In 1970, Byron wrote down the assignment from God that has guided his ministry efforts ever since then: to disciple and mentor people out of music and the arts, working them into the fabric of Church, Missions & Marketplace ministry around the world.
Rev. Byron Spradlin is the president of Artists In Christian Testimony, Intll, an evangelical, interdenominational mission & ministry that mobilizes, sends out, equips & supports artistic ministers and missionaries who carry out the various works of the New Testament Church.
God moved Byron into artistic things at age 8 through piano lessons. But not long after the French horn, banjo, guitar, comedy, singing and conducting came into the picture. In addition, God’s began giving him a heart for the world through a high school Exchange Student stint in Japan with the American Field Service.
But when Byron was 19, God drew him to clearly surrender his life to HIS service while on a Continental Singers summer of service in war-torn Asia in 1968. That turning point has moved Byron into almost four decades of innovative servant-ministry initiatives, especially through artistic and creative ministry experimentation. Throughout these years—whether as a youth minister, worship pastor, church planter, senior pastor, recording artist, international Bible teacher and evangelist, missions-ministry leader, or worship & arts-ministry specialist—God has pressed Byron towards innovations that are helping move the Church into culturally relevant ministry experimentation.
These creative ministry initiates all flow out of Byron’s God-given assignment to help the Church mentor and disciple artistic & entrepreneurial Kingdom servants to more directly and effectively work into the fabric of church and missions ministry throughout the world.
Byron’s heart beats to urge people into a passionate companionship with their Creator God through a deepening daily walk with HIM through Jesus. And his public presentations combine his infectious love of Christ with his creative communication skills and his years of Bible study and pastoral ministry.
He received his undergraduate degree in International Relations [with additional emphasis in music composition] at the University of California at Davis. He received two Masters Degrees [a Master of Church Music and a Master of Divinity] from Western Baptist Seminary in Portland, OR; and is soon to complete a Master of Theology degree at Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of World Mission in Pasadena California.
In 1973 Spradlin founded what we now know as Artists in Christian Testimony Intl—an interdenominational mission which now has missionaries and ministries in over 15 other nations and over 25 States in the USA. Each of these staff and projects is committed to carrying out the ministry mandates of the New Testament Church through culturally appropriate creative people, strategies and methods.
As a pastor, musician, teacher, and encourager, Byron blends worship and scriptural teaching in a way that God seems to use to move people towards more practical encounter with Jesus, His Word, His help and His health.
Since his early days as a four-time All American in Track and Field at UC Davis, as a student leader with Campus Crusade at UC Davis, as a Music Director all over North and South America with the Continental Singers, as a recording artists for Ralph Carmichael’s Light Records, and as an itinerant music evangelist, songwriter and bible teacher; through his years as a worship pastor, church planter, senior pastor and church growth specialist; to these days of leading one of the most innovative 21st century mission & ministry agencies –God has used Byron to inspire people towards joy, encouragement and growth through their deepened embrace of Christ and His Word.
Byron Spradlin’s biblical, theological & missiological Specialties and Experience include:
1 Music, Worship and the Arts in ministry
2 Integration of worship in church growth, church planting, & regional ministry
strategy
3 Music, Worship and the Arts in missions, cross-cultural communication, &
contextualization
4 Theology of Worship
5 Contextual Communication & the Arts in Ministry
6 Worship, Music and the Arts in a post-modern world
7 Non-Profit Ministry Organization Development.
Byron Spradlin’s ministry roles have included:
1 Church planter & founding Senior
Pastor of New Hope Community
Church, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
[grew to 500 in five years] )
July, 1986-April 1994
2 Minister of Worship, Community
Baptist Church , Alta Loma, CA
[grew from 200 to 1500 in five years],
Jan. 1981-June, 1996
3 Adjunct Faculty, Western Baptist Seminary,
Portland, OR, as co-founder of the Master of Church Music degree; Sept.,
1978-Spring, 1980
4 Director of music ministry teams for the international Continental Singers
ministry. Ministered to 20 mission fields; Summers 1970 & 1971
5 Recording Artist on Ralph Carmichael’s Light Label, (Edge of Drifting released
January, 1971 & distributed on Word Record Club for three years)–one of the
first solo artists on Light Records (1971) when what we now know as
contemporary Christian music was just beginning;
6 Itinerant Evangelism & Missions work in over forty countries; 1970 to present
7 Bible Teaching & Christian Leadership Training internationally 1970 to present
8 Youth Pastor and Youth Music, First Baptist Church, Richmond, CA 1971-
1973
Some might be interested to know that once, a long, long time ago, Byron was an Athlete.
During University days at the University of California, Davis, he was…
-a four-time All American—NCAA Division II—in Track and Cross-country at University of California at Davis; and,
-the 1970 US National Champion in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase event [NCAA Division II].
He is still in the University of California Athletic Hall of Fame, and in the Sacramento, CA Athletic Hall of Fame;
… even though now, he is very clearly a “has-been.”
Byron’s prayer for each of you:
Eph 3:14-21
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. NIV