Paul grew up on an airplane. Not really, but he felt like it! He split his childhood between Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, and Singapore while his parents, David and Jan Watson, planted churches as career missionaries with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Paul remembers evacuating India during the Gulf War. When the kids on the street started throwing rocks at his little brother, the Watsons figured that they’d better move to a safer place. They landed in Singapore.

After graduating from the Singapore American School, Paul returned to the United States to attend university. While attending Ouachita Baptist University, he met Christi. They fell in love, married in 1998 and transferred to the University of North Texas. They both graduated from UNT – Paul with a BA in English Literature and a minor in Business Administration.

In the years after he graduated, Paul managed a copy center for Office Max, directed communications for a non-profit organization, started a LAN café, started a book distribution and publishing company, and consulted with small non-profit organizations about marketing. Needless to say, he learned a lot during those years.

In 2007, Paul served on an editorial team for a series of curricula CityTeam (http://www.cityteam.org) developed to train their church planters. Quite naturally, Paul transitioned within CityTeam and started training and coaching church planters and church planting organizations around the world. In 2010, he traveled 75,000 miles and trained people in the UK, France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Lebanon, Egypt, Germany, and in many states in the USA. In 2011, Paul traveled 85,000 miles. He also used Skype to coach people in countries he couldn’t visit.

Toward the end of 2011, CityTeam asked Paul to become the City Director of CityTeam’s Recovery Center in Portland, OR. CityTeam, Portland, feeds 72,000 meals a year (6,000 per month). They help, on average, 84 people per night, 365 days per year, get a shower, find clothing, and a have a place to sleep. Paul would be responsible for leading the team in Portland as they met the physical needs of the homeless, addicted and alcoholic while seeking to catalyze disciple-making movements in the Pacific Northwest.

After prayer, Paul and Christi agreed with CityTeam that God wanted them move. In 2012, Paul, Christi, and their children (Yahel, John Paul, and Keturah) celebrated the New Year, in a new city, in a new state, 2,250 miles from their extended families and the place they once called home. They enjoying the opportunity to make disciples in the Pacific Northwest and see the transformation they know will come. Paul is published in ‘Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th Edition.’

David Watson's career in disciple-making, church planting, and serving in mission organizations spans 45 years. His primary vision is to catalyze Disciple Making Movements in difficult to reach people groups, cities and countries around the world. The primary methodology used is the training of local leaders in Disciple Making Movements, which includes evangelism and disciple making, church planting, leadership, church planting strategies and church planting movements. God has used the leaders David trained to start over 140,000 churches, and more than 4 million people have been baptized as a result of God’s moving in the areas where trained local workers have devoted themselves to God’s work. David has been instrumental in starting 102 movements globally.

David and his wife, Jan, were married in 1973. They served as Church Planters and Strategy Coordinators for the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention from October 1985 to March 1999. They have lived and worked in Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Asia, Singapore, and the United States of America. Prior to joining the International Mission Board, David and Jan served as missionaries working with hearing impaired people in Texas. David has also served in pastoral roles in seven churches as Minister to the Deaf, Associate Pastor, or Senior Pastor.

David and Jan have been involved in unreached people work since 1986. They are among the pioneers of the non-residential missionary movement, strategy coordinator methodologies, and the focus on the unreached peoples of the world. They continue their personal involvement in this ministry and church planting.

In the performance of his duties, David has been responsible for starting three mission agencies that focus on unreached peoples and Church Planting Movements. He has also been involved in starting three companies to provide platforms for missionaries and support for missions.

David and Jan have two sons, Paul (born 1978) and Jonathan (born 1982). Their long-term plans are to continue facilitating the development of church planting movements among the unreached peoples of the world, and training personnel in church planting movement methodologies. Both sons are involved in these plans.

David founded Asian Partners International, Inc., in 1991. He served as the Chairman of the Board until 1 March 2008. Before joining CityTeam he also served as the President and Chief Executive Officer. The stated purpose of APII is to start Church Planning Movements in the restricted access countries of Asia.

David also does consulting work with churches and mission agencies involved in difficult to reach areas around the world. He has been involved in developing strategies and training personnel for Central and South America, West Africa, East Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and North America. David has conducted training in more than sixty countries around the world. Church Planters and administrators from more than one hundred twenty countries have attended his training sessions.