Leith Anderson (October 11, 1944) is an American evangelical Christian leader, author, and retired pastor. Anderson served as senior pastor of

Wooddale Church Wooddale Church is a Baptist multi-site evangelical Christian church located in Eden Prairie, Edina and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is affiliated with Converge and the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. History Woodd ...

Eden Prairie, Minnesota Eden Prairie is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. It had a population of 64,198 at the 2020 census, making it the 16th-largest city in Minnesota. The city is adjacent to the north bank of the Minnesota River, upstream fro ...

from 1977 to 2011. He is pastor emeritus of Wooddale Church and president emeritus of the

National Association of Evangelicals The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an American association of Evangelical Christian denominations, organizations, schools, churches, and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than ...

Early life and education

Leith Anderson is the son of Charles William Anderson and Margery Freeman Anderson.Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly . PROFILE . LEITH ANDERSON . November 24, 2006
PBS (2006-11-24). Retrieved on 2011-06-22. Anderson graduated from

West Essex High School West Essex High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in North Caldwell. The high school is part of the West Essex Regional School District, which is comprised of the constituent municipalities of Essex Fells, Fairfi ...

, North Caldwell, New Jersey;

Moody Bible Institute Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have identified it as ...

, Chicago, Illinois (diploma);

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,200 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in fiv ...

, Peoria, Illinois (B.A. in

Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

);

Denver Seminary Denver Seminary is a private, evangelical Christian seminary with its main campus in Littleton, Colorado. It includes a campus in Colorado, an extension campus in Washington, DC, and an online campus. It offers Masters programmes in Arts, D ...

, Denver, Colorado (Master of Divinity); and

Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an Evangelical seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller has a student body of approximately 2,300 students from 90 countries and ...

, Pasadena, California (

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is a doctorate in religious ministry. It often includes an original research component, and may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in ministry. It is categorized as an advanced doctoral de ...

).Pastor Leith Anderson – Faith Matters Christian Radio Sermons, Ministry Broadcast, Podcasts
Oneplace.com (2011-06-17). Retrieved on 2011-06-22.

Ministry

Anderson served as a pastor a Calvary Church in Longmont, Colorado and was an adjunct professor of pastoral theology and homiletics at

. In 1977, Anderson began his 35 years as senior pastor of

in suburban Minneapolis. The church was located in Richfield, Minnesota, until 1984 when it moved to a new building on a 33-acre campus in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Wooddale Church grew to become a congregation of thousands, one of the larger churches in the state and region. While pastoring, Anderson taught in seminaries and released daily radio and television programs. Anderson retired from Wooddale Church in 2011 and was named pastor emeritus. Anderson served as interim president of the

from 2001 to 2003, and again from 2006 to 2007. He was then named president of the NAE in 2007NAE Formally Names Leith Anderson President, Christian News
Christianpost.com (2007-10-15). Retrieved on 2011-06-22. and served in that capacity until 2019. As NAE president, Anderson frequently participated in amicus curiae briefs, news conferences, and interviews. Priority was given to issues of immigration policy, climate change and the environment, religious freedom, theology and values, social justice, evangelism, humanitarian services, and cultural influence. In his leadership of the NAE, Anderson was known for avoiding partisan politics, promoting unity within the evangelical movement, and prioritizing racial and ethnic diversity. Anderson has been named president emeritus of the NAE. In 2011, President Barack Obama named Anderson to the White House Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. He became a member of the board of

World Vision International World Vision International is an interdenominational Christian humanitarian aid, development, and advocacy organization. It was founded in 1950 by Robert Pierce as a service organization to provide care for children in Korea. In 1975, emerge ...

in 2018. Anderson has written over 20 books.

Personal life

Anderson and his wife, Charleen, have been married since 1965.

Bibliography

*''Making Happiness Happen'' (1987) *''Mastering Church Management'' (1991) *''A Church for the 21st Century'' (1992) *''Who's in Charge: Mastering Ministry'' (1993) *''The Best Is Yet To Come'' (1994) *''Winning the Values War in a Changing Culture: Thirteen Distinct Values That Mark a Follower of Jesus Christ'' (1994) *''When God Says No'' (1996) *''Dying for Change'' (1998) *''Praying to the God You Can Trust'' (1998) *''Leadership That Works: Hope and Direction for Church and Parachurch Leaders in Today's Complex World'' (2001) *''Becoming Friends With God: A Devotional Invitation to Intimacy With God'' (2001) *''Jesus: An Intimate Portrait of the Man, His Land, and His People'' (2006) *''Igniting Worship Series – 40 Days with Jesus: Worship Services and Video Clips on DVD'' (2006) *''How to Act Like a Christian'' (2006) *''The Jesus Revolution: Learning from Christ's First Followers'' (2009) *''Faith Matters'' (2011) *''The Volunteer Church'' (2015) *''Faith in the Voting Booth'' (2016)

Chapters & contributions

*''Married to a Pastor's Wife'', H.B. London and Neil Wiseman, editors (1993) *''Leadership Handbooks'', Jim Berkley, editor (1994) *''Library of Christian Leadership: Empowering Your Church Through Creativity and Changes'', Marshall Shelley, editor (1995) *''Leading People'', Robert H. Rosen, editor (1996) *''Library of Leadership Development: Renewing Your Church Through Vision and Planning'', Marshall Shelley, editor (1997) *''Library of Leadership Development: Growing Your Church Through Training and Motivation,'' Marshall Shelley, editor (1997) *''Raising Teens While They're Still in Preschool'' (excerpts), Ron Habermas, author (1998) *''Uncommon Graces'' (forward), John Vawter, author (1998) * ''Vital Church Issues'', Roy B. Zuck, editor (Bibliotheca Sacra,1998) * ''Global Crossroads'', W. Harold Fuller, editor (1998) * ''Leadership And Power'', Richard Leslie Parrot, editor (2003) * ''Giving Ourselves To Prayer'', Dan. R. Crawford, compiler (2008) * ''Welcoming The Stranger'' (foreword), Matthew Soerens and Jenny Yang, authors (2009, 2019) * ''The Shriver Report'', Olivia Morgan and Karen Skelton, editors (2014) * ''Religious Freedom, LGBT Rights And Prospects For Common Ground'', William H. Eskridge and Robin Fretwell Wilson, editors (2019)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Leith 1944 births Living people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century evangelicals 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century evangelicals American evangelicals American male non-fiction writers Bradley University alumni American Evangelical writers Fuller Theological Seminary alumni Moody Bible Institute alumni People from Eden Prairie, Minnesota West Essex High School alumni Conservative Congregational Christian Conference