Dr. Donald E. Gerken and his wife Sharon,
are founders of the Centers of Hope Missions International.
Dr. Gerken is an ordained minister with the Church of God, Cleveland,
Tennessee. The Gerkens were
appointed by the Church of God and lived in Nicaragua, during which time the
ministries originated.
Don has 26 years of ministry experience,
including local church pastor, chaplain, home missionary, professor, and foreign
educational missionary. His
educational preparation includes a BA in Psychology from Loras College, Dubuque,
Iowa; an MA in Evangelism and Church Growth from Scarritt College, Nashville,
Tennessee; an M.Div. in Pastoral Theology from the University of Dubuque
Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, including CPE training (Clinical Pastoral
Education); and a D.Min. in Missiology from Reformed Theological Seminary,
Jackson, Mississippi.
As a professor, Don has taught at Gilgal
Bible Institute, Monterrey, Mexico; Facultad Teologica Pentecostal, Guatemala
City, Guatemala; and Jimmy Swaggart Bible College, formerly in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. He has written 2
dissertations: “The Meaning, Motivation and Communication of the Holiness
Doctrine for Evangelism” and “The Training of a Mission Team for Urban
Church Planting.” He is also a
contributing author of “Ordained to Minister,” Dr. James Simpson, editor.
Sharon is an RN with 20 years of
experience in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice and home nursing.
She is an assistant in her husband’s ministry and has taught courses in
personal evangelism.
Don and Sharon have 4 children and 4
grandchildren.
The
mission work of the Gerkens is supported entirely by free-will offerings, which
they raise through ministry in churches. All
projects of the Centers of Hope Missions International are supported entirely by
free will offerings as well. The
Centers of Hope Missions International is a non-profit, tax exempt ministry.
Church of God World Missions is a world-wide ministry of the Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee. It maintains missionaries and projects in nearly every part of the world. For more information on Church of God World Missions, you may contact their offices at the following address and phone number: Church of God World Missions, PO Box 8016, Cleveland, TN 37320-8016; Telephone: 1-800-345-7492