Leith Anderson

Last updated

Leith Anderson (October 11, 1944) is an American evangelical Christian leader, author, and retired pastor. Anderson served as senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota from 1977 to 2011. He is pastor emeritus of Wooddale Church and president emeritus of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Contents

Early life and education

Leith Anderson is the son of Charles William Anderson and Margery Freeman Anderson. [1] [ dead link ‍]

Anderson graduated from West Essex High School, North Caldwell, New Jersey; Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois (diploma); Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois (B.A. in Sociology); Denver Seminary, Denver, Colorado (Master of Divinity); and Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California (Doctor of Ministry). [2] [ dead link ‍]

Ministry

Anderson served as a pastor a Calvary Church in Longmont, Colorado and was an adjunct professor of pastoral theology and homiletics at Denver Seminary.[ citation needed ]

In 1977, Anderson began his 35 years as senior pastor of Wooddale Church in suburban Minneapolis. [3] The church was located in Richfield, Minnesota, until 1984 when it moved to a new building on a 33-acre campus in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Wooddale Church grew to become a congregation of thousands, one of the larger churches in the state and region. While pastoring, Anderson taught in seminaries and released daily radio and television programs. [4] Anderson retired from Wooddale Church in 2011 and was named pastor emeritus. [5] [6]

Anderson served as interim president of the National Association of Evangelicals from 2001 to 2003, and again from 2006 to 2007. He was then named president of the NAE in 2007 [7] and served in that capacity until 2019. [8] As NAE president, Anderson frequently participated in amicus curiae briefs, news conferences, and interviews. Priority was given to issues of immigration policy, [9] [10] climate change and the environment, [9] religious freedom, theology and values, social justice, evangelism, humanitarian services, and cultural influence. [11] [12] [10] [13] [ dubious – discuss ] In his leadership of the NAE, Anderson was known for avoiding partisan politics, [9] [10] [12] promoting unity within the evangelical movement, [10] and prioritizing racial and ethnic diversity. [12] Anderson has been named president emeritus of the NAE. [14]

In 2011, President Barack Obama named Anderson to the White House Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. [4] He became a member of the board of World Vision International in 2018. [15] Anderson has written over 20 books. [11]

Personal life

Anderson and his wife, Charleen, have been married since 1965. [16]

Bibliography

Chapters & contributions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary</span> Theological seminary in Massachusetts

Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) is an evangelical seminary with its main campus in Hamilton, Massachusetts, and three other campuses in Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Jacksonville, Florida. According to the Association of Theological Schools, Gordon-Conwell ranks as one of the largest evangelical seminaries in North America in terms of total number of full-time students enrolled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Piper (theologian)</span> American pastor and writer (born 1946)

John Stephen Piper is an American theologian and pastor in the Reformed Baptist tradition. He is also chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Piper taught biblical studies at Bethel University for six years (1974–1980), before serving as pastor for preaching and vision of Bethlehem Baptist Church (Converge) in Minneapolis for 33 years (1980–2013).

The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an American association of Evangelical Christian denominations, organizations, schools, churches, and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than 45,000 local churches from about 40 different Christian denominations and serves a constituency of millions. The mission of the NAE is to honor God by connecting and representing Evangelicals in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity Evangelical Divinity School</span> Divinity school

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is an academic divinity school founded in 1897 and located in the northern Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Illinois. It is part of and located on the main campus of Trinity International University. It is among the largest theological educational institutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Mohler</span> American evangelical theologian (born 1959)

Richard Albert Mohler Jr. is an American evangelical theologian, the ninth president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and host of the podcast The Briefing, where he gives a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.

Donald Arthur Carson is a Canadian evangelical theologian. He is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and president and co-founder of the Gospel Coalition. He has written or edited about sixty books and served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society in 2022.

James Emery White, is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina; President of Serious Times, a ministry that explores the intersection of faith and culture and hosts ChurchandCulture.org; ranked adjunctive professor of theology and culture on the Charlotte campus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary where he also served as their fourth president; and author of more than 20 books that have been translated into ten languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denver Seminary</span> American Evangelical Christian seminary

Denver Seminary is a private, evangelical Christian seminary with its main campus in Littleton, Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Baptist Theological Seminary</span> Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, USA

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at first housed on the campus of Furman University. The seminary has been an innovator in theological education, establishing one of the first Ph.D. programs in religion in the year 1892. After being closed during the Civil War, it moved in 1877 to a newly built campus in downtown Louisville and moved to its current location in 1926 in the Crescent Hill neighborhood. In 1953, Southern became one of the few seminaries to offer a full, accredited degree course in church music. For more than fifty years Southern has been one of the world's largest theological seminaries, with an FTE enrollment of over 3,300 students in 2015.

Bryan Chapell is an American pastor and theologian who currently serves as the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church in America. He was previously the senior pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois. Prior to that he was president and chancellor of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri for twenty years. Chapell is also an author, lecturer, and conference speaker specializing in homiletics. He served as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in America in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wooddale Church</span> Church in Minnesota, United States

Wooddale Church is a Baptist multi-site evangelical Christian church located in Eden Prairie, Edina and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is affiliated with Converge and the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference.

Elmer Leon Towns is an American Christian academic, pastor and writer who co-founded Liberty University alongside Jerry Falwell in 1971. He is a speaker on the principles of church growth, church leadership, Christian education, Sunday school, prayer and fasting.

Gabriel Joseph Fackre (1926–2018) was an American theologian and Abbot Professor of Christian Theology Emeritus at Andover Newton Theological School in Newton, Massachusetts. He was on the school's faculty for 25 years before retiring in 1996. Previous to that he was Professor of Theology and Culture at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, teaching there from 1961 through 1970. Fackre has also served as visiting professor or held lectureships at 40 universities, colleges, and seminaries. His papers are housed in Special Collections at Princeton Theological Seminary Libraries, Princeton, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Ascol</span> American pastor

Thomas Kennedy Ascol is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, and president of Founders Ministries. He is currently the senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida, where he has served for 37 years as of June 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage College & Seminary</span> Canadian evangelical institution in Ontario

The Heritage College & Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. It is affiliated with the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada.

Vernon Carl Grounds was an American theologian, Christian educator, Chancellor of Denver Seminary, and one of the leaders in the development of American evangelicalism.

Stephen A. Hayner was an American Presbyterian minister who was the president of Columbia Theological Seminary, a professor, an author, and the former president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Mark Galli is an American Catholic author and editor, and former Protestant minister. For seven years he was editor in chief of Christianity Today.

References

  1. ↑ Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly . PROFILE . LEITH ANDERSON . November 24, 2006. PBS (2006-11-24). Retrieved on 2011-06-22.
  2. ↑ Pastor Leith Anderson – Faith Matters Christian Radio Sermons, Ministry Broadcast, Podcasts. Oneplace.com (2011-06-17). Retrieved on 2011-06-22.
  3. ↑ "Q and A: Pastor Leith Anderson". SWNewsMedia.com. January 4, 2012.
  4. 1 2 French, Rose. "Pawlenty's pastor will retire at year's end". Star Tribune.
  5. ↑ Gordon, Tracy (July 1, 2011). "Evangelical leader to retire from Minn. pulpit". Religion News Service.
  6. ↑ "Search for new Wooddale Church senior pastor enters second year". hometownsource.com. March 2, 2013.
  7. ↑ NAE Formally Names Leith Anderson President, Christian News. Christianpost.com (2007-10-15). Retrieved on 2011-06-22.
  8. ↑ Shellnutt, Kate (February 1, 2019). "Leith Anderson Retiring From National Association of Evangelicals". Christianity Today. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 Yi, Fred (November 24, 2006). "PROFILE - Leith Anderson". PBS.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Green, Emma (December 25, 2019). "Evangelicalism's Silent Majority". The Atlantic.
  11. 1 2 Smith, Samuel (February 8, 2019). "Leith Anderson to retire from NAE, praised for shaping evangelical mov't in complex times". The Christian Post.
  12. 1 2 3 Banks, Adelle M. (November 27, 2019). "Retiring NAE head Leith Anderson: Evangelicals not just white or political". Religion News Service.
  13. ↑ "Minnesotan retires as head of National Association of Evangelicals". Star Tribune. 28 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  14. ↑ Dean, Lee (August 15, 2016). "The Financial Health of Pastors". Church Law & Tax.
  15. ↑ "Bio - Leith Anderson". www.wvi.org.
  16. ↑ Vu, Michelle A. (October 15, 2007). "NAE Formally Names Leith Anderson President". The Christian Post.
Religious titles
Preceded by President of the National Association of Evangelicals
2001–2003		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the National Association of Evangelicals
2006–2019		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.