Presenters

(NOTE: Not all presenter bios available.)

Scott Allen serves as President for Disciple Nations Alliance. After graduating with his bachelor’s degree in history from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon in 1988, Scott joined Food for the Hungry International where he served until 2007 holding positions in both Japan and the United States in areas of human resources, staff training and program management. Along with Darrow Miller and Bob Moffitt, Scott helped launch the Disciple Nations Alliance. He has authored and co-written a number of books including The Forest in the Seed: A Biblical Perspective on Resources and Development; God’s Remarkable Plan for the Nations, God’s Unshakable Kingdom, The Worldview of the Kingdom of God, and Against All Hope: Hope for Africa. His most recent book is Beyond the Sacred-Secular Divide. Scott lives with his wife Kim and their five children in Phoenix, Arizona.

Shelley Drake is the Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Mission Community Church in Gilbert, Arizona and a long-time learner, educator and participant in the global church.  Shelley has traveled widely on behalf of various world ventures and helped serve and develop partnerships with people of indigenous cultures, particularly in eastern bloc countries, Central America, India and South Africa.

Joel Hogan is the Director of International Ministries for Christian Reformed World Missions, the mission agency of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. His focus has been working with a team of regional leaders to carry out the agency’s organizational vision to “see the CRCNA vigorously participating in Spirit-led mission with churches and other Christian organizations throughout the world so that together we are proclaiming the gospel to more and more people who have not heard it, healthy churches are emerging, and the Kingdom of God is advancing.” CRWM and its missionaries are working, primarily in partnerships, in 30 countries around the world. Joel was a cross-cultural missionary in the Philippines for 17 years before moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan to fill a position as Director of Training, Education and Resources. After serving several years in that role, he was appointed to his present position. Joel also serves as a member of the COSIM Leadership Team. He and his wife Patty reside in Grand Rapids, where Patty is a nurse working in a program offering services to pregnant women with high-risk pregnancies.

Theresa Malila is the founder and Executive Director of Somebody Cares Malawi.  Somebody Cares is focused on empowering community leaders and pastors in peri-urban and rural communities to care for orphans and vulnerable children, widows and women, and those who are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.  Somebody Cares works with a network of 1,200 pastors in 17 Malawian communities with a total population of 500,000. Somebody Cares not only partners with African community leaders and pastors, but also with North American churches and ministries. Before founding Somebody Cares in 2000, Theresa worked with Save the Children, USAID and several other international relief and development agencies. She is a Tearfund Inspired Individual and is a regular speaker  in Africa and the USA where she focuses on partnership, and advocates for women, girls and those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Werner Mischke serves as Executive Vice President and Director of Training Ministries for Mission ONE. Werner has a special relationship with Mission ONE’s partner in the Middle East—where Arab nationals are building a network of house churches through holistic ministry among various Muslim peoples. Werner’s experience in the Middle East has led him into a pursuit of understanding the pivotal cultural value of honor and shame in the Bible—and in Eastern cultures. As Director of Training Ministries for Mission ONE, Werner has designed and produced two training resources to equip followers of Christ for world missions.

• Operation WorldView — an eight-week introductory DVD missions curriculum inspired by the Perspectives course for small groups. Operation WorldView has been by some 700 churches in America, Canada and other nations. 
• The Beauty of Partnership — a six-week training series to equip followers of Christ for fruitful cross-cultural relationships and partnerships—designed on the basis of adult learning theory.

Werner has served since 2004 on the Resource Team of COSIM. He lives with his wife Daphne in Scottsdale, Arizona where they attend Scottsdale Bible Church.

Karl Mueller is the Justice Pastor of Mission Community Church in Gilbert, Arizona. Karl has been in ministry for more than 30 years. He has served in leadership with Youth With A Mission, the North American Baptist Conference and Visionledd. He was also president of a Bible College and has worked in local churches for 14 years. His ministry has taken him to more than 35 nations of the world. Since 2001 he has been active in building partnerships between North American churches and churches and ministries in Meso-America, Turkey, Indonesia and Africa. Karl is a graduate of the University of Albert and Fuller Theological Seminary (Missiology). Karl and his wife Debbie live in Mesa, Arizona. They have one son and an Eclectus Parrot named Oscar.

Jane Overstreet is the President / CEO of Development Associates International (DAI) a non-profit organization providing training and consulting in leadership and organizational management to more than 10,000 Christian leaders in 30 countries annually. Prior to joining DAI, Jane served for many years as the Director of Legal Services for Youth With A Mission International while living in the Middle East and Europe. Jane has also provided legal consulting for numerous other Christian organizations. She has published manuals on various legal topics including taxation, child abuse prevention, and immigration. She is a member of the American Bar Association and the Colorado Bar Association. She serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations, on the stewardship committee of her local church, Covenant Presbyterian, and was an adjunct professor at Eastern University. Jane is also a member of the Lausanne Leadership Development Working Group. Jane has been married for 29 years to Harold, who also works with Development Associates International. They have three children and two grandchildren.

Jay Temple serves Advancing Native Missions (ANM) in several different capacities. As a missionary-at-large and as Director for Comforting the Persecuted Church (CPC), Jay travels to many parts of the world where the Lord’s Church is suffering. In additionto sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he researches and evaluates indigenous ministries, and spends time encouraging the brethren. His goal is to bring back accurate information as to how effective indigenous missionaries are and how they are enduring for the sakeof the Gospel. He has spent time with the families of martyrs, with men and women in hiding, with brethren who have been imprisoned and with many who continue to fearlessly proclaim the name of Christ. Jay travels throughout the US, sharing withAmerican believers powerful testimonies of what he has seen and heard. When he is not preaching the Gospel, advocating for missions or sharing on the persecuted Church, Jay teaches on the challenge the Church faces through the cults and other false religions. He has been involved in missions for more than twenty years.  

Dr. Phil Thornton served with OMS International in Colombia, S.A. for 3 years in the areas of church planting/evangelism and theological education by extension, for 27 years as Professor of Missions at Asbury College, and for 2 years as Vice President of Field Ministries for GO InterNational where oversaw international partnerships in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He holds an A.B. degree from Asbury College, a M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, and a PhD. In cultural anthropology from Southern Methodist University. Having grown up in a church which pioneered in missions programming and outreach, Dr. Thornton carries a special interest for extending the ministry of the local church across the street and around the world. Dr. Thornton has served on the COSIM Resource Team for several years, and is currently its Chairman.