About ABWE
Dr. Michael Loftis
Dr. Michael Loftis is President of the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism, Inc., with its international headquarters located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This mission agency has over one thousand people involved in ministries in the U.S.A. and approximately 70 countries around the world.
Prior to becoming President of ABWE, Dr. Loftis served as the ABWE Executive Director of Central and Eastern Europe from 1990 through 2001, and also on ABWE's Missionary Administrative Council and President's Advisory Council.
Dr. Loftis grew up as the son of a pastor and missionary church planter on the Caribbean island of Jamaica. He later returned to the USA to pursue academic training at Tennessee Temple University, Temple Baptist Seminary, with further studies at Indiana University and the Goethe Institute. He holds the B.A., M.R.E., M.Div., and D.R.E. degrees, with majors in Bible, Church Ministry, and Christian Education.
Prior to joining ABWE in 1988, Dr. Loftis served on the Faculty at Tennessee Temple University and Seminary as an associate professor of Christian Education for ten years. He served as Chairman of the Youth Ministry Department in the Seminary, Internship Director, and Director of Referral Services. He was a member of the National Association of Professors of Christian Education and served as a teacher training and curriculum design consultant and guest lecturer in several colleges and seminaries in the United States and abroad. After the exposition of Scripture, his next preferred focus of study and teaching is in the area of leadership development especially as it is applied to church and missions ministry.
Michael, along with his wife, Jo Beth, has also served in various pastoral capacities in four Baptist churches in the area of music ministry, youth family ministry, college ministry, and adult ministry, as well as interim pastor. Jo Beth has served as church pianist in six local churches and as the worship coordinator at their church in Budapest, Hungary. They have traveled extensively to teach the Word of God, train Christian leaders, and share in music ministry in churches, camps, and missions conferences across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
Having been blessed both with a desire and the opportunity to study a variety of cultures and languages, the Loftises function using the four major languages of the region of Central Eastern Europe where they served for twelve years. When the Loftis family began their ministry with ABWE, they were the first ABWE missionaries focusing on reaching the Iron Curtain countries of Eastern Europe. During their twelve years of service, they prayerfully built a ministry team that numbered 70 career missionaries that served in 9 countries in Central & Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The vision of that regional team, under the leadership of Dr. Loftis, was to give every person a clear opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel and to establish a self-sustaining church planting movement in each country by the year 2020.
Michael led his team to co-found an MK school in Budapest, Hungary (partnering with other missions), helped to develop MK educational resources and programs throughout the region, and assisted in establishing an International church in Budapest, Hungary, where he lived with his family from 1992-2000. Under his leadership the regional team in Central & Eastern Europe established leadership training programs for Bible Institutes and numerous local church training programs, including extensive curriculum and literature development projects. The team saw over 54 new churches planted. Their efforts in evangelism bore and continue to bear much fruit, utilizing both traditional and innovative approaches that include economic development, medical ministries, and humanitarian aid and disaster relief programs in the war torn areas of Bosnia, Croatia, Albania, Kosovo, and the former Soviet Union. Dr. Loftis surveyed and helped design an entry strategy for ABWE to open ministries in twelve new countries, giving particular attention to creative approaches necessary for sustaining long-term effective ministry in restricted access nations. In addition, he serves on the board of several International ministries including some that partner with ABWE in strategic new missions initiatives.
The Loftises are no strangers to the difficulties of family life on the mission field, having experienced the death of a parent and the departure of a son for college while remaining overseas with their colleagues. They have also cared for the pastoral needs of their growing team of missionaries through similar struggles. They have a deep love for and commitment to the children of missionaries. In fact Michael often states that his favorite task as an administrator has been to minister among the MK's of his region.
Having lived and served in four countries as well as the United States, the Loftises will now make their home in Harrisburg, PA, with their three children: Ben, Nathan, & Michelle. The Loftis family enjoys skiing, world cup soccer, music, drama, and literature, especially biographies.