I offer generative depth coaching, spiritual accompaniment, and academic resourcing for leaders, mostly across Africa and Europe. I’m an American-Canadian, who grew up in Central and West Africa and worked in Kenya for more than a decade, so many of my best values reflect the richness and complexity of different African cultures. Currently, we live in Alsace, France.
Most of this blog now feels like a distant past life from more than a decade ago. Since then, I’ve moved in a much more open and contemplative direction. My current research interests now focus more around the soul, spirit, consciousness, and how to support the transition through midlife into the wisdom of the second half of life. I’m also interested in ways of engaging systems for social transformation. Through life experience and related study, I’ve learned a lot about neurodivergence–notably ADHD, Autism, NLP, Integral theory, interpersonal neurobiology, Bowen Family Systems Theory, and Internal Family Systems (IFS). I have especially benefitted from African and African-American voices regarding justice and human thriving as well as against systemic forms of racism created and perpetuated by my own white peoples.
My PhD dissertation in New Testament (early Christianity) from Africa International University incorporated theories of social legitimation, social identity (ethnicity), authorial audience, relevance, narrative, and intertextuality to study “Luke’s Narrative Legitimation of Paul and the Gospel among the Diaspora (Acts 16-19).” Previously attended Wheaton, Trinity (Deerfield), and Westminster (Philadelphia). Don’t hold that against me.
My wife Christi is founder, CEO, and educational director of Awaken Coach Institute and is one of only 1300 ICF Master Certified Coaches (MCC) in the world. She is also a certified facilitator of Brené Brown’s Daring WayTM curriculum, and a trained spiritual director. We have three adult children who were born on three different continents.
Email me directly HERE
Confluence: Ben Byerly's Muddy Mix 
Ben! I just came across your blog through Jim West’s blog. I had completely lost track of you, so I’m glad to see that you are alive and well and back studying (yay!). Look forward to reading your blog in the coming days.
If you ever feel like dropping me a line with a bit more news on what’s been happening since seminary, I’d love to hear from you.
Doug Green
I too learned of you through Jim West’s blog. Looking forward to your posts.
Ben,
Are you in a safe area, in light of all the unrest since Dec. 27?
A native pastor in Nairobi, with whom I keep in contact, has lost everything.
Doug! I wrote you an e-mail years ago, which I never sent. I’ll send it now with other updates off-line. Everything I learned at Westminster, I learned in the OT department.
Impressive blog Eric
“learnfrenchwiththebible.” We are safe, and always have been. Maybe I’ll post on that soon. Others, like your pastor obviously haven’t. The tragic stories are heart wrenching.
G’day Ben,
Cheers for the insight and as in the past I’m sure i’ll learn a thing or 3. Keep your head down mate!
Regards from Addis.
B.J.
Hi there, Ben. You don’t know me, not thru Jim West or any other stellar human being. I just happened upon your blog thru a Google Alert on Kenya. My partner’s family is in Kenya, she is Kenyan and has only been in the states 7 of her 37 yrs. As you can imagine we are devastated by what is happening there. One of her family members has been murdered already. We can only pray.
I’d love to know how to get your posts. I imagine they may be greatly informative and hopefully hopeful soon!
Yes, keep your head down…
In peace,
April
April,
I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your partner’s family member. So many people have needlessly suffered tragic loss. When it affects someone from your own family, it is deeply saddening in a way that none of the rest of us can truly understand.
I hope you also got to read some of the more uplifting stories written last week. A few people can certainly make life very miserable for so many others.
We continue to pray.
Peace,
I found your blog through my Google Alerts on Kenya. I am in Washington State, but I am a biblical counselor working with a missionary who is presently in Kitale, Kenya. I just heard around 200 men were rounded up by the police or army (not sure which) in Kitale as it appeared they had established some sort of training camp and had many weapons. Any more news on this? Have they found out what they were planning on doing? I have limited access to the missionary and I have been doing my best to stay on top of the current events. Besides Google Alerts, do you know of any online newspapers that would be helpful? Thanks!
Ben, I discovered you blog today from Google Alerts on Missional Church. I look forward to following your work. Blessings Brother!
Hi,
I to congratulate you for your work well done. One thing I will to know from you is that of knowing A FRICAN CHRISTIANITY and some transformation that is going on at present. Hence if there are some text books to get from you I will be gratefull to have it. My address is Cameroon Baptist Seminary, Kumba, South West Province, Cameroon.
Thanks
Jonga, Thanks for stopping by. As you know, African Christianity can be quite diverse and so transformation can mean many different things. My colleague, Peter Yuh, has taught translation at your other campus and greets you.
Blessings in your studies.
boy that’s a terrific blog, what do you do for a day job? I’d need two days off just to understand what you’re talking about
sound like trouble in the monkey cage over at WTS??
Ben,
I just met with Spencer Radnich and he recommended I contact you. I’m a PhD student in political science at the University of Florida. I’m studying church-state relations in Kenya, focusing on 2002-2007 and specifically the 2005 constitutional referendum. I’ll be in Nairobi for two more weeks and would love to meet with you to solicit your opinion on my research project. I’m only in the preliminary stage, but I just had an amazing conversation with Spencer and he thought you could shed a lot of light on my research. Send me an email with your mobile and I’ll give you a call to see if sometime next week or the following would work to meet for an hour…or maybe coffee at Java House if you live in Nairobi (I live near the Junction). Thanks Ben.
Steve, I e-mailed you directly. I’ve got a couple of colleagues you should really talk to. If for some reason you didn’t get it, I’ll resend. My e-mail is in the link at the end of the above post.
The world is small – I came across your blog when Eddie mentioned it on BlogDay 2008 and put it on my blogreader. Now I discover that you are actually Brenda’s brother. We usually see each other during Sunday night service when they are in the capital. I have many friends among her mission colleagues. I find interconnections like that hilarious.
Jutta,
Sorry, your comment seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle. It is a very small world.
We share the same name. Interesting blog.
That’s interesting. I know of two others – somebody in Oregon (class of 1998) and a former high school track star in Pennsylvania. Where are you?
Originally from North Carolina, I have lived in Alabama for 24 years. I am a petroleum geologist. I am a member of a Baptist church in Birmingham.
I had no idea that were that many Ben Byerly’s around. Thanks for convincing the world that at least one of us is intelligent.
“that at least” one of us is intelligent”? Sounds to me like that “one” would be a petroleum geologist.
Believe it or not, I’m originally from North Carolina too – at least my father is. I spent my sophomore year of High School at Greensboro Grimsley.
Maybe we are actually related.
Sorry to take so long to get back with you. I grew up in Lexington about 20 miles away. We probably are related. Lot’s of Byerly’s in that part of the world. I attended UNC and had couple of good friends there that had attended Grimsley. Grimsley had a reputation for being a very good school.
Hi Ben, in desperate need of suggestions on literature for my students at l’Université Chrétienne due Kinshasa (though in French), I am hoovering the Internet to find suggestions. Somehow I ended up on your fantastic page. I teach (As Dr. of Theology from a Swedish State University) at faculties in both Congo. If ever You want another book, mail me and Ill see to it that “my” publisher send U my PhD thesis “Conversion and Contextual Conceptions of Christ – a missiological study among young urban converts in BRazzaville”. Please make me a list of French lit. / Carl S
Carl,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Your dissertation looks very interesting, and I can imagine we would have a lot to talk about if we met – though I am relatively new to this field and my focus right now is basic (old-fashioned, Western) biblical studies.
I’m afraid it will be a long time before I come up with a list in French, sorry. I would recommend contacting Rich Starcher who compiled the big PDF bibliography I linked to on the African Christianity Bibliography page. His e-mail is available on the Talbot seminary faculty pages: http://www.talbot.edu/faculty/faculty_profiles/profile.cfm?
Hope that helps
Hey Ben,
We went to Wheaton together way back when! I recall that, back in those days, my conversations with you and your sister inspired me in my desire to do missions work. I ran across your blog on a google search for “missionary stages of culture shock.” My wife and I are deep into “stage two” right now! I’m living southeast of Paris and am working with a French church planter. We’ve been here for just over a year and are struggling to survive. I’ve enjoyed reading through your blog and gaining insight from your experience. Many blessings on you!
Great to hear from you, Chris. France is a tough, tough nut. I eventually got the hang of it and loved it there, but it’s probably the hardest adjustment we’ve had anywhere. It has to be even tougher for someone in your field. Who are you working with? . . . I’m trying to think of something to say that would be encouraging to you, but all I can think of right now is a bunch of stories of our time there and memories of some of my favorite places. Overall, after we adjusted and apart from Christi’s job (our reason for being there), we had a great time.
That was pretty serious.
Ben,
I think you for stopping by the blog. I do intend to again take up Luke-Acts very soon. I have been preoccupied of late with Paul’s letter to the Romans and my local church. Good to hear from you.
Thanks,
Lee
Hi Ben, remember me from ICA days? I serve in Burkina with SIM – since 1997.
Joel
Hey Joel,
Great to hear from you!! Have you forgotten that your brother and I lived together for a bit in college?
Have you met my colleague Samy Tioye. He does Bible translation in Burkina.
Hey Ben, a recent search I was doing for flowers native to West Africa turned up (after a wikipedia-style click-click-click-I can’t stop-click trail) a list of ICA folks online, including your blog. I’ve been poking my head into some here & there, catching up on how folks are doing, and it’s bringing back a lot of memories.
Happy to see you’re doing well — what a beautiful family! So many ICAers are living overseas, it’s renewing my yearning to do the same. I’m happily settled in Oakland with Rick, though; if the right job came along we would jump at the chance to move (almost) anywhere overseas, but this will be our US home for a long time, I think. I’ve been thinking about trying to get back to RCI for a photojournalistic project, possibly next year. I love to be able to show Rick my home.
Your stability, humor, and sage advice my freshman year in college helped keep me sane through what turned out to be a really tough year. Motorcycle study breaks didn’t hurt, either. Good to see you again, my friend.
-Lisa
Lisa, it’s really great to hear from you. It has been a very, very long time. I’d love to see some of your photos if you post them anywhere.
I often forget how hard that first year of college is–especially for TCKs. Most of us manage to survive somehow.
I’d love to hear more of what you’ve been up to for the last-almost 20 years (hard to believe.) Send me an e-mail if you feel up to it.
Hope you get back to RCI.
Hi Ben.Excited to have found your website.I have left a few comments already.Sorry if there are any repeat comments,still feeling my way around and sometimes I don’t see my comments posted.Thanx for sharing your thoughts and opinions.Proudly brown south African
Thanks for all your comments, Mandy. It’s great to have you here.
Impressive. Just checking, did u c the link I sent to ur email.