Kenneth E. Ortiz (M.Div.) is a professor and director of recruiting at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, MN, he’s a pastor at Cities Church in St. Paul, MN, a published author, and an adjunct professor of ethics at Spurgeon College in Kansas City, MO. He’s also the chief content creator and podcast host for Theology for the Rest of Us.

Kenneth has earned two undergraduate degrees, an M.Div., and has completed additional coursework in various disciplines. He’s currently pursuing a Th.M. in Pedagogy and a Ph.D. in Historical Theology, both at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He’s studying the development of neo-evangelicalism in the twentieth century.

Kenneth has more than 15 years of ministry experience. He has also been a successful entrepreneur. In addition to publishing content for Theology for the Rest of Us he has also written for Desiring God and Just Disciple. Kenneth also has a TEDx Talk called “How to be a Great Mentor.” It has been watched more than 100,000 times worldwide.

On a personal note, Kenneth is a self-described Disney enthusiast, he loves board games, and he’s a big fan of Philadelphia and Villanova sports teams. He is married to Malaina. She earned a B.A. from Bethany Global University with double majors (Intercultural Ministry Studies and Bible & Theology). She has also earned an M.A. in Intercultural Leadership from the same school. Kenneth and Malaina live in Bloomington, MN, they have one daughter.

2022-Present       Bethlehem College and Seminary

• Assistant Professor of History and Theology
• Associate Director of College Recruiting

2019-Present      Cities Church

• Serve on council of elders and engage in various ministerial duties as needed.
• Preach Sunday morning sermons 8-12 times per year.
• Lead Community Group; help to coach/manage a cluster of Community Group leaders.
• Served as part of vocational ministry team 2019-2022; transitioned into current role as lay elder/pastor in April 2022.
• Oversaw hospitality team and assimilation processes.
• Managed church-wide communications and periodicals.

2016-2022      Bethany Global University

• Dean of Online Education, Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Professor of theology and contemporary issues.
• Taught residential and online courses, both undergraduate and graduate level courses, in researching, writing, theology, ethics, missiology, preaching, and public policy.
• Oversaw and managed strategic partnerships.
• Created digital content for content marketing strategies; wrote and edited dozens of articles as part of the school’s ‘content marketing’ strategies.
• Created and taught online ‘enrichment courses’ offered to non-matriculated students.
• Managed the process of developing new programs including a midwifery program, online undergraduate offerings, an accelerated BA-MA program, and a post-graduation on-campus apprenticeship program.

2013-2016      Mosaic Church

• Served as Student Ministry Coordinator and Young Adults Ministry Coordinator.
• Helped manage church-wide periodicals.

2005-2013      Teen Mania Ministries

• Served as Director of Operations for “Acquire the Fire” youth conferences.
• Oversaw logistics for thirty-three youth conferences across North America (average attendance 5,000+ per conference); negotiated contracts with vendors, venue management, labor unions, merchandisers, talent managers, private security firms, and local law enforcement.
• Managed annual budget of more than $3million.
• Managed team of five full-time staff and 60+ interns.
• Served as coach/trainer for mission trip leaders.
• Preached/taught at missions training seminars and coached short-term mission trip leaders.
• Helped to lead 45+ short-term mission trips.
• Managed transportation and supply chain logistics.

2003-2012      Real Estate Entrepreneurship

• Self-employed landlord and real estate investor; frequently “flipped” residential properties and real estate secured paper assets.
• Launched and managed a successful property management company.
• Launched and managed a commercial mortgage brokerage and private/hard money lending firm.

2006-2008      New Foundations Charter School

• Associate Director of Extracurricular Activities
• Substitute Teacher
• Coached middle school basketball and flag football
• Taught SAT Prep classes

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

• Ph.D., Historical Theology (in progress; anticipated 2024)
• Th.M., Pedagogy (in progress; anticipated 2023)
• Master of Divinity

Harvard Medical School, Harvard University

• Completion of coursework in genetics via HMX Fundamentals program

Spurgeon College

• Bachelor of Arts, Biblical Studies

Warren National University

• Bachelor of Science, concentration in Organizational Leadership and Psychology

Dale Carnegie Training Institute

• Certificate: Effective Communication & Human Relations

Berean School of the Bible

• Completion of two-years of coursework, completed all requirements for denominational ministerial credentials

BLAST Training Program

• Completion of apprenticeship program for authors led by best-selling author Shannon Ethridge

Best theological terms to describe Kenneth Ortiz:

• Protestant
• Evangelical
• Inerrantist
• Credo-Baptist
• Classic Theist
• Augustinian
• Calvinist
• Cautious Continuationist
• Congregationalist
• Partial-Preterist
• Optimistic A-millennial

Contemporary Statements affirmed by Kenneth Ortiz:

• Lausanne Covenant (1975)
• Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (1978)
• Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (1988)
• Baptist Faith and Message (2000)
• Nashville Statement (2017)

In addition to personal friends, parents, mentors, and pastors, there have been various personalities (historical and contemporary) that have been very influential on Kenneth’s theology, ideology, and missiology. Here’s a list of those influential personalities (listed in alphabetical order by first name):

• Albert Mohler
• Carl F. H. Henry
• Chuck Colson
• Charles Spurgeon
• J. I. Packer
• Jim & Elisabeth Elliot
• John Calvin
• John Piper
• Mark Dever
• Norman Geisler
• R. C. Sproul
• Thomas Schreiner
• William Carey