New Structure, New Manager at It Is Written Television Ministry
From News Release, June 10, 2015: Jesse Johnson is the new manager at the It Is Written television ministry and his job description is central to a change in the organization labeled “historic” for Adventist media ministries. Up to this point the key on-air personality at each ministry has carried the title “director/speaker” and combined the roles of broadcast host and chief executive officer. The chief finance officer typically had the title “manager/treasurer.”
As media ministries have become multimodal and communication systems more complex, this approach has burned out some leaders and become clearly inappropriate in the view of others, including Pastor John Bradshaw, the director of It Is Written. Charles Reel continues to be the treasurer and the three men will work together as an administrative team for the television ministry.
Johnson is an entrepreneur and has graduate degrees in business, education, and technology who has been serving as Information Technology director for It Is Written. He has worked with local conferences helping them innovate their technology departments as well as with the denomination’s General Conference. He has served as president of the Mid-America chapter of Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries (ASI), an independent organization made up largely of small business owners and leaders of nonprofit organizations that identify themselves with the Adventist mission but are not affiliated with the denomination.
“Jesse brings a wealth of talent, experience, leadership ability and Christian maturity to It Is Written,” said Bradshaw. “In the past he has helped It Is Written in enormous ways through his wisdom and his vision for ministry. To actually have him on our staff in such an important role is a new day, a hugely exciting day, for It Is Written. His presence on our team has already been a huge blessing.”
“I’m so excited about this! I’ve always believed in It Is Written and I can see the huge potential this ministry has. I’ve been a board member since Mark Finley was director and have watched It Is Written use the latest in technology for evangelism. I hope to build on that momentum to utilize technology to help spread the gospel to the world,” Johnson said.
Johnson is married to Nema and they have four children, three daughters and one son, ranging in ages from 13 to 22 years old. The Johnson family has already relocated to Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the southern United States where the It Is Written office was moved last year after the Adventist Media Center closed in California.