Venture Program

Venture Program

Preparing students for a lifetime of Christian servant leadership.

OFFERING… 

  • A second-year curriculum that exposes students to the ministry of the Word
  • Small group and discipleship settings that challenge students to treasure Christ supremely
  • Practical application of spiritual disciplines for personal spiritual growth
  • Servant leadership opportunities with our first-year students (student life events, campus work duties, RA responsibilities)

4 KEY GOALS…

  • Gain a greater understanding of the importance of God’s Word 
  • Learn to treasure Christ supremely
  • Grow spiritually in the means of grace (Christian disciplines)
  • Understand and practice servant leadership

Instructors

Jay Amadio

Development Director at MWSB

Gresham, OR

Read Bio

Jay Amadio serves as the Development Director for Montana Wilderness School of the Bible and has been a regular chapel speaker since 2017.

Jay has spent much of his career serving in both vocational ministry and the fire service and currently works as a captain with Portland Fire & Rescue. He attended Capernwray Bible School and Multnomah Bible College. Although he serves at MWSB, Jay lives off-site in Gresham, Oregon, with his wife, Christy. He has five children, including one who attended MWSB in 2023. They are members of Cornerstone Church, where Jay serves as an elder.

In his free time, Jay enjoys coaching sports and just about every kind of hunting—especially archery hunting for elk.

Dr. Jared Compton

Guy Bergstrom

Former Associate Youth Director at Buffalo Covenant Church

Buffalo, MN

Read Bio

Guy Bergstrom is a 1986 Alumnus of Montana Wilderness School of the Bible. Following his year at school he began volunteering in youth ministry at his home church, Buffalo Covenant Church, and did so for the next 20 years before he was asked to come on staff, where he served as the Associate Youth Director for 16 more years. He also helped start & was the Vice-President of Walk On Water ministry which used water sports to connect with students & teach them about Jesus, Waterskiing & Wakeboarding. Guy has always been single, (as he says, kind of like Jesus & Paul), and though that was not his plan originally, he took 1 Corinthians 7 to heart and invested his time serving the Lord through youth ministry & discipling. He spent most evenings either stepping into students’ lives & connecting with them at ball games, choir concerts & activities, or inviting them into his to spend time at his house on the lake, skiing, grilling, working out & teaching them to love the Lord and His Word.

Though he retired from church ministry, Guy is now self-employed and is still is involved in lay ministry, discipling, speaking at FCA, youth events, retreats and more.  Guy’s parents, siblings & their families still live around his hometown & all attend the same church. He enjoys spending time with Jesus, family & friends, waterskiing, lake days, snow skiing, hunting, fishing and many other sports & outdoor activities in God’s great creation.

Dr. Jared Compton

Joel Carlson

Pastor at Bayview Bible Church

Bayview, ID

Read Bio
Joel was born and raised in Montana. He completed two enlistments in the US Navy prior to entering pastoral ministry.  He currently serves as the lead pastor of Bayview Bible Church in scenic North Idaho. Previously, he planted and pastored a church in Bozeman, Montana.  Joel completed his bachelors degree in Biblical Studies at Montana Bible College and a master’s degree from Westminster Theological Seminary (MATS) in Philadelphia.
He has taught at several theological institutions, including MWSB, since 2016.
Joel is passionate about the gospel and its application for Christians and churches who are seeking to live according to Jesus’ kingship over all things.  He also loves writing, reading, hunting, and helping his children grow into good men and women.

Joel has been married to Jessica since 2008, and together they have five children.

Dr. Jim Dernell

Instructional Designer at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Louisville, KY

Read Bio

Jim grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO). He has taught at Boyce College, served in pastoral ministry in Monument, Colorado, and now helps design courses with Online Learning at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS). He earned his M.Div and Ph.D. in Biblical Theology from SBTS and has written for The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, Christ Over All, and other sources for pastoral training. Jim is passionate about biblical theology, hermeneutics, theology, and the history of ideas. He also loves being above timberline when he can get there.
Jim has been married to Pam—an ER nurse and homeschooling mother—since 2014, and together they have five children: Justice, Emmett, Breck, Khara, and Simka.

Lowell Engle

Lowell Engle

Program Director at MWSB

Augusta, MT

Read Bio

Lowell Engle is a 2012 alumnus of Montana Wilderness School of the Bible and was part of the 2013 Venture Program. Lowell teaches five different classes for the Venture students and one class for MWSB’s first-year students. He also disciples eight students at the college every year. He lives on campus with his amazing wife Jill and their three children. They are members at Augusta Community Church where Lowell also serves as an elder. Lowell received his Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College. Lowell enjoys both upland and waterfowl hunting, as well as chasing elk in the mountains.

Dr. Sandy Good

Dr. Matthew Harmon

Professor of New Testament Studies at Grace Seminary

Winona Lake, IN

Read Bio

Matt grew up in Ohio and earned a B.S. in Communication from Ohio University. Upon
graduation he joined staff with Cru and served another five years at O.U., doing evangelism an discipleship. He earned his M.Div from Trinity Evangelical Divinity
School and his Ph.D in Biblical Theology (New Testament) from Wheaton College. He currently serves as Professor of New Testament Studies at Grace College and Grace
Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, IN. Matt is the author of numerous books, including commentaries on Galatians, Philippians, 2 Peter, and Jude. He specializes in
biblical theology and the study of how the biblical authors use Scripture. Matt also co-hosts the Various and Sundry Podcast and serves as Fellow for the Carson Center for Theological Renewal. Find out more at https://docharmon.org/
Matt has been married to Kate since 1996, and together they have two adult sons (Jon and Jake) and a daughter-in-law (Autumn). As a family they love sports, especially Ohio State football. Together Matt and Jake broadcast men’s basketball games for Grace College.

Paul Hill

Paul Hill

Executive Director at MWSB

Augusta, MT

Read Bio

Paul has been the director of the Montana Wilderness School of the Bible since June 2016. Previously he was the Executive Pastor for GracePoint Church, Bremerton, WA starting in September 2004. Previous to that, Paul was the Director of the Island Lake Camp, Poulsbo, WA, from 1990 to 2004. Paul has a Masters in nonprofit Management from Regis University. He also became an Ordained Minister by the Silverdale Baptist Church on March 5, 2011 and a Licensed Minister on January 9, 2000.

Dr. Casey Hough

Assistant Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Luther Rice College & Seminary

Lithonia, GA

Charles Kirkland, III

Learn to Survive

Shreveport, LA

Read Bio

After college Charles became immersed in the world of state and national politics for a number of years. Experiencing a paradigm shift, he left the business of political life and in 1997 went to SOLO and earned his WEMT certification. He continued on with his training and within a year he became a paramedic in Texas.

After working on the streets of Dallas for a bit, he changed courses and went to work at Rainier National Park as a Park medic and eventually Glacier National Park. This kept him busy during our summer months as he migrated to Antarctica during our winter, their summer, where he worked for the US Antarctic Program as a deep field medic, supporting the scientists in the field.

Charles has been providing and teaching wilderness and remote prehospital care for more than 20.

Dr. Chris Hopf

Mike McGarry

Billy Marsh

Dr. Oren Martin

Greg Mathews

Operations Director at MWSB

Augusta, MT

Read Bio

Greg has been the Operations Director of the Montana Wilderness School of the Bible since June 2022. Previously he was the Next Generations Pastor and Student Pastor at First Baptist Church, Plant City, FL. Previous to that, Greg was the Middle School Pastor at Western Avenue Baptist Church in Statesville, NC from 2008-2020 and the Youth Pastor at Southside Bapitst Church of Jacksonville, FL and Indian Hills Baptist Church of Grand Prairie, TX. Greg earned a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, TX in 2005 and is an ordained minister.

Dr. Randall McKinion

Professor at Cedarville University

Cedarville, OH

Read Bio

Dr. McKinion (Randy) was saved, began to follow Christ, and was baptized when he was 9 years old. He attended the University of South Alabama, where he majored in mechanical engineering and played baseball. He was active in Baptist Campus Ministries during his time at USA and was involved in college ministry at Cottage Hill Baptist Church. During those years, God moved his heart toward preparation for ministry. Upon graduation, he married April and moved to the Los Angeles area to attend The Master’s Seminary, where he graduated in 2001. It was while studying at Master’s that he began to desire further study in the Old Testament. He began studying at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest, NC) in 2001 and received his PhD in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in Old Testament in 2006. While at SEBTS, he began teaching at Shepherds Seminary (Cary, NC), where he taught and worked in various administrative positions from 2003 until 2014. While at Shepherds, he participated as an elder in the planting of Redeemer Community Church in Fuquay-Varina, NC. In 2014, God moved Randy and April, along with their three kids, Caleb, Caden, and Zoe Grace, to Cedarville University, where he is currently Professor of Old Testament.

Dr. Chris H. Smith, Jr.

Director of Student Development and Adjunct Instructor at Boyce College

Louisville, KY

Read Bio
Chris is from South Carolina where he attended Clemson University, majoring in wildlife biology. After a short time as a biologist and game warden in Colorado, he pursued a call to ministry. Chris has done mission work in Central Asia, has church planted in the Chicagoland area, and has served in various roles in local churches. He has worked at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Boyce College in different capacities since 2010. He has an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Wheaton College. He’s married to Holly, and they have three young boys: Frederick, Simon, and Nicholas.
Nate Newell

Doug Smith

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab

Mountain Green, UT

Read Bio
Doug is a retired Air Force officer with decades of professional experience teaching, leading, and mentoring. He served in military operations while on active duty, and now works for the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab on a variety of programs helping the government do things better. His education includes an undergraduate degree in liberal arts, and three master’s degrees: 1) Aeronautical Sciences, 2) Military Operational Art and Science, and 3) Systems Engineering. 
Doug is married with four kids and two grandkids, has been teaching at MWSB since 2004, and has been involved in some fashion with MWSB since the 1990s.  He is an avid fitness enthusiast and loves the outdoors, cooking, his family, and a great taco!
Jordan Thomas

Jordan Thomas

Lead Pastor at Grace Church Memphis

Memphis, TN

Read Bio
God opened Jordan’s heart to believe the gospel during his freshman year of college. He has been preaching the gospel since 1997, is husband to Tracy, and has six children—four daughters and two sons.  While serving with the other elders to provide soul-care to the flock, Jordan is a pastor-teacher at Grace Church Memphis overseeing vision and spiritual leadershipHe has a M.Div, from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, TN (g. May, 2003).

Interested?

The Venture Program is only open to a limited number of first year students at Montana Wilderness School of the Bible.  Start your MWSB adventure below!