Langham Partnership USA Announces Selection of Future President
Carl Moeller to Succeed Ben Homan in January 2025
May 17, 2024
The Board of Directors of Langham Partnership USA (LPUSA) is pleased to announce that it has selected Dr. Carl Moeller to serve as the ministry’s next president. Moeller has both a heart for and experience serving the global church that honors founder John Stott’s vision to raise the standard of biblical preaching around the world. He comes to Langham with decades of ministry experience and will succeed president Ben Homan, who will retire in December 2024 after more than 14 years of leading Langham.
Carl Moeller
“Carl Moeller will be a marvelous addition to Langham Partnership,” Joel Carpenter, LPUSA board chair, said. “He will bring an extraordinary range of experience in international Christian work and a servant’s heart to this role. We are grateful for his eagerness to join our team.”
Moeller’s involvement with the global church began in the 1980’s when he served in Communist Eastern Europe. Later, he earned a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a PhD from the University of Utah.
In 2003, Moeller was appointed president and CEO of Open Doors, a non-profit that engages with the persecuted church around the world. Across nine years, he helped grow the organization and raise its profile. Since then, Moeller has served as the CEO of Biblica as well as other non-profits and has pastored as an ordained minister of the Evangelical Free Church of America. For the past four years, he has led The Joshua Fund, which supports ministries in Israel and the Middle East.
“I am thrilled to embark on this journey,” Moeller said. “I look forward to witnessing the extraordinary ways in which God will work through us in the days ahead. I am honored to follow the outstanding leadership of Ben Homan and the legacy of John Stott. Together with the global team, we will embrace the future by God’s grace.”
After Homan privately informed the Langham Board of his retirement plans more than a year ago, a committee of current and former Langham board members (and three current staff members) began the presidential search process, assisted by CarterBaldwin Executive Search.
John Rain, chair of the search committee, said, “Our committee sought a heart for the global church as well as experience leading a team and being a collaborative member of an international partnership. Carl meets all of these criteria.”
“I am thrilled that Dr. Carl Moeller will build on Langham’s growth under Ben Homan’s leadership,” remarked Rev. Dr. Riad Kassis, international director for Langham Partnership. “We are excited about this appointment and confident that Dr. Moeller will help lead us into the next chapter of our journey for God’s glory.”
Moeller and his wife Kim have four adult children and live in Oceanside, California. To facilitate a smooth transition, Carl will begin service as president-elect in September 2024 until Homan officially concludes his role as president at the end of 2024.
Contact Jack DeGrenier at usa@langham.org with further questions.
Langham Partnership President Announces Retirement
Ben Homan announces retirement after fourteen years of service
January 9, 2024
Phoenix, Arizona -- Langham Partnership USA President, Benjamin K. Homan, has informed the board of directors of his intent to retire effective December 31, 2024. This news was received by the board with profound appreciation for Ben’s service and tenure as president.
According to Joel Carpenter, chairman of the board, “Ben has led Langham through a significant period of growth which has enabled us to multiply our efforts in serving the global church. When Ben started in his role, the ministry was in a fragile position. Now, as he prepares to retire, we have a strategic plan, a talented staff and a recently completed campaign to accelerate a new phase of growth. Whoever serves as president next will enjoy the benefits of Ben’s leadership for years to come.”
Ben has served as the President of Langham Partnership USA since 2010. Under his leadership, Langham experienced a significant increase in annual support while also launching the "All In for the Global Church" growth campaign, an ambitious initiative to multiply leadership training and resources for the church throughout Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. During his time as president, Ben also formed a strategic partnership with Excellence in Giving to measure and evaluate the impact of Langham’s work around the world.
Prior to serving at Langham, Ben was the chief executive officer for Food for the Hungry, a Christian relief and development organization where he led assessment teams to Iraq, Afghanistan, tsunami-ravaged Indonesia, Sudan's Darfur region, and other devastated zones of the world. He also previously served as vice president for development at Covenant Theological Seminary and served as an instructor at the University of California-Irvine. In addition to his service at Langham, Ben has also been an active member of the Accord Network in various volunteer roles.
“I have great confidence in the team that God has assembled at Langham Partnership, not only the board of directors, but the team of staff and my co-workers who are phenomenally talented and brilliant and called and in love with the global church,” said Homan. “And so, as I reach my own transition, I’m confident about the future that the best days for Langham Partnership are ahead. It’s in a position of financial and ministry health with good leadership, with good finances, with strong accountability so that Annette and I, in our prayers and thoughts, concluded this was the best time for a transition to take place.”
The Board of Directors has formed a search committee to identify a candidate to serve as the next president of Langham Partnership USA. The committee is being assisted by CarterBaldwin, an executive search firm. Ben Homan will continue to serve in his role as president while the search is underway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ben Homan retiring?
Yes, he is. Ben began service with Langham Partnership in August 2010. Almost 3 years ago, he alerted Langham’s Board of Directors that he anticipated retirement somewhere around 2024. Then, in April 2023, Ben informed the Board of Directors that he planned to leave Langham, per the board’s approval, on December 31, 2024.
Does Ben have post-retirement plans?
Yes, he certainly does! And he is excited! Ben plans to devote this next season of service to various writing projects and mentoring emerging ministry and non-profit leaders. By God’s grace, he and his wife, Annette, hope to remain active in ministry and service.
What impact will this have on Langham?
While losing a highly effective and beloved president is never easy, nevertheless Langham Partnership is in a strong position to move forward with an extraordinary, talented team of people who love Langham’s mission and share deep commitments to the global church.
Langham has never been about a person or personality — and we feel blessed about having a well-defined and compelling future, as expressed in a comprehensive strategic plan. The next president is set up well for continued strengthening of the global church.
Langham has also navigated succession well in the past, as modeled especially by Langham’s founder John Stott and his hand-off of leadership to Christopher J.H. Wright.
How is Langham doing financially?
Very well. Langham Partnership has been prayerfully guided by a clear, multi-year strategic plan that has helped fuel major growth. The "All In for the Global Church" financial campaign associated with this growth has exceeded its $40.8M goal and resulted in over $45M for Langham’s key work around the world. Further, Langham Partnership USA has seen strong, steady financial growth over the past 14 years.
Who will replace Ben?
The Board has established a search committee and has engaged the services of CarterBaldwin, a highly respected executive search firm, to help identify potential candidates. You may click here to download a job prospectus and learn how you may nominate people for consideration. The key contact people with CarterBaldwin are listed in the prospectus.
Who is on the Presidential Search Committee?
The Presidential Search Committee is comprised of members of the Langham USA Board of Directors and other special invitees, along with representatives of the staff in the USA and globally.
Langham USA Board members:
John Rain, Search Committee Chair
Joel Carpenter, Langham USA Board Chair
Eidi Cruz-Valdivieso
Ilya Manzyuk
Schuyler Marshall
Margaret Mwenda
Santiago Proano
David Spence
Former Langham USA Board members:
Nancy Seay
Luder Whitlock
Langham Staff:
Riad Kassis, International Director for Langham Partnership
Craig Hoffman
Carolyn Slavik
Is there an anticipated time frame for hiring Ben’s replacement?
Our hope and prayer is that the search committee and the Board will identify the next president during the spring of 2024, allowing for some overlap with Ben and a smooth transition.
How may we pray?
Pray for the Lord’s wisdom to guide the search committee. Pray for the candidates who will be considered — and also, we encourage you to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the service that Ben has brought to Langham Partnership.