Ken Wytsma is a lover of history and culture, remembers seeing the Allman Brothers Band live in 1995, and can’t understand why more people haven’t seen the movie The Shawshank Redemption. Though he grew up as a strong extrovert, these days you’re more likely to find Ken with headphones on in an airplane and in search of a few moments of quiet solitude.
Ken came to faith at age twenty-two at Clemson University and has been on a quest to understand the heart of Christian spirituality ever since. His belief that faith is a lived reality is behind his love for the local church, the value he places in Christian community, and passion for wrestling with the deep questions of life in pursuit of a biblical, authentic, and lived-out Christianity.
A gifted communicator, Ken is known and loved for his transparent and easy style and ability to help others understand their world and faith in new and relevant ways. With degrees in engineering, philosophy, and theology, Ken naturally connects with a broad audience.
Ken is a blogger and writer with articles appearing in RELEVANT Magazine, Church Leaders Top 100, The Huffington Post, Worship Leader Magazine, and more. His first book, Pursuing Justice: The Call to Live and Die for Bigger Things, was published in 2012 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Ken is the lead pastor of Antioch in Bend, Oregon, which he helped start in 2006. He is also the president of Kilns College, a graduate-only school where he teaches courses on philosophy and justice.
In 2010, along with the creative communities of World Relief and Kilns College, Ken founded The Justice Conference—an annual international gathering that has introduced tens of thousands of men and women to conversations and organizations related to biblical justice.
At the core, Ken is driven by his hope and faith in Christ and believes God is still looking for a few people idealistic enough to think we can change the world—because, as he says, “If God didn’t want us to change the world, he wouldn’t have asked us to try.”
Ken lives in Bend, Oregon with his wife, Tamara, and their four daughters (along with two dogs and four hamsters—all female).