Leadership
Dr. Jason Rhode is a children’s ministries specialist and online learning expert, serving as the instructional designer, course developer, and co-director for CMUO. In addition to his role with CMUO / Valley Forge Christian College, Jason currently serves as Assistant Director of the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center at Northern Illinois University (NIU) located in DeKalb, Illinois.
In his position at NIU Jason is responsible for developing and offering training programs and consultations on web-course management systems and assisting faculty with online teaching and related needs. He also designs and teaches online courses for various universities throughout the United States. More information about Jason is available on his website at jasonrhode.com
Prior to his position at NIU, Jason served for four years as the Director of Children’s Ministries at Christian Life Fellowship, Port Edwards, WI. He oversaw all ministries to children ages birth thru sixth grade and parents at CLF, which included over 250 children and 150 volunteers. His specific responsibilities included volunteer recruitment & training, curriculum development, coordination of online technologies, and general oversight of all aspects of the children’s ministries of CLF.
As an instructional designer and online instructor, Jason has successfully implemented online training strategies developed curriculum in a variety of contexts, including both higher education and children’s ministries. Jason has earned a B.A. in Children’s Ministries from North Central University, a M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction from Seattle Pacific University, and a Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in Instructional Design for Online Learning from Capella University. He utilizes his extensive experience as an online instructor, curriculum designer, and children’s pastor to guide the development of CMUO.
Rev. Dick Gruber is children’s ministries authority, serving as subject matter expert, curriculum developer, instructor, promoter, and co-director for CMUO. Dick is currently the Children’s Ministries Specialist at Valley Forge Christian College in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He has worked as a member of the faculty at VFCC since June of 2001.
As the Children’s Ministries Specialist at VFCC, Dick has developed a Bachelor’s Degree program in Children’s Ministries and is training young people to be children’s pastors, evangelists, and missionaries. He also travels nation-wide speaking in children’s ministries training events. Dick is a husband, father, pastor, professor, author, poet, composer, and
artist. He has illustrated over twenty discipleship booklets for children as
well as produced numerous Scripture picture Bible memory helps for Sunday School
teachers. More information about Dick is available on his website at dickgruber.com
Prior to Dick’s VFCC position, he served for eight years as Children’s Pastor at Bloomington Assembly Of God Church in Bloomington, Minnesota. There he oversaw ministries to over 450 children each week as well as training and maintaining a volunteer staff of over 160 workers. Dick served prior to that as the National Children’s Ministries Consultant for the Assemblies Of God in Springfield, MO, Children’s Pastor at the People’s Church in Salem, OR, and Children’s Pastor at Farming Assembly Of God in Farmington, MN.
Dick has had nearly 200 articles published in children’s ministries magazines and is author of the books; Children’s Church: Turning Your Circus Into A Service, and Focus on Children, A Handbook For Elementary Sunday School Teachers.
Together, Jason and Dick have over 35 years experience as children’s leaders.
Dr. Philip McLeod is the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs for Valley Forge Christian College and serves on the executive leadership team for CMUO. He has been privileged to serve as an Associate Pastor at churches in Ohio and Wisconsin. For eight years he traveled as a seminar instructor for the International Center for Learning providing training for Sunday School teachers throughout North America. Philip’s educational background includes a B.A. in Religious Education; a M.S. in Education; and a Ph.D. in Educational Foundations. He is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God.
