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David and Linda Baer
 David Baer became president of Overseas Council International (OCI) in July 2004. OCI partners with more than 100 seminaries and Bible colleges in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East to equip indigenous Christian leaders. Christianity is growing most rapidly in the non-Western world, underscoring the need for biblically trained leaders to disciple new believers in the Christian life. OCI provides funding for student scholarships, faculty scholarships, campus development, educational (library) resources and leadership consultations to equip quality ministry training.
Before joining OCI in 2004, David served as president of OCI partner ESEPA Seminary in San José, Costa Rica. While there, he completed a Certificate in Spanish as a Second Language from the Institute of the Spanish Language. In addition, David has been a lecturer and tutor in biblical Hebrew and Old Testament at the University of Cambridge. He is a distinguished Old Testament scholar and recently completed a book on the theology of Isaiah (When We All Go Home: Translation and Theology in LXX Isaiah 56-66). In addition, he has written numerous academic articles in English and Spanish for various theological journals and the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis.
David’s personal testimony:
“I was raised in a Pennsylvania Dutch family that taught me to honor God and trust in Jesus, but my faith became my own during my teenage years. My family came under the care of a pastor whose robust evangelical faith and lifestyle we could only admire. This man challenged me to attend Wheaton College—where I was exposed to pastor-scholars who took both spiritual life and their hunger to understand with the utmost seriousness. It was a kind of rebirth for me, and I came to understand that Christians have a vocation to serve God’s world with excellence, commitment and joy. I am convinced there is no more important task than preparing articulate, committed, passionate and intelligent servant-leaders for Christ’s people.”
David and his wife Linda have two sons, Christopher (17) and John (16) and reside in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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