Biography
Rev. Jeremy J. Johnston
jeremyj@ffc.org
Executive Pastor/C.O.O. of Media
FIrst Family Church of Overland Park, KS
Pastor Jeremy Johnston assisted the founding of First Family Church with his father, Dr. Jerry Johnston, in September of 1996. First Family Church is an expository, Bible preaching, lively, media-driven, youth-children
focused church focusing on ministering to
every member of the family. Only because of
the favor of the LORD, First Family Church is now known as one of the fastest growing
churches in America with over 5,000 active
members and television partners and viewers
from all around the world. Pastor Jeremy
began in humble beginnings-a volunteer director of all set-up-and-tare down of FFC and rose to co-pastoring FFC with his Father, thirteen years later. He continues to build the
global, national, and local media outreach of
First Family Church.
Pastor Jeremy Johnston’s leadership instituted the following at FFC:
- Procuring approval from People’s Republic of China censor board to allow
First Family programming (the Gospel) to be aired into main-land China-
Guangdong-with over 90 million people in Chinese sub captioning
- Launching broadcasts in Arabic throughout the 10/40 window with Arabic sub captioning
- Overseeing all donor recruitment and development – raised over $7,000,000 cash for most recently building program-a 126,000 square foot expansion at the 51 acre
campus of FFC - Regular preaching and teaching at First Family Church- see ffc.org for videos and podcasts of messages from the last quarter
- Successful weekly podcast at FFC with thousands of subscribers
- October 2003-FFC was one of the first churches to offer “free-live-streaming” of all worship services and begin marketing their “internet church”
MEDIA APPEARANCES AND CONTRIBUTIONS
Frequently featured guest-appearances on the following
- USA TODAY-Regular interviewee for-Cathy Grossman religion/spirituality/ethics reporter (see most recent USA Today publication at the
end of this C.V.)
- Faith and Reason USA Today blog
- CBS early show with Harry Smith
- ABC news with Melinda Aarons
- Interviews on all Kansas City affiliates and local newspapers: ABC, NBC, CBS,PBS and Fox
- Baptist Press-SBC
HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS
PREACHER - TEACHER – LEADER – ENTREPRENEUR – INTERCESSORY-GIVER
Versatile, dynamic, popular speaker/presenter, and media personality with strong stage presence and an unforgettable and convincing style that motivates and inspires audiences of all ages.
Highly credible-presenting sensitive and vital issues that confront today’s audiences in a manner that will make a profound impact.
QUALIFICATIONS INCLUDE
- Motivational, secular and Christian speaker to educational, corporate, governmental, association, not-for-profit, and religious organizations throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.
- Preached to thousands of youth all over America on issues confronting youthculture.
- Regularly equipping pastors spiritually, corporately, financially when they are persecuted for standing for Truth.
- Extremely deep theologically and stimulating applicable preaching
- Particular anointing in the altar call/invitation time of the worship service
MEMBERSHIPS
- Full Time Research Scholar-Oxford Centre for Missions Study
- Society of Biblical Literature
- Council for National Policy
- C.G.I.- Church Growth International Board
- Board of Regents - Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
- Charter Member-First Family Church
UNIQUE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- At the age of 16-founded “The S.T.O.R.M.” (Strong Teens On a Rescue Mission)
- Saturday night youth rally which drew over 10,000 teenagers from KC metro area with over 700 recorded decisions for Jesus Christ
- Preached in over 100 cities itinerantly before graduating early from Blue Valley North High School-6A Public High School in Overland Park, KS
- Participates on Church Growth International Board of Dr. David Yonggi Cho Yoida Full Gospel Church.
- Presented at the 2008 Annual Plenary Session of the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Ministers weekly in the largest Sunday school class at First Family Church, and regularly provides pulpit ministry to the entire congregation.
- Preached in Dr. James Dobson’s home at his request on Labor Day 2007.
- Interacts regularly with Christian leaders, academics, intellectuals from all around the World-in the capacity which they participate with Pastor Jeremy in events at First Family
Church
- Preached out with his father on a variety of culture/moral issues and has received his fair share of public persecution because of it
PASTOR JEREMY'S SPIRITUAL GIFTS
- Preacher/Teacher
- Leadership
- Giving
- Intercession
- Faith
MEDIA PROJECTS
Taught, filmed, produced on-location documentaries in the following countries:
Titled: “In the Footsteps of Jesus and Paul”…later aired on FFC television network
- Israel
- Jordan
- China
- South Korea
- Turkey
- Rome
PASSIONS
- Intercessory prayer
- Studying theological works
- Preaching (of course)
- Guns-shooting Sporting Clays-a “gentleman’s game”
- Harley Davidson Motorcycle- 2007 Softail-Springer Classic-Vivid Black
PERSONAL STRENGTHS ENCOMPASS
High energy, result-oriented, persistent in pursuit of goals, and a resourceful, pro-active approach to conquering difficult challenges.
EDUCATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Oxford Centre for Missions Study 30 June 2009-
Full time research scholar-Doctor of Philosophy Candidate, NT/Historical Jesus study - Studying primary texts, the resurrection, historical Jesus
Advisor(s): Dr. Craig A. Evans, Acadia Dr. Paul Foster, Edinburgh
- Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, SBC
Master of Divinity May 16, 2009
Honors: “Highest Honors”
Scoring: 3.915 G.P.A. out of 4.0
- Midwestern Baptist College, SBC
Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies May 19, 2007
ACADEMIC AWARDS
2009 LifeWay Publishing Pastoral Leadership Award for Academic Excellence.
This award was voted on by the faculty of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2009
2009 Endorsements of Pastor Jeremy Johnston available via PDF:
- Dr. Craig A. Evans, Ph.D., Acadia Divinity College
- Dr. James Dobson, Ph.D. Focus on the Family Founder
- Mr. Hank Hanegraaff, President, Christian Research Institute and Bible Answer Man
- Dr. Jay Sekulow, American Center of Law and Justice Founder
- Dr. Ken Eldred, founder, Living Stones Foundation
- Mr. Zig Ziglar, the Zig Ziglar Corporation
- Dr. R. Phillip Roberts, President, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
- Mr. Joe White, President, Kanakuk Kamps
MOST LIFE-CHANGING QUOTE
“There was a day when I died, utterly died; died to George Muller…died to the world..and since
then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God.”
-George Muller, as recorded by A.T. Pierson’s biography of 1899
PERSONAL INFORMATION
- Born August 1, 1981 in Overland Park, Kansas (Kansas City suburb)
- Married Audrey Lynn Feild of Overland Park, KS on October 9, 2004.
- Lily Faith Johnston born to Audrey and Jeremy on June 30, 2009!
- Accepted Christ as personal Lord and Savior in October 1987
- Called to full-time-vocational ministry Friday, June 3, 1994 at Falls Creek, Oklahoma Youth Camp
- Experienced brokenness-before Almighty God-July 13, 1998
- Ordained for the Gospel Ministry in April of 2002