Governance

Ian Smith (Chairman)

Ian is married to Rosemary, and they have two married sons and four grandchildren. They live in West Oxfordshire on the edge of the Cotswolds. A Chartered Engineer, Ian has more than thirty years in executive leadership roles in both corporate and non-profit sectors. His corporate experience spanned manufacturing, infrastructure maintenance and corporate governance sectors. In the non-profit sector Ian spearheaded growth in operations from the UK into eleven countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He is now director of Springbrook Partnership, a coaching and consulting practice.

Ian’s heart is to enable leaders to be authentic, courageous role models and ambassadors and to help them live out their core values. Also, to support leaders and teams as they navigate transition and uncertainty. He is committed to helping them make a difference to organisational health and culture, empowering individuals to flourish and realise their full potential.

Ian completed the Diploma in Biblical and Theological studies at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and is a Licensed Lay Minister in the Church of England. He is a senior coach practitioner and qualified as a coach through Henley Business School. Ian serves on the board of three not for profit organisations and is a governor of the primary school in his home village

Dr Grace Roberts Dyrness (Vice-Chair)

Grace is a community development consultant and professor. She has taught at the University of Southern California, Azusa Pacific University, and Fuller Theological Seminary, as well as institutions in Philippines, Indonesia and Kenya, with a focus on community and transformational development, particularly in urban settings. She has lived and worked in many countries, thus gaining a global perspective on the important role of church in society. This experience and training have been important reasons for her desire to see women and men at OCMS gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of ministry globally, and to better prepare them to participate in God’s desire to see communities thrive and flourish. It has been her honor to serve as a Trustee of OCMS and as chair of the OCMS USA Board.

John Heyward

John was a UK based career clearing banker over 37 years, reaching executive level after a broad range of responsibilities including credit control, business relationship management, corporate planning and change management, and staff development. He has since automated the accounting function for a local retail business, been a School Governor including Chair, has led and participated in various Church PCC sub-committees including Finance, and remains on Investment Committee for Ulting Overseas Trust after 20 years as a Trustee, for much of which he was Treasurer. John lives with his wife in Buckinghamshire, with one son nearby and the other with family including two grandsons in Oxford. He sees involvement with OCMS as a further exciting opportunity to invest in the advancement of The Great Commission, by enhancing global capabilities for ministry, learning and communication.

Dr David Kasali

David is a Congolese national. He holds a Licence degree in Geography and Education from Congo, Master of Divinity from Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST) and PhD in New Testament (NT) from Trinity International University (TIU). He was awarded 2014 Scholar Leader of the year. David served as NT professor and Vice Chancellor of NEGST. He then helped found Congo Initiative and Christian Bilingual University of Congo to raise up Christian leaders for church and society. He now serves as President of Congo Initiative. David is passionate about hope in African Christianity and the role of the church in nation building. His calling resides in the development and mentoring of Christian servant scholars for Africa and especially for Congo. It is this passion that attracted him to the mission of OCMS, “Transforming mission through research and scholarship.” David and his wife Kaswera have three married sons and three grandchildren

Sophie Adams-van Houtryve

Sophie Van Houtryve is a Belgian citizen living in the UK. Currently she leads the Logos & Cosmos Initiative at IFES, a program which equips and funds young scholars from the majority world to lead Science & Theology projects. Funded by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, the program seeks to raise up a new generation of thought leaders from non-Western contexts. She holds a Masters in Translation and a BA in Biblical & Intercultural Studies as well as a certification in Prince2Agile project management. Sophie has experience of working for the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. As a multi-lingual professional, she is also a published translator and editor. Sophie has a track record of pioneering new initiatives in the community, in particular around nurturing prayer spaces in schools and welcoming internationals. In addition to her professional achievements, Sophie is a dedicated wife and mother of three school age children.

Dr Jung-Sook Lee

Jung-Sook is a professor in church history at Torch Trinity Graduate University (TTGU) in Seoul, Korea, where she served as the 5th president until 2019. She has a PhD degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, US, and focused on research and teaching of church history with a particular interest in Protestant theology and practice and also works closely with Asia Theological Association as vice-chairperson since 2018. She also serves as a presidium member for International Congress for Calvin Research. She has become many of ‘the first woman…’ in the line of her work for theological education in Korea, and was awarded ‘distinguished alumni of the year’ in 2020 by her alma mater, Princeton Theological Seminary. She is ordained and married to a Presbyterian pastor and systematic theologian with two adult children. She joined the OCMS board in 2019 after having had strong collaboration between OCMS and TTGU during her leadership.

Dr Ruth Padilla DeBorst

Ruth is a US citizen born in Colombia. Having lived in Argentina, Ecuador and El Salvador, she currently resides in Costa Rica. She holds degrees in Education and Interdisciplinary Studies and a PhD in Theology from Boston University. Involved in theological education for integral mission in Latin America for several decades, she stepped onto the OCMS board in 2004, when she began leading the Latin American Theological Fellowship. She has served as a Trustee for a few periods since then. As Coordinator of INFEMIT, the International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation, she has sought to link gospel-centered theologian practitioners from across the globe into a fellowship of mutual support that will contribute to wholistic gospel witness and transformation.

Meritt Lohr Sawyer

Meritt is the Executive Pastor of Peninsula Covenant Church in Redwood City, California. She has given executive leadership to internationally-focused non-profit organizations for over forty years as the International Program Director for Langham Partnership International, Vice President of John Stott Ministries, and co-founder of FACT (for global leadership). She served as Executive Director of the Carlson Medical Foundation dedicated to medical and economic development in the Congo-DRC. She serves on the boards of Fuller Theological Seminary, Christianity Today, Able Works and Scholar Leaders International  as well as the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies where she brings her extensive international and leadership skills to the board.  She co-produced Windrider Bay Area combining her passion for film, theology and global issues. She holds a Master’s in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Master’s in Higher Education from Bowling Green State University.  She and her husband, Steve, have three grown children. Passions include urban farming, contextual religious art, and training her rescue dog.