Get to Know the Jankes a Little Better!

What is your background?
    Pastor grew up in a Christian home in Denver, Colorado.  After high school, he attended a Christian liberal arts college, majoring in Physical Education.  After his junior year, he married Terri Pickering and they moved back to Denver.  After 4 years in retail management, God moved them to Northland Baptist Bible College where he finished his undergraduate degree and joined the staff, overseeing several campus operational departments.  After completing a MA in Biblical Studies, Pastor joined the Bible faculty, later directing the department of External Studies. 
     Terri was born and raised in lower Wisconsin and in a Christian home.  After high school, she attended the same college as Pastor, where they met.  After graduating with a degree in Home Economics education (and marrying Pastor John) she began teaching Home Economics at Silver State Baptist High School in Denver.  After relocating to Northland, she developed and directed the department of Home and Family Ministries.  Terri has written several Christmas and Easter programs as well as a bible study on 1 Peter.

What is your previous church experience?
     We have both been active in local church ministries since high school.  Pastor John began teaching 6th grade Sunday School as a senior in high school and Terri was involved in backyard bible clubs with Child Evangelism Fellowship.  After we were married we served as the Junior Department Sunday School coordinators and later as lay members of the youth staff.  We continued our involvement at two churches in the Northland area (Faith Baptist & Grace Baptist) as teachers, musicians, and in various other capacities.  In 1996, we joined Grace Baptist Church of Iron Mountain (a new church planting effort) where we both were heavily involved in the ministry.  At Grace, Pastor John served as a deacon and also as a lay assistant Pastor.  It was during our time at Grace that God increased our burden for the local church and our desire for full-time vocational ministry.  It was through Grace Baptist that Pastor John was ordained to the Pastoral ministry.

What is your vision?
    Overall our desire is to be a part of God's work of increasing the number of individuals who know Him, praise Him, and serve Him.  This is accomplished through the teaching in our corporate gathering times, small group bible studies, personal bible study, and one-on-one mentoring and counseling. Specifically, by God's grace, we hope to accomplish this burden in three ways:
     1.  We desire to encourage individuals in the local church to know God through a correct understanding of His Word that is integrated into
          their day to day life experiences.
     2.  We desire to help build strong, healthy families that reflect Christ's relationship with His bride, the Church.
     3.  We desire to see individuals who are completely surrendered in their lives to the will of God--passionately pursuing Him, sharing His
           truth with others, and living in a way that properly represents His Person and Perfections.

In the end, you could say that we have committed our lives to radical personal and cultural transformation.

Tell us about your family.
     We have two wonderful daughters--our oldest recently completed a BA from Faith Baptist Bible College and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Master's College. Our youngest is a senior in high school.  Since we both have undergraduate degrees in education, we have home schooled our children for most of their educational experience.  Both are active in the ministries of Fellowship Baptist Church.  Our desire is for our children to have a passion for God and to pursue His will for their lives.

What are your hobbies?
    Pastor John:  Reading, hunting, fishing, golf, gardening--especially growing roses.
    Terri:  Reading, gardening, sewing, listening to Pastor John talk about reading, hunting, fishing, etc.