John Revell is the founder of Life Line Chaplaincy, a non-profit organization dedicated to offering spiritual aid for first responders and their families (of any faith or of no faith) in SW Fairfield County, CT, and SE Westchester County, NY. John has served as chaplain for the Stamford (CT) Police Department since February 2012. In that time, he has helped first responders deal with various crises, including: the Sandy Hook shootings; life-threatening job-related injuries; traumatic criminal investigations; and horrific accident scenes.
John also has more than 30 years experience in pastoral and church ministry, most recently serving as pastor of Stamford Baptist Church until November 2015. Prior to that, he served fifteen years as the associate editor and editor of SBC Life, the official journal of the Southern Baptist Convention. As spokesman for the SBC Executive Committee, he was quoted in media outlets such as Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and numerous others. Prior to joining SBC Life, John was pastor of First Baptist Church of Coconut Creek in South Florida for seven years and associate pastor of Wantagh Baptist Church in Long Island, NY, for 3 ½ years.
John has authored two books: he co-wrote and published Sinful Silence: When Christians Neglect Their Civic Duty, with Ken Connor in July 2004 (updated and released in Kindle format in 2010), and Getting the Most from God (but not how you might think!) in 2008. His articles have been printed, reprinted, or cited in books and numerous periodicals including: SBC Life, Home Life, The Pastor’s Family, Deacon Magazine, Experiencing God Newsletter, Parenting Teens, Florida Baptist Witness, and Christian American.
John received his bachelor’s degree in marriage and family counseling from Trinity International University in Miami, FL, and his MDiv degree from Denver Seminary in Denver, CO.
John and his wife, Debbie, have been married for more than 36 years and have two grown sons. Micah and Philip.