The BTS "Band of Brothers"

The Behind the Scenes leadership team is made up of a unique group of servant-hearted men, each of whom has been personally involved in serving those who serve our Savior in a variety of ways. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry, BTS is required to have an official board of directors. At the end of 2018, the BTS board decided to form a second layer to our leadership team to serve as strategic advisors. These ministry-minded brothers will assist the board members in specific ways as the ministry of BTS continues to expand. Here are the names of all those on the team with a short profile for each...

BTS Board of directors

+Steve Adriansen (above): During his years in full-time pastoral ministry (from 1984-2011), Steve's burden for those in ministry steadily grew and led to the eventual birth of BTS in 2011. Through the years, mainly through ministry trips Steve led throughout the country (and sometimes outside of the US), Steve connected with many brothers & sisters serving our Savior who were virtually "on their own" in their individual ministries. Although many of these servants had leaders overseeing them in their churches/organizations, Steve found that God used his pastoral experience to provide "safe and encouraging support" to many in the ministry (both full-timers and volunteers). Out of this soil, BTS sprouted and has been growing since 2011. Steve is married to Kathy and they have two children now in their later 20's.

+David Classen (above): During his 30+ years of pastoral ministry in Michigan, Dave has regularly made the most of his opportunities to come alongside other pastors and missionaries to encourage them in a variety of ways. During past summers, he led a team of volunteers from his church family (at their own expense) to serve missionary families by staffing a week-long retreat designed for their spiritual refreshment. Dave is a gifted counselor and intentionally pursues the hearts of those in leadership as he mentors and encourages them. He and his wife Kathy live in Brighton, Michigan and have three adult children. Dave is the newest member of the BTS board of directors, joining the team in 2015.

+John Connolly (above): When not serving as an elder and small group coach/leader at his church, John oversees several physical therapy office locations in southeastern Michigan. Beyond encouraging the small group leaders he guides, John and his wife Sheila have had an active ministry to Christian leaders outside of their church family for many years. One example of this was a weekend seminar they coordinated to inspire those in their 50’s + 60’s to “finish their journeys well” and to consider launching new kingdom-based ministries. As one of the "longest-tenured" board members of BTS, John has been involved in the development of BTS since its early years. John & Sheila have triplets who are in their late 20's.

+Mark Morsehead (above): Coming to faith in Christ later in life, Mark has an empathetic heart for those in the community who do not yet have a relationship with Christ. Since trusting Christ as an adult, Mark has matured rapidly and has served as a church lay leader in a variety of ministries, including small group leadership and men's ministry. He has also invested his ministry energy in spiritually pursuing those at work and on the sidelines of sporting events in the community. Mark serves as treasurer of BTS and has been serving as a board member since the early years of BTS. Recently retired, he is excited about expanding his personal involvement in BTS, including ‘spear-heading’ our ministry to missionaries in Moldova. Mark and his wife Leslie have four married sons, one of whom is currently involved in full-time Christian ministry.

bts strategic advisors

+Dan Gregory (above): Dan continues laying the groundwork for Restore Addiction Recovery--a ministry organization to come alongside those who struggle with drug addiction in Northeast Ohio. As a former corporate executive in Cleveland, Dan takes full advantage of his many connections from the past to involve Christ-following business leaders in this vital ministry. In the past, Dan assisted in planting a church in Central Ohio and has also been an involved lay leader in several churches in different states where he and his family have lived. Dan and his wife Jennifer have six children, several of whom are actively involved in their own church ministries. Dan was one of the three founding board members of BTS.

+Hal Lehman (above): Hal has overseen the international church-multiplication ministry of the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches since 2011 but was committed to serving missionaries many years earlier. Before joining the FEC ‘home staff” in 2002, Hal completed a Christian Ed/Missions degree from Ft. Wayne Bible College, earned a Mission Aviation degree from Moody, spent several years in the D.R. training national pastors, and flew missionaries in and out of Indonesian jungles for 4 years. In his current position, he routinely travels to encourage those serving on foreign soil and, as 2019 begins, has served in 29 countries and 5 continents during his journey! Hal has been married to Suzie for 35 years and they have three adult children spread across the fruited plain.

+Glenn Autry (above): Glenn came to faith in Christ at age 40 and, a year later, accepted a corporate position in the Detroit area where he and his wife Mary King have now resided since 1989. He has served as an elder in 2 ‘sister churches’ in Southeast Michigan for more than 25 years. Glenn has a deep passion for discipling men and strengthening church leadership. In 2016-17 he became a Colson Fellow from the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. At that point, Glenn began teaching Christians how to understand and live out a biblical worldview as disciples of Christ in a declining culture. He retired from corporate America in 2009 after serving as the Chief Human Resource Officer for corporations in Ohio and Michigan. He and Mary King have been married for over 50 years, have three married daughters, and regularly visit 14 grandchildren spread out over the Midwest.

+Gabe Sturley (above): Having grown up in a pastor’s home and having served on the mission field, Gabe possesses wide-ranging experience & insight which he has used to encourage pastors, missionaries, and lay leaders. Growing up on the west coast, Gabe attended Simpson University where he received his BA in Biblical Studies. In the summer of 2018, he joined a pastoral staff team in Southeast Michigan where his main focus is to develop “mission-mindedness” within the church family. One key element of his ministry involves forming strategic partnerships with those serving on foreign soil (including partnering with the ministry in Eastern Europe where he served in the past). Gabe and his wife Sarah have three elementary-aged children.

+Keith Newswanger (not pictured): While attending Grace College in Indiana, Keith began to live out his burden "to serve those who serve." Since the mid-1980's, his passion to come alongside those in ministry as an encouraging brother & prayer warrior has only deepened over the years. God has guided him to minister, as a volunteer, in a variety of ways and He worked in and through Keith to produce deep renewal in a men's ministry along the way. When not serving as a lay leader in his church or pursuing the hearts of men, Keith now owns his own business after spending most of his "career years" as a school psychologist. Keith is married to Jean and their four children AND two grandchildren live near them in eastern Pennsylvania. Keith was also one of the three founding board members of BTS.