Ridge Burns, D.Min.
Executive Director/CEO
Ridge came to AMF with ten years’ experience as president of Forest Home Ministries in Forest Falls,California. Ridge is an effective leader with extensive experience in youth ministry, Christian camping, home and foreign missions, and new ministry development. His strong commitment to Christ and his desire to know the Lord better each day show through all he has accomplished to further the Kingdom of God.
As executive director of AMF, Ridge encourages missionaries to use their unique gifts to serve the Lord wholeheartedly in whatever type of ministry God calls them to. Ridge delights in getting to know missionaries personally and has a strong desire to see more young adults get involved in service with AMF.
Godly parents, married for 72 years, provided a stable and loving background for Ridge. He also credits Torchbearers as an influence in his spiritual walk. “I [had] spent my whole life trying to be Christ-like and found a very successful rate of failure in that pursuit,” he says. “The change came from understanding that we can’t be Christ-like, but only Christ can be Christ. Our job is to die to ourselves so Jesus can be Jesus within us. This has become a key point in my life and has released me to be far less stressed and yet far more dependent on Him.”
Ridge holds a B.A. in philosophy and biblical studies from Westmont College and M.R.E. and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of five books on youth ministry and has worn red shoes since the 1980s. Ridge met his wife, RobAnne, in college and married her in 1974. They are the parents of two children: a son, R.W., who recently graduated from Wheaton College, and a daughter, Barrett, who attends Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California.
RSS