Faculty & Board of Trustees
Berean Bible College's Missionary Training Institute is led by experienced missionaries, scholars, and educators committed to excellence in biblical studies and cross-cultural ministry training.
Dr. Tim James — Founder & President
Dr. Tim James is an author, Bible scholar, surgeon, and missionary with extensive international and cross-cultural experience. He founded the Missionary Training Institute at Berean Bible College to train elite missionaries who read Scripture in its original languages and deploy to the most challenging mission fields.
Missionary Service & Cross-Cultural Ministry
Tim and his wife Jeanne have served in missionary capacities overseas for decades. Their service includes:
- Training at the IMB's Missionary Training Center in Virginia (twice)
- In 1996, Dr. James became the first in his surgical specialty to be licensed in Kenya; in 2000, he was licensed in the UK
- Extended ministry in East Africa, North Africa-Middle East regions, and Europe
- Founded and operates Children's Health, Education, and Leadership Project (H.E.L.P.), an American 501(c)(3) non-profit organization since 1999, as well as a Spanish NGO (Spain-N. Africa)
- Numerous medical and disaster relief missions to China, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Turkey, and Morocco
- Cross-cultural church planting, youth and community teaching ministries
- Partnership with international missionary sending organizations (IMB, OMF, others)
Cross-Cultural Philosophy: Tim is a life-long Christian raised by a Roman Catholic mother and Presbyterian father. Jeanne was raised in the Catholic and Lutheran traditions. During their various stints overseas, they developed close relationships with Bible-believing Christians from around the globe. They raised their family to be Holy Spirit-guided born-again Christians without loyalty to any particular denomination.
Tim's motto: "In math, denominators are dividers. In Christianity, denominations function likewise."
Their cross-cultural experience profoundly shaped their understanding of Scripture and God's redemptive plan. They came to appreciate what the author of Acts 17:11-12 meant about the Berean Jews: "they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."
Academic & Professional Training
- B.S. Pre-med degree from Heidelberg University (Ohio)
- D.P.M. degree from Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine (1977), Specialty: Foot and Ankle Surgery
- Hospital Residency: Long Beach (1977-78)
- Hospital Residency Director & Committee Chair (1978-95)
- Licensed: California (1977), Hawaii (1981), Kenya (1996), and the UK (2000)
- Estimated 20,000+ surgical procedures performed
- International Mission Board: East Africa (1995-96) & N.A.-M.E. (1999)
- Founder: Children's Health, Education & Leadership Project (H.E.L.P.) 501(c)(3) (1999)
- Founder: Ayuda a los Niños, Proyecto Salud, Educación y Liderazgo (Spanish NGO) (2000)
- Founder Berean Bible College & Missionary Training Institute (California)(2025)
Leading up to overseas ministries, Tim occasionally spoke from the pulpit and taught adult Sunday Schools from the Book of Acts. Their home church was in San Juan Capistrano, where Tim served on the School Committee.
Author: The Restoration Series
Dr. James is the author of The Restoration Series, a multi-volume work recovering the biblical worldview of God's redemptive plan:
- Presuppositions: Recovering the Biblical Worldview of God's Redemptive Plan
- Tree of Life: Symbol of God's Spirit in Eden, Paradise, and the New Jerusalem
- God's Whispers: The Prophets on How the New Age Begins
- The Day of the Lord Vol. 1: The Day Heaven Comes to Earth
- The Day of the Lord Vol. 2: The Book of Revelation
- The Day of the Lord Vol. 3: From Egypt to Bozrah to the Wedding Supper (coming 2026)
These works lay the theological foundation for Berean Bible College's distinctive emphasis on restoration theology—a biblical corrective to escapist, heaven-focused theology prevalent in Western Christianity.
Dr. James's biblical research focuses on eschatology, restoration theology, and the impact of Second Temple Judaism and Intertestamental Jewish Literature on the New Testament.
Vision for Berean MTI
Drawing on decades of missionary experience and biblical study, Dr. James founded Berean Bible College to train missionaries who:
- Read Scripture in its original languages (Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic)
- Understand the Bible in its ancient Near Eastern and Second Temple contexts
- Embrace biblical restoration theology and new creation hope
- Are prepared for cross-cultural missionary service in any environment
- Are willing to endure faithfully—even unto death—for the Gospel
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees provides governance, strategic oversight, and accountability for Berean Bible College's Missionary Training Institute.
Dr. Meshack Simati
Professor, California State University, San Marcos
Dr. Meshack Simati is living proof that Berean's model works. He was Dr. Tim James's first student—a young man from rural Kenya with nothing but faith and determination.
Educational Journey:
- Ph.D.: Georgia State University (2018)(Jennings Randolph Peace Scholar, United States Institute of Peace)
- M.A.: University of New Orleans (2012)
- B.A.: Bowling Green State University (Ohio)(2004)
- Daystar University (Nairobi, Kenya)
Dr. James helped Meshack navigate the entire educational process, from initial studies in Kenya through advanced graduate work in the United States. Today, Meshack is a professor at California State University, San Marcos, and serves on Berean's Board of Trustees.
Why This Matters: Meshack's story demonstrates that with excellent mentorship, rigorous training, and faithful perseverance, students from any background can achieve the highest levels of academic and professional success. This is the same philosophy that drives MTI: elite training produces elite missionaries.
Additional Board Members
Board of Trustees is currently being formed. Additional members will be announced as they are confirmed.
Berean is recruiting trustees with expertise in:
- Missionary sending organizations (IMB, OMF, SIM, etc.)
- Biblical languages and ancient Near Eastern studies
- Cross-cultural ministry and church planting
- Higher education administration and accreditation
- Military chaplaincy and veteran services
- Nonprofit governance and fundraising
Faculty (Recruitment Underway)
Faculty Recruitment for Fall 2026
Berean MTI is actively recruiting faculty for the inaugural Fall 2026 cohort. We seek scholar-practitioners who combine:
- Academic Excellence: Ph.D. in biblical studies, theology, missiology, or related field
- Missionary Experience: At least 5 years of cross-cultural missionary service
- Language Proficiency: Expertise in Biblical Hebrew, Koine Greek, and/or Aramaic
- Theological Alignment: Commitment to Berean's restoration theology and "Languages First" philosophy
- Missional Passion: Dedication to training missionaries, not just scholars
Faculty Positions
We are recruiting faculty in the following areas:
Biblical Languages:
- Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) Professor
- Greek New Testament Professor
- Biblical Aramaic Instructor
Biblical & Theological Studies:
- Old Testament Theology
- New Testament Theology
- Second Temple Judaism
- Ancient Near Eastern Context
- Systematic Theology
- Church History
Missiology & Field Training:
- Cross-Cultural Communication
- World Religions (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Folk Religions)
- Church Planting Movements
- Missionary Strategy & Contextualization
- Security & Persecution Preparation
Interested in joining our faculty? Contact [email protected]
Our Vision: Excellence for God's Glory
Berean Bible College exists to train elite missionaries. We demand rigorous academic standards, deep spiritual formation, and proven missionary calling because the mission field deserves nothing less.
The Berean Standard
"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11)
The Bereans didn't just listen to teachers—they examined Scripture themselves. They tested everything against the Word of God.
That's who we train. Missionaries who can read Scripture in Hebrew and Greek. Who understand ancient contexts. Who test every teaching against the original text. Who deploy to the hardest fields with theological depth and missionary skill.
Why This Matters
The mission field is waiting. Billions have never heard the Gospel. Unreached people groups remain unreached. Closed countries need missionaries willing to endure persecution.
But they need trained missionaries. Not enthusiastic amateurs. Not well-meaning but theologically shallow workers. They need missionaries who:
- Know Scripture deeply (original languages, ancient contexts)
- Understand world religions and can engage thoughtfully
- Can plant churches that reproduce indigenous leadership
- Are prepared for hardship, persecution, and even martyrdom
- Embrace the biblical hope of restoration (not escapism)
That's why Berean exists. That's the vision that drives us. That's the standard we hold.
Languages first. Context always. Truth above tradition. Excellence for God's glory.