Leadership Grace Equip

Mark Zhakevich

Instructor

Mark grew up in Russia until 1990, when his family immigrated to Los Angeles and joined Grace Community Church. Having grown up at Grace, it was natural for him to prepare for ministry at The Master's Seminary, where he earned his M.Div. and Th.M. degrees. In 2017, Mark earned his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh. Mark joined the church staff in 2007 and currently serves as Pastor of Administration and as a staff elder in Crossroads, where he leads the Foundation Bible study.

Michael Wurtz

Instructor

Michael Wurtz serves at The Master's Seminary where he is involved in Operations and the Distance Learning Program. He holds both M.Div. and Th.M. degrees from The Master’s Seminary and has been teaching Grace Equip classes since 2012. In the near future, Michael would love to serve the Lord as a missionary.

Bill Shannon

Instructor

Bill has served on staff since 1989, and he is the co-pastor of Anchored, a Sunday morning adult fellowship group. Bill oversees and is actively involved in the biblical counseling ministry—he teaches discipleship counseling and marriage and family classes through Grace Equip and provides formal and informal counseling for church members and regular attenders of Grace Church. He is also a member of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) where he serves as a fellow. Bill has enjoyed opportunities to minister internationally, teaching at pastors' conferences and training centers in India, Croatia, England, Poland, the Czech-Republic, Japan, Ireland, and South Africa. Bill graduated from Iona College (B.A.) in New Rochelle, New York, and earned his M.Div. and D.Min. from The Master's Seminary in Sun Valley, California. Bill and his wife, Donna, have two daughters and five granddaughters.

George Sanders

Instructor

Chris Burnett

Instructor

Chris was born in Los Angeles, California, where his parents attended Grace Church, but spent his childhood years in Arlington, Texas before returning to Los Angeles. He studied Physiological Sciences at UCLA, then at the Italian Evangelical Bible Institute in Rome, Italy, where he met his wife Erma, a native of Italy. He served for seven years as a church planter in Italy and the Republic of San Marino before coming to The Master’s Seminary (TMS) to receive his M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D., with a focus on theology and missiology. Chris is a Faculty Associate at TMS, teaching research, writing, pedagogy, and missions. He also serves as the Associate Director of Academics for The Master’s Academy International (TMAI), focusing on curriculum design and excellence in pastoral training in nearly twenty member schools across the world. Chris preaches and teaches in the Sojourners fellowship group at Grace Community Church and is active in music ministry there. Chris and Erma have three boys (Davide, Ean, and Luca).