Mike Keator grew up in a farming and ranching family in Colorado. He rode the range on a paint Indian pony that would buck, kick and bite you if you weren’t careful! He milked cows by hand, mornings and evenings. His dad taught him to work hard and live frugally. And at age 15, attending a little country church, Mike trusted Jesus Christ for salvation and was baptized.
Mike joined an evangelistic church planting team in 1970 that set out to help reach the world with the gospel. This team was strongly influenced by Campus Crusade for Christ (now CRU) and Operation Mobilization. A Great Commission movement emerged that started nondenominational churches across America and has since grown to church plants on five continents.
While pastoring a church in Ohio, Mike attended Ashland Theological Seminary, and with his spouse, Su, led teams that shared the gospel and made disciples. Mike and his helpers planted six churches (two in Ohio, two in Maryland and two in Arizona), and Mike pastored churches over the next 40 years.
In May of 2009 Mike started RUN Global, Inc. as he and Su moved to India full-time, catalysts for church planting movements that continue to reach and train thousands of people, people who share the gospel with hundreds of thousands of unreached people annually.
Due to his successful missionary activity, Mike was jailed for two months, then deported and blacklisted. Mike and Su moved to Nepal to start another church planting movement that itself trains other movements. Today, they continue to train native missionaries to start and lead evangelism and church movements across Asia.
Tom is a well-known campus evangelist and conference speaker committed to inspiring young people to build God’s kingdom and fulfill the Great Commission. In 2001, Tom’s US ministry began expanding internationally into the abundant harvest fields of Southeast and South Asia. He is the author of two books, 5 Questions and Takin’ it to Their Turf. Fun fact: Shortly after Tom’s conversion as a high school sophomore, Mike Keator was Tom’s first pastor!
Jack is a pastor, church planter, and foreign missionary. He co-led a church plant with Mike in 1979 to the Washington D.C. area and in 1990 planted a church in the St. Louis area. In 2002 he moved with his wife, Joan and 8 of their 10 children to Poland to begin gospel work there. His 10 years in Eastern Europe, as well as visits to Central America, South Asia, and to Turkey have given Jack a broad perspective. He brings his foreign missionary experience to the board as well as his experience in effectively connecting the church in the west to gospel work abroad.
Chris has been a supporter of Mike and Su for over 30 years. Chris has served the Lord as a pastor, short term missionary and international business man. He helped establish Run Global and has served on the board from the beginning. He currently oversees Clinical Operations for a national healthcare organization that serves over 2 million patients. As Board Secretary he methodically and passionately works with Mike on board meeting agendas, and works to protect our 501(c)3 non-profit status.
Floyd is a former aerospace executive and entrepreneur who provides consulting services for corporate strategy, marketing, litigation as an expert witness, and management practices. Mr. McConnell was greatly influenced by Mike Keator and others on the board as an undergraduate at The Ohio State University to make a lifelong commitment to God’s call to reach the lost. His vast experience is a huge asset to the board.
