Before coming to TEDS in the fall of 2016, Dr. Bryan served as a missionary in Ethiopia for more than 23 years. He taught for many years at the Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa and also served as the first Dean of Studies of the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology for six years. From 2009–2015, he was the director of SIM Ethiopia, leading the work of over 500 ministry and support personnel from Europe, Australasia, North America, S. Africa and Ethiopia in a variety of church-planting, discipleship, leadership development and compassion ministries. Dr. Bryan was selected as part of the Ethiopian delegation to the 2010 Lausanne Congress in Cape Town, South Africa and currently serves on the Lausanne Theological Working Group – Core. He completed his PhD in historical Jesus studies at Cambridge University. His current research interests include the Gospel of John, Jesus and the Law, and cultural identity.
He and his wife, Dawn, have three young adult sons and a daughter-in-law. They enjoy walks together in the many forest preserves of Illinois and spending time with family whenever they get the chance. In his spare time, he relishes time in the garden, trout fishing, and reading about history.
