Our Contributors

At the start of our 2nd week of blogging, it may be wise to speak about our contributors and their anonymity.

A Word about Anonymity

Anonymity often (and sometimes rightly) raises suspicion in the world of blogging. So why do most of the contributors to this blog use pseudonyms? They do so to protect their identities. Each of the contributors, besides myself, is involved in a mission outreach of some sort to a country in Central Asia. Many of the countries of Central Asia could be considered “closed” to overt evangelical Christian missions, so having one’s name explicitly connected with a mission blog could possibly compromise his ability to minister in Central Asia altogether. For this reason, I should pause and ask anyone who has a reasonable guess as to the identity of one of our contributors, to kindly keep it to himself.

A Look at our Contributors

I admit that our contributors are young; all of us are in our twenties. But I truly believe these men have a good deal to say which you will find helpful, and they share a heart for the Lord. We all have been impacted by the ministry and writings of John Piper and desire to make our lives count for Christ.

“Jack”

Jack is currently on the administrative staff of a missions, and is based in the US (although he hopes to move his family to Central Asia in the near future). He has a missions degree (B.S. with minor in NT Greek) from Northland Baptist Bible College (Dunbar, WI), and also was involved in the leadership of a student mission society which traveled around to several college campuses spreading a vision for cooperating together for missions. Besides nearly three years of cross-cultural service in missions as an older teenage MK in central Africa, Jack has taken or led missions trips to Malawi, Argentina, Costa Rica (twice), Russia, Dagestan (a semi-autonomous Muslim republic in south Russia), and Turkey. He also was a rural pastor for 2 and a half years, before being commissioned by his church to follow God’s leading to work with missions more explicitly in his current position of recruiting and equipping candidates for Muslim missions, as well as spearheading research into unreached people groups. (Click here, to see Jack’s Blogger profile for more info.)

“Zioneer”

Zioneer has most recently served as an exegetical consultant to a Scripture translation project in Central Asia. He has a theology degree (B.S. in Biblical Languages) from Northland Baptist Bible College (Dunbar, WI); and actually taught Greek grammar at the college for one year, while taking classes for a M.A. in Biblical Studies. While the opportunity was available for him to continue teaching, he preferred to invest his time at the local church level, teaching several classes at a rural church Bible institute. He is extremely well read in almost every topic and is very proficient in both Greek and Hebrew, being gifted with a brilliant mind (he is blushing right now). He also has an excellent grasp on Reformed theology, and contributes to a major Reformed blog. He married an MK from Brazil, and they both share a heart to do all they can to spread the Gospel of the Kingdom. (Click here, to see Zioneer’s Blogger profile for more info.)

“Ambassador”

Ambassador is currently preparing to join a church planting team in a difficult field in Central Asia, having been accepted by a respected missions agency. He has a Bible degree (B.S.) from Pillsbury Baptist Bible college (Owatanna, MN), and has the equivalent of more than a year’s worth of seminary credits gained from a highly respected 2 year apprentice program at a large, influential conservative evangelical church. He has had the opportunity to travel and minister in South America, Africa, and Asia. He has taught Sunday School, Bible institute classes, and also led a small group, having a great heart for ministry. He married an MK from France, and they are actively involved in reaching the Muslim community in America where they reside currently. (Click here, to see Ambassador’s Blogger profile for more info.)

Bob Hayton

I (Bob) claim no expertise in missions, although my parents are missionaries in Africa and I spent a year on the field serving with them. I am merely the glue that holds the blog together. It was my idea to give the thoughts of these other contributors (all personal friends of mine) a wider audience. I’ve been blogging at Fundamentally Reformed for 2 years almost, and I know how blogging presents a unique venue for connecting with others and spreading a message. I do have a pastoral theology degree (BA with Greek Emphasis), and a masters in Bible (MA with Language Emphasis) from Fairhaven Baptist College and Seminary (Chesterton, IN). (Click here, to see Bob’s Blogger profile for more info.)

Before closing, I should mention that if you wish to learn more about one of these contributors we would be glad for you to contact us [bobhayton @ gmail . com (remove spaces)]. Both Jack and Ambassador are currently raising personal financial support for their mission, and we would welcome any inquiries along those lines. They may be available to speak and present their vision for missions in general, or to speak on a requested topic. Both are gifted Bible teachers and public speakers.

~~posted by Bob Hayton