Third Millennium Ministries Speaker Bios

Thank you for considering one of our talented speakers for your event. Each speaker is part of the Thirdmill family and comes with vast qualifications. Their shared passion for missions and for church leadership training is evidenced by their individual decades of experience in both teaching and the mission field. As full-time members of Thirdmill, their primary speaking focus is on missions, church leadership training worldwide, and, of course, Thirdmill. Each speaker will come ready to inspire a greater sense of passion for the mission field as well as share a little about the ministry and mission of Thirdmill.

Rev. Ben Chen

Regional Director – East Asia and Southeast Asia

Rev. Ben Chen is the Thirdmill Global Network Regional Director for East & Southeast Asia, having previously served as Thirdmill’s Director of Chinese Projects from 2002. An ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church in America, Ben is a founding pastor of Orlando Chinese Evangelical Christian Church and has been a missionary to East Asia since 2015. He has extensive ministries in both North America and the Asia Pacific region, preaching at various gatherings of Chinese churches and training church leaders in a number of seminaries. Ben earned his BS at Nanjing Institute of Meteorology, his MS at Chinese Academy, and his PhD in Atmospheric Sciences from Texas A&M University. He holds an MDiv from Reformed Theological Seminary and is working toward a Doctor of Ministry. Prior to his ministry work, Ben worked as a university teacher in China, as a post-doctoral research fellow at The Ohio State University, and as a telecommunication engineer with Lucent Technologies, Inc. He and his wife live in Florida and have two married children and three grandchildren.

Rev. John Cook

Web & Database Programmer

Rev. John Cook is Thirdmill’s Web & Database Programmer. Prior to coming to Thirdmill, he served as a pastor in Tennessee and Ohio, and as a chaplain with the Civil Air Patrol. More recently, he built a career as a Senior Software Systems Analyst. His passion is to be used of God to prepare the next generation of “Christian Soldiers.” In addition to his programming work at Thirdmill, John has taught classes for Thirdmill’s partner, Seminario Reformado Latinoamericano (SRL). He is a graduate of Davis Bible Institute (Divinity Diploma), Bryan College (BA in Bible), Wheaton Graduate School (MA in Old Testament), and Covenant Theological Seminary (MDiv). John and his wife have five adopted adult children, all from East Asia, and one grandchild.

Rev. Josiah Katumu

Director of Partnerships

Rev. Josiah Katumu is the Director of Partnerships for Thirdmill’s Global Opportunities team. Prior to joining Thirdmill in August 2023, Josiah served as Senior Pastor at New City Fellowship in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and previously, as Senior Pastor at Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Born in the village of Ngomeni, Kenya, Josiah completed his undergraduate studies at Kenyatta University in Nairobi in 2003 and earned an MDiv from Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, in 2011. During his time at seminary, Josiah served as Youth and Music Leader at Covenant Presbyterian Church. He is passionate about equipping pastors who have no theological training and believes that Thirdmill is a strategic answer to the dilemma of educating church leaders for the fast-growing global church. He is the Founder and President of the Christian Resource Center of Kenya, and his late grandfather, Rev. Simon Mumbu, planted the first Presbyterian church in Kenya. Josiah and his wife live in Central Florida, and have one son, Josiah Jr.

Rev. Andrew S. Lamb

VP of Global Opportunities Dept.

Rev. Andrew S. Lamb is Vice President of Global Opportunities at Thirdmill. He joined Thirdmill’s staff in 2014 after volunteering with Thirdmill for a time, and after serving as a missionary, regional leader, church planter, church planting facilitator, and partnership consultant for 30 years in different regions of the globe. In addition to his work at Thirdmill, Andrew currently serves on the boards of several mission organizations. His passion is to raise up church leaders by providing training in the skills, spiritual maturity, and knowledge needed to minister in the kingdom of God today. He also enjoys speaking at missions conferences and helping ministry leaders think through and implement how to advance the next generation of leadership for the church worldwide. Andrew’s team at Thirdmill not only distributes Thirdmill's curriculum globally, but also raises up and supports Thirdmill's training partners throughout the world. He is an ordained minister with an MDiv from Reformed Theological Seminary and a BS from Columbia International University and has helped plant more than 56 churches. Andrew and his wife have four children and five grandchildren.

Eric Linares

Executive Director

Mr. Eric Linares is Thirdmill's Executive Director. Appointed to this role in January 2022, he has served in various positions at Thirdmill over the last 18 years, including Video Designer, Creative Director, and Vice President of Production. In his current role, Eric collaborates closely with Dr. Richard Pratt, focusing on strategic development, organizational effectiveness, and outreach initiatives. Born and raised in Panama City, Panama, Eric came to the U.S. to attend college. He earned his BA from Wichita State University and his MDiv from Reformed Theological Seminary, and completed his MBA in 2022. Eric has served as a church elder for the past 13 years and as a teaching pastor since 2023. He and his wife Ruth have been married for more than 25 years and have three children.

Rev. Brandon Lutz

Sr. Director of Global Opportunities

Rev. Brandon Lutz is Senior Director of Global Opportunities at Thirdmill. Before joining Thirdmill in 2021, he served for seven years as Associate Pastor of Students, Families, and Missions at Redeemer City Church in Winter Haven, Florida, and three years as Associate Pastor at Kingstree Presbyterian Church in South Carolina. Brandon is passionate about equipping the global church — especially those who are under-resourced but over-hungry for sound, quality biblical and theological education. He is excited to see how Thirdmill can play a role in advancing the kingdom of God in the American church as we move into this new age of Christianity. Brandon received his BA from University of Central Florida and his MDiv from Reformed Theological Seminary. He is an ordained minister and lives in Central Florida with his wife and three children.

Ra McLaughlin

VP of Operations and Finance, and Delivery Depts., CFO

Mr. Ra McLaughlin is CFO and VP of Operations, Finance, and Delivery at Thirdmill. Ra has been with Thirdmill for more than 25 years and has contributed to nearly every aspect of the ministry. He has written numerous courses within Thirdmill’s seminary curriculum and authored hundreds of articles on thirdmill.org. Ra contributed to and edited the NLT Discover God Study Bible (Tyndale, 2007), was associate general editor for the NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible (Zondervan, 2003), and authored The Life and Work of Jesus and The Nature and Work of the Holy Spirit (P&R, 2022). Ra earned his MDiv from Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, and his BA at the University of California, Los Angeles. He serves as an adjunct professor at Thirdmill Seminary and at New Geneva International Seminary’s location in Egypt. Ra and his wife Ronda have four children and one grandchild.

Dr. Gregory R. Perry

VP of Strategic Projects

Dr. Gregory R. Perry is Vice President of Strategic Projects at Thirdmill. Prior to joining Thirdmill’s leadership team in July 2017, Greg served on Thirdmill’s Board of Directors for 20 years. In 2018, the need for accessible, accredited degree pathways led to the establishment of Thirdmill Seminary where, in addition to his role at Thirdmill, Greg serves as President. While leading Thirdmill Seminary, he also serves as adjunct faculty at the Missional Training Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Greg earned his MDiv from Reformed Theological Seminary, his ThM from Columbia Seminary, and his PhD in New Testament from Union Seminary in Virginia. He taught at Christ College in Sydney, Australia, before joining the faculty at Covenant Theological Seminary where he taught New Testament and missions and served as the Director of the City Ministry Initiative from 2003 to 2017. Greg is an ordained teaching elder and has served local congregations in Atlanta, DC, Sydney and St. Louis. He is the author of many reviews and articles, and his first book, The Drama of Discipleship, was published by Wipf and Stock in 2022 (also available in Spanish). He is married to Darlene and has three adult children.

Dr. Richard L. Pratt, Jr.

President

Dr. Richard L. Pratt, Jr. is President and Co-founder of Third Millennium Ministries. Before dedicating himself full-time to Thirdmill, Dr. Pratt served as Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary and was chair of the Old Testament department. An ordained minister, he travels extensively to evangelize and teach. Dr. Pratt studied at Westminster Theological Seminary, received his MDiv from Union Theological Seminary, and earned his ThD in Old Testament Studies from Harvard University. He is the general editor of the NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible, a translator for the New Living Translation, and a Christian theology consultant for the Islamic Encyclopedia. He has authored numerous articles and books, including Pray with Your Eyes Open, Every Thought Captive, Designed for Dignity, He Gave Us Stories, Commentary on 1 & 2 Chronicles, Commentary on 1 & 2 Corinthians, and Commentary on Joshua. He and his wife, Gena, have one daughter and three grandchildren.

Rev. Steve Prieb

Director of Donor Relations

Rev. Steve Prieb is Director of Donor Relations at Thirdmill. After serving as a pastor for 20 years, Steve moved into faith-based fund development, focusing first on theological education and then global missions. He has achieved professional credentialing, earning and maintaining the CFRE (Certified Fund-Raising Executive) certification. He approaches development work from the perspective of a pastor and believes that when people grow in generosity for kingdom impact, it is a step of discipleship and spiritual maturity. He seeks to encourage that growth and is excited to share God’s Word and the growing work of Thirdmill with ministry partners. Steve earned his undergraduate degree at Grace College of the Bible in Omaha, Nebraska, and his MDiv at what is now Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. In addition to his work at Thirdmill, Steve serves as an Elder at Fellowship Bible Church in Topeka, KS. He and his wife have three children and four grandchildren.

Rev. Jeremy Ruch

Strategic Donor Relations Officer/ Planned Giving Officer

Rev. Jeremy Ruch is a Strategic Donor Relations Officer and Planned Giving Officer for the Advancement and Generosity team at Thirdmill. He joined Thirdmill in July 2022 after serving for several years in advancement at a small liberal arts college in Southwest Virginia. Prior to that, he taught humanities, Bible, and apologetics at a Christian classical school. He was first introduced to Thirdmill as a seminary student in 2007 and considers it the opportunity of a lifetime to be a part of the Thirdmill family. He is passionate about discipleship, global missions, and the training and equipping of God’s people. Jeremy is ordained and received his MDiv from Covenant Theological Seminary in 2010. He and his wife Lindsay have two sons and reside in Salem, Virginia.

Rev. Scott Simmons

Director of Moodle and Professor Relations

Rev. Scott Simmons is the Director of Thirdmill’s Online Learning Platform (Moodle) and the Director of Professor Relations. He is responsible for taking Thirdmill's lesson series and converting them into online courses, complete with tests, quizzes, readings, writing assignments, and grades. He also coordinates and collects interview material for Thirdmill’s new and revised courses. Before coming to Thirdmill in 2009, Scott served as the Minister of Mission and Spiritual Formation at Chapelgate Presbyterian Church outside of Baltimore, Maryland, where he ministered for nine years. Currently, Scott attends University Presbyterian church in east Orlando. He has served both Chapelgate and University Presbyterian with his preaching ministry and has preached at PCA mission conferences in Maryland and Ohio. Scott also teaches the Perspectives course for Frontier Ventures, helping students explore the biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic dimensions of God's redemptive story. Scott and his wife Sundee live in Winter Park, Florida, and have three adult children.

Jim Southard

Production Studio Manager

Mr. Jim Southard works as Thirdmill’s Production Studio Manager. He joined Thirdmill in 2010 after serving with Cru in Eastern Europe as a Multimedia Specialist and seeing the deficiency of solid theological training overseas. Whether behind a video camera, interviewing, editing, or narrating Thirdmill’s lessons, Jim is dedicated to the quality and clarity of the visual story for the growth of the Kingdom. He earned his MDiv at Reformed Theological Seminary. His wife, Marcia, serves as Thirdmill’s Executive Department Project Manager. They live in Orlando and have three children and three grandchildren.

Rev. Dr. Gary Waldecker

Training and Partnership Consultant

Rev. Dr. Gary Waldecker is a Training and Partnership Consultant for Thirdmill’s Global Opportunities team. Before coming to Thirdmill, Gary was a missionary in Latin America for 35 years where he planted churches and worked as a consultant to other church planters. Today, he supports and trains groups, schools and individuals in their use of Thirdmill's curriculum. His passion is to see church leaders grow in biblical knowledge, pastoral skills, and personal development in order to serve God's people throughout the world. He has been instrumental in creating practical resources for applying Thirdmill course curriculum to everyday ministry and life. Gary earned an MDiv from Covenant Theological Seminary, a DMin in Urban Missiology from Westminster Theological Seminary, and an EdD in Organizational Development and Human Learning from the George Washington University. He is also an ordained minister. He and his wife live in Middle Tennessee and have four children and five grandchildren.