The SGC Team

We are a group of educators, cross-cultural missionaries, pastors, and ministry leaders with a passion to serve the needs of the body of Jesus Christ around the world.

Our Board of Directors

Tim Keep
President

Tim Keep
Founder and President
Contact
Tim Keep and his wife Becky pastored for five years in the U.S. and served thirteen years as missionaries to the Philippines, training and equipping rising Christian leaders. From 2010 to 2022, Tim was the Missions Director for the Bible Methodist Connection of Churches, U.S. In 2012, Tim founded Shepherds Global Classroom and now serves as its president. Tim and Becky have written three books together. In June 2023, Tim published Keep it Simple: Reflections on the Character, Habits, and Practices of Christians Who Lead.
Tim and Becky are blessed with three daughters, two sons, a son and daughter-in-law, and five grandchildren!
Tim holds a B.A. in Intercultural Studies and an M.A. in Pastoral Theology. He enjoys being with his family, having a daily routine, walking four miles a day (most days), playing golf and kayaking once or twice a year, traveling to new places, experiencing new cultures, and training and disciplining Christian leaders.
Michael Avery
Chairman

Michael Avery
Founder of Deeper Life Ministries
Dr. Michael Avery is Chancellor of God’s Bible School & College where he served as president for 22 years. He is an ordained elder in the Bible Methodist Connection of Churches with whom he pastored for 10 years, served as the Director for Foreign Missions for 5 years, and served as the General Connectional Chairman for 8 years. He maintains an active schedule of speaking in camp meetings, revivals, conventions, and conferences. His passion is the Deeper Life Conferences that he leads both nationally and internationally.
Joel Hood
Treasurer

Joel Hood
CFO of PraxiPower Inc.
Joel Hood has worked in various financial roles over the past 10 years, and currently fills the role of CFO of PraxiPower Inc., a software business primarily serving Christian K-12 schools, as well as two other organizations. Joel is actively involved in his local church and has served on various church boards in a Financial Advisor role.
Dr. Danny McCain

Dr. Danny McCain
Founder of Global Scholars
Dr. Danny McCain is the founder and International Ambassador of Global Scholars and serves in the Department of Religion and Philosophy in the University of Jos, as Professor of Biblical Theology. He holds a BA in Biblical Education, MA’s in both Bible and Theology, and a PhD in New Testament Interpretation. He developed a training program used in 2 public universities in Nigeria which has trained hundreds of Christian leaders and laymen. He has also worked closely with the Nigerian Ministry of Education, developing material for teachers of Christian Religious Education.
Troy Keaton

Troy Keaton
Pastor of Eastlake Community Church
Rev. Troy Keaton pastored for several years in the inner-city of Dayton Ohio, working largely with low income and troubled youth. He then pastored for 5 years in Tennessee before taking on a brand new church planting challenge in Moneta, VA. Today, Eastlake Community Church is a growing ministry where many souls have found the Lord and dozens “deployed” into the harvest field. Troy invests much of his life not only in preaching and teaching, but in developing spiritual leaders and in training the next generation of church planters.
Dr. Mark Bird

Dr. Mark Bird
Professor of Theology at God’s Bible School and College
Dr. Mark Bird is Professor of Theology at God’s Bible School & College in Cincinnati, Ohio and teaches classes in theology, philosophy, and evangelism. He holds a B.R.E in Education, an MS in Secondary Education, an MA in Theology, and a D. Min in theology and apologetics. He has authored 2 books on apologetics: How Can You Be Sure, and Defending Your Faith.
Dr. David Croteau

Dr. David Croteau
Dean of the Seminary and School of Ministry at CIU
David A. Croteau (Ph.D., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the Dean of the Seminary and School of Ministry at Columbia International University. He teaches New Testament and Greek courses and is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Evangelical Seminary Deans’ Council, and the Fellowship of Evangelical Seminary Presidents. Dr. Croteau has taught in Tanzania, Kenya, South Korea, India, Nepal, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, and Indonesia. He has published several books and articles, such as Urban Legends of the New Testament, Urban Legends of the Old Testament, and Tithing After the Cross.
Dr. Steve Gibson

Dr. Steve Gibson
President of Evangelistic Faith Missions
Stephen Gibson is president of Evangelistic Faith Missions and director of Holiness Pilgrim Mission. He is married, with six children and eight grandchildren.
His ministry has included pastoring, foreign mission work, Bible college teaching and administration, Christian school teaching and administration, and writing. He pastored Victory Chapel, a diverse inner-city church in Indianapolis, for five years.
He lived in Ukraine with his family for five years and served Kiev Wesley Bible College in the roles of professor, academic dean, and president. During that time he also taught classes at other colleges and preached in churches in Ukraine and Russia.
He has taught at Union Bible College, Allegheny Wesleyan College, and God’s Bible College. His courses have included intercultural studies, biblical studies, and urban ministry.
He graduated from Union Bible College with a Th.B., from Wesley Biblical Seminary with an M.A. in Theology, from Louisiana Baptist University with an M.A. in Biblical Studies, and from Grace Theological Seminary with a D. Min.
He is ordained by the Pilgrim Holiness Church.
Books written by Gibson include The Prosperity Prophets; Steps of Grace; The Sincerity of God: A Demonstration of the Wesleyan Promise Hermeneutic; Help from the Little Red Hen: Reversing Poverty with Responsibility; and Cultivate: A Discipleship Lesson Series.
Books edited by Gibson include I Believe: Fundamentals of the Christian Faith and A Timeless Faith: John Wesley for the 21 st Century.
Gibson is a board member and writer for Shepherds Global Classroom. His courses include Christian Beliefs, Faith Traditions of the World, Biblical Evangelism and Discipleship, and Ministry Leadership.
David Eslinger

David Eslinger
Engineering Advisor for Schlumberger
David Eslinger is an Engineering Advisor for Schlumberger, an oilfield service company and has spent much of his career designing reciprocating and centrifugal pumps. Some of his other activities include teaching a Sunday School class, participating in the Gideon ministry, reading, and collecting and restoring 16th and 17th century English Bibles.
Harold Martin

Harold Martin
President of FEA Ministries
Harold Martin serves as president of Florida Evangelistic Association, a diverse, cross-cultural, missionary-sending ministry reaching into 14 countries. He holds a BA in Intercultural Studies. He is also a licensed pilot and A&P mechanic. For 14 years he served with Missionary Flights International, an organization that serves over 400 mission agencies in the Caribbean. He orchestrated MFI’s disaster response efforts following Haiti’s massive earthquake in 2010 and rose through the leadership ranks of MFI to be its executive vice-president.
Philip Richardson

Philip Richardson
OMS Missionary
Philip has a passion for engaging people with the Bible and helping them interpret it within its original contexts and apply it to their own situation. He serves as director of Theological Education for OMS, coming alongside the 30+ Bible colleges, seminaries, and training programs around the world that partner with OMS, as well as promoting theological education throughout the organization. He travels from time to time to teach intensive courses at OMS-partner seminaries and seeks to train and equip international church leaders with in-depth Bible knowledge and understanding. He is excited to see what God will do through these leaders, who will become leaders of leaders and teachers themselves all over the world.
Philip’s wife Fiona has a passion for equipping and encouraging people as disciples and disciple-makers. She delights in building up leaders to work with women by developing written resources, training trainers, and praying for God’s transforming Spirit to move in the nations. She also loves to pray with and for missionaries through the OMS World Intercessors team.
Philip and Fiona are from England. After volunteering and working with churches there, they began a partnership with a mission agency (Crosslinks). In 2002, they moved to work under the Anglican Church for a region of churches in Tanzania, East Africa. While there, they adopted their two precious daughters, Bethany (born 2003) and Jasmine (born 1997). They spent several years training pastors, lay leaders, young adult leaders, children’s workers, and women’s leaders through teaching, building teams, and writing resources until they left in 2010.
God opened up the way for Philip to study for a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, which was a huge blessing to all the family. Fiona continued prayer ministry; writing resources; speaking, training, and leading Bible studies with a women’s ministry in the U.S., while continuing to work on publishing and distributing Bible study resources for young women’s ministry in Africa. Philip enjoyed opportunities to teach at the master’s level during his time at the seminary and grew in his love for building up leaders all over the world as he studied among many internationals.
Dr. R.G. Hutchison

Dr. R.G. Hutchison
Missions Director for Bible Methodist Missions
R. G. Hutchison has entered the role of Director for Bible Methodist Missions having served as a missionary and field director in the Philippines from 2010-2022. During that time, he was involved in training Filipino pastors and leaders as a professor and academic dean at the Philippine Bible Methodist Shepherds College. Previous to that, he served as a pastor for more than twelve years, ministering to congregations in Ohio (1 year) and Tennessee (11 years). He is married to Sarah, his life partner of almost 25 years. An alumnus of God’s Bible School and College (1998), R.G. also holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in preaching and leadership from Asbury Theological Seminary (2018), as well as graduate degrees from Temple Baptist Seminary (M.Div., 2009) and Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary (M.S.T. Intercultural Studies, 2015). He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in intercultural studies with Biola University. He has authored a book, Union with Christ. R.G.’s passion is to help people live in the full confidence that it is “no longer I, but Christ living in me” (Gal. 2:20).

Our Team

Tim Keep
Founder and President

Tim Keep
Founder and President
Contact
Tim Keep and his wife Becky pastored for five years in the U.S. and served thirteen years as missionaries to the Philippines, training and equipping rising Christian leaders. From 2010 to 2022, Tim was the Missions Director for the Bible Methodist Connection of Churches, U.S. In 2012, Tim founded Shepherds Global Classroom and now serves as its president. Tim and Becky have written three books together. In June 2023, Tim published Keep it Simple: Reflections on the Character, Habits, and Practices of Christians Who Lead.
Tim and Becky are blessed with three daughters, two sons, a son and daughter-in-law, and five grandchildren!
Tim holds a B.A. in Intercultural Studies and an M.A. in Pastoral Theology. He enjoys being with his family, having a daily routine, walking four miles a day (most days), playing golf and kayaking once or twice a year, traveling to new places, experiencing new cultures, and training and disciplining Christian leaders.
Randall McElwain
Director of Global Training

Randall McElwain
Director of Global Training
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Dr. Randall McElwain was a professor of Bible and music at Hobe Sound Bible College for thirty-two years. He served as a missionary in Taiwan and has taught classes for pastors in several countries including China, India, Vietnam, Nigeria, Lesotho, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand. He holds a BA and MA in music as well as a M. Th and D. Th in practical theology. He has written several books including Holy Hearts; Holy Hands: Holy Living in the Bible, Joy Comes in the Morning: 31 Days of Christian Hope, and Unchanging Truths: A Guide to the Apostles’ Creed. He wrote eight SGC courses.
Becky Keep
Assistant to the President

Becky Keep
Assistant to the President
Becky Keep is a freelance author and an inspiring speaker for numerous women’s conferences. She has been married to Tim for thirty-five years and is the blessed mother of five children—Valerie (and Brent) Jenkins, Timothy Jr. (and Megan), Jesse, Carolyn, and Samantha—and five grandchildren—Claire, Macie, Jace, Tate, and Nora Jean.
Becky and her family served for thirteen fruitful years as missionaries to the Philippine Islands, where she practiced her nurses training to organize medical missions, treating thousands of patients in towns and villages throughout northern Luzon. Besides the books she and Tim coauthored, Becky has written a memoir with her parents, Another Time: Two Unlikely People, Their Uncommon Path, An Unshakable God, and His Gift My Story with her sister Kim Collingsworth.
Becky enjoys traveling with Tim, loving on her grandbabies, spending time with her grown children, and hanging out with her teenage girls. She loves music, reading, and taking long walks. Becky resides with her family in Cincinnati, OH.
Timothy Keep Jr.
Director of Communication

Timothy Keep Jr.
Director of Communication
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Tim holds a Bachelor’s degree in Ministry from Ohio Christian University, where he graduated in 2018. In 2024, Tim graduated with a Master’s in content and digital media from Liberty University.
Tim lives in Cincinnati with his wife Megan, whom he married in 2018, and their daughter Nora, who was born in 2022. Tim and Megan love exploring Cincinnati, taking Nora to the zoo, and traveling together.
Tim is responsible for developing communication strategies that promote SGC’s mission and vision, managing media relations, and overseeing various projects that help to advance SGC’s work.
Justin LePage
Accountant

Justin LePage
Accountant
Justin was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He ventured to Cincinnati in 2012 for college and has since made Cinci his home, along with his wife Janelle and their delightful daughter, Oaklynn.
Justin’s academic journey began at God’s Bible School and College. He then obtained a finance degree from Xavier University. His professional path took him from being a payroll supervisor at a large corporation to being an account manager at a small lending firm. These experiences equipped him with a diverse skill set in financial management and a keen eye for process improvement.
Joining Shepherds Global Classroom is more than a role for Justin; it’s a calling. He says, “I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to our mission of spreading biblically based training to Christian leaders around the globe. My goal is to ensure that our financial records are not just accurate, but that they also reflect our commitment to integrity and excellence. I am eager to explore ways to enhance our processes, ensuring that we are as effective and efficient as possible in our endeavors.”
Elizabeth
Curriculum and Translation Project Manager

Elizabeth
Curriculum and Translation Project Manager
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In her role as Curriculum and Translation Project Manager, Elizabeth manages the collection of SGC curriculum files, oversees translation projects, works with curriculum writers to edit/update courses as necessary, and leads our team of Project Managers and Proofreaders.
A workday for Elizabeth just might include starting a conversation with a new Hindi translator; emailing someone Nepali, Tamil, and Telugu courses; assisting a proofer who is working on Brazilian Portuguese; receiving Arabic files from translators; making a cover for a Spanish course; assisting a layout editor with his Urdu project; and working on updating records on Russian projects.
Jeffrey Albertson
Assistant Curriculum and Translation Project Manager

Jeffrey Albertson
Assistant Curriculum and Translation Project Manager
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Jeffrey Albertson serves as an Assistant Curriculum and Translation Project Manager, overseeing a comprehensive translation process encompassing 12 languages, with a specialization in languages originating from India. In this capacity, he meticulously manages the final layout and integration of translations into various applications, including the SGC App.
Jeffrey earned a Bachelor’s degree in Intercultural Studies and World Missions from God’s Bible School and College, leveraging his academic background to engage in extensive international living and travel experiences spanning over 11 months. His passion for connectivity and cultural exchange drives his enthusiasm for travel and fostering connections within the God’s worldwide Kingdom.
Beyond his professional responsibilities at SGC, Jeffrey actively contributes to the advancement of God’s Kingdom within his church and through ESL outreach initiatives. He and his wife, Lesa, reside in the vibrant international district of Houston, where they share their home with their Weimaraner, Preston, and a charming flock of five chickens.
Alima Sarigul
Assistant Curriculum and Translation Project Manager

Alima Sarigul
Assistant Curriculum and Translation Project Manager
Born in the post-Soviet country of Kyrgyzstan, Alima embarked on a journey of faith in her early 20s, inspired by the love and guidance of her dear husband, Onur. Her life has become a testimony to God’s transformative power and grace.
Gifted with the ability to speak five languages—Russian, Turkish, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, and English—Alima has embraced the richness of diverse cultures and perspectives. She ventured into the world of web design, teaching herself.
Alima pursued a degree in food engineering at Kyrgyz Turkish Manas University and later graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Istanbul University.
Alima is honored to be a part of Shepherds Global Classroom, serving as an Assistant Curriculum and Translation Project Manager. She is grateful to be able to contribute her talents and experiences to a greater purpose.
Ezra
Layout Editor, Tech Specialist, Assistant Editor

Ezra
Layout Editor, Tech Specialist, Assistant Editor
Ezra is in charge of layout and design for SGC courses; formatting them for printing, producing illustrations in many languages, creating covers, and making them all available on the website. He does a lot of work behind the scenes to make the SGC website as fast and accessible as possible for people all around the world. As an assistant editor, he also helps with improving the quality of the courses so that they can be easily understood and translated into other languages.
Lesa Albertson
Proofreader

Lesa Albertson
Proofreader
Lesa Albertson is an amateur linguist with a passion for languages that has been evident since her childhood. She is currently engaged in proofreading translated content for SGC, contributing to the publication of courses that are utilized worldwide.
Her academic journey includes participation in the Summer Institute of Linguistics for five summers, where she not only attended but also served as a Teaching Assistant. This experience, coupled with nearly two years of living abroad, has enriched her understanding of diverse cultures and languages.
Lesa’s expertise, honed over the years, seamlessly aligned her with her role at SGC, even before she officially joined the organization. Her commitment to SGC’s mission is unwavering, and she actively participates in various initiatives within her church and in English as a Second Language (ESL) outreach programs.
Residing in the international district of Houston with her husband Jeffrey, their Weimaraner, Preston, and their five chickens, Lesa continues to be a vital part of God’s worldwide family. Her professional and personal life reflects her dedication to God’s Kingdom, people, and mission.
Ebony Thompson
Proofreader

Ebony Thompson
Proofreader
Ebony Thompson enjoys serving as an SGC proofreader, performing detailed reviews of course translations. She is grateful to be part of a team where the mission is to provide Christ-centered, culturally adaptable curriculum for Christian leaders around the world.
Ebony was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in San Ignacio, Belize. She decided to fully follow Jesus and was born again on February 14, 2021. She now resides in Houston, Texas with her mom and sister. She loves to serve, and assists in the youth ministry at her church.
Being raised in a country filled with adventure, she has found that the greatest adventure is to know God through His word and to share Him with others. She has a heart after God’s very own heart.
Heidi Echols
Proofreader

Heidi Echols
Proofreader
Heidi Echols is a wife, mother and follower of Jesus. As a child, she loved words and wanted to be a linguist when she grew up. Though that did not happen, her love of words and languages did lead to some Latin study and 5 years of Spanish study. She is currently trying to learn some German which was her great-grandparents’ native tongue. Languages are still fascinating to her, and that, combined with her love for words, good theology, and sharing the Gospel has made proofreading for SGC a “match made in Heaven.”
She says, “I love the vision of SGC and the sound, Biblical content of the courses, though I must say, Spiritual Formation is my favorite. Something new stands out to me every time I proof it.”
Heidi has a Bachelors’ degree in Elementary Education from God’s Bible School and is a Licensed Practical Nurse. Throughout her many years of teaching, Language, Reading and Phonics were her favorites.
In addition to working for SGC, Heidi teaches Vietnamese students via Zoom and homeschools her son, Connor. In her free time, she enjoys quilting, reading, gardening and cardmaking.