Founder and Executive Director

Jim’s call into the gospel ministry was defined by the words found in Ephesians 1:23 where it states that the Church is the Body of Christ, “the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” This broad call of Christ to restore all things through his church led Jim toward education at Calvin College (B.A.), then Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and finally to Rutgers University (M.S.W.). He is an ordained minister of Word and sacrament in the Reformed Church in America.

In the church, he has served as associate pastor, church planter, and lead pastor in New Jersey, California, Florida and Michigan, and has been either planted or been involved in church plants in California, Florida and Michigan.

Beyond that, Jim has also worked widely with denominational and church leaders to develop new organizations and strategies focused on reaching people for the Christian gospel. Before founding Coram Deo, he served as Executive Director of a leadership development organization that prepares pastors and ministry leaders for ministry.

Director of Operations

Tanner was called into ministry at age 10 when he told his mom he wanted to be a pastor when he grew up. Though he later ran from that call for nearly a decade, God graciously redirected his steps in 2022, using Proverbs 10:22 to do it. Soon after, he enrolled in and later graduated from Coram Deo’s Pastoral Formation program, where he was deeply shaped by the in-ministry approach to leader development.

Before joining Coram Deo, Tanner served as Connections Pastor at Pillar Church in Scottsdale, Arizona where he helped people take next steps in discipleship, led volunteer teams, and provided pastoral care and teaching.

At home, Tanner is married to his wife, Jess, and father to Cameron. A natural planner and strategist, he seeks to hold his calling with humility, often praying Solomon’s words in 1 Kings 3:7: “I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.” He thanks God for the opportunity to be a part of the Coram Deo team and work for the glory of Christ and the good of his church.

Coordinator of Forming Programs

After completing his Master of Divinity degree, Miguel has served in ordained pastoral ministry since 2004. He has served in churches and non-profit ministries in West Michigan and upstate New York – as a solo pastor, an associate pastor of spiritual development, a worship leader and a program manager at a men’s sheltered housing ministry. In 2007 he completed a Master of Arts in Theology with a focus on Christian Spirituality. Since 2016 he has worked with Jim in leadership formation and church multiplication. He leads a weekly prayer book fellowship, which is under the Coram Deo 501(c)(3). He was ordained as a deacon (2022) and then priest (2023) in the Anglican Church in North America. He and his wife Brien have been married since 1999 and have three children. Miguel is passionate about raising up disciples of Jesus for the glory of God. He enjoys playing guitar and listening to music and is the “techie” of the family. His life prayer is from Psalm 86:11, “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name.”

Formation Mentor

David is a follower of Jesus, husband to Melanie, father to three children, and grandfather to two delightful grandsons. He is also a retired Minister of the Word in the Christian Reformed Church in North America, living in Grand Rapids, MI. David received his Master of Divinity from Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI in 1982. During his 38 years of pastoral ministry, David served as lead pastor at Madison Church in Grand Rapids – a multi-site, multi-ethnic church. In addition, since 2014 David has served as a visiting instructor at Calvin Seminary and works in the seminary’s Vocation Formation Ministry as a Formation Specialist. David has a heart and passion for developing leaders and coaching and encouraging other pastors. His life verse is 2 Timothy 2:2 which says, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”

Special Projects

David has dedicated his life to education, leadership, and ministry, weaving together a rich tapestry of professional and personal experiences. Married to his wife, Cindy, for 39 years, David is the proud father of four adult children and the doting grandfather of two granddaughters.

David has served as a teacher, a high school principal, and superintendent, shaping the futures of countless students. He is also a former business owner and professor. David holds a Master's and Doctorate from Western Michigan University, underscoring his commitment to lifelong learning and excellence.

Currently, David serves in a special projects role, focusing on leadership development, training, and support systems. David has a deep passion for spiritual direction and providing mental health resources.

Guided by his life verse, Habakkuk 3:2, David's heart for service and dedication to uplifting others shines through in all he does.

Director of Church Multiplication and Vitality

Ben is husband to Karen, father to three adult kids and their families, and lives in Grand Rapids, MI. Since college and seminary days in Minnesota and Scotland (Bethel St. Paul and then University of Aberdeen) he has been a bi-vocational church planter, pastor of a multiplying church and served as new church development director with two denominations: the Reformed Church in America (2002-2012) and the United Methodist church (2015-2023). Over those years he has taken part in the development of over 200 new churches in rural, urban, suburban and multi-ethnic contexts.

Ben feels that one of the primary qualifiers for his role as a planting coach and trainer is the number of mess-ups he has taken part in or witnessed up close. Each has yielded deep learning and wisdom he can humbly pass on to others.

Ben has published several books: Parent Church Landmines (2010), Multiplication Moves (2012) and most recently Plant Like Jesus, the church planters devotional (2021). In his down time he loves to tandem bike with his wife, hang out with his growing family and sail the Great Lakes!

Formation Mentor for Equipping Spanish-Speaking Leaders

Alejandro is an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America and is currently serving as Associate Pastor of New Hope Church in Shafter, CA. He is a disciple of Christ, husband to Angie and father to six children.

Alejandro’s call began in El Salvador, his country of birth, where he received his theological studies training. He pastored a Hispanic community in Vancouver and Calgary, Canada and later planted a church in California’s Central Valley. Pastor Alejandro has empowered a team from his church to develop a thriving missions program in Central America, which has helped plant two new churches in the last three years in El Salvador and Guatemala.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 guides Alejandro’s ministry: “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” As the Hispanic population continues to grow in our nation, Alejandro sees an opportunity for planting new churches and equipping new pastors to meet this need. Pentecost reminds us that the good news is given in many languages, and it’s the call of the church to bring the gospel to this population in their native language. For Pastor Alejandro, it will be a blessing and privilege to empower pastors who wish to be trained, so that they can obtain their pastoral credentials, and thus, be able to witness to the kingdom of the Lord in the world. May it all be for the glory of God!

Director of Equipping Christian Leaders Among French-Speaking People Groups

Tom is a commissioned pastor in the Central Iowa Classis of the Reformed Church in America (RCA) and an RCA Global Missions associate since 2001. Tom has worked and studied in Nigeria (9 months) Québec (7 months), Niger (16 years) and Haiti (2 years). In Niger, he conducted leadership and community development efforts in French and Hausa for the church. While in Haiti, Tom trained French-speaking chaplains working for the Christian NGO, Many Hands for Haiti. He is married to Aïchatou, a Nigerien medical doctor and they have four daughters. French is often spoken in their home.

The Lord called him to Niger and the mission field. While a missionary, Tom completed a Certificate in Christian Studies from Fuller Seminary and focused on missiology studies. Later, he enrolled in Coram Deo’s commissioned pastor program – graduating in the spring of 2020.

Tom’s heart is on growing and equipping the global French-speaking church because of his experiences worshiping in Niger and in Haiti. He recognizes the many challenges French believers have in finding affordable Bible training and solid Christian materials and in obtaining needed ministry credentials to lead new and exciting ministries. Tom wants to help French-speaking Christians become empowered to lead local churches and related ministries.

Recruiter and Promoter / Central California

John Fiscus is the father of four beautiful daughters and husband to one amazingly beautiful wife, Norma. John’s path to becoming a pastor and church planter has been very different than many. He grew up in a broken home where he never met his father, and his mother was a drug addict. John’s first 11 years of life were full of all forms of abuse. At the age of 11, John became his environment by joining a street gang, was then incarcerated for the first time and then spent 8 of the of the next 14 years behind the walls of prison. John serves at Faith Fighters Church in Tulare, CA as lead pastor and visionary leader. He also oversees the Refuge House men’s discipleship homes and serves as pastor of church multiplication at Tulare Community Church – overseeing their church planting efforts. John is a proud graduate of Coram Deo, and he is now working with Coram Deo to bring more leaders into our equipping programs and to open new doors of partnership for kingdom advancement. One of John’s life verses is ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1:15‬: “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Consultant for Ministry Formation

Chuck has served as the Arthur F. Glasser Senior Professor of Biblical Theology of Mission at the School of Intercultural Studies (formerly the School of World Mission), Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Born and raised in Mexico of missionary parents, Chuck and his wife Jean founded a seminary in Chiapas, Mexico. From 1973 to 1985 they were involved in extension theological education, leadership formation and training evangelists for the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico. In 1981 Chuck was awarded the Ph.D. in Missiology and Theology from the Free University of Amsterdam. From 1980 to 1985 Chuck founded and administrated “Plan Hebron,” a refugee-relief program in southern Mexico that cared for and eventually relocated 80,000 refugees from Guatemala. In 1997 he was elected President of the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America. In 2000 Chuck and Jean founded the Latin American Leadership Development Program, a Ph.D.-level graduate program dedicated to forming top leaders of churches, seminaries and mission organizations in Latin America. Chuck serves as writer and ministry formation consultant for Coram Deo Association of Churches.

Administrative Communication Support

Amy brings her passion for design to Coram Deo’s print and digital communications and is working to streamline systems to keep in touch with Coram Deo’s growing audiences. Having had a strong hand in planting a church with her husband in 2012, Amy is comfortable with new initiatives and growing organizations, and she feels right at home among the Coram Deo tribe. In addition to her work with Coram Deo, she is currently being trained as a spiritual director and is an active volunteer at All Saints Anglican Church. She and her husband, Brian, have four young adult children. She enjoys mountain biking, keeping a sketchbook and working on house projects.

Administrative Assistant

With a background in education, Dale has been involved in ministry for over 45 years. She plays piano in her church praise band, is an ordained deacon and enjoys working one-on-one with people of all ages. Her 20 years of experience in accounting have made it possible for her to keep the books for a local nonprofit missionary agency. She enjoys being an office “jack of all trades” for Coram Deo and feels privileged to be a small part of a great ministry, which seeks to glorify an awesome God. A life verse for her is Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Columns and Rows Bookkeeping, LLC

Brynn helps with all of the accounting tasks for Coram Deo. She does bookkeeping and payroll services for several companies, including local church plants. She worked with Coram Deo previously through Plus One Services, and is now serving Coram Deo and our church plants through her new company, Columns and Rows.