Meet the leadership team for Meridian University.
Ralph Speas
President and Master Trainer
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Ralph is a member of First Southern Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He served as associate pastor at First Southern for twenty-one years, at Applewood Baptist Church in Wheatridge, Colorado for less than two years, and at Eastwood Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma for nine years.
Ralph Speas received his undergraduate degree from Houghton College, Houghton, New York and his Master of Divinity degree from Luther Rice Seminary, Lithonia, Georgia. An honorary doctorate was bestowed on him by Immanuel Baptist Theological Seminary, Peachtree City, Georgia.
Ralph and Tom Elliff founded Meridian in 2006. Ralph has served as pastor, associate pastor, church administrator, Minister of Bible Education and Religious Educator for 59 years. He is married to Rosene and they have three children, Jon, Cindy, and Krista (in Heaven).
Johnny Norwood
Faculty
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Johnny and his wife, Diana, have trained hundreds of Asians to use storying to share the Gospel, especially in antagonistic settings. After 35 years with the IMB in several Asian countries – 25 years as pioneer church planters and 10 years as leadership trainers – they have retired in Longview, Texas.
The calling and passion for Kingdom work is still alive as they seek opportunities to serve the Lord locally and abroad. Johnny and Ralph Speas, president of Meridian University, have partnered since June 2008 to conduct Storying Seminars.
Moses Sansa Konjon
Adjunct Faculty
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Moses Sansa Konjon is the pastor of Zion Community Church in Sunyani, Ghana and the executive director of Frontier Missions Network which has targeted the Cocoa Plantations in Ghana and the remote regions to the impoverished, illiterate, and forsaken peoples in the villages of North Ghana who are also the target of Islam.
Moses is a prayer warrior, waking up in the middle of every night to pray for an hour or more. He weeps for his people. His church conducts all night vigils of prayer, twice a month on Fridays. Moses has worked hard for years, sometimes walking up to 50 miles to share the Gospel but when he was introduced to orality, it changed the course of his ministry. He has completed his training course with Meridian University and has begun training others in the same manner that he was trained.
Debananda "Tuna" Mallik
Adjunct Faculty
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Tuna worked 12 years at Asian Rural Life Development Foundation in Odisha, India as a Bible trainer, and accountant. Since 2009 he has been working as Chairman-cum-Director of Caring and Loving Vision for India’s Nurture Ministry,(Trust) in the Rayagada & Kondhamal Districts of Odisha State. Training Pastors/Evangelist/Believers on storying as well as working among the Dongoria Kondha, as team leader.
Our focus is to work in remote regions among the poor, illiterate, and forsaken peoples to plant His church. Tuna is married to Annu Mallik and has been blessed with 2 sons. Currently he assists Meridian as an Adjunct Faculty Member.
Ralph Speas President of Meridian University of Biblical Training
Ralph Speas is one of the founders of Meridian and served as president since 2006.
David Martin Board Secretary
David Martin is owner and operator of Charley Golf Cars in Shawnee Oklahoma. He has been a friend and advisor to Meridian since its beginnings in 2006. He previously owned and operated Quail Ridge Game Hunting and Sports Clays.
Greg Best Board Treasurer
Greg Best is owner of Katleron Construction and builder of residential homes. He serves as the chairman of the Missions Team at his church. Greg is also a Certified Public Accountant and owner of Hometown Insurance Agency.