John Criswell

Pastor of Congregational Life

John Criswell joined our staff team after 14 years with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, an interdenominational student movement on university campuses across the nation. In various roles, most recently the Director of National Strategic Ministries for IVCF Canada, John has served as a pastor, leader, team builder, and equipper.

With InterVarsity, he has served as Director of Public Affairs for the Urbana 93 student mission convention and Director of InterVarsity Link & IFES Relations, which is InterVarsity’s mission sending ministry. John and his family also lived in Oxford, England where John served as Chief Operations Officer for Europe and Eurasia for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), the umbrella organization for InterVarsity and other student ministries in 150 countries. He also served as the founding Director of Human Resources for IFES and the Programme Director for the 2003 IFES World Assembly held in the Netherlands.

He earned the Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in 1985, during which he chaired the Ichthus festival. The son, grandson, and nephew of United Methodist ministers, John went on from Asbury to serve as a missionary church planter in London, England and then an associate pastor of a United Methodist church in St. Petersburg, Florida before joining InterVarsity.

John is married to Margie, and they have two children: Jared and Amanda. John’s ministry at Centenary is to oversee the ministries of adult discipleship, pastoral care and newcomer ministries. In addition, he helps Centenary create renewal opportunities and structures which enable us to become a Kingdom church in Lexington.