LAM Has a New President

To all of you who have been praying for LAM’s presidential search, thank you! Last month Steve Johnson was installed as the new president of the mission. Now I ask that you adjust your prayers and pray for him as he seeks to guide the mission through changes and some tight financial times. I have appreciated his heart for the local church and look forward to future conversations with him on that topic, plus…he’s from California (at least recently), so he’s already a good guy in my book! Please keep Steve, his wife Shellie and their extended family in your prayers. Below are a few excerpts from the LAM websites news article. The full article is available on LAM’s website.

A California pastor with missionary experience in Argentina has been appointed as the new president of the Latin America Mission. Steven (Steve) Rayford Johnson, 55, will take office in early February, succeeding the interim president, Jack Voelkel.

…he co-pastored an Argentine church for four years alongside the president of the Argentine National Association of Evangelicals….Returning from Latin America, Johnson led pastoral teams that planted two daughter churches of Scottsdale Bible Church in Arizona, served two congregations in California, as well as collaborated with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association ministries in Latin America. Most recently, he was the Senior Pastor of Cypress Community Church, Salinas California.

“I see the role of the Mission as seeking to be involved with any and every significant ‘kingdom’ challenge in Latin America at some level, in a holistic response,” Johnson said. “With already established partnerships, the LAM can certainly confront increasing pluralism with ongoing integral church growth, mission help for local grass-root churches, as well as helping to make theological education more accessible to the local church pastor.”