Join Travis as he has a deep conversation with Keith Draper.
Rev. Keith Draper and his wife Barbara have served the Lord in the Chicagoland area for over 30 years now. He began his work in the far west suburbs of Chicago as a campus minister at Wheaton College and College of DuPage. Through his ongoing missionary work, he became involved in mentoring and coaching church planters across Chicagoland, leading to dozens of new congregations and engaging in missions with close to 50 people groups. Ultimately, he became the lead overseer for over 250 churches across Cook, Kane, and DuPage counties before taking early retirement from denominational work in 2013.
He has continued to follow his missionary calling with great passion, developing a partnership model called 5 Acts of Kindness. This model brings churches together to address global urban needs while planning events for global urban leaders. His non-profit work in cities has helped bring investment to at-risk populations, outreach to people groups with little exposure to Christianity, organic mission extension from local to global settings, assessment and coaching to young ministers, and successful transition for churches in changing communities.
In 2015, as the refugee crisis began heating up from conflicts across the globe, Keith sensed a calling to serve the broader body of Christ with World Relief to help local congregations stand with the vulnerable being resettled here. By addressing real needs with refugee populations and partnering with churches he has seen a growing movement of churches among diverse peoples. That work has now expanded to other immigrant communities with the same eye toward further Kingdom growth.
Presently, he serves on the leadership team of World Relief as the Church & Volunteer Engagement Director, leading a team of 8 people in this work. He and his wife Barbara have 9 children and, in addition, have taken in 12 at-risk children over the past several years. They currently live in the East Washington Street Historic District of West Chicago.
They talk about sushi, church planting, connections, steps of faith, the nations in our neighborhoods, and opening our hearts to what God has for us.