Kent Smith
Kent’s passion for vibrant families of Jesus is what initially gave rise to the Eden Center. His extensive experience in team formation and missional training has blessed hundreds.
Kent has taught missions and spiritual formation in ACU’s Graduate School of Theology since 1991. He directed ACU’s graduate internship in missional leadership—the Missionary Residency for North America—beginning in 2004. He has trained domestic and international mission teams for over 30 years and co-founded the non-profit LK10, focused on connecting and equipping leaders of missional community around the world.
Ian Shelburne
Ian has a passion for connecting diverse people and ideas into an integrated whole, always seeking to understand how all of life reflects God’s creativity and goodness.
Ian grew up in Africa and later spent fifteen years there training church leaders in spiritual formation and ministry. He is also a co-founder of LivingStone International University in Uganda. His experience in the United States includes pastoral ministry and teaching in high-school and university settings. In addition to his extensive theological training, Ian has a PhD in agricultural education and communication and is a permaculture design specialist.
Lakshmi Piette Walker
Lakshmi is a writer, researcher, podcaster, and practitioner passionate about intentional Christian community (ICC) and the ways shared life bears witness to the presence of the living God.
Shaped by a two-year residency with the L’Arche-inspired Lyn’s House community in Cambridge (UK), Lakshmi undertook a pilgrimage to learn from the practice and witness of other ICCs. She is the founder and host of the Dwelling Place podcast and blog, and her research on UK ICCs was awarded the 2025 Graduate Prize by the Centre for Communal Studies. She is completing a Master of Divinity at the Earlham School of Religion with a focus on intentional Christian community and is the author of Dwelling Places: The Practice and Witness of Intentional Christian Communities.
She now lives in rural Cumbria, where she is part of the emerging Rose Community.
Joel Ruch
Joel is most captivated by Jessica his wife, their two daughters and son, the great outdoors, and the equal participation of women and non-Western Jesus-followers in local efforts to live together in Jesus’ Kingdom.
Joel and Jessica were 14 years into a lifelong, culturally immersive Kingdom effort when they were unexpectedly shut out of their large East Asian host country. After spending two years trying to get back in, they let go of that dream and returned to North America in 2022.
Joel grew up in Vancouver, Canada. He and Jessica each have a B.A. and M.A. from Abilene Christian University and an M.A. from HIU in California. They both speak Mandarin and love trying to experience life together in Jesus’ Kingdom with others.
Joel currently serves as the Global Service Director for the Halbert Institute at Abilene Christian University.