The Writers

About Kelly Fryer

Kelly A. Fryer is a teacher, author, and inspirational speaker with nearly 20 years of experience leading congregations into renewal. She is Executive Director of A.R.E.: A Renewal Enterprise, and a faculty member at Spertus College in Chicago, Illinois, where she teaches leadership and organization in the Nonprofit Management Graduate Program. She is co-writer of the No Experience Necessary Bible study series, and author of several books, including bestseller Reclaiming the L Word: Renewing the Church from Its Lutheran Core (Augsburg Fortress, 2003) and Reclaiming the "C" Word: Daring to Be Church Again (Augsburg Fortress, 2006).

About Rolf A. Jacobson

Rolf Jacobson teaches Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. With his wife Amy, he project manages two children and one cat. He is a professional pastor, teacher, scholar, speaker, and writer, and an amateur bluegrass musician and chef. Jacobson is co-writer of the No Experience Necessary Bible study series, author of one book and many articles, and contributing writer to The Lutheran Course., The Lutheran Handbook, The Lutheran Handbook for Marriage, The Lutheran Handbook for Pastors, and The Christian Handbook.

More about the writers

Kelly and Rolf found they were learners as well as writers in this Bible study series. "With every turn of the page, we have found Jesus Christ waiting there to meet us, to challenge us, to surprise us, and to guide us," according to Rolf. "Even as Kelly and I have returned to stories and passages that we know very well, we have constantly learned new things. Why? Because the living God has been there to meet us."

Kelly and Rolf look for these things to happen in congregations using No Experience Necessary:

• People who have not been studying the Bible, for whatever reason, will feel welcome and interested in doing so, and people who have been studying the Bible will become more confident in reading — and sharing — the story of God's love for everybody.
• People will hear the Word of God in a fresh way together, and dare to let God challenge them, call them, renew them, and lead them in new directions for the sake of the world.
• People will understand that God always has a word to say TO THEM and THROUGH THEM. God is on a mission to love, save, and bless the world. And God is on a mission to love, save, and bless THROUGH them.