Ward and Debbie Shope
Ward Shope is the Human Resources and Missionary Care Manager at World Harvest, focusing on the care of staff here and overseas. Ward became a believer through the confirmation ministry of his local church in Lancaster, PA. After concluding that the Lord was leading him toward vocational ministry, he attended Geneva College where he majored in Biblical Studies. He met his future wife, Debbie, at Geneva while they served as volunteers together with Young Life.
After college, Ward attended Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, becoming deeply involved in missions through prayer and study. After two years of seminary, Ward left school to co-found a student missions organization encouraging seminary students to consider missionary service. In 1984, he finished his M.Div. degree at Drew Theological Seminary and began pastoring a church in southeastern PA that same year.
Meanwhile, Debbie received a counseling degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in 1985. In 1987, Ward and Debbie were reconnected and married in 1987. They stayed at the church until 1993, when they sought the Lord’s leading towards overseas service. The Shopes found World Harvest through a directory of missions agencies, but connected deeply with the values right away. They were accepted for overseas work and served with the WHM Amsterdam church planting team from 1998 to 2002. Since their return, Ward has served in his current position.
The Shopes have three teenage children, Wesley, Jonathan, and Emma who reside with them in Willow Grove, PA.
