Marcia Furrow

First and foremost, I am a child of God. Under that umbrella, I wear many hats: wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, mother-in-law, and friend, to name a few.

I live in Austin, TX, with my husband, Brian. We have two wonderful sons who married two amazing young women, and we have seven grandchildren consisting of five Warriors and two Princesses (one in each family).

If you ask me where I'm from, I usually say "all over the Midwest" though I grew up in western NC, Brian and I moved throughout IL, OH, MN, WI, IN, and MO. It still amazes me that we ended up in Texas of all places, yet here we are, and we love it.

My books are the outflow of my experiences as a leader and trainer of leaders for the Kingdom of God. I have followed great leaders and have been a leader, mentor, trainer, and advisor for most of my life.

The greatest professional training ground for me was during my years in Bible Study Fellowship, International (BSF). I served as a Teaching Leader for almost fifteen years, and several years as a Children’s Supervisor, Children’s Leader and Group Leader in many classes throughout the Midwest. No matter where I was serving, BSF made sure I met their very high standards for leadership training. I absorbed all that I could and passed along as much as I could.

During my time with BSF, I had the privilege of studying under the guidance of Dr. Walter Kaiser Jr., Dr. John Hannah, Dr. Dennis Magary, Dr. Duane Garrett, Rosemary Jensen, Jean Nystrand, Jane Roach, Susie Rowan, and the late Dr. James Montgomery Boice. I have also attended classes by Dr. Barry Beitzel and the late Dr. Grant Osborne, both of whom attended my home church. My strongest strength is “learner,” and therefore, I took copious notes, applied every principle, and then trained my leaders with the same due diligence with which I had been trained.

As a trainer of leaders, I enjoy the experience, work, and study required to impart wisdom and skill to those I train. Even more, I enjoy watching their success as they put into practice what they have learned. I have prepared and taught hundreds of leadership training classes for leaders of both adults and children. I have seen leaders flourish as they led with godly principles, and I have seen (and experienced) failure when going it alone. My experience convinces me that we can only lead as far as we have gone, so it is good to press on—learning as much as we can, and applying what we have learned.

In addition to holding leadership positions in church and parachurch organizations, I have served as both a mentor and advisor, and currently a Board Member for Teen Mother Choices International (TMCI). I also attended Judson International University and have gleaned much wisdom through studying God’s Word and applying it to my life as a wife, mother, and professional volunteer.

Because of my background in leadership training and my relationship with TMCI, I was asked to speak on “Godly Leadership” at their 2013 Annual Conference. As I prepared for that engagement—by studying the ways the Lord Jesus Christ trained the disciples for leadership—one event kept coming to the forefront: The feeding of the five thousand. This miracle became the thread I wove into the topic of godly leadership. After the event, as I continued to dwell on the miracle and the leadership training principles Jesus taught, I realized there was a treasure trove of leadership principles that Jesus applied in that miracle. My continued interest in this topic led me to write this most recent book.

Over the years, I’ve noticed a pattern in leadership: successful leaders are always about the business of training successful leaders: Their replacements. This book is for both.