John Piper
Senior Pastor, Bethlehem Baptist Church
    
John Piper's life and ministry are driven by a desire to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples. This calling began as the son of an evangelist, born in Tennessee and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. He first recognized a call to teach while being taught by Harold John Ockenga at Wheaton College as an English major. He also met his wife Noel at Wheaton.

The call grew in their marriage (1968) and through further study at Fuller Seminary (grad. 1971) and the University of Munich (Dr. of Theology, 1974) in Germany where their first son Karsten was born. The addition to their family of Benjamin, Abraham, Barnabas and now Talitha Ruth has further fueled this passion for God. It simmered for six years as John taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College and then fairly exploded after he became pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in 1980.

Dr. Piper chose to move his family into the inner city of Minneapolis, near the church, where Noël has helped to make their home a "manse" for urban ministry, missions and internships. Praying, teaching, thinking, clarifying, sharpening, laboring, writing, traveling to share these fruits prayerfully are all evidences of God's continued call on his life to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

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From an article at the Bethlehem Baptist Church website.