Wayne Jacobsen

Last updated
Wayne Jacobsen
Born (1953-03-21) March 21, 1953 (age 72)
Occupation
  • Author
  • pastor
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Oral Roberts University
SpouseSara Fought
Children2
Website
www.lifestream.org

Wayne Jacobsen (born March 21, 1953) is an American author and former pastor, best known for his Christian non-fiction book, He Loves Me!. [1]

Contents

He is the founder of Lifestream Ministries and a co-host of the podcast ''The God Journey. [2]

Jacobsen also collaborated with author William P. Young on the writing of the novel The Shack and helped create the Christian publishing company Windblown Media. [3] He has been a contributing editor to Leadership Journal, and has authored numerous articles on spiritual formation, relational community, and engagement of culture. [4]

Biography

Jacobsen grew up on a grape vineyard in central California as the third of four sons. [5] His family was initially involved in a Baptist fellowship before becoming part of the renewal movement. This early exposure to both traditional and experiential Christian practices informed his later spiritual journey. [6]

Jacobsen attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, graduating in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in Biblical Literature. Upon graduation he married Sara Fought of Urbana, Ohio, who graduated that same year. [7]

Jacobsen began his full-time Ministry in 1975 as an Associate Pastor at Valley Christian Center in Fresno, California - a Foursquare church. In 1994, he left the ministry to found the Christian website Lifestream ministries, as well as the organization Bridgebuilders, through which he does public presentations and conflict mediation. [8]

In 1995, Jacobsen established Lifestream Ministries to support his work as a writer and traveling speaker. Through Lifestream, he has published numerous books, articles, and multimedia resources aimed at encouraging relational Christianity. [2]

In addition to his ministry work, Jacobsen was involved in educational mediation through BridgeBuilders, an initiative aimed at resolving religious tensions in public education. He provided consultation and training for school districts and parent groups, though his involvement has since diminished. [9]

In 2005, Jacobsen collaborated on '' The Shack,'' a Christian novel written by William P. Young. Jacobsen spent over a year rewriting the manuscript and was instrumental in the decision to self-publish the book, which went on to sell over one million copies within 13 months. He later served as a consultant for the 2017 film adaptation by Lionsgate. [10]

Jacobsen co-hosts ''The God Journey'' podcast, where he discusses topics related to spiritual growth, relational faith, and critiques of religious institutionalism. He has also produced several teaching series including ''Transitions,''''The Jesus Lens,'' and ''Engage,'' many of which are available online through Lifestream. [11]

Personal life

In 2023 Jacobsen resides in Newbury Park, California with his wife Sara. They have two children, Julie (b. 1978) and Andrew (b. 1980), and three grandchildren.

Major works

Jacobsen has written and co-authored several books, including; He Loves Me!, [12] In My Father's Vineyard, [13] Authentic Relationships, [14] So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore (coauthored with Dave Coleman, using joint pseudonym Jake Colsen), [15] The Naked Church, [16] Beyond Sundays, [17] Finding Church, Live Loved Free Full, In Season, A Language of Healing [18] and Tales of the Vine. [19]

Jacobsen cohosted a weekly podcast at TheGodJourney.com, [20] and was a mediator on governmental issues involving church and state in educational issues. [21] [22]

References

  1. ↑ Ellis, Paul (2011-11-14). ""He Loves Me" by Wayne Jacobsen". Escape to Reality. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  2. 1 2 Alan, Ben (2025-07-25). "Wayne Jacobsen Shares His Journey of Faith and Spiritual Authenticity - Reader's House" . Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  3. ↑ Laube, Steve (2010-07-15). "The Shack Gets Sued -". The Steve Laube Agency. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  4. ↑ site_office_wbm. "Wayne Jacobsen". Windblown Media. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  5. ↑ "In My Father's Vineyard". campusstore.miamioh.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  6. ↑ Jacobsen, Wayne (2018-06-08). Differences Do Not Make Us Enemies . Retrieved 2025-09-01– via www.ted.com.
  7. ↑ "Wayne Jacobsen shares God's love at Hope Builders International". www.assistnews.net. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21.
  8. ↑ "Who is Wayne Jacobsen?". Lifestream. 31 October 2015. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Wayne Jacobsen | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
  10. ↑ Laube, Steve (2010-07-15). "The Shack Gets Sued -". The Steve Laube Agency. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
  11. ↑ "Wayne Jacobsen Archives". Redeeming God. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
  12. ↑ Jacobsen, Wayne (2000). He Loves Me! (1st ed.). Lifestream Ministries. ISBN   1-930027-04-4.
  13. ↑ Wayne Jacobsen, In My Father's Vineyard, ISBN   978-0-8499-5296-8
  14. ↑ Wayne Jacobsen, Authentic Relationships, ISBN   978-0-8010-6451-7
  15. ↑ Wayne Jacobsen, So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore, ISBN   978-0-9647292-2-3
  16. ↑ Wayne Jacobsen, The Naked Church, ISBN   978-0-9647292-1-6
  17. ↑ Goodreads website
  18. ↑ Amazon website
  19. ↑ Wayne Jacobsen, Tales of the Vine, ISBN   978-0-9647292-0-9
  20. ↑ God Journey website, Retrieved 2023-05-17
  21. ↑ "BridgeBuilder President: Wayne Jacobsen". www.bridge-builders.org. Archived from the original on 2001-01-28.
  22. ↑ Haynes, Charles C. (2006-03-19). "A moral battleground, a civil discourse". USA Today.
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