Board Members
Dr. Dave Rahn
Dave Rahn is a youth ministry researcher, author, futurist and missional leadership strategist. After beginning his ministry with Fort Wayne Area YFC in 1972, he joined the faculty of Huntington University in 1985 and served there full-time for 22 years before rejoining the mission of Youth for Christ/USA in 2007. In his current capacity he leverages his influence as founder of the Symmetry Series™ – a mixed method tribe-building strategy – to advocate for the surprising contributions to be made by young, urban, indigenous leaders who have overcome considerable adversity through their faith in Christ. His passion is to invigorate Jesus’ Church with kids who have a story to tell.
Rahn holds a B.A. from Huntington College, an M.A. from Wheaton College and a Ph.D. from Purdue University. He has published more than 100 articles, essays and books. Most recently he has served as general editor for two Tyndale projects: Three Story Bible (available in October 2015) and The Life, a Gospel of John bible-zine released in August 2014. He also recently published an e-book, Symmetry: Fixing Broken Patterns for Kids in Crisis (2014), available as a free download. Rahn has led numerous research projects related to how students influence their peers in matters of faith; in 2011 he studied the factors that most significantly influenced urban indigenous ministry leaders during their formative teenage years. He is currently an advisor of national research initiatives for Fuller Youth Institute and the Yale Center for Faith and Culture.
A past president of the North American Professors of Christian Education, Rahn is also a founding member of the Association of Youth Ministry Educators. He and his wife of 39 years, Susie, live in Middlebury, Indiana and enjoy their three grandchildren very much.
Dennis W. Stranges
Dennis has a passion to stimulate formational conversations – conversations that help people connect the way God designed them to – with their family, their associates and with their God-given purpose and potential. To help facilitate these conversations, he draws from 30 years of experience in professional psychology, training and development, and corporate coaching.
Dennis received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The Ohio State University and his Masters Degree from The University of Akron, where he studied Counseling and Organizational Psychology. His Ph.D. work in Leadership and Conflict Management is from Trinity Seminary where his dissertation is testing a working model of emotional intelligence.
Dennis has extensive experience in leadership development, specializing in advancing interpersonal effectiveness, stress management, conflict resolution, and organizational change. Dennis’ company is Insight Coaching & Consulting, which provides executive coaching for C-Suite professionals, developing high-potential employees to fulfill their purpose in the marketplace. He delights in coaching leaders to build strategic, cohesive, and agile teams. His client list ranges from Fortune 500 companies to small and mid-sized businesses.
Dennis and his wife Evie have trained hundreds of couples with their proprietary marriage preparation and marriage enrichment materials, which are used widely by mentor couples and churches in both North and South America.
Dennis and his wife, Evie, are savoring their empty nest, at home in Sunbury, Ohio. The great joy of their life is spending time with their two married daughters and their husbands. In his spare time, Dennis enjoys long, deep, spiritual conversations with friends, photography, and hiking roads less traveled.