Our Staff
Dr. Ayman S. Ibrahim
Director
Ayman Ibrahim was born and raised in Egypt. He completed two PhDs in Islamic Studies (Fuller 2014, Haifa University 2018). Since 1991, he has taught in various countries in the Muslim world and in the West at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Fuller Theological Seminary in the United States, and at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut, Lebanon. Some of the courses he taught include: Introduction to Islam; History and Theology of Islam; Islamic Texts; Islamic Thought; Contemporary Islam; Christian-Muslim Apologetics; and Modern Standard Arabic. He is a member of the Center for the Study of Inter-Religious Encounters at Ben Gurion University of the Negev; the International Quranic Studies Association; the Evangelical Theological Society. He authored Muhammad’s Military Expeditions: A Critical Reading in Original Muslim Sources (Oxford University Press, 2024), Islam and the Bible (B&H, 2023), Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor with the Gospel (Crossway, 2022), A Concise Guide to the Life of Muhammad: Answering Thirty Key Questions (Baker Academic, 2022), Conversion to Islam (Oxford University Press, 2021); Basics of Arabic (Zondervan 2021); A Concise Guide to the Quran (Baker Academic, 2020); The Stated Motivations for the Early Islamic Expansion (Peter Lang, 2018); and co-edited Muslim Conversions to Christ: A Critique of Insider Movements in Islamic Contexts (Peter Lang, 2018). His articles on Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations appeared in the Washington Post, Religion News Services, Colorado Springs Gazette, Louisville Courier-Journal, First Things, among others. He has been married since 2012 and together with his wife, they serve among Arabs in the United States and the Middle East. Contact him via his email: aibrahim@sbts.edu and follow him on Twitter at @al2ostaz.
Grace Kim
Administrative Assistant
Grace Kim was born in South Korea and came to the United States when she was 10 years old. She grew up in a strong Christian home, and during her freshman year in college she received a heart to become a missionary in an unreached nation. After college, she went to Turkey for two years and then spent about eight years doing mission mobilization work around the world in 25 countries. She is now a student at Southern, where she graduated with an MA in Missiology and is currently a Ph.D. student in World Religions under the supervision of Dr. Ibrahim. Grace is passionate about mobilizing the global church for missions in the Muslim World and is excited to see greater Christian understanding of Islam through the work of the Jenkins Center.
Amos Luka
Finance Associate
Amos Luka was born and bred in Northern Nigeria. He is married to Vesta and has four kids (Abi, Joanna, Micaiah, and Shiloh). His undergraduate in theology was at Jos ECWA Theological Seminary. Amos was a local church pastor and teacher of a seminary’s extension center in Zaria, Kaduna State. Amos moved to Louisville, Kentucky, to attend Southern Seminary for further theological training. He has a Master of Divinity and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in World Religions under the supervision of Dr. Ibrahim. Amos is the Finance Associate for the Jenkins Center. His encounters with Muslims in a predominantly Muslim context kindled Amos’ passion for ministering to Muslims. He desires to train pastors, church leaders, and missionaries to help churches in Africa have a Christian understanding of Islam and tools for engaging Muslims effectively with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our Interns
Ali
Ali was born and raised in Dan-marabu, Katsina State, Nigeria, in a Muslim community. He Studied at Jos ECWA Theological Seminary, Jos Nigeria, and Westminster Theological Seminary, Glenside Pennsylvania. He served as a pastor and teacher in Jos. Ali moved to Louisville, Kentucky in 2020 to study at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is now a Ph.D. student in Systematic Theology. Ali is a research volunteer for the Jenkin Center. His encounter with Muslims from birth through family and community spurs his desire to minister to Muslims. He desires to continue to train pastors, teachers, missionaries, and church leaders so churches in Africa have a Christian understanding of Islam and engage Muslims effectively in love with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Chaylin
Chaylin is originally from South Africa. She spent eighteen years of her life there until she and her family moved to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. During this time, she was introduced to the Islamic world and the Muslim beliefs. In 2022, Chaylin came to Boyce College, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in the Elementary Education program. At Boyce, she came to know the Jenkins Center and was drawn to the ministry and the community that it supplied. Upon joining the team for an outreach event, she developed a passion for the lost Muslim people and decided to apply to be an intern.
Gabriela
Gabriela was born in New Hampshire, which is where her mom is from, and when she was one year old, she moved to Venezuela, which is where her dad is from. Then, when she was five years old, her family moved to Costa Rica. She grew up in a Christian family and was saved at a young age. She came to Louisville to get a teaching degree at Boyce College. Here, she was able to go on a trip abroad and learn about Muslims for the first time. She discovered the great need for Muslims to hear the gospel and witnessed the joy and hope of Christ in Muslim nations. She hopes that the Jenkins Center will help her to grow in wisdom and ability to serve Muslims as she plans to serve in a Muslim country as a long-term career.
Joel
Joel was born in India to a Christian family and grew up under their influence and prayers. He believes that his mother’s prayers sustained him through the years and has brought him to study at Southern Seminary. Through his Sunday school teacher’s discipleship and teaching of Scripture, God placed a weight on his heart to help the unreached people and victims of human trafficking. After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, he came to America to pursue his M. Div at Southern Seminary. He aims to use this education to share and teach the gospel when he returns to his home country with his wife, Sharon, to carry out the Lord’s mission work. He hopes to use the experience he will gain at the Jenkins Center to reach Muslims in his country. He and his wife desire to work among the unreached people group as lifelong missionaries.
Kathryn
Kathryn was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and grew up in central Indiana. From a young age, she has been passionate about learning foreign languages and cultures, particularly in North Africa and the Middle East. This culminated in her studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in French and a minor in Arabic. During Kathryn’s time at IU, God gave her a heart for reaching Muslims with the gospel, ultimately bringing her to Southern Seminary. As she pursues her M. Div in Islamic Studies, Kathryn is honored to serve alongside the members of the Jenkins Center as they share Christ with Muslims and equip students for effective ministry to Muslims. After graduation, Kathryn hopes to have a career in international missions.
Natalie
Natalie was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is beginning her third year in the Teacher Education Program at Boyce College. Her eyes were opened to the overwhelming need for missionary workers through the intercessory prayer for Ramadan during her first year. This made such an impact on her, giving her a heart for Muslims and the Great Commission in general. By interning at the Jenkins Center, she hopes to gain experience and wisdom, learning to evangelize and being mentored by the other members of the team. After graduation, Natalie hopes to become a teacher and settle overseas, faithfully sharing the gospel in whichever country she ends up in.
Sarah
Sarah grew up in southeastern Michigan in a loving Christian home. God saved her as a little girl, though her teen years were fraught with spiritual struggles. From a young age, she has been fascinated by other countries and cultures, but it was not until adulthood that she traveled overseas for the first time. It was an incredible experience that launched a journey of growth and deeper involvement in missions that continue to unravel. Understanding the global kingdom of God played an essential role in Sarah’s faith journey. Sarah came to Boyce in January 2024 to pursue her bachelor’s in global studies, where the Jenkins Center began to become a significant part of her first semester. She looks forward to getting more involved, serving, learning, and growing in understanding Islam from a Christian perspective and seeing where the Lord might use her in bringing His light to those in darkness.
Sharon
Sharon was born in India and was raised by Christian parents. She received Christ at a young age and was actively involved in the local church ministries for years. After graduating from university, she worked as a sustainability consultant and architect in India during which she sensed God’s calling on her life for a greater purpose. The passion for serving God among the nations brought her to Louisville. She is currently pursuing her M. Div at Southern Seminary. After finishing her studies in America, she desires to be on the mission field along with her husband, Joel, wherever the Lord leads them! She believes the Jenkin Center will prepare and equip them for their future ministry.
Become an Intern
Click the button below to learn how to become an intern at the Jenkins Center.