Associate Professor, Global Studies
Office: Miller Hall 250
Education
- Ph.D., Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Intercultural Studies, 2019
- M.A., Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, 2013
- B.A., North Central University, 2000
Professional Experience
- Credentialed 2002, Ordained 2004
- Professional Memberships:
- Assemblies of Good World Missions, 2006 – Present
- Evangelical Missiological Society, 2016 – Present
- Society of Pentecostal Studies, 2018 – Present
- Language and Culture Competency Training Team, AGWM, 2020 – Present
- Publications:
- Submitted for publication, chapter, Catechesis, AGWM, 2025
- Submitted for publication, “Historical Christian Response to Refugees in Sweden”, 2025
- “Self-localizing: The Indigenous Church in Context”, Journal of the Evangelical Missiological Society, EMS, 2024
- “Ekklēsia: Contending for Church as ‘People’”, Ecclesiology Journal, Brill, 2023
- “Bridging or breaking: An ethnic of communication for missional engagement”, Missiology Journal, Sage, 2022
- Book Review, Pentecostal Politics in a Secular World: The Life and Leadership of Lewi Pethrus, by Joel Halldorf, Pneuma Journal, Brill, 2021
- “Toward a spirit-led orthopathy of Pentecostal mission: Simultaneous vectors”, Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association, Taylor & Francis, 2021
- Co-authored chapter, “An International Consideration of Knutby” Entusiastisk kristendom & fanatism i Knutby, IPS, Alvik, Sweden, 2021
- The Spirit and the Secular, Wipf & Stock, 2021
- “Field research: contemporary Swedish Pentecostal pastors, the Holy Spirit and church multiplication”, Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association, Taylor & Francis, 2019
- Dissertation, Pingst Pastors’ Perceptions of the Activity of the Holy Spirit as Related to Planting Churches among the Unchurched, Proquest, 2019
- Book Review: When You Come Together by A.S. Anderson, The Pentecostal Educator: A Journal of WAPTE, 2016
- Copycat, Urban Loft Publishers, 2015
About
Dr. Phil Zarns joined North Central in 2018 as a visiting lecturer, then as fulltime faculty member in 2020. He simultaneously works with AGWM in theory and praxis with focus on understanding language and culture, contextualization of faith communities in global contexts, and developing academic endeavors. He is married to Katja (’00 NCU alum.), partner in ministry and spouse of 25+ years. They have three children: Ben, Matilda, and Max. Phil takes long walks with his family, enjoys a strong cup of coffee, good conversation, guitar and regularly fails to win at UNO.