Dr. Jared Looney grew up in the Rio Grande Valley and graduated from Abilene Christian University in 1996 with a Bachelor’s degree in mission studies. Following his undergrad studies, he served in impoverished neighborhoods in Houston’s center city as a youth minister at Impact Ministries. While in Houston, he completed a Master of Arts in theological studies at Houston Graduate School of Theology. Before relocating to NYC, he spent time with a cell-based church in Costa Rica as well as Abilene, TX where he served as a missionary-in-residence with Mission Church.
In 2001, Jared moved to the Bronx and in 2002 married Hylma Blagrove. Beginning with a multiethnic community gathered in a living room in the Pelham Parkway neighborhood of The Bronx, he continued serving the city as an urban missionary. These experiences laid the groundwork for the beginning of Global City Mission Initiative when it got started in 2013.
Partnering with co-laborers for mission, training mission workers, and mentoring emerging leaders, Jared continues to address the challenges & opportunities of mission in an urban-global world. In 2010 he completed a Doctor of Missiology from the Fuller School of Intercultural Studies. He has taught courses in missiology & practical theology in several universities & seminaries, including Pepperdine, Johnson, & Abilene Christian universities as well as other graduate & undergraduate programs. He has often appeared as a guest speaker, either virtually or in person, in various university or seminary classes, including Kentucky Christian, Lincoln, Yale, Baylor, and several other schools.
In addition to various articles, he is the author of Crossroads of the Nations: Diaspora, Globalization, and Evangelism, named a top 15 mission studies text of 2015 by International Bulletin of Mission Research, co-author of Mosaic: A Ministry Handbook for a Globalizing World., and author of Jumpstart Healthy Evangelism: Making Disciples in a Changing World. With the help of Christian friends and partners, Jared and Hylma served the mission of God in New York City with their daughter, Adalia, for 15 years. In the summer of 2016 Jared and his family relocated to the Tampa Bay metro area to begin to guide Global City Mission to its next iteration as a mission organization. He currently lives in Tampa, where he continues to serve as the executive director of Global City Mission Initiative. Jared serves in a number of capacities, including teaching, training, writing, serving as an adjunct professor, equipping churches, speaking on mission issues, and shaping the direction of Global City Mission.