The Urban Ministry Institute of Los Angeles

Rev. Dr. Don Davis, an ordained minister and native of Wichita, Kansas, is the Founder and Director of World Impact's Urban Ministry Institute.  He attended Wheaton College and Wheaton Graduate School, and graduated summa cum laude in both his B.A. (1988) and M.A. (1989) degrees, in Biblical Studies and Systematic Theology respectively. He earned his Ph.D. in Religion from the University of Iowa School of Religion (2000). Having served churches as both an associate and senior pastor, Don has served as Director of World Impact Wichita, as well as its Vice President of Education, and has been on staff with World Impact since 1975.

In addition to his current duties as the Institute's Director and as professor in its Hope School of Ministry, Dr. Davis also serves as World Impact's national Vice President of Leadership Development, and oversees the training of urban missionaries, church planters, and city pastors, and facilitates training opportunities for urban Christian workers in evangelism, church growth, and pioneer missions. He also leads the Institute's extensive distance learning programs and has served as professor and faculty at a number of fine academic institutions, having taught courses in religion, theology, philosophy, and biblical studies at Wheaton College, St. Ambrose University, the Houston Graduate School of Theology, and the University of Iowa School of Religion.

Rev. Fernando Argumedo graduated from the Central America Theological Seminary (Seminario Teologico Centro Americano in Spanish) in Guatemala with a BA and a MA in Theology. He served as a Christian Education pastor in Guatemala for several years and as a seminary professor as well, until God called him to minister in the United States among the Hispanic population. He is married to Telma and together they have been serving the Lord for several years, using their skills and gifts to advance God's Kingdom. Fernando joined World Impact in 2000 and started his missionary career as a church planter in the city of Los Angeles. Fernando currently serves as Site Director for The Urban Ministry Institute - Los Angeles (TUMI-LA) and as a mentor among his Latino brothers and sisters since 2005. Currently he has finished his Doctoral in Ministry program classes from Dallas Theological Seminary and is planning to graduate in 2010.

Rev. Hector Cedillo is originally from the state of Mexico (near Mexico City) and graduated from CHET (Hispanic Center for Theological Studies).  He currently pastors two congregations: Set Free Church on Skid Row and The Church by the Lake, both in downtown Los Angeles.  Hector also serves as a mentor at TUMI-LA and as the Satellite Coordinator for a TUMI satellite he helped launch in Queretaro, Mexico.  TUMI-LA means a lot to Hector because God used it to answer his prayer for a way to further his calling.  He sees in TUMI the final step in his ministry to evangelize and take converts to church where they are discipled.  He then brings his leaders to TUMI where they are equipped as pastors, evangelists, teachers, and leaders for the urban harvest.  Hector is happily married to Luz Maria and has four adult children.

Mr. Michael Barlow served with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship throughout college at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he graduated with a BA in Film Studies. He spent the 1990's traveling throughout Turkey and Iraq sharing the gospel and teaching Muslims the truth about the Messiah. Together with a Spanish couple, He and his wife Rowena planted a church in the inner city in Istanbul that still thrives today. After returning from the field, Mike completed his MDiv at Talbot Theological Seminary. Mike serves in small groups, men's and children's ministries in the San Fernando Valley. He loves baseball, playing the guitar and spending time with his family. When his children are grown he hopes to return to missions work among urban Muslims.

Mr. Bryan Cullison was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana.  He graduated in 1994 from Greenville College, and moved to Los Angeles in January of 1996 to serve with World Impact.  He has been involved in children's Bible Clubs, Teen Bible Clubs, teaching at the Los Angeles Christian elementary and middle schools, and church planting.  He is currently serving on the Fire & Maneuver church planting team in Los Angeles (an apostolic and Pauline church planting model) and also serves as a mentor to our inner city leaders through TUMI.  His passion is to see the Kingdom of God expand through church plant movements amongst the urban poor of the world.  He loves Macintosh computers, basketball, movies, and cooking.

Rev. Bob Engel graduated from Taylor University, began inner city ministry with World Impact in 1982.  Presently he ministers as Coordinator of Ministry for the Los Angeles ministry of World Impact.  His ministry passion is to advance and expand God's Kingdom through laboring towards a church plant movement among the poor.  Bob also serves as Northwest Regional Vice President giving oversight to our Fresno, San Francisco and Oakland ministries.  Bob is married to Susan and they have four children - Rachel, Tristan, Chase and Mihaly.  A theme verse for Bob is Hebrews 10:39b, "...not of those who shrink back..."

Dr. Todd Grant and his wife Jennifer have been married for almost 15 years, and both grew up as the children of pastors. Todd and Jennifer have four children and currently live in Watts across the street from the Imperial Courts housing projects. They have pastored churches in Ohio, Arizona, and Southern California as well as led a church plant team in Tucson, Arizona.  They are presently leading a church plant team in Watts, California. Todd received his M.Div, and D. Min from Asbury Seminary and has been teaching courses with The Urban Ministry Institute of Los Angeles since Spring of 2006.

Dr. Joe Hellerman has taught at Talbot School of Theology for more than a decade and ministered in the church most of his adult life. Joe's seminary training (at Talbot) focused on Old Testament studies, while his doctoral research at UCLA dealt with the social history of the early Christians. Joe has authored three academic monographs: The Ancient Church as Family (Fortress Press, 2001), Reconstructing Honor in Roman Philippi (Cambridge University Press, 2005), and Jesus and the People of God: Reconfiguring Ethnic Identity (Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2007). In addition to his full-time duties with our New Testament Department, Joe presently serves as Co-Pastor at Oceanside Christian Fellowship in El Segundo. Joe is constantly encouraged and delighted by the love he receives from his wife Joann and his two adult daughters, Rebekah and Rachel. Away from Talbot, you might find Joe playing jazz-rock piano or fishing on a sportboat in the Pacific Ocean.

Rev. Hank Voss has worked with The Urban Ministry Institute of Los Angeles since 2001, and has served in a variety of roles including Advisory Board Member, Professor, and currently as Dean.  He is a graduate of Taylor University (Biblical Studies, Christian Education) and Talbot School of Theology (M.A. New Testament; MA in Christian Education).  Hank's ministry experience includes: youth pastor, church planter (three church plant teams, two cross culturally); headmaster of a Christian school; and Director of Training and Member care for World Impact Los Angeles.  He was married to fellow World Impact missionary Johanna Voss in 2001 and they have four children.

* Hank is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at Wheaton College and will be back with us in the 2012 school year.

Mr. David Gutierrez graduated from Dordt College, in Sioux Center, IA, with a BA in Theology and minors in both teaching Bible and missions/ evangelism.  It was during his college years where he sensed God's calling to love those who were hurting and felt compelled to serve in the inner-city. He was married to his wife, Laura, in December of 2001, and in August of 2003, they moved to Los Angeles and began working with World Impact where he helped plant a church in South Hollywood.  Dave is currently the Project Manager with The Urban Ministry Institute of Los Angeles and is in the process of planting a new church called Christ the Victor.

Mr. Terry Hwang is a missionary with World Impact currently serving as a church-planter and Director of Staff Training. He earned a B.A. in English from Stanford University and was trained for ministry as a part of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.  For four years, he taught middle school students at Los Angeles Christian School where he mentored inner-city youth.  He has also been involved in church planting in MacArthur Park and is currently exploring new areas to start new church plants.  In his opinion, TUMI-LA will be very important in training church leaders as the church-planting movement takes off in Los Angeles. He was born in Texas, but has also lived in England, Scotland, Taiwan, China, and Vietnam.