Leith Anderson


Leith Anderson is president emeritus of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor emeritus of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, after serving as senior pastor from 1977 through 2011.

Biography

The NAE Board of Directors unanimously named Leith Anderson, a distinguished Christian leader, Bible teacher and church pastor, the NAE president in October 2007, after twice having served as interim president. As NAE president, Anderson regularly taught in seminaries, addressed evangelical concerns with elected officials, counseled denominational executives, and provided theological and cultural commentary to leading news outlets. Anderson also served on President Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
While at Wooddale Church, Anderson's nationally syndicated radio programs, “Faith Matters” and “Faith Minute,” were heard in cities across America and around the world. During his tenure, Wooddale planted nine daughter churches. Anderson retired after 35 years as the senior pastor at Wooddale Church on December 31, 2011.
Anderson was elected to the Founder's Chair of World Vision International in 2019.
He has been published in many periodicals and has written over 20 books.

Personal life

Leith Anderson is the son of Charles William Anderson and Margery Freeman Anderson. His father was pastor of Brookdale Baptist Church in Bloomfield, NJ and was the founder/president of Northeastern Bible College in Essex Fells, NJ. His mother was born and raised in England and migrated to the United States as an adult.
Anderson grew up in the same church as Charleen Lillian Alles whom he started dating the month he turned 15 and married in 1965. They are the parents of four children.

Education

Leith Anderson graduated from West Essex High School, North Caldwell, New Jersey; Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois ; Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois ; Denver Seminary, Denver, Colorado ; and Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California.
Anderson took additional course work at Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois; The Iliff School of Theology, Denver, Colorado; and the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado. He received honorary doctorates from Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids, Michigan ; Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois ; and Eastern University, St. Davids, Pennsylvania.   
From 1999-2000, Anderson served as interim president of Denver Seminary.

Career

Leith Anderson's introduction to writing began as editor of the student newspaper at the Moody Bible Institute and through journalism classes at Northwestern University.
During his seminary studies he served part-time as a youth pastor at Calvary Church and became the senior pastor of the church upon graduation for a total of 10 years in pastoral ministry at the church. While pastoring he continued academic studies at the University of Colorado and Fuller Theological Seminary and became an adjunct professor of pastoral theology and homiletics at Denver Seminary.
In 1977 Anderson began his 35 years as senior pastor of Wooddale Church 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, and grew to become a congregation of thousands, one of the larger churches in the state and region. While pastoring he also wrote books and articles on church and biblical themes, taught in numerous seminary doctoral programs.
In addition Anderson became a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and served on the boards of Bethel University, Navigators, National Association of Evangelicals, World Vision, World Relief and other nonprofit organizations. In 2019 he was named to the Founder's Chair of World Vision International.
Anderson continued as the pastor of Wooddale Church when he became the interim president of the National Association of Evangelicals as the NAE faced organizational stress in 2001 and continued until 2003. When the NAE had a leadership vacuum in 2006, Anderson returned as interim president and then became the elected president for terms extending through 2019 when he announced his retirement from the position at the end of that term.
At the end of 2011, he retired as pastor of the church and continued as president of the NAE in Washington, D.C., while maintaining his home in Minnesota. During his presidency, the NAE stabilized and grew with expanded membership and many new staff and programs including NAE Talk, Evangelical Leaders Survey (monthly survey of national leaders on a broad array of topics with published reports, Evangelicals magazine, Today's Conversation podcast, annual retreat of denomination leaders, and publications titled "Theology of Sex," "For the Health of the Nation" and others.
As NAE president, Anderson frequently participated in amicus curiae briefs, news conferences and interviews, and connected religious and other leaders across the United States and internationally. Priority was given to issues of religious freedom, immigration policies, evangelical biblical theology and values, social justice and engaging evangelicals in evangelism, humanitarian services and cultural influence.

Chapters & Contributions