So who is the guy under the iceberg?
In Brief ….

Sam Metcalf leads CRM - Church Resource Ministries - a mission entity with over 350 people serving around the world in 25 nations.

His particular focus and passion is providing a place for apostolic leaders to thrive and for apostolic structures to emerge and multiply, all of which are essential for the vibrancy of the Christian movement. He gets great pleasure in helping catapult such men and women into ministry venues of significance.

For More Details, Read On …

We live primarily in Southern California, but starting in 2007, are spending a couple of months, twice a year, living, working and traveling out of London.

One of the reasons we’re living out of the UK is that my role requires that I travel a significant amount of the time – mostly internationally. It’s a lot easier to get into Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of Europe from London than the West Coast of the US.

Educationally, my undergrad degree is a B.A. in an interdisciplinary major – combining history, political science, philosophy, and religious studies – from the University of Virginia.

Did a masters in the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Seminary. Built an M.Div on top of that and then completed a Doctor of Ministry from the Fuller School of Theology in 1989.

Doctoral thesis was how to create an order among the poor within a larger apostolic movement – which melded urban theology and a theology of the poor with a practical apostolic application.

Patty is my incredible wife of 33 years.

She is an artist/designer by education and profession. Check out her online business at www.nurserysafe.com

My kids think I lived in a hole and missed the music of the 60s and 70s …but I do play the piano, pipe organ, drums and enjoy classical music.

Christine, our daughter, is 24 and a grad of Westmont College and is engaged to be married to Danny Aanderud in April 2008.

After college she served as the Director of Child Sponsorships for Empowering Lives International (www.empoweringlives.org) which serves children mostly orphaned by HIV/AIDS in East Africa.

Our son David is married to Meredith and they live in Highland Park near downtown LA.

Both are actors …seen regularly in a variety of commercials on TV. They also have a good band that does gigs throughout LA. They have several new CDs out. It’s unique music that’s hitting a real niche – they’ve played at the famous Troubadour (below) in Hollywood and in the fall of 07, were on tour in the Eastern U.S.

David is also a gifted artist and designer – a grad of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo – with his own design business.

Put us all together, and it’s like this …

Patty and I served with the Navigators from 1976 through 1980 when CRM began. We were on the ground floor of CRM along with Pete and Suzan McKenzie, Pat and Chuck Singletary, and John and Ginger Rowell in 1980.

I assumed the president’s role with CRM in 1985.

Today, around 350 CRM staff live and minister in 25 nations around the world. You can see more of this at www.crmleaders.org

Countries that I am focusing on presently as CRM expands are: Hungary, Romania, UK, Venezuela, the Middle East, Africa and Korea. These are the places where the ministry has indigenized, nationals are in leadership and where the national CRM entity is sending or preparing to send nationals as missionaries cross-culturally from their own country. The partnerships we enjoy with the leaders of these national entities is called CRM CoNext.

Areas of the world I want to personally focus more attention on regarding CRM’s international expansion are: China, India, Central Asia, Russia, and the Middle East.

To help facilitate this, Patty and I began in 2007 to spend several months yearly living in London. This gives us better access to many of these places. It also allows us to give more identity and attention to CoNext.

The legacies of leaders varies. Some leave behind bodies of thought or literature. Others are outlived by institutions. What’s mine? I suspect it will be “Leaders of a movement embodied in an apostolic organization.” Nothing is more valuable to me than providing a context where high caliber leaders can live out their passion and calling in a way that will shape the course of history and the fate of nations. But just like the twelve into whom Jesus invested his life, it all happens “under the iceberg.”

And more personally …

Was an Eagle Scout back when it was respectable.

Formally studied five languages. Am embarrassed that I can only use one of them now …and that one (Russian) like a baby.

Most influential personal mentors have been:

Bobby Clinton
Bill Neighbors
Chuck Singletary
Jeff Kemmerer
John Moy
David Bowen
Herbert Slatery

Am an ENTP where the P can be extreme although there is plenty of ENTJ in the mix.

After college I gained some business experience by working in international marketing in the steel industry in Birmingham, AL.

We’ve always had miniature schnauzers – they don’t shed and have tons of personality.

I walk/ jog most mornings. A great time to carry on meaningful conversations with God.

Tried to play basketball in high school but injured my back early on, so my less than illustrious sports career was short-lived.

Was on the local swim team in Blacksburg, VA (where I grew up) and gave it good try for several years …but the harder I worked the behinder I got. But I’ve spent lots of time around and in the water. Actually was a lifeguard and wore one of those skimpy speedos. And at the time, I had a body that could fit in one and not embarrass me or anyone looking on.

As a family, we lived for a summer in 1994 in Dnipropetrovs’k, Ukraine.

Can’t seem to get away from A Man for All Seasons as my favorite movie of all time.

I’m hopelessly drawn to the romance of the sea but get violently ill from motion sickness.

When I was 19, spent the summer with the Navigators at Wycliffe’s Jungle Training Program in southern Mexico, where we went from mud huts to hammocks in the jungle to living out in survival mode. A watershed experience spiritually and developmentally.