Email: [email protected]
First Year at Gordon-Conwell: 2026
Expertise: Pastoral Care, Ministry Leadership
Biography:
Dr. Ken Eichler brings over fifty years of pastoral ministry experience to his work at Gordon-Conwell, having served in senior, executive, and specialized roles across Arkansas, California, Texas, and Missouri, and planting three churches along the way. His research focus spans pastoral care and marriage and family counseling, with peer-reviewed publications on clergy burnout and job satisfaction in the Review of Religious Research and Pastoral Psychology.
Dr. Eichler is the founder and executive director of Shepherd Care International, launched in 2021 to train Care Shepherds within Christian denominations, mission agencies, and parachurch organizations worldwide. Before that, he served as Director of Ministry for Standing Stone Ministry, where he developed a Care Shepherd model that grew to serve over 5,000 ministry leaders and their spouses across the United States and more than thirty-four nations.
Dr. Eichler and his wife Leslie have also served together as directors of Marriage Growers International, helping thousands of couples experience the joy of unity and partnership in their relationships. He and Leslie have been married for forty-five years and continue to serve ministry leaders and their spouses together.
Degrees
- BA (Melodyland School of Theology, CA)
- MA (Fuller Theological Seminary, CA)
- DMin (Denver Seminary, CO)
Selected Publications
- Frederick, T., Thai, Y., Dunbar, S., Ardito, R., Eichler, K., Kidd, K., Carrera, J., & Almero, M. (2023). The Effects of Role Differentiation among Clergy: Impact on Pastoral Burnout and Job Satisfaction, Pastoral Psychology.
- Frederick, T., Thai, Y., Dunbar, S., Ardito, R., Eichler, K., Kidd, K., Carrera, J., & Almero, M. (2022). The Effects of Role Differentiation among Clergy: Impact on Pastoral Burnout and Job Satisfaction, Review of Religious Research – September 1, 2022 – Volume 64, Issue 3.
- Eichler, K. (Spring 2017) Exploring the Effect of Emphasizing Unity and Partnership in Marital Education on Couple Closeness and Marital Satisfaction, “(Unpublished doctoral thesis/research project)” Denver Seminary.