Brad L. Henderson, D.Min.

 

Primary gifts

  • Teaching: Preaching, Writing, Synthesizing, Presenting

  • Leadership: Crafting, Inspiring, Communicating, and Implementing Shared Vision

  • Training: Practical Equipping, Coaching, Developing Leaders

  • Administration: Creating Systems, Monitoring Priorities


education

  • Doctor of Ministry, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, TX (2009)

    • Focus: Pastoral Leadership

    • Dissertation: Evaluation of the Lasting Impact of a Men’s Family Leadership Class Training Experience

  • Master of Sacred Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, TX (1989)

  • Master of Divinity, Temple Baptist Seminary, Chattanooga, TN (1987)

  • Bachelor of Arts, Baptist Bible College, Springfield, MO (1983)


Professional experience

Online Professor (2018 - Present)

  • Adjunct Faculty, Western Seminary, Ministry Leadership Department (online)

  • Teaching Assistant, Dallas Theological Seminary, Pastoral Ministries Department (online)

Lead Pastor (1993-2018)

Trinity Baptist Church, Walla Walla, WA

Revitalized Church from Declining Health to Disciple-making Impact

  • Led 20-year growth from 175 to 600 unique monthly attenders in city of static population

  • Quadrupled annual budget

  • Revitalized all systems of church ministry including worship, outreach, ministry philosophy, spiritual formation, finances, and leadership development in multi-generational church

  • Implemented innovative practices to enhance ministry: church app, video streaming, online giving

Demonstrated Excellence in Creative, Accessible Preaching and Teaching

Restructured Ministry Programming to Prioritize Discipleship

  • Realigned, streamlined, and re-invigorated ministries and events so that all activities directly contribute to the church’s purpose to make disciples

  • Implemented a disciple-making strategy, pathway and corresponding ministry structures to help people grow at all levels of maturity

Led Major Capital Campaign, Building Program, and Facility Remodel

  • Created successful in-house capital campaign to fund major facility expansion, raising over $2 million; when we started this journey, we had an annual church budget of only $250,000

  • Doubled square footage, building worship and educational space for youth and children, an administrative suite, a welcoming foyer, and expanded pre-school rooms

  • Renovated the original facility, including nursery, kitchen, and adult space

  • Completed the project on a “pay as you go” basis, resulting in a beautiful, functional, and debt-free facility

Created Culture of Adoption and Orphan Care

  • Initiated an adoption movement within our church, through personal modeling and sacrifice, that began in 2001 and continues today

  • Nearly 30 children adopted domestically and internationally through our church during this time, with an unmeasurable “ripple effect” on other children and families

  • Accomplished by helping the church assume responsibility for orphan care by adopting, giving, and supporting

Implemented Vision for Regional Transformation

Rallied the congregation to raise the quality of life in the Walla Walla Valley by raising the level of common grace and saving grace, making disciples who make a difference and creating a “feedback loop of grace” among the 50,000 people who live here. This included:

  • Going “deep” to reach the generation behind us (children, students, young families)

  • Going “wide” to reach the Spanish-speaking community in our valley

  • Going “long” to reach outside this valley, training interns, emerging leaders, and vocational pastors

  • Creating “One Church, Two Languages” through a Spanish-Language ministry, worship service, and part-time pastor

  • Serving our city’s neediest elementary school, where “deep” and “wide” overlap, such that Trinity received the Walla Walla School District’s Volunteer of the Year Award in 2016

  • Implementing an movement called “Reverberate” to fuel outreach efforts, including special offerings to go exclusively to community needs and projects

  • Building positive, non-competitive partnerships with other area churches, encouraging and advising them in their ministries, out of a desire to see the gospel advance in our valley

Solo Pastor (1989-1991)

Heritage Baptist Church, Chattanooga, TN

  • Initiated revitalization of church in crisis

  • Led church-wide process of refining vision, identity and ministry philosophy, Polishing Our Perspectiv

  • Initiated Men’s discipleship and leadership formation experience


writings & curricula

Writings

  • Henderson, B.L. (1993-2017, archived). Over 1,000 sermon manuscripts.

  • Henderson, B. L. (2009). Evaluation of the Lasting Impact of a Men’s Family Leadership Class Training Experience, Dallas Theological Seminary.

  • Henderson, B. L. (2000-2014). Various tools for defining and assessing personal spiritual growth:

    • A Model for Spiritual Formation (2014)

    • The Four Life-Long Practices of a Jesus-Follower (2005)

    • The Four Phases of Spiritual Maturity (2000)

  • Henderson, B.L., & Gilliam, B. (2007). Growth Group Apprentice Manual.

  • Henderson, B. L. (1993-1997, archived). “Religion” Column, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.

Curricula

  • Henderson, B. L. (2015). Shepherd’s School, a quarter-long introduction to church dynamics and elder leadership.

  • Henderson, B. L. & Harrison, K. (2014). Roots: Turning Life Into Growth, a small-group curriculum on spiritual formation.

  • Henderson, B. L. (2009). XLR8: Spiritual and Leadership Discovery and Growth, a two-semester spiritual and leadership formation experience.

  • Henderson, B. L. & Goodman, D. (2006). Colossians: Methods of Bible Study, a cross- cultural hermeneutics-to-homiletics curriculum for international pastors.

  • Henderson, B. L. (2003). Evangelism is a Team Sport, a short, small-group introduction to evangelism.

  • Henderson, B. L. (1999). Men’s Family Leadership Course, a two-semester spiritual formation and family leadership formation experience.

  • Henderson, B. L. & Boettcher, M. (1996). Foundations: How God’s Loving Plan To Restore Our Broken Relationship with Him Unfolds Through the Ages, a two-semester overview the big story of the Bible.


professional presentations

  • Henderson, B. L. (2010-2013). A Trinity Leadership Event, designed to equip aspiring leaders for greater effectiveness at work and in the church, Trinity, Walla Walla WA.

    • Presentations:

      • Increasing Your Leadership Influence

      • How Leaders Get Things Done

      • The Heart of Spiritual Leadership

      • Seeing Better: The Role of Vision in Leadership

      • Credibility: The Leader’s Greatest Asset

  • Henderson, B. L. (2017). Generations, an intergenerational event designed to equip people of different ages and stages to learn from each other and maximize their unique place in life, Trinity, Walla Walla WA.

  • Henderson, B. L. (1996). When God Makes You Wait, a weekend retreat, First Presbyterian Church, Walla Walla WA.

  • Henderson, B. L. (2003). A Reluctant Baptist, a single-class introduction to Baptist history and theology, Walla Walla University, Walla Walla WA.

  • Multiple leadership experiences, workshops, and retreats on leadership, spiritual formation, self-awareness and disciple-making.


Teaching, Training & Coaching

Areas of expertise include: homiletics, leadership, self-leadership, spiritual formation, pastoral theology, disciple-making, and church ministry systems.

Teaching

Adjunct Faculty, Western Seminary (Portland, OR)

  • ML501 Theology and Practice of Gospel-Centered Ministry

  • ML502 Transformational Leadership (Spring 2019)

  • ML506 Ministerial Ethics

Teaching Assistant, Dallas Theological Seminary

  • PM101 Spiritual Life

  • PM105 Christian Life and Witness

Online Learning Systems

  • Canvas: competent

  • Moodle: competent

Other Teaching

  • Church-wide via weekly preaching, including original research, written manuscripts, and follow-along congregational sermon notes, for over 27 years

  • Trinity Leadership Events, periodic equipping events for aspiring leaders

  • Excel, a monthly event for growing, equipping, and sustaining current leaders

  • Spiritual Program for Accelerated Maturity, a creative two-semester spiritual formation and family leadership experience for men

  • XLR8, a creative two-semester spiritual and leadership formation experience

  • T-Net Disciple-making Course, a 20-month course for pastors and church leaders, with T-Net International

  • Shepherd’s School, a semester-long introduction to church dynamics and elder leadership

  • Intentional Disciple-making for the Church Around the World, via TOPIC/T-Net International. Taught 2 cohorts of pastors in India and covered subjects including: Methods of Bible Study, Preaching, Evangelism and Disciple-making, Church Planting, Leadership in the Church, Forming Disciple-making Small Groups, Developing Bible Lessons

Training

  • T-Net International/U.S., trained pastors and leaders in retooling their churches for disciple-making

  • TOPIC/T-Net International, trained 2 cohorts of pastors over a period of several years in India, practicing ministry skills such as preaching, small group leadership, Bible study methods, and evangelism

  • Homiletics, worked with staff, interns, and lay leaders in effective preaching through reading assignments, one-on-one and group instruction, manuscript review, and pre-and post-sermon evaluations

Coaching

  • M. Div. students, designated mentor:

    • Western Seminary, 2015-2017

    • Liberty Seminary, 2015

  • Bachelor’s and master’s level divinity students, formal and informal mentoring

  • T-Net International/U.S., coached pastors in implementing congregational change

  • TOPIC/T-Net International, coached 2 cohorts of pastors in India over several years, including regular one-on-one meetings for encouragement and assessment in their ministry progress

  • Pastors, staff, elders/deacons, interns, and lay-leaders in personal growth and church leadership


professional development

  • LEAD Intensive Leadership Evaluation And Development, Hendricks Leadership Center at Dallas Theological Seminary, 1998. LEAD is a 25-hour, 360° personal and ministry assessment and coaching experience

  • LEAD Intensive Leadership Evaluation And Development, Hendricks Leadership Center at Dallas Theological Seminary, 2015

  • Certified facilitator for PREPARE-ENRICH premarital and marriage assessment, 2000


personal

  • Hometown: Pueblo CO

  • Married to Lisa over 30 years, an amazing lady with a heart for kids from hard places

  • Dad to 10 kids born 1989-2011 (3 biological, 7 adopted)

  • Raising 6 kids at home, all adopted (India, Ethiopia, China), born 2001-2011

  • Interests: reading, coffee, personal fitness, barefoot running, playing the banjo, local history

  • Twitter: @BradLHenderson