John H. Townsend is a versatile industry leader, having been involved in the fields of religious services, engineering, program management and military service. Raised in a devout Christian family, he was inspired by the sermons of his great-grandfather, Rev. Dr. Samuel R. Ferguson, and by the examples of his father, J. Russell Townsend Jr., and of John Wannamaker, a major benefactor of Dr. Ferguson. Mr. Townsend’s father involved him in Christian rescue missions in the city and with community services of the church; this prepared him for his life as a Christian leader today. While employed as an engineer, Mr. Townsend actively served as a volunteer in rescue missions, homeless services, jail and prison ministries, convalescent homes, and community services. He has also provided counsel to couples with marital and parenting issues, aid to those with spiritual trauma (especially veterans and victims of abuse), and help to international outreach programs. Previously, while on active duty in the U.S. Navy, he voluntarily served as the spiritual lay leader for the ship on which he served as an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) officer during combat operations.
Since 1998, Mr. Townsend has been the co-founder, senior pastor and chief executive officer of MATTHEW 25:34-40 Ministries. He has served on nine boards of directors of various churches and ministries and continues serving the Boards of Emmaus Road International since 2006 and the San Diego Downtown Fellowship of Churches and Ministries since 2013. He is a member and regular participant in the San Diego World Affairs Council. Mr. Townsend teaches Bible principles of prayer, biblical leadership and leadership development, church planting, community service, and congregational health to benefit any congregation or ministry desiring help; hundreds have benefitted from his courses and now teach these courses to many others across the world. He has overseen the several dozen other discipleship resources developed and distributed freely by the MATTHEW 25:34-40 Ministries to its partners on every continent in over 77 nations. MATTHEW 25:34-40 Ministries has missions in India, Ukraine and the United States. The engineers and scientists in the Church@Work Ministry follow Mr. Townsend’s examples of volunteer service.
Notably, Mr. Townsend and his team have contributed to the development of solar powered electronic Bibles and a hypertext ePortable Seminary. He is currently writing a book “Seeking Truth,” which he intends to publish in several languages. The book is meant to be a teaching guide that helps individuals think spiritually and supports the conclusion that the Bible and Jesus Christ are the truthful answers to various philosophical questions.
Mr. Townsend started his career as an officer in the U.S. Navy. In 1971, he was assigned to the Navy laboratory in San Diego as a project officer and electronics/systems engineer. Becoming a civilian engineer for the Lab in 1973, he eventually became head of the Electronic Systems Design branch and an instructor in Project Management and Systems Engineering. Mr. Townsend graduated from Purdue University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, with honors. He is a past chairman of the San Diego Engineering Management Society. He is a past member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Likewise, he is a life member of the U.S. Naval Institute and the Purdue University Alumni Association.
As a testament to his success in his varying fields, Mr. Townsend received many accolades. He earned a Publications Award for his book “Project Management and Systems Engineering Guide,” published in 1989, as well as a Navy Achievement Medal. Furthermore, he is a celebrated Marquis listee and has been featured in Who’s Who in the West and Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders in America.
Content Mr. Townsend:
