FOUNDER & PRESIDENT
Mark Williams
Mark has been in full time ministry since 1981. He has served as a church planting missionary, local church pastor, adjunct professor, missionary and denominational church planting director. Mark is the founding pastor of two churches and has been the mother or partner church pastor for five other church plants. For 18 years Mark served and helped develop the ministry of Dynamic Church Planting International. He wrote and gave oversight to materials that have been used to train over 100,000 church planting leaders in over 100 countries. He is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Biola University, Talbot Seminary and Fuller Seminary where he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree. In 2010 the Moody Bible Institute named Mark “Alumnus of the Year.” He is the co-author of three books on church planting. Mark has trained leaders on 6 continents and countries as diverse as Pakistan, Siberia, Egypt, Peru, The Congo, Ethiopia, Italy, Nepal, Myanmar, Australia, Colombia and others. He also serves as a consultant and mentor to pastors, denominational leaders and mother church leaders. In 2003 he received the Penny Penhollow Award for Excellence in Mentoring Church Planters. Mark’s personal website (www.markalanwilliams.net) helps people “build life on practical, biblical insights.” He writes and podcasts about spiritual life, family, apologetics, leadership and church planting. Mark’s website is read in 140 countries. Mark & Carolyn have been married since 1979 and have three sons: Gabe, Danny and Ben.
PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR
Jim Carpenter
Dr. Jim Carpenter has been in full-time ministry since 1977. He has served as a church planter, church planting missionary, interim pastor, writer, blogger, and, most recently, as a senior pastor for 20 years. He retired from the pastorate in July 2022. He is a graduate of the University of Denver (B.A., Phi Beta Kappa), Denver Seminary (M.Div. with honors), and Fuller Seminary (D.Min. with honors). Jim was the founding pastor of four church plants. For four years, he was the Vice President of Communications for an international church planting mission, where he wrote the missions’ basic church planter training course. He also co-authored a church planting training manual and edited a book of daily devotions for church planters. He has written a book of essays and a novel. He blogs at . Jim married his wife Dionne in college, and they celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2022. Dionne is a trauma counselor, weaver, and has written four books on the Christian life. They have two married sons and eleven grandchildren. In retirement, Jim is active in his local church, is working on a second novel, and teaches Koine Greek to his older grandchildren.
DIGITAL CONTENT STRATEGIST
Chris Wieser
Chris has been devoted to ministry since 2017. Graduating summa cum laude from California State University, he consistently earned a place on the Dean's List throughout his academic journey. Since completing his education, Chris has contributed his talents to multiple nonprofit ministries, excelling as a multimedia/web designer and video producer. His proficiency in content creation and creative design has made a significant impact, elevating the visual and multimedia aspects of the organizations he serves.
MATERIALS AND TRANSLATIONS DIRECTOR
Daniela Caloca
Daniela has dedicated herself to full-time ministry since 2015, actively serving in Mexicali, Mexico, as a valued member of Vastago Ministerios. Within her church community, she engages in various partnerships, including Dynamic Church Planting International and The World Needs a Father. Alongside her commitment to ministry, Daniela is an integral part of her church’s young adults ministry and expresses her musical talent by playing the drums in worship. Outside of her church involvement, Daniela is a high school math and science tutor with a fervent passion for STEM education. She has played a key role in coordinating math and science departments for online schools. As a 2022 ALICT (African Leadership Institute of Community Transformation) alumna, Daniela has gained valuable cross-cultural experiences, showcasing her adaptability and global perspective. In addition to her educational pursuits, Daniela actively contributes to the expansion of God's kingdom by translating materials and participating in live event translations between English and Spanish. Her diverse skill set and dedication to both education and ministry highlight her commitment to making a positive impact in various aspects of community life.
MATERIALS AND TRANSLATIONS ASSISTANT
Manuel Isaac Carrillo Gonzalez
Manuel has been active in ministry since 2014. After earning a degree in International Business in 2019, he began serving full-time at Vastago Ministerios, his local church in Mexicali, Mexico. He dedicated a year of his life to the mission field in Kyrgyzstan in 2022. Within his local church, Manuel plays a crucial role in creating and editing graphic materials, he leads the worship team, and pastor’s young adults; he actively collaborates with various organizations to further the mission of expanding the Kingdom of God. Since 2014, Manuel has been associated with DCPI (Dynamic Church Planting International), where he serves as a Master Trainer and oversees material editing for Latin America. Additionally, he contributes to The World Needs a Father and The Global Leadership Summit.
CHURCH LIAISON
Gene Thomas
Gene Thomas has served in various church ministries for over 40 years since leaving Baptist Bible College, Springfield, MO, in 1988. He has served as a Deacon and an Elder, sung in choirs and chorale, and has been involved in tech ministries at every church where he has been a member. Gene and Patricia were married in 1993. Patricia has served as a Deaconess and is currently serving in the Benevolence ministry at church. He has both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business Information Systems. Gene began serving as Church Liaison for DJJ in 2023.
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT
Katie Feuge
Katie Feuge has worked in ministry since childhood. In 2003, Katie’s father started a church in Kalispell, Montana. From an early age, Katie volunteered in the church by working with children, feeding the homeless, and eventually becoming the Director of Children’s Ministries in 2016. She graduated from Flathead Valley Community College in 2016 (A.A., Phi Theta Kappa) and ATP Flight School in 2017. Since leaving Montana, Katie has stayed active in the church and has volunteered in areas including media, children, young adults, and feeding the homeless. Katie met her husband, Parker, in flight school and they married in 2017. Parker is an airline pilot and often volunteers his time to aspiring pilots and the church. Together, they have a son named Rudy born in 2023.
The DJJ Partners
KENYA REGIONAL COORDINATOR
Kennedy Chege
Kennedy Chege Karanja is Kenyan, married to Elizabeth Njeri. They are blessed with three children, Sarahanne, Victor & Sarahgrace. Kennedy is a regional Bishop & the Secretary General of the Church on the Rock (COTR) - Kenya. He's the Senior Pastor of COTR - Gitaru, a church that he planted over 20 years ago. Before then he had been directly involved in five other church plants. While pastoring this particular church he has planted two daughter Churches. He is the founder & director of Global Outreach Ministries (GOMI) which has its presence both in Kenya & Uganda. He served as the Chairman of the World Leaders Association (WLA) Kenya Chapter for 10 years up to the year 2016. WLA is a Leadership nurturing ministry based in Michigan, USA. He's the National Deputy Chairman of the East Africa Community Pastors Fellowship (EACPF) Kenya Charter. EACPF is in nine Eastern African countries. He is a World Zone Leader & Master Trainer with Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI). Kennedy is also involved in organizing and speaking in Global Advance conferences in Kenya. (Global Advance - USA). He Chairs several Interdenominational Pastors' Fellowships & Prayer Movements in Kenya. Kennedy graduated with a Master of Theology from Salt Lake Bible College, a Bachelor of Theology from the same college and a Graduate Diploma in Supply Chain Management (CIPS - UK). He is a full member of the Chartered Institute of Supply Chain Management. He's greatest strength and passion is in bringing leaders and groups of people together and working with resourceful individuals and teams; to equip, challenge & follow them up to achieve specific goals. Kennedy is the DJJ Regional Coordinator for Kenya, East Africa. His role is to provide leadership and oversight for promoting and training discipleship in order to expand the impact of DJJ in his region.
UGANDA REGIONAL COORDINATOR
Godfrey Kakembo
With 15 years of outreach experience, Godfrey’s passion is to see children and families outside of the church come to love and follow Jesus. Godfrey is the founder of Raising Servant Leaders Ministries (RSL), which aims to bring God’s Word to every child and youth in school and nurture them to be Christ-like -disciples. Godfrey has worked with churches, organizations, schools, primary and secondary schools, universities to run children’s worker training, weekly discipleship programs, children’s camps, children’s conferences, parent’s seminars, ministry networks, and leadership training for church and ministry leaders. Godfrey was an outreach and discipleship coordinator at Uganda Christian University, child development worker at Heart for African People, and head of children’s ministry for Compassion and Power Church, Seeta. Godfrey started working with DJJ in 2020 and currently serves as the Regional Coordinator for Uganda, where he oversees several Ambassadors and is growing his team. Godfrey lives in Uganda with his wife, Esther, and their daughters, Nissi and Elshad.
LIBERIA REGIONAL COORDINATOR
David Gbalee
David W. Gbalee was born again on March 20,1983. At the end of 1983, David felt the calling to the ministry. He resigned his post and entered Bible College in 1984. He holds an "AA" degree from Maranatha Bible College and also attended TWC Bible College (2019-2020). After the completion of his studies in 1986, David went to Apostolic Church in Bong Mines, Lower Bong County, Liberia. He served as a member there from 1986 to 1996. During this period he and his colleagues planted churches in the area. In 1996, David was called by Senior Pastor William Z. Garpu in Monrovia, Liberia, where he was licensed as a Senior Minister. In 1998, he was ordained as Pastor and assigned to one of the local branches in Monrovia where he served as Senior Pastor for two years. When the Liberian Civil War began, Pastor. David fled to Ivory Coast. There he started working as an Associate Pastor for an Interdenominational group called Liberia Inter Church (LIC). In 2000 he left and went to the Republic of Guinea. From 2000 to 2009 he worked with Rev. Jeffery David Addy as an Assistant Pastor in the River of Life World Outreach Ministry in Laine Refugee Camp. David's wife, Bendu M. Gbalee, has worked together with him in ministry. For the past seven years she has been building up the children’s ministries. Bendu is also a prayer warrior and praiser. Because of the calling of God upon their lives, David left Guinea and returned to Liberia in 2009 and Bendu and the children followed in 2012. They felt called to start a new ministry work in Kakata City, New Via Town Community, Margibi County. There they founded Conqueror’s Tabernacle Ministry. David is the DJJ Regional Coordinator for Liberia, West Africa. His role is to provide leadership and oversight for promoting and training discipleship in order to expand the impact of Discipleship Journeys with Jesus in his region. David and Bendu have been married since 2002 and have five children: two step-children and three adopted children. Their names are: Lawrence, Mulbah, Sankay, Nancy and Sampson.
