Who is
Gospel Joy?
Since 2009, God has been using our ministry to make Christ known all across Africa.
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Staff | Board of Directors | Our History | Mission & Vision | Legal & Finance
Our Team
Emily Pohl
Executive Director
Having traveled to some of the most remote parts of Africa, Emily has seen the need for spiritual development first hand. She has a heart for rural Africa and the growth and development of the rural church.
Emily holds a M.A. in International Development from Brandeis University and a B.A. in Intercultural studies with a minor in Biblical Studies from Biola University. In her free time she loves to garden, spend time with friends, and get lost in a good book.
Sylvia Agboh
Bible Study Trainer & Voice Actress
Originally from Togo, Sylvia currently lives in Minnesota with her two daughters. She enjoys leading the children’s ministry at her church Bethel Christian Fellowship and recording audio Bible studies with Gospel Joy.
She loves God and has a heart for prayer ministry as well as preaching the Gospel to the unchurched. She is passionate about discipling God’s people to grow and mature in the Lord.
Dan Schmidt
Audio Engineer
A husband and father of three, Dan enjoys creating and recording music. He uses his studio to provide sound engineering, editing, and mixing for Gospel Joy so the Gospel can reach the nations.
He also works as a manager for a financial systems team in the corporate world and is an active member in his local church. He is driven by 1 Peter 2:24, which says, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."
Amy
Content Advisor
Helping women know and follow Christ is Amy’s passion She first used Gospel Joy audio Bible studies in West Africa with women and girls and tested them before they were produced.
Back in the States, she assisted with producing the studies, overseeing the recording of Colossians, Ephesians, and Hebrews. Recently, she moved to Spain to offer immigrant women and girls the opportunity to know and follow Christ.
Our Board
Greg Jones
Founder & Board President
CEO of Fortis Medical Consultants and Registered Nurse at Veterans Affairs
Andrew Paine
Associate Professor of Business Bethel University
Carl Lymangood
President, Petros Family Wealth
Sarah Tofteland
CEO of The Humble Home Co.
Alicia Saienga
Board Secretary
Assistant Manager at Caribou Coffee
All of our staff and board members believe and joyfully affirm our Statement of Faith.
Founding
In 2009, Gospel Joy Mission was founded by two seminary friends, Chad Carlson and Greg Jones, who had a desire to strengthen the church in Africa through discipleship and leadership training.
Primarily working in Kenya, the Carlson and Jones built a network of churches and orphanages where they mentored and discipled leaders. A stable ministry had emerged and was growing.
2009
Changes
In 2016, Chad had unexpected family challenges and needed to step away from Gospel Joy, leaving a gap in leadership and vision.
At the same time, Emily Pohl had a vision to produce audio Bible studies for rural African women. As she networked, she found that no such resource existed.
During that process, she was introduced to Greg and the board of directors who were looking to fill the executive director role. That’s when Emily was hired. At that point, the board specified its vision of discipling leaders to an intensive focus on women and audio Bible studies.
2016
Revitalized
In 2018, the first audio Bible study was written, recorded, and tested with a group of believers in Cameroon. With adjustments made, GJI began producing audio Bible studies in earnest.
Since then, women in Cameroon, South Africa, Kenya, and Zambia have used the material. In 2018 GJI received its first grant to translate studies into French and now features a robust, multi-lingual audio Bible study library.
2017
Expanding access
In 2023, we set a simple but bold goal: to place our audio Bible studies in the hands of churches across Africa and grow our library of studies. At the time, we prayed that by 2025 our resources might be used 100 times.
By God’s grace, that vision was far exceeded. By 2025, more than 6,000 people were actively using our audio Bible studies. A testimony to the growing hunger for accessible, Scripture-centered discipleship materials.
2023
Strategic growth
In 2026, we are expanding access to our audio Bible studies across Africa, strengthening how churches and leaders use these resources for discipleship. As adoption grows, we are focused on deepening impact, expanding our library, and equipping local leaders to guide others in God’s Word.
We have created a strategic plan which guides our next ten years. You can explore this plan to learn more about where we are headed.
2026
Mission & Vision
Gospel Joy’s Mission is to passionately proclaim the cross-centered, Christ-treasuring Gospel and to make disciples who live for the glory of God by striving to maximize their joy and the joy of others in Him
Gospel Joy’s Vision is to contribute to the discipleship of the church by providing biblical and theological education resources for oral learners so that they might grow richly in understanding God and making disciples.
Legal & Finance
As a legally registered non-profit, Gospel Joy is required to have publicly-visible finances. Use the buttons below to view our latest 990 and our latest annual report. If you need a previous years’ document, please contact us.
We need your help
Financial or otherwise, we need your support.