CLI Welcomes Professors Wayne Brouwer and Ray Vander Laan

Christian Leaders Institute is always looking for ways to add to the resources we already offer our students. In keeping with our high standards of quality, we were recently blessed with two new professors who agreed to do classes for us here. Christian Leaders Institute would like to welcome these new professors and thank them for coming alongside us in our commitment to excellence in ministry training.

Dr. Wayne Brouwer

Wayne Brouwer is the husband of Brenda (nee: Karsten), and they are parents of three daughters: Kristyn, Kimberly, and Kaitlyn.

Wayne has pastored congregations in Alberta and Ontario, Canada, and Michigan, United States. He has served as a missionary teacher in Nigeria, and has taught at several colleges and seminaries in North America.  Wayne has written more than seven hundred articles that have appeared in journals such as Leadership, Christianity Today, Preaching, Interpretation, Calvin Theological Journal, and Vital Ministry, and has authored over a dozen books including the second revised edition of his best-selling Covenant Documents: Reading the Bible Again for the First Time (Cognella), They All Were Looking for a King… (CSS), Being a Believer in a Non-Believing World (Hendrickson), Humming Till the Music Returns (CSS) andThe Literary Development of John 13-17: A Chiastic Reading (SBL).  He has a weekly radio program on WHTC, and serves as Vice-President for Curriculum Development at the Church Leadership Center. In 2005 Wayne transitioned from a role as Senior  Pastor of Harderwyk Ministries in Holland, Michigan, to position as Associate Professor of Religion at Hope College, and Adjunct Professor of Theology and Ministry at Western Theological Seminary, both also in Holland.  He holds degrees from Dordt College (B.A.), Calvin Theological Seminary (M.Div., Th.M.), and McMaster University (M.A., Ph.D.).

Wayne Brouwer’s class, “Biblical Wisdom: Understanding Life Through Old Testament Prophets and Sages,” is in the final stages of taping. It will be made available for students to enroll in sometime in 2015.

Ray Vander Laan

Ray received his Master’s of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1976, Ray Vander Laan has been actively involved in studying and teaching Jewish culture using the methods of Jewish education. He has continued graduate studies in Jewish Studies in the United States, Israel, Turkey and Egypt. Ray has been teaching high school for 35 years.  He  is an ordained minister with the Christian Reformed Church. “Echoes of His Presence” is a book Ray wrote, which was published by Focus on the Family. In 1998, Vander Laan founded That the World May Know Ministries. Over 10,000 people have joined him in study tours of Israel, Turkey and Egypt. Ray presents on field presentations that are used by CLI. Listen to Ray Vander Laan being interviewed by Jim Daily on the Focus on the Family Radio program. Click here.

Ray Vander Laan’s first class, “Biblical Interpretation 1,” is now ready and available for students to enroll in. This course explores Scripture in its original historical, cultural, and geographical context, focusing mainly on Old Testament people, places, and events. Professor Ray VanderLaan takes us to locations where biblical history unfolded and shows the relevance for contemporary cultures and people. Students who want to take this course must have completed Old Testament Survey before they are eligible to enroll in this course.

Christian Leaders Institute is honored by the willingness of these men of God to lend time and materials to help make Christian Leaders Institute an even better educational institution. We are also very grateful to the students and generous men and women whose gifts make it possible for us to have such high quality professors teaching our classes.