You probably know that Alex Strauch is the author of Biblical Eldership, the book that inspired the ministry of Biblical Eldership Resources, and many other books on church leadership. But here are eight things you might not know about him:
1. He grew up without a Bible in his house.
“I came to know Christ through the ministry of Pine Bush Bible Camp in New York. I was 11 and went there simply to go fishing, not realizing they were fishing for me. I grew up in a non-Christian family—we didn’t even have a Bible.”
2. Getting cut from his high school football team got him hooked on the Bible.
“In my freshman year of high school, I tried out for football (I have no idea why). I was almost immediately cut from the team, but this turned out to be a great blessing. Having plenty of time on my hands, I started spending three to four hours a day reading and studying my Bible. I became very interested in the book of Revelation. I have been an avid Bible student ever since.”
3. Two mentors changed his life.
“When I was 13 through 16, a single man, Bill Van Blarken, came to my house every Friday night to have Bible club. I invited all my friends, and most of them became Christians. Later, the director of Pine Bush Bible Camp, Paul B. Sapp, made me assistant director of the camp, which served young people from New York City. He laid many heavy responsibilities on me every summer for six years, and we became lifelong friends.”
4. The Vietnam War rerouted his career path from missionary to author.
“I was heading to Beirut, Lebanon, as a missionary in 1968, but my plans all changed because of the Vietnam War, and I ended up in Colorado for three months. That was 52 years ago. Instead of being a missionary, I have spent my life in Colorado writing books.”
5. He met his wife in youth ministry during the Jesus movement—and married her that Christmas.
“I was the youth director of Littleton Bible Chapel. The youth group was exploding in numbers. We were part of the Jesus revolution in the late ’60s and early ’70s. When Marilyn came to church, I asked her to help lead the ministry with the girls. We worked together for three months before I realized, ‘This is a high quality woman—I better not let someone else steal her.’ We were married by the end of the year, December 25, 1970. We have been married 50 years.”
6. Family time is his favorite.
“If I could have dinner with anyone from history, I’d choose any or all of my four daughters, with my wife of course. I love to be with each of them, and they love to be with me. When I have a free Saturday, you’ll find me hiking with my children on the Platte River and bird watching.”
7. After more than five decades, he still finds church work thrilling and satisfying.
“I love the amazing group of people at our church and the joy and excitement in the air about being in church. My role in my church is mentoring the many fine young men—it’s absolutely fulfilling.”
8. Biographies have shaped his life.
“Besides the Bible, the books that have most influenced me are The Sermon on the Mount by Martyn Lloyd-Jones and biographies on the lives of Hudson Taylor and Robert Chapman.”