Ken & Tonja Taylor – Nations180 Founders

In full-time ministry since 1987, Ken Taylor and Tonja Taylor carry a God-given mandate to impact the nations of the French-speaking world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Since 1992, they have served as missionaries in France and French-speaking Canada and have ministered extensively in Haiti and Africa. They currently reside in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In 1989, the Lord supernaturally spoke to the Taylors and instructed them to begin praying for the French-speaking people of Québec, Canada. At the time, they had never visited Québec and were unaware that less than 1% of the population identified as Evangelical Christian. As they prayed, they sensed a clear call from God: “Go to Québec, establish a base, and from there you will be able to reach the nations of the French-speaking world.” Today, the French-speaking world represents 34 nations and 11 territories across the globe.

After living and ministering for two years in the south of France, they relocated to French-Canada where they served for more than two decades as senior pastors of a growing congregation in the heart of Québec. During that season, they also worked alongside an international team of collaborators to establish ministry training campuses across the French-speaking world. Since 2007, this collaborative effort has led to the launch of 12 campuses in five nations on three continents — including Québec, Canada; France; Haiti; Switzerland; and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — resulting in more than 1,100 French-speaking graduates.

On September 20, 2021, they launched a major French-speaking ministry training center in Kinshasa with 314 students in its inaugural year. This initiative has since grown into the Haute École de Théologie et de Leadership pour la Francophonie (HETLF), an accredited institution dedicated to forming Spirit-empowered leaders through theological and leadership formation marked by academic excellence, integrity, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Following the successful launch in the Congo, groups in Benin, Cameroon, and other regions of the French-speaking world are already preparing for future expansion.

Ken and Tonja are both natives of the state of Missouri in the United States. They have been happily married since 1985 and are the proud parents and grandparents of a growing family. Together, they have served the Lord in ministry for nearly four decades. Ken also holds a Master’s degree in Missional Leadership from Trinity Bible College and Graduate School and is currently engaged in doctoral research in Practical Theology (DThP) at Université Laval, the oldest French-speaking university in North America.