Evangelist Jim Van Gelderen

Evangelist Jim Van Gelderen is a 1982 graduate of Bob Jones University. He also received an MA from BJU in 1984. Since 1984 he has traveled with the Minutemen Evangelistic Team. Jim and his wife, Rhonda, have three daughters.

Jim has three avenues of ministry that occupy his vision and burden each year.

1. He leads the Minutemen Evangelistic Team that conducts the War of Special Forces. This is a ministry for Christian Schools and their affiliated local churches. His burden is evangelism to lost teens in the community and revival among the teens that know the Lord, but have allowed sin to come into their lives. He plans to lead this team each fall every year and the odd springs.
2. He conducts local church meetings, preaches at youth camps, or preaches where ever the Lord leads. He schedules these kinds of meetings during each summer every year as well as the even springs (January through May). This would be the springs of ’08, ’10, ’12, etc.
3. He serves as Vice President of Baptist College of Ministry. He spends approximately three weeks each semester at the college exercising his gift in the college setting. “Dr. Jim”, as he is called at BCM, loves preaching to the students as well as working with students to help prepare them for a lifetime of service for the Lord.

Jim has been with the Minutemen Evangelistic Team since it began. He and his wife Rhonda were married in 1984 and have been travelling ever since conducting The War and the War of Special Forces.

During Jim’s college years The War concept was pioneered at Jim’s home church, the Marquette Manor Baptist Church in Downers Grove, IL, now one of the ministry’s supporting churches. After graduate school, Jim and wife began travelling full time doing The War. In 1996 their emphasis shifted to the War of Special Forces which primarily is conducted in Christian schools and the affiliated local church.

For fourteen years (until 1998) Jim served as the a staff evangelist with Bob Jones University. In addition to traveling with the Minutemen Evangelistic Team, Jim serves as the Vice President of Baptist College of Ministry, a position which he has held since 1999.