The older I get, the more I’m aware of the unique gifts and abilities God has built into every person. There’s nobody on earth who is here by accident. Nobody’s a mistake. Nobody’s so broken that God doesn’t have a purpose for them. I don’t have to try to design my whole life—God has already created a role for me in a story that’s bigger than any story I could imagine. I am most fulfilled when I take all that God has given me and offer it to him for the furthering of his story.