Greg R. Scharf, DMin

Greg R. Scharf is chair of the Pastoral Theology Department and associate professor of Pastoral Theology. He was born in Indiana and from age eight lived in Texas. As an undergraduate, he studied biology at Rice University, where he was a National Merit Scholar and a Fellow of Hanszen College. There he came to realize that he was a sinner in need of forgiveness and turned to Jesus as his Savior. Though accepted to study neurophysiology at the doctoral level, he was challenged to enroll in seminary to be better equipped to answer questions of his peers.

He attended Trinity where God convinced him of the key role of the local church in his eternal plan and called him to pastoral ministry. After receiving the Master of Divinity, Dr. Scharf served an internship at All Souls, Langham Place in London, England. He then joined the staff there, serving as chaplain to university students. During this time Dr. Scharf coauthored Food for Life, published by InterVarsity Press in Britain and by various publishers in Afrikaans, Dutch, German, Chinese, and American editions. It was there also that he met his wife, Ruth.

They then served as pastor to students and young adults at Knox Church, Toronto, Ontario, for three years before moving to Fargo, North Dakota, in 1980 to pastor the newly-planted Salem Evangelical Free Church. He served there for nineteen years and enjoyed watching God build individuals and the church corporately. During this time Dr. Scharf completed the Doctor of Ministry degree, developed an eldership training program and helped equip several pastoral interns and apprentices. For a number of years he chaired the Committee on Safeguarding our Spiritual Heritage of the Evangelical Free Church of America, as well as serving in various other roles at the district level. Salem released him for a month of overseas ministry leave every second year. This enabled Dr. Scharf to preach and teach in a variety of settings around the world.

Dr. Scharf is a past president of the Evangelical Homiletics Society and chairman of the board of John Stott Ministries. He is a contributor to The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching and the author of Prepared to Preach.

Ruth Scharf, trained as a physical therapist and with a diploma in theology and missionary studies from All Nations Christian College in England, is Professor Scharf's full partner in ministry. Greg and Ruth have three grown sons.