Luke T. Greer

Doctor of Ministry

Duke University Divinity School · 2025

• Thesis: applying church planting strategies to established churches to help them become more evangelistically effective
• Christian Tradition Scholar

Master of Arts, Intercultural Studies

Wheaton College · 2008

• Honors: John A. Gration Gospel and Culture Award
• Billy Graham Center Scholar

Bachelor of Arts, Bible and Missions

Dallas Christian College · 2001

• Honors: American Bible Society Biblical Studies Award
• Mary Bivins Scholar

Director, Bay Area School of Ministry

Oakland, CA · 2026–present

Primary leadership includes directing the school and teaching, with particular focus on BASOM’s growth into new Bay Area regions and on partnerships with new churches.

Coach, Stratum

San Francisco Bay Area · 2025–present

Coaching for church planters and prospective planters in the Stratum incubator program.

Head of Partner Development, Orchard Group

Chicago, IL and Oakland, CA · 2016–2026

Primary leadership included building funding and leadership partnerships with churches for new church plants in global cities and the direction of communications strategy and media. Additional responsibilities included coaching and consulting with multicultural church start-up teams domestically and abroad, and facilitating project management teams during the first years of church project formation.

• Consistent year-over-year growth in partnerships, measured by new and repeat partner churches, and by funds raised for new church plants in global cities.
• Instrumental in key campaigns like Global Cities Initiative and Seventy-Fifth Celebration.
• Successful implementation of new giving systems and communications strategies.
• Effective communications campaigns for Rise Fund (African-American church planting leaders) and for acquisition of Restoration House Ministries.
• Fruitful management team oversight and handoff of multiple church plants.

Board Chairperson, Intro Church

Bucharest, Romania · 2024–2026

Primary leadership included facilitating a high-level team focused on “ends” not “means” (adapted from the Carver model) to see to it that the church plant accomplishes what it intends and avoids what is unacceptable. By design, this management team is replaced by internal elder leaders over time.

• A fruitful launch and steady growth in attendance and reach in the local community.
• New ministry center location in the heart of Bucharest serves church and church outreach activity.

Church Planter Coaching, Chicago Partnership / City To City

Chicago, IL · 2019–2024

Monthly coaching for church planters or prospective planters in the Chicago Partnership incubator program.

• Sounding board and guidance for one to three mentees annually.
• Practical assessment and placement recommendations for Chicago Partnership / City To City.

Board Chairperson, Şehir Kilisesi (City Church)

Istanbul, Turkey · 2018–2025

See the Board Chairperson description above.

• According to research firm SILAS, this is the first Turkish church in Istanbul in nearly a century to routinely have 75+ in attendance in Sunday services.

Board Chairperson, City Church

Lagos, Nigeria · 2017–2022

See the Board Chairperson description above.

• Fruitful facilitation of multinational board.
• Church plant has become successfully self-governing, with indigenous leaders.
• Church plant exceeded expectations for self-replication strategy.
• Church plant 80% complete on path to financial self-sustainability.

Board Chairperson, Pro Deo Church

Cape Town, South Africa · 2016–2021

See the Board Chairperson description above.

• Fruitful facilitation of multinational board.
• Church plant has successfully become self-governing (with indigenous leaders), self-sustaining, and self-replicating.

Board Chairperson, Renewal Church of Chicago

Chicago, IL · 2016–2021

See the Board Chairperson description above.

• Church plant has become self-governing, self-sustaining, and self-replicating.
• Leader minister has flourished beyond the church plant into broader city impact.
• Church plant is a founding member of Chicago Delivers.

Urban Team Co-Director, Dallas Christian College

Dallas, TX · 1998–1999

Oversight of a college student-led program for children of low-income families on Dallas’ south side: including organizing a volunteer staff, and designing and implementing holistic urban outreaches like summer day camps for around eighty elementary school kids.

• Successful summer camp served eighty elementary school kids from the Fair Park neighborhood.
• Management of college volunteers and volunteers from area churches.
• Special high school camp provided students with their first-ever trip outside their city and state.

Faculty, Bay Area School of Ministry

Oakland, CA · 2026–present

Teaching in the school’s core curriculum. Courses: Biblical Interpretation and Pastoral Toolbox.

Program Director, Orchard Institute

New York City, San Francisco, Chicago · 2014–2016

Primary leadership included developing, directing, and co-teaching an on-site intensive program for credit with a consortium of regional Bible colleges, designed to introduce undergraduates to urban church planting. Courses: Exegeting the City, Dynamics of the City, and Church Planting in the City.

• Successfully established and executed for-credit urban church planting courses with three Bible colleges.
• Annual course offerings: two New York City course intensives, one Chicago course intensive, and one San Francisco course intensive each academic year.
• More than 100 institute alumni from 2014–2016; many have gone on to serve in ministry positions in cities or that benefit urban church planting.

Missionary in Residence, Ozark Christian College

Joplin, MO · 2013

Semester-long program that brings in an international missionary to teach and mentor students. Taught the required 100-level course Christian Life and the elective 300-level course Cross-Cultural Church Planting.

• Positive ranking from post-course student surveys.
• Many students from Christian Life and Cross-Cultural Church Planting have gone on to fruitful church and missions ministry vocations.

Discipleship Pastor, New City Church

Oakland, CA · 2024–2026

Primary leadership included serving directionally with the lead pastor, preaching around twelve times annually, teaching “Learning Cohorts,” leading “City Group” discipleship and community groups, and a host of other responsibilities on an “as they arise” basis.

• Strong encouragement to the team and especially the lead pastor in a young church, planted in 2021.
• Successful move to a new location in Oakland, which helped result in 30% year-over-year attendance growth.

Teaching Pastor and Elder, Renewal Church of Chicago

Chicago, IL · 2014–2022

Primary leadership included high-level leadership on the elder board, preaching Sunday services around ten times annually, pastoral counseling, writing discipleship group materials, facilitating discipleship groups, teaching curriculum-based adult classes, and a host of other responsibilities on an “as they arise” basis.

• Fruitful “alongside” service with a young lead pastor, working to uplift and establish him in his new role.
• Successfully navigated nascent church staff and volunteer challenges.
• Established the first discipleship group method and teaching series.

Church Planter and Missionary, New Mission Systems International

Pachuca, Mexico (Greater Mexico City) · 2008–2013

Leadership in the Iglesia Cristiana El Jubileo church plant included primary Sunday preaching and teaching (twenty to twenty-five times a year), fundraising, hiring and training staff, community group formation in an under-resourced neighborhood, and Mexico religious association board membership.

• Successfully served with a multinational team to establish a new, vibrant church.
• Church has gone on to help plant two other churches.
• Fruit from the sermon series’ design and direction became known, sought after, and then replicated by other area churches.
• Successfully trained dozens of lay leaders for small group discipleship.

Missionary and Minister of Student Ministry, Iglesia Cristiana de Coyoacán

Mexico City, Mexico · 2002–2007

Primary leadership included preaching and teaching, small group facilitation and organization, leadership training, board membership for the El Congreso Juvenil Mexico national youth conference, weekly service in a church plant, and developing the La Vida Profunda discipleship curriculum.

• Personal: learned the culture and language in one of the world’s largest cities.
• Curricula that our team developed continue to be used in the Mexico City Valley, and have been used in other Latin American contexts as well.
• Youth events sparked dozens of confessions of faith and baptisms; several students went on to pursue full-time Christian service in churches and other ministries.