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Can people from various backgrounds work together constructively rather than negatively ...
learning to serve rather than argue? Dr. Joel C. Hunter, senior pastor of Northland, A Church
Distributed, says that it’s not only possible, it’s necessary.
Started by 11 people in 1972 in the “north land” of Orlando, Northland was recently named one
of “America’s 50 Most Influential Churches” by Church Growth Today. Since June 1985, Dr. Hunter has
served as senior pastor. During his tenure, the church has grown from 200 faithful souls to a
congregation of 12,000.
Northland is “A Church Distributed,” arranging the church around the relationships of the
congregation and partner ministries, rather than around a physical church building.
Congregants worship at
multiple sites throughout
Central Florida, where they connect with neighboring Christians for support and encouragement and
to better serve their communities. Each weekend, these sites are joined in concurrent worship. A
two-way video connection allows different parts of the services to be distributed among the sites
and gives congregants opportunities to interact with one another in real time.
Worshipers also participate at 1,500 smaller sites worldwide via Northland’s innovative
Webstream application.
People in Northland’s congregation take leadership of nearly every ministry effort inside the
church, out in the community and around the world. Elders, pastors and paid staff don’t try to
control the initiatives of congregants or the connections they make, and, they don’t watch over
their shoulders unnecessarily. Dr. Hunter encourages Northlanders: “Do what you can, where you are,
with what you’ve got.” And they do!
Before bringing his family to Northland, Dr. Hunter served as a United Methodist pastor for
15 years in Indiana. He and his wife, Becky, have been partners in the ministry since their
marriage in 1972. Becky is the president of the
Global Pastors' Wives Network and the author of
Being Good to Your Husband On Purpose. The Hunters are
parents to three married sons: Josh, director of operations for
Summit Church, one of the largest
churches in Orlando; Isaac, senior pastor of Summit Church, who leads this unique congregation of
mostly 20-somethings; and Joel, an ophthalmology resident who is in his final years of preparation
to be an eye surgeon and is already working toward opening clinics throughout Central Florida.
A longtime bridge builder who seeks common ground for the common good, Dr. Hunter approaches
today’s issues in a biblical and balanced manner. He has become an internationally known
spokesperson for “Compassion Issues” outlined in Scripture: Sanctity of Life,
Creation Care, Justice, Poverty, and
Marriage and the Family, and has been featured in national publications including
Newsweek and
The New York Times, as well as programs such as
The Early Show,
Nightline and
Anderson Cooper 360 (interviews available online).
Cooperation and partnership are hallmarks of Dr. Hunter's ministry. Together, he believes, we
can accomplish more
because of our differences than we would on our own—w
ithout giving up our unique identities. A respected leader in the Evangelical community, he serves
on the board of the
World Evangelical Alliance (420 million
constituents) and the
National Association of Evangelicals (30 million members).
Dr. Hunter is also partnering with other groups to accomplish common goals. He is working
with respected members of the scientific community to call attention to human-caused threats to the
environment. Additionally, as a delegate to the US-Islamic World Forum held in Doha, he is seeking
to build a dialog between Muslim and Christian communities. Grist magazine named him among the top
15 religious environmental leaders in the world, along with the Pope and the Dali Lama.
The church, at large, is missing a way to benefit from differences without compromising our
beliefs, Dr. Hunter concludes. “Fear and suspicion of differences limit the church’s spiritual
maturity. Both spiritual and intellectual maturity, grow from differences. A distributed church
uses contrasts to accomplish Kingdom purposes.”
Boards of directors:
Organizing Director:
International Forums:
Advisory boards:
Guest lecturer in practical theology:
Author:
Education:
- Bachelor of Science in History, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 1970
- Master of Divinity, Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1973
- Doctor of Ministry, Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1974
- Doctor of Humanities (Honorary), Belhaven College, Orlando, Florida 2006
Blog site:
General inquiries:
Sarah Mattingly,
sarah.mattingly@northlandchurch.net
Media inquiries:
Robert Andrescik,
robert.andrescik@northlandchurch.net
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