LEADERSHIP INFO
Our Articles of Incorporation clearly states our purpose:
The mission of Christian Thinkers Society is to teach Christians to become Thinkers and Thinkers to Become Christians: (i) for the church - to equip, train and educate Christians to speak in an informed and responsible way about the deep truths that are at the heart of the Christian faith by exposure to the abundance of evidences — through surveying the excavation and study of the remains of material culture from the world of Jesus and correlating what we discover with relevant written records — which will lead to a new vanguard within the church creating a robust and academically rigorous apologetic that will counteract the acute biblical illiteracy plaguing the modem church; (ii) and for the Thinker — our purpose is to demonstrate why Christianity makes sense, is relevant to life, why it is important, if not essential, for the betterment of society; that is to say, ensuring that the Christian faith answers the questions our culture is asking about our faith.
Christian Thinkers Society is a Tennessee non-profit organization and IRS Federally recognized 501(c)(3) with a mission to reach the world by seeing the great commandment declared in Matthew 22:37 fulfilled by the people of God.
Our Independent Board of Directors
Christian Thinkers Society answers to a Board of Directors. Dr. Jeremiah J. Johnston serves on the board as President. Every other director is independent. None is related to Dr. Johnston, and all serve as volunteers with no compensation from the ministry. They hold our leadership and our finances accountable.
Dr. Jeremiah J. Johnston
President, Christian Thinkers Society
Jeremiah J. Johnston, Ph.D., is an elected member of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS), the leading international society of New Testament scholars. He serves as Associate Pastor for Apologetics and Cultural Engagement at Prestonwood Baptist Church and as Senior Fellow of Christian Origins at Dallas Baptist University. He has written nearly 20 books, including the New York Times bestseller The Jesus Discoveries, Unimaginable and Body of Proof. He and his wife, Audrey, have five children.
Jeff Anderson
Treasurer
Jeff Anderson spent thirty years as a senior executive on Wall Street, leading thousands of people and overseeing billions of dollars in assets. Then God called him into ministry. As a pastor, he built leadership partnerships that took on hard community needs in Kansas City, San Diego and the Texas Hill Country. Today he writes faith stories at Verbal Sunshine and leads LeadershipInc.
Dr. Luther Biggs
Retired Senior Pastor, Peace Lutheran Church, Grand Island, Nebraska
Luther Biggs grew up in San Antonio. He graduated from Concordia College in Ann Arbor and Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, where he later earned his doctorate in evangelism. He led Messiah Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, as it grew from 200 members to more than 3,000. He then served ten years as Senior Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Carrollton, Texas, and later as Senior Pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Grand Island, Nebraska. He retired in 2025 after 40 years of pastoral ministry. He has taught evangelism in Concordia Seminary's Doctor of Ministry program and serves on the Board of Trustees of Bryan Hospital in Grand Island.
Jennifer Butler
Co-Founder, The Butler Group, Kansas City
Jennifer Butler has lived in the Kansas City area all her life. She co-founded The Butler Group, one of the top real estate teams in the region. She is a Realtor licensed in Kansas and Missouri, an Associate Broker, a Military Residential Specialist and a property investor. She is also an adoptive parent, a cancer survivor and a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in foster care.
Steve Kerns
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Steve Kerns founded InsurMark, a national insurance marketing firm in Houston, in 1983. In 2018 InsurMark partnered with Simplicity Group Holdings, where Steve serves as Executive Vice President of Business Relationships. He served nine years as a trustee of Houston Christian University and sits on the board of Athletes in Action (Cru). In his church he has served as a deacon, Sunday School director and finance committee member. Steve and his wife, Becky, have two grown sons and four grandchildren. He is a devoted Nebraska football fan and an avid golfer.
Pastor Luke Reid
Senior Pastor, Way Church; Leader, Resound Collective
Luke Reid is from Sydney, Australia. In 2011 he and his wife, Alissa, started a church in their living room in Portland, Oregon. Today he is Senior Pastor of Way Church in Orange County, Portland and Denver, and he leads Resound Collective, a family of churches in the United States and abroad. Luke and Alissa have four children. Luke has preached across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India and Europe. "The approach of Christian Thinkers is to reach one's heart through their head," he says, "just like all the great apologists."
Rev. Ron Smith
Lead Pastor, First Baptist Church of Palatka, Florida
Before entering the ministry, Ron Smith worked in international professional auto racing (IMSA) and then in corporate human resources, specializing in employee benefits law. He trained at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and has pastored three churches over more than twenty years. Ron also serves on the Board of Directors of Priority Worship and as Family Retreat Pastor for Joni and Friends.