Leith Anderson (born 1944) is president emeritus of the
National Association of Evangelicals
The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an association of evangelical denominations, organizations, schools, churches and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than 45,000 local churches ...
and
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
pastor emeritus of
Wooddale Church
Wooddale Church is a large multi-campus evangelical Christian church located in Eden Prairie, Edina and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The success of Wooddale Church led to the formation of many other similar churches in Minnesota. Today ...
in
Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Eden Prairie is a city southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County and the 16th-largest city in the State of Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,198. The city is adjacent to the north bank of th ...
, after serving as senior pastor from 1977 through 2011.
Early life and education
Leith Anderson is the son of Charles William Anderson and Margery Freeman Anderson.
[Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly . PROFILE . LEITH ANDERSON . November 24, 2006](_blank)
PBS (2006-11-24). Retrieved on 2011-06-22. His father was pastor of Brookdale Baptist Church in Bloomfield, NJ (1939-1972) and was the founder/president of
Northeastern Bible College
Northeastern Bible College was founded by Charles W. Anderson and first opened in September 1950 as Northeastern Bible Institute, at the Brookdale Baptist Church in Bloomfield, New Jersey. The college relocated to a campus in Essex Fells in the ...
in Essex Fells, NJ (later merged with The Kings College in New York City). His mother was born and raised in England and migrated to the United States as an adult.
Leith Anderson graduated from
West Essex High School
West Essex High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in North Caldwell. The high school is part of the West Essex Regional School District, which comprises the constituent municipalities of Essex Fells, Fairfield, N ...
, North Caldwell, New Jersey;
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college founded in the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, US by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have i ...
, Chicago, Illinois (diploma);
Bradley University
Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. The ...
, Peoria, Illinois (B.A. in
Sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
);
Denver Seminary
Denver Seminary is a private, Evangelical Christian seminary with its main campus in Littleton, Colorado, an online global campus, and an extension campus in Washington, DC. It offers Master of Arts (MA), Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Doctor of M ...
, Denver, Colorado (Master of Divinity); and
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature.
Fuller consistently has a student body that compri ...
, Pasadena, California (
Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (abbreviated DMin or D.Min.) is a professional doctorate, often including a research component, that may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in some form of ministry. It is categorized as an advanced ...
).
[Pastor Leith Anderson – Faith Matters Christian Radio Sermons, Ministry Broadcast, Podcasts](_blank)
Oneplace.com (2011-06-17). Retrieved on 2011-06-22.
Anderson took additional course work at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
, Chicago, Illinois;
The Iliff School of Theology, Denver, Colorado; and the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
, Boulder, Colorado.
Ministry
Leith Anderson's introduction to writing began as editor of the student newspaper at the
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college founded in the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, US by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have i ...
and through journalism classes at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
.
During his seminary studies he served part-time as a youth pastor at Calvary Church (Longmont, Colorado) and became the senior pastor of the church upon graduation for a total of 10 years in pastoral ministry at the church. While pastoring he continued academic studies at the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
and
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature.
Fuller consistently has a student body that compri ...
and became an adjunct professor of pastoral theology and homiletics at
Denver Seminary
Denver Seminary is a private, Evangelical Christian seminary with its main campus in Littleton, Colorado, an online global campus, and an extension campus in Washington, DC. It offers Master of Arts (MA), Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Doctor of M ...
.
In 1977 Anderson began his 35 years as senior pastor of
Wooddale Church
Wooddale Church is a large multi-campus evangelical Christian church located in Eden Prairie, Edina and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The success of Wooddale Church led to the formation of many other similar churches in Minnesota. Today ...
in suburban Minneapolis. The church was located in Richfield, Minnesota, until 1984 when it moved to a new building on a 33-acre campus in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and grew to become a congregation of thousands, one of the larger churches in the state and region. While pastoring he also wrote books and articles on church and biblical themes, taught in numerous seminary doctoral programs (including
Bethel University,
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is an academic divinity school founded in 1897 and located in the northern Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Illinois. It is part of and located on the main campus of Trinity International University. It’s ...
,
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature.
Fuller consistently has a student body that compri ...
,
Northeastern Seminary and others).
In addition Anderson became a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and served on the boards of
Bethel University,
Navigators
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's primar ...
,
National Association of Evangelicals
The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an association of evangelical denominations, organizations, schools, churches and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than 45,000 local churches ...
,
World Vision
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
,
World Relief
World Relief (officially, World Relief Corporation of National Association of Evangelicals) is an Evangelical Christian humanitarian nongovernmental organization, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals and a leading refug ...
and other nonprofit organizations. In 2019 he was named to the Founder's Chair of World Vision International.
Anderson continued as the pastor of
Wooddale Church
Wooddale Church is a large multi-campus evangelical Christian church located in Eden Prairie, Edina and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The success of Wooddale Church led to the formation of many other similar churches in Minnesota. Today ...
when he became the interim president of the
National Association of Evangelicals
The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an association of evangelical denominations, organizations, schools, churches and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than 45,000 local churches ...
as the NAE faced organizational stress in 2001 and continued until 2003. When the NAE had a leadership vacuum in 2006, Anderson returned as interim president and then became the elected president for terms in 2007 extending through 2019 when he announced his retirement from the position at the end of that term.
[NAE Formally Names Leith Anderson President, Christian News](_blank)
Christianpost.com (2007-10-15). Retrieved on 2011-06-22.
At the end of 2011, he retired as pastor of the church and continued as president of the NAE in Washington, D.C., while maintaining his home in Minnesota. During his presidency, the NAE stabilized and grew with expanded membership and many new staff and programs including NAE Talk (conferences addressing contemporary social and theological issues), Evangelical Leaders Survey (monthly survey of national leaders on a broad array of topics with published reports, Evangelicals magazine, Today's Conversation podcast, annual retreat of denomination leaders, and publications titled "Theology of Sex," "For the Health of the Nation" and others.
As NAE president, Anderson frequently participated in amicus curiae briefs, news conferences and interviews, and connected religious and other leaders across the United States and internationally. Priority was given to issues of religious freedom, immigration policies, evangelical biblical theology and values, social justice and engaging evangelicals in evangelism, humanitarian services and cultural influence.
In 2012, President Barack Obama named Leith Anderson to the White House Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Anderson was elected to the Founder's Chair of World Vision International in 2019.
He has been published in many periodicals and has written over 20 books (including translations into foreign languages).
Personal life
Anderson grew up in the same church as Charleen Lillian Alles whom he started dating the month he turned 15 and married in 1965. They are the parents of four children.
Recognition
He received honorary doctorates from
Cornerstone University
Cornerstone University is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Cornerstone University has undergraduate and graduate programs, two seminaries (Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and Asia Biblical Theological Seminary based in ...
, Grand Rapids, Michigan (Doctor of Divinity);
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college founded in the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, US by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have i ...
, Chicago, Illinois (Doctor of Divinity); and Eastern University, St. Davids, Pennsylvania (Doctor of Humane Letters).
Bibliography
*''Making Happiness Happen'' (1987)
*''Mastering Church Management'' (1991)
*''A Church for the 21st Century'' (1992)
*''Who's in Charge: Mastering Ministry'' (1993)
*''The Best Is Yet To Come'' (1994)
*''Winning the Values War in a Changing Culture: Thirteen Distinct Values That Mark a Follower of Jesus Christ'' (1994)
*''When God Says No'' (1996)
*''Dying for Change'' (1998)
*''Praying to the God You Can Trust'' (1998)
*''Leadership That Works: Hope and Direction for Church and Parachurch Leaders in Today's Complex World'' (2001)
*''Becoming Friends With God: A Devotional Invitation to Intimacy With God'' (2001)
*''Jesus: An Intimate Portrait of the Man, His Land, and His People'' (2006)
*''Igniting Worship Series – 40 Days with Jesus: Worship Services and Video Clips on DVD'' (2006)
*''How to Act Like a Christian'' (2006)
*''The Jesus Revolution: Learning from Christ's First Followers'' (2009)
*''Faith Matters'' (2011)
*''The Volunteer Church'' (2015)
*''Faith in the Voting Booth'' (2016)
Chapters & contributions
*''Married to a Pastor's Wife'', H.B. London and Neil Wiseman, editors (1993)
*''Leadership Handbooks'', Jim Berkley, editor (1994)
*''Library of Christian Leadership: Empowering Your Church Through Creativity and Changes'', Marshall Shelley, editor (1995)
*''Leading People'', Robert H. Rosen, editor (1996)
*''Library of Leadership Development: Renewing Your Church Through Vision and Planning'', Marshall Shelley, editor (1997)
*''Library of Leadership Development: Growing Your Church Through Training and Motivation,'' Marshall Shelley, editor (1997)
*''Raising Teens While They're Still in Preschool'' (excerpts), Ron Habermas, author (1998)
*''Uncommon Graces'' (forward), John Vawter, author (1998)
* ''Vital Church Issues'', Roy B. Zuck, editor (Bibliotheca Sacra,1998)
* ''Global Crossroads'', W. Harold Fuller, editor (1998)
* ''Leadership And Power'', Richard Leslie Parrot, editor (2003)
* ''Giving Ourselves To Prayer'', Dan. R. Crawford, compiler (2008)
* ''Welcoming The Stranger'' (foreword), Matthew Soerens and Jenny Yang, authors (2009, 2019)
* ''The Shriver Report'', Olivia Morgan and Karen Skelton, editors (2014)
* ''Religious Freedom, LGBT Rights And Prospects For Common Ground'', William H. Eskridge and Robin Fretwell Wilson, editors (2019)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Leith
1944 births
Living people
20th-century evangelicals
21st-century evangelicals
American evangelicals
American people of English descent
Bradley University alumni
Fuller Theological Seminary alumni
Moody Bible Institute alumni
People from Eden Prairie, Minnesota
West Essex High School alumni