Dr. Jay Simala

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Jay’s passion is equipping men and women to make disciples of Jesus Christ—in their churches, families, and neighborhoods.

More specifically, he focuses on equipping current and aspiring pastors to pursue the vision of The Gathering Network: to start, strengthen, and multiply churches—building up the church in four categories: (1) in homes, (2) in cities, (3) in regions, and (4) throughout the world.

In addition to serving as a pastor, Jay works as a church consultant for The Illinois Baptist State Association.

Jay has worked with adult students in university settings for over twenty years:

  • designing, directing, and evaluating academic programs (including majors in Christian ministries, biblical studies, and organizational leadership),

  • teaching in the areas of Christian ministries, Bible, business, and organizational leadership (at the undergraduate level), and

  • teaching in the area of organizational leadership (at the master’s and doctoral levels).

He completed degrees in pastoral ministry (MDiv) and in counseling-psychology (MA) from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, in business (BBA and MBA) from the University of Wisconsin, and in higher education (PhD) from Loyola University Chicago.

Jay lives in Illinois with his wife, Lyndsey, and their four children.