And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me." -Isaiah 6:8 (ESV)
A Message from
our President
With MLI you are saying yes not only to theological and biblical education, but to practical training that will equip and embolden you to advance Christ's mission in the church and beyond.
My name is Andrew Pacheco. I serve as a pastor at Crossroads Church and president of MLI. I hold a Master of Divinity from Moody Theological Seminary and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary. I also serve as a chaplain in the United States Army Reserve.
Through every season of ministry, my passion has been the same: to see individuals grow in their faith and step boldly into their calling, whether in the church, at home, or in their vocational setting. We are always on mission and need Christian leaders equipped to lead where they are!
Here you will find intentional training and a life-giving community of faculty, peers, and mentors devoted to helping you develop practical ministry skills, resilient faith, and servant-hearted boldness. Every harvest requires labor! Be diligent in the season of formation you are in, commit yourself to God's call, and let the joy of the Lord sustain you.
At MLI, we believe you will walk away with both biblical competence and newfound missional confidence. We would count it a joy to partner with you in this next step of faithful preparation.
Andrew Pacheco, President
Leadership
Andrew Pacheco
President of MLI
Andrew serves as a pastor at Crossroads Church, Mansfield OH, and as president of MLI. He holds a Master of Divinity from Moody Theological Seminary and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary, and serves as a chaplain in the United States Army Reserve.
Callie Robertson
Executive Admistrator
Callie Robertson is a graduate of Grace College with a degree in mechanical engineering, and earned her MBA with a project management focus from Ashland University. She spent 12 years in manufacturing in engineering and operations management roles before stepping back to be a homeschool mom to her three young children. She and her husband, John, share a love for the local church and for the community.
Faculty Mentors
Rev. John Swope, PhD, MDiv, has served in pastoral ministry for more than 30 years. He began his career in education and moved into full-time ministry in 1993, serving as a youth minister, associate pastor, senior pastor and interim pastor, with leadership roles at the denominational level. He holds a PhD in Systematic Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, a Master of Divinity from Ashland Theological Seminary and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Florida International University. He is ordained in the Brethren Church.
Public profile: https://www.directionscounseling.com/counselors/john-swope/
John Swope
Tim Schlatter
Tim Schlatter is co-founder of Taking Care Beyond, alongside Karen Schlatter. He has more than 30 years of cross-cultural and pastoral ministry experience: 19 years in Papua New Guinea in Bible translation and church planting, 11 years in pastoral ministry in the United States, and 7 years leading Taking Care Beyond's pastoral care work with missionaries around the world. He holds a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Formation in Community from Ashland Theological Seminary.
Public profile: https://takingcarebeyond.com/
Bob Baumann
Bob Baumann is Lead Pastor and an elder at Eastwood Christian Fellowship in Kitchener, Ontario, where he has served for more than 25 years. He recently completed doctoral studies focused on identifying barriers to spiritual formation. He lives in Kitchener with his wife, Jenny.
Public profile: https://ecfchurch.ca/bob-baumann/
MLI Professors
Andrew Anderson
MLI Founder, Lead Pastor of Crossroads Church
Andrew Anderson is Lead Pastor of Crossroads Church in Mansfield, Ohio, where he has served since 2025. He has nearly 30 years of ministry experience, including pastorates at Reach Church in Blair, Nebraska, and Mercy Road Church in Lakeville, Minnesota, and earlier roles as a youth, young adult and teaching pastor in several states. At Reach Church he launched Central School of Ministry, where he taught Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, Introduction to Practical Ministry and Hermeneutics. He holds a Master of Ministry from Pacific Evangelical School of Ministry, is ordained in The Evangelical Church, and is the author of It's In the Journey: Reflections Through Philippians (2019). He and his wife, Stacy, have six children.
John Bouquet
Lead Pastor of Bethel Chapel
John's passion is to fulfill God's calling on his life by carrying out the mandate to “Go,” making disciples and evangelizing the world with the Gospel. He does this alongside his wife, Sherry, and their four children at Bethel Chapel, as well as through his teaching and conference ministry. Their aim is people, their community and the Great Commission. John earned a BA in Bible, History and Psychology from Tennessee Temple University in 1982 and went on to earn a master's degree in Biblical Studies and Church Administration at Ashland Theological Seminary. He serves also as a mentor pastor with Pastors of Excellence, helping disciple fellow shepherds.
Public profile: https://wordoflife.edu/people/pastor-john-bouquet/
Joe Maggelet
Ashland University Chaplain
Pastor Joe Maggelet is the Ashland University Chaplain and the first full-time missionary of Christ's Provisions. He has served young adults for more than 33 years through campus ministry and as athletic chaplain at Ashland University, and earlier worked with The Navigators. An ordained pastor, he completed his theological training at Ashland Theological Seminary. He is the author of The 'I' Judgments: Four Sins that Bring About the Fall of Nations (2016).
Public profile: https://www.christsprovisions.org/pastor-joe-maggelet/
John Risner
Lead Pastor of Mennonite Christian Assembly
John Risner is Lead Pastor at Mennonite Christian Assembly, with a passion for strengthening hearts and homes with the gospel. A high-energy speaker and leader, he has given two decades to full-time ministry. He holds a Master of Divinity from Ashland Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Bluffton University. He and his wife, Rachel, have nine children.
Public profile: https://www.mcachurch.org/users/john-risner
Chris Harper
CEO of BetterMan
Dr. Chris Harper, known as Harp, is CEO of BetterMan, an organization that has equipped more than 3,000 churches and 300,000 men around the world. He speaks on a man's identity in Christ, the challenges men face, and being a gospel-centered husband and father, and is known for a fiery, magnetic teaching style.
Public profile: https://betterman.com/chris-harper
Brett Seybold
Founder of Kontakt Apologetics
Dr. Brett Seybold is a missionary, apologetics educator and founder of KAPOL (Kontakt Apologetics), an initiative of Kontakt Mission. He and his wife, Heather, served as missionaries in Germany for ten years, where he conducted apologetics interviews with skeptics across Western Europe. He earned a PhD from Liberty University, with research on Jesus and the post-Christian mindset. He speaks internationally at churches, campus ministries and camps.
Public profile: https://renew.org/contributor/brett-seybold/
Ikki Soma
Lead Pastor of Cottage Grove Church
Ikki Soma is Lead Pastor of Cottage Grove Church in Des Moines, Iowa, where he has served since 2023. Born in Tokyo and raised in California, he earned his undergraduate degree at California Polytechnic State University and a ThM at Dallas Theological Seminary, where he was a pastoral assistant to Dr. Tony Evans. He has planted and led several churches in Texas, served as team chaplain for the Houston Rockets, and speaks at ministry conferences nationwide.
Public profile: https://www.centralschoolofministry.org/ikkisoma