Across The Nation

Meeting of Open Bible’s New National Board of Directors

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In the 2021 virtual national convention of Open Bible Churches ministers and delegates approved a leadership restructuring plan that transitioned two national leaders and all five regional executive directors to serve on a new Executive Leadership Team with President Randall Bach. The National Board of Directors was then complemented with the addition of new members who add breadth of experiences and representation to the board.  

After the first meeting of the newly restructured national board held November 17-19 in Des Moines, Iowa, President Randall Bach commented, “What an outstanding group of people! Open Bible is blessed to have a rich and diverse array of experiences, skill sets, and perspectives added to our National Board of Directors. They are spiritually passionate, missionally connected, and eager to help lead Open Bible Churches to reach a new level of fruitfulness for the Lord and His Kingdom. It is an honor and privilege to run with them! May we be courageous and bold in pursuing His call upon Open Bible.” 

These are the current members of the Open Bible Churches National Board of Directors: 

Randy Brock –Rapid City, South Dakota

Rev. Randy Brock, a 1982 graduate of Open Bible College formerly in Des Moines, Iowa, has served as a youth pastor, a regional Christian education and youth director, an administrative pastor, a care pastor, and as a lead pastor. He and his wife, Tami, are currently the lead pastors at Open Bible Church of Rapid City, in Rapid City, South Dakota.   

Karl Francis – Cooper City, Florida  

Rev. Karl A. Francis, church planter, conference speaker, and visionary, is the senior pastor of Living Word Open Bible in Cooper City, Florida, which he pioneered 28 years ago. He has mentored many leaders, including five successful church planters. His ministry extends for more than 40 years and includes ministry in the Caribbean, North, Central and South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. He currently serves on the National Board, Global Ministries Board, and Southeast Region Board of Open Bible Churches U.S.A. and is the South District Director of the Southeast Region. He has served on the board of several community agencies and is the current chairman of South Florida Keswick, a multi-denominational association of twenty plus churches. Prior to engaging in full-time ministry, Karl had a very successful career in business, last serving as Executive Director of a Miami banking consortium. Currently pursuing doctoral studies in ministry, Karl lives in South Florida with Dyrie, his wife of 44 years. 

Gary Khan – Desert Streams, California  

Gary Khan graduated from Eugene Bible College (now New Hope Christian College) in 1990. In fact, he graduated one week, got married the week after, and started ministry as the youth pastor at Desert Streams Church of the Open Bible in Santa Clarita, California, a week after that. He and his wife, DeLaine, began serving as the lead pastors at Desert Streams in 1999. Having been ordained with Open Bible Churches since 1990, Gary is currently serving as the district director for the Southern California/Arizona district and as the director for the Pacific Resource Network. Gary and DeLaine have been married for more than thirty years and have two grown children. 

George Williams – Toledo, Ohio  

George Williams is the founding pastor of CityLight Church in Toledo, Ohio, and serves as the church planting director for Open Bible East Region. George and his wife, Sarah, both credentialed ministers with Open Bible Churches, started ministry as urban missionaries in 2005. They bought a large house on Lewis Avenue in Toledo with the sole purpose to love their neighbors as themselves. After they had spent years of loving and reaching their neighbors, the need for a transformative and life-giving church became evident. In 2012 George and Sarah felt God was calling them to plant that church, and in January of 2013, they held their first CityLight Church meeting. George and Sarah are the proud parents of two daughters.  

Darrick Young – Urbandale, Iowa  

Darrick Young is the founding and lead pastor of Journey Church of the Open Bible in Urbandale, Iowa. He also serves on the leadership coaching network for Central Region Open Bible Churches and on the Central Region and national boards of Open Bible. Darrick has been in full-time ministry for 31 years, including serving as Central Region Youth Director from 2002 to 2011. This fall he will celebrate 30 years of marriage to his wife, Ranada. Darrick and Ranada have two adult married children.  

Dan Carlson – Gurley, Nebraska 

Dan Carlson is a credentialed Open Bible minister who provides interim and pulpit supply and interim pastoral services to churches in Nebraska’s Panhandle and South Dakota’s Black Hills. Dan Carlson started his broadcasting career at WCCO-TV, the CBS affiliate in Minneapolis, as a TV weathercaster, producer, and fill-in news anchor. It was the beginning of a 25-year career in TV and radio that would expand into other roles in the broadcast industry. Also a writer, Dan eventually earned four undergraduate degrees or professional certifications from accredited institutions with emphasis of study in communications, earth sciences, broadcast meteorology, and ministry. He is also a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.    

Renita Collins – St. Clair Shores, Michigan  

Renita Collins is a writer, worship leader, business owner, and licensed cosmetologist. She currently serves as executive pastor alongside her husband, Frank Collins Jr., who is the senior pastor of Breath of Life Christian Church in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. She is the author of two books, 31 Days of Focus and Persevere. Commonly known as “The Focus Guru,” Renita is passionate about encouraging others to overcome obstacles in order to cultivate life’s most important relationships and assignments. Renita and Frank currently reside in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, with their children, Frank III and Raina.   

Evonn Dorr – Des Moines, Iowa  

Evonn Dorr is a second-generation Tai Dam-American and has resided in Iowa her entire life. She currently serves as a delivery lead at one of the major American agriculture companies in Iowa. She is an independent and self-motivated professional with more than twenty years of experience working with cross-functional teams, coordinating, planning, and managing projects, programs, and events. The opportunities she’s had in her career journey have given her a keen sense of people and helped her develop the ability to handle a variety of situations, encouraging and mentoring those around her. Evonn is happily married to Todd, her husband of more than twenty years, and is a proud parent of two wonderful adult children.  

Jorge Morelles – Spanaway, Washington  

Jorge L. Morelles was born in Patillas, Puerto Rico, and met his wife, Linda, in Hayward, California. Jorge accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior in 1993 at Iglesia La Roca church in Lakewood, Washington, when Joaquin Ramos was serving as pastor. Linda gave her heart to the Lord later that same year. The congregation moved to the city of Tacoma in 1997. Jorge became the church’s senior pastor in 2001, having received his associate license. He graduated from INSTE Level 2 in 2008 and today is an ordained minister with Open Bible. Jorge and Linda have three sons and one daughter: Michael, Jorge, Christopher, and Jozlyn.  

Ximena Urra – Miami, Florida

Ximena Urra lives in Miami, Florida, where she and her husband, Pablo Urra, serve as pastors of Templo de la Biblia Abierta (Open Bible Temple). Ximena is a graduate of Bible and Theology from INSTE Level Two. She has visited over 40 countries, serving on short-term mission trips and overseeing various training aspects necessary with Operation Mobilization (OM) Ships International (a non-denominational Christian organization dedicated to bringing knowledge, help, and hope to the people of the world), with Open Bible Churches, and with Spanish House MinistriesShe worked as a graphic designer and freelancer for 24 years for Editorial Unilit Publishers and later helped INSTE design their study book covers in six different languages. She and Pablo served as regional directors of OM for the mobilization of Hispanic missionaries and assisted COMHINA, a missions network that focuses on the Hispanics in North America and their worldwide involvement. The couple helped establish Open Bible Church of Kendall in Miami, Florida, alongside Pastors Jorge and Magdalena Urra. Ximena is committed to reaching the church and instilling the importance of studying God’s Word.    

Burt Campbell – O’Fallon, Missouri

 Burt Campbell, a graduate from Oral Roberts University, was credentialed with Open Bible in 1994. He served congregations in Oklahoma and Michigan before becoming the lead pastor at a church in Ohio for 17 years. While in East Region, Burt served as a district director and was part of the East Region Board. In addition, Burt was a contributing author to Open Bible’s We Believe book and study guide. In 2017, Burt and Linda relocated to the greater St. Louis, Missouri, region. He serves as the Chaplain Director for Friendship Village Chesterfield, a senior living community that includes 550 residents. He is also enrolled in the MDiv program at Regent University and plans to earn his next degree by May of 2023. Burt and his wife, Linda, have been married since 1990 and together raised three children.    

Kerry Crawford – Brooklyn, New York 

Kerry Crawford hails from the Caribbean Island of Jamaica, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Management Studies. Upon migrating to the United States, she embarked upon a career in the human resources field, specializing in talent acquisition, and earned a Master of Science degree in Business Management and Leadership. Additionally, she is an INSTE Level 1 graduate.  Kerry is a member of the Rehoboth Open Bible Church iin Brooklyn, New York, and serves in multiple capacities, including praise team member, lead service coordinator, and director of the youth ministry.   

John Hoffman – Boone, Iowa  

John Hoffman grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, and attended Fort Des Moines Church of the Open Bible. He is currently a member of the Open Bible Church of Boone in Boone, Iowa, where he served on the governing board from 1983 to 2019. He has also led in various areas in the church, including children’s ministry, youth ministry, small groups, and the worship team band. As a board member, John helped lead the church through two building programs and two pastoral transitions. He has been on mission trips to Jamaica, Thailand, and Mexico. He also served for five years on the board of the Boone Community Theatre, including two terms as president. John works at Iowa State University as a web developer, building websites and web applications for the facilities department.  

Josh Stelly – Spokane, Washington  

Josh Stelly was born in Houston, Texas, in 1981. When he was 18, Josh had a strong desire to attend a ministry training school, so he joined Spokane Master’s Commission in the fall of 2001. He married his wife, Melissa, in the summer of 2004 and graduated from INSTE Global Bible College in the spring of 2005. That same year the couple was hired at Turning Point Open Bible Church as young adult pastors, and in the summer of 2007, they began to lead Spokane Master’s Commission. In 2010, they transitioned from Spokane Master’s Commission to the role of family ministry pastors and ministered to children and their parents as well. The Lord strengthened Josh’s desire to see entire families spiritually nourished and made whole in Christ, so in July of 2019 he transitioned out of family ministries into the position of executive pastor, where he oversees ministry leadership and work in the day-to-day ministry operations of the church. Josh and Melissa have been blessed with three wonderful girls: Chloe, Adelaide, and Josie.   

Randy Sterns – Tampa, Florida  

Randy Sterns was born in Iowa and raised in Oregon although his earliest years were lived in Africa as the son of Open Bible missionaries Verl and Shirley Sterns. An attorney, he has extensive experience representing entities that seek financing, forming broker-dealer firms, overseeing investment and loan funds, as well as representing financial institutions, credit union service organizations, public, and private companies. Randy began his career serving as Legislative Assistant and Counsel to U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR) from 1979 until 1984 and was actively involved in tax simplification, tax reform initiatives, and religious liberty issues, including the Equal Access Act of 1984 that granted legal protection to non-curriculum related student groups to meet for religious purposes. He has continued to be actively involved in assisting churches, private schools, charter schools, athletic organizations, and community service organizations and is actively involved in assisting and supporting international mission organizations which focus their efforts on the needs of orphans. He is a member of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association and Non-Profit Organizations, State Regulation of Securities, Exempt Transactions and Exempt Securities sub-committees and regularly contributes to and speaks at seminars relating to not-for-profit organizations.  

 

The National Board represents and directs the mission and business of the Association. It is accountable to and shall report to the governing body for those responsibilities and powers delegated.

  

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