Ralph F. Wilson

Ralph F. Wilson was raised in a Christian family and received Christ as his Savior and Lord at the age of nine. When he was twelve, he became aware that God was calling him to the Christian ministry.

He studied at Occidental College, Los Angeles where he received a bachelor's degree in Biology in 1967. He received a Master of Divinity degree (1976) from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and a few years later, a Doctor of Ministry degree (1984) from the same school

Pastor Ralph has attended churches of many denominations as well as independent churches. He believes that denominations at their best can strengthen the Body by providing historical fellowships of congregations. Yet he rejoices that the walls that have divided one group from another are coming down. Our goal - and final destiny - is One Church unified by Jesus Christ himself.

Pastor Ralph was ordained under the auspices of the American Baptist Churches/USA in 1977. He has served as senior pastor of Lindley Ave. Baptist Church in Tarzana, California (1976-1988) and Church of the Live Oaks in Rocklin, California (1988-2001). He served as Ministry Development Pastor at Community Covenant Church in Rocklin (2003-2009) and as as Interim Pastor at First Baptist Church of Nevada City (2010-2013)

His Joyful Heart Renewal Ministries website (www.joyfulheart.com) contains scores of Christian articles and stories he has written. Beginning in 1996, he began to experiment with teaching the Bible by means of the Internet, the JesusWalk Bible Study Series (www.jesuswalk.com). His studies have reached over 5,000 in up to 124 countries at a time. These interactive Bible studies allow students to begin at any time, receive lessons via e-mail, and share their insights to study questions with others in an online forum. He is the author of 40 books in the field of Biblical theology.

Pastor Ralph and his wife have three grown children. They live in rural Loomis, California, a few miles east of Sacramento. Hobbies include watercolor painting and genealogy.