Dr. Steve Van Horn

Founder and Next Gen Ministry Leader

In 1998, Steve traveled to Kenya to teach for two weeks at the Nairobi International School of Theology. As a well-educated pastor, he felt called to teach and comfortable in the classroom, but he was totally unprepared for the great pastoral need he encountered outside the classroom in the highways and byways of Africa. A new calling began forming in Steve’s heart, and in 2003 he founded ITEM, leaving pastoral ministry to devote his energies to the training of African pastors. Before ITEM, Steve served as a missionary with Cru (www.cru.org) and as a pastor for over 25 years.

In 1998, Dr. Steve Van Horn, then an associate pastor, was invited to teach a course at the Nairobi International School of Theology (NIST, now International Leadership University) in Nairobi, Kenya. It was a life changing experience and he returned twice a year, for five years, teaching various courses. During those years he became increasingly aware of the enormous need for similar training in a non-formal setting, since 90% of the pastors will never be able to attend a Bible school of any kind. In 2003, he founded International Training and Equipping Ministries (ITEM). The mission of ITEM is to clarify and advance the true gospel, and be used by God to raise up vital, healthy, transformed and culture-transforming churches one pastor at a time.