About Paul and Martha

Meet The Davises

Testimony of Faith

Paul received Christ when he was in fourth grade. The gospel had been shared with him many times and he was acutely aware of his sin and need for a Savior. Each night he repeatedly prayed to have his sins forgiven, until one night while praying this prayer of forgiveness, he decided that he would pray the prayer one last time and mean it for the rest of his life. That is the night when he rested his faith on Jesus’ work on the cross for his sins.
 
Paul’s parents, Jerry & Kathy Davis, would tell you that from that day forward Paul was interested in and had a fascination for learning the Bible and teaching it to others. This led him to be very active in the youth ministry at Berean Baptist Church of Portage Michigan and would become the foundation for his calling to ministry. This fascination would also lead him to attend Liberty University where God continued to confirm in his spirit a desire to serve Jesus and yield his life to His full-time service.
 
Right beside the Lord Jesus Christ, the most important person in Paul’s life is his wife, Martha. She received Christ at a very young age having been exposed to the Gospel while growing up in a pastor’s home. Pastor Orville and Beverly Theaker raised all seven of their children to love and serve God. Paul and Martha attended Liberty University where they met. They soon realized that God had been preparing them for a life of service and ministry together. Martha received a Bachelor of Science in developmental psychology with a business minor from Liberty University.  Paul also received his Associate of Arts and a Bachelor of Science from Liberty University.  He then went on to Dallas Theological Seminary and received his Master of Arts in New Testament from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary.

The Percolating Call to Missions?

Very early in their marriage they sensed a calling toward missions and several times over the years they tested the waters by leading international mission teams (Canada, Mexico, Zambia) and exploring opportunities with ABWE missionaries and teams. But their fruitful church ministries such as discipling new believers, counseling, teaching, and caring for their flock, did not allow for release. Yet there was a continual tug.

Ministry Experience

In God’s economy nothing is wasted, and the Lord used a variety of pastoral and educational ministries to prepare Paul and Martha to lead an international mission’s agency such as ABWE.

Being the lead pastor of an amazing team at Calvary Baptist Church of Holland in Michigan, a multi-site ministry, was a great joy for Paul and Martha. They loved serving God’s people through creatively proclaiming and teaching the Word of God, engaging and empowering gifted people to use those gifts in the life of the church and building a broad based, diversely gifted leadership team. Paul’s vision was always to foster a Gospel centered ministry that focused on leading and discipling new believers in Christ.

Before serving as lead pastor, Paul led Calvary Schools of Holland as the Executive Director. In that role, he coordinated development, scholarship funds, donations, and capital campaigns while facilitating a building campaign and the construction of a High School facility. He was also responsible for representing the school ministry by regularly preaching and speaking in local churches. Martha was also involved as she coordinated the school finances and bookstore and served as the Secondary Principal. Paul now sees this period in his life as a rich training ground for his family’s future.

Before moving to Holland Michigan in 1997, Paul served as the Pastor of Student Ministries at Calvary Baptist Church in Tuckerton, NJ, with Steve Overholt (former ABWE GAP Missionary) where he and Martha discipled young believers into helpful, mature servants of God. Several of these students went on to become missionaries.

Paul and Martha have always been active in their community. Paul was a 2008 graduate of Leadership Holland sponsored by The Holland/Zeeland Chamber of Commerce. He served as a board member for ABWE Foundation, Baptist Children’s Home, Calvary Schools of Holland, and Good Samaritan Ministries. Martha, who is an accomplished pianist, has worked in the finance world as a mortgage originator. She has also led the women’s Bible studies and ministries. Currently she serves on an international school board.

Together Paul and Martha started a small investment company Legacy Investors L.L.C. in 2002. They have led numerous mission trips in over 29 countries. They deeply enjoy speaking to groups, teams and churches sharing the important good news of the Gospel and Jesus’ call to proclaim that message to every nation.

Family

Paul and Martha were married in 1989 and have four adult children who are maturing believers in Jesus Christ. Landon is Liberty University graduate and serves as an accountant. Kierstin is a Liberty University graduate and a private educator. Rachael is a graduate of both Georgetown University and Liberty University and works as a consultant. Ian, a Liberty University graduate, works in finance.

Interests

Paul and Martha take pleasure in a wide variety of interests including hiking the Appalachian Trail, playing guitar, piano, upland bird hunting, dog training, reading, speaking, deer hunting, fishing, gardening, strategic planning, and international travel.

Paul, Martha & ABWE

Looking back, God has been preparing Paul and Martha for service at ABWE since childhood. Paul’s Pastor growing up was an ABWE board member who regularly had ABWE missionaries speak and interact with children and teens. Martha’s aunt was an ABWE missionary to Bangladesh. Both Paul and Martha remember having missionaries sit around their dinner table telling stories of healing people in faraway places. Both of their parents were very active in missions. Paul’s parents served short term for ABWE in South Africa, Portugal, and Togo.

While serving in youth ministry, mission trips became the core of the Davis’s discipleship strategy. They found students willing to work hard, memorize scripture, prepare lessons, and even learn songs in foreign languages for the chance to engage with a missionary church planter nationally and internationally.

Leading a Christian school gave Paul the opportunity to learn skills like donor development, capital campaigns and staff team building. It was these skills and experiences that led ABWE to initially seek Paul out as a Foundation Board member.

Every church where Paul and Martha have served has supported ABWE missionaries. When given the chance to serve on ABWE’s board, it was simply an extension of the relationships that were already forming through trips and speaking at regional conferences.

President Paul L. Davis

Paul and Martha have seen the leading of the Lord in so many ways since they said “yes” to serving as ABWE’s 7th president. They are working hard every day to meet, support and encourage ABWE’s global team. They strive to embolden Gospel centered churches to become exceptional sending and supporting churches impacting the nations for Christ. They enjoy connecting God enabled donors to the visionary projects of mission fields while humbly building, healing and reigniting relationships with ABWE partners past, present and future.

Have Paul Come Speak

People are leery that I come to sign them up as a missionary. In reality I come for something far more dangerous – to plead with them to pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his field. Let’s ignite Great Commission thinking!