About the Wilson Center
Dr. J. Christy Wilson, Jr.
During his 17 years of full-time service at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Dr. J Christy Wilson, Jr. was professor of Missions and Evangelism, Dean of the Chapel, and senior program associate for the Adoniram Judson Gordon Center for World Missions through the Ockenga Institute, the seminary's distance learning and continuing education ministry.
Born and raised in Tabriz, Iran, Dr. Wilson served for 22 years as a teacher and missionary in Afghanistan, where he became acting principal of a government high school, taught private English lessons to the Crown Prince, and conducted an English course for Afghan diplomats in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also served for 11 years as pastor of the Community Christian Church in Kabul, was full-time chaplain to the international community in Afghanistan, and with his wife, Betty, founded the School for the Blind in Kabul.
Also serving for four years on the staff of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Dr. Wilson was instrumental in developing the first major IVCF Missions Conference, the forerunner of the triennial Urbana Convention, now the largest student mission conference in the world.
Dr. Wilson received a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Seminary and a Doctor of Philosophy in Oriental Studies at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He also studied at Cambridge University in England and pursued post-doctoral studies in linguistics at Columbia Teachers College and Biblical Seminary in New York City.
The J Christy Wilson Center
The J Christy Wilson Jr. Center for World Missions exists to assist the local church in fulfilling its global mission by fostering a global vision among the Gordon-Conwell community, equipping leaders in the global Church and serving as a bridge between the seminary and the world. The Center was established on October 5, 2000 in honor of the late Dr. J Christy Wilson, Jr., known throughout the world for his passion for missions and his desire to see new churches planted in each of the remaining unreached people groups of the world.
J Christy Wilson Center Faculty and Staff
Doug Birdsall, Ph.D. (cand.)
Director, J Christy Wilson Jr. Center for World Missions
B.A. (Wheaton College); M.Div. (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; Th.M. (Harvard University); Ph.D. cand.(Oxford Centre for Mission Studies)
Kristin Gelinas, M.A.
Global Programs Administrator
B.A. (Gordon College); M.A. (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary)
