John H. Armstrong is founder and president of ACT 3, a ministry for equipping leaders for unity in Christ's mission. He is former pastor and church-planter, of more than twenty years, and the author/editor of 12 books. He has also authored thousands of magazine, journal, and Web based articles. Besides his writing ministry Dr. Armstrong is an adjunct professor of evangelism at Wheaton College Graduate School, teaches in various seminaries and colleges as a guest lecturer, and is a seminar and conference speaker throughout the United States and abroad. John and Anita, his wife of thirty-nine years, have two adult married children. Anita assists John as an editorial associate and uses her gifts widely to help the ministry. Their son Matthew is engaged in a ministry of evangelism and discipleship and is a church planter in Streamwood, Illinois. Their daughter Stacy is an administrative assistant for ACT 3 and assists her husband in teaching the martial arts. John and Anita have two grandchildren, Gracie (12) and Abbie (8).
John was born in Lebanon, Tennessee (March 1, 1949). He is the youngest of two sons of Dr. Thomas H. and Marie F. Armstrong. John's dad was a dentist and the editor of the Tennessee State Dental Journal. He also served on the faculty of the University of Tennessee Dental School in Memphis for nearly fifteen years. John's mom, deceased in November 2008, was his most important influence in hearing God's call upon his life and in learning how to teach the Scriptures. His brother Thomas is a family physician in Huntsville, Alabama. John attended Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, Tennessee, where he was an ROTC cadet officer and graduated cum honore in 1967. He attended the University of Alabama from 1967-1969, studying journalism and history. In 1969 he transferred to Wheaton College, were he received the B. A. in history (1971) and the M. A. in theology and missions (1973). He did further study at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois, and Northern Baptist Seminary, Lombard, Illinois. He earned the D. Min degree (1979) at Luther Rice Seminary, Atlanta, Georgia. John is an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Reformed Church in America.
John is the author of Your Church is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ's Mission Is Vital to the Future of the Church (Zondervan, 2010), Five Great Evangelists (Christian Focus Publications, 1997), The Catholic Mystery (Harvest House, 1999), True Revival: What Happens When God's Spirit Moves (Harvest House, 2000), and The Stain That Stays: The Church's Response to the Sexual Misconduct of It's Leaders (Christian Focus, 2000). He is the general editor of Understanding Four Views of the Lord's Supper (Zondervan, 2007), Understanding Four Views on Baptism (Zondervan, 2007), Roman Catholicism: Evangelical Protestants Analyze What Unites and Divides Us (Moody Press, 1994), The Coming Evangelical Crisis (Moody Press, 1996), Reforming Pastoral Ministry (Crossway, 2001), The Glory of Christ (Crossway, 2002). He has contributed single chapters, theological and historical introductions, and forewords to more than two dozen volumes, and has been published in Christianity Today, Christian History and other Christian periodicals.
John is a member of several professional societies including the John Calvin Society, the Karl Barth Society and the Abraham Lincoln Forum.
John's hobbies include baseball, with a love for the Atlanta Braves that goes back to the 1957 Milwaukee Braves who won the World Series. He is also a hometown fan of the Chicago White Sox (World Series Champions 2005) and an avid book collector who enjoys reading great literature, watching film and walking/biking. He remains an avid college football fan, following his beloved Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama. John and Anita have a special place in their home for Neo, the Armstrong's miniature dachshund. John and Anita's grandchildren, Gracie and Abbie, also bring very special joy to their busy lives through regular visits.
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