For 17 years, Jerry and his wife, Jan, served as missionaries in Europe with the Free Methodist Church. The last 11 years he served as the overseer for continental Europe. Since joining FAS in 2013 Jerry’s call to the nations is becoming more realized as he has had the opportunity to preach and teach in over 70 countries in the world.

A career in his family’s business was redirected when Jerry felt a call to full-time ministry in the early 1980s. He was ordained in 1987 in the Free Methodist Church and pastored two churches in the USA. Jerry served as the assistant director of VISA and personnel for Free Methodist World Missions before moving with his family to Europe in 1996.

Jerry is a graduate of Greenville College, now University (Greenville, IL), and Asbury Theological Seminary (Wilmore, KY).

Jan Coleman’s training and experience is in education. She taught English in public schools and English as a foreign language to adult learners. Jan uses her platform as a teacher of English as a stepstool for evangelism. As a member of the church planting team in Budapest, Hungary, she also had regular opportunities to teach, preach, and lead worship in the Hungarian language. Since returning to the USA in 2013, Jan has had the privilege of traveling with Jerry both as companion and as a fellow evangelist.

Jerry and Jan have three married children: Sarah (Russell), Kristin (Spencer), and David (Alison); and seven grandchildren.

To hear more of their story, read Jerry’s book, One Way Ticket: Leaving Home for Good.