S. Douglas Birdsall is the honorary chairman of the Lausanne Movement, a global network of

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

launched in 1974. He has been the executive chairman of Lausanne, and provided overall leadership for the Third Lausanne Congress in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. Drawing over 4,000 participants from 198 countries and from a wide variety of denominations, Cape Town 2010 was the most diverse gathering of Christians in history. He was the president of

American Bible Society American Bible Society is a U.S.-based Christian nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the American member organization of United Bible Societies, it supports global Bible translation, production, distribution, literacy, engage ...

until October 2013. Birdsall currently serves as president of th
Civilitas Group

Education

Birdsall received a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from Wheaton College, a M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, and a PhD from the

Oxford Centre for Mission Studies The Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (OCMS) is in the former SS Philip and James Parish Church on Woodstock Road, Oxford, England, opposite Leckford Road. It was established in 1983. The centre exists to provide education for church leaders ...

. Birdsall received on honorary doctorate from

Belhaven University Belhaven University (Belhaven or BU) is a private evangelical Christian university in Jackson, Mississippi. Founded in 1883, the university offers traditional majors, programs of general studies, and pre-professional programs in Christian Minis ...

in 2010.

Career

Birdsall and his wife, Jeanie, began their career as missionaries in Japan with LIFE Ministries in 1980. Five years later he became LIFE's director of staff for Japan, and in 1991 Birdsall was named president of the mission. Birdsall re-organized the agency to focus on developing Christian leaders, and led its expansion throughout

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and name change to Asian Access. Today Asian Access trains pastors and Christian leaders in more than a dozen Asian countries. In 1999 Birdsall was appointed director of th
J Christy Wilson Center for World Mission
at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in

Hamilton, Massachusetts Hamilton is a town in the eastern central portion of Essex County in eastern Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 7,561. Currently the town has no manufacturing industry and no industrially-zoned land. Though ...

. In 2004 he was named executive chairman of the

Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, more commonly known as the Lausanne Movement, is a global movement that mobilizes evangelical leaders to collaborate for world evangelization. The stated vision is "the whole church taking the whole ...

. In 2007 he stepped down from presidency of Asian Access to focus entirely on the Lausanne Movement. He continues to serve on the Asian Access board. In 2013 Wheaton College named Birdsall alumnus of the year for distinguished service to society.

Family

Birdsall is a fifth-generation Christian minister. He was raised in Peoria, Illinois, where his father Roger Birdsall was a United Brethren pastor. In 1975 Birdsall married Jeanine Rowell. All three of their children were born in Japan. Their eldest, Stacia Birdsall Lee, is a graduate of

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

, and Columbia, and lives in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. Their son, Judd, is the Managing Director of the Cambridge Institute on Religion and International Studies at Clare College, Cambridge. Judd previously served at the U.S. State Department in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and earned a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

. Their youngest child
Jessamin
graduated from

and is currently working at th
Church Urban Fund
in London while pursuing a PhD in Sociology and Social Policy at Princeton University.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birdsall, Doug American evangelicals Living people Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary alumni Harvard Divinity School alumni People from Peoria, Illinois Year of birth missing (living people)