Prior to Multnomah, Dr. Burch worked in Latin America (Venezuela and Costa Rica) for over a decade. In Venezuela, he worked with a non-profit called Niños de la Luz and had roles which included street educator, volunteer coordinator, and national director. He taught at ESEPA Seminary in San José, Costa Rica, and worked with a team of practitioners and professors in developing a Children At Risk training program. Dr. Burch loves teaching at Multnomah because he deeply values the opportunity to work with students who take God’s mandate to love our neighbor seriously. Whether it be assisting in refugee resettlement locally or supporting marginalized communities through long-term development projects, our students consistently inspire him. Mentoring and preparing students to work in mission, development, and social justice contexts is a joy for him. His interests lie in traveling, global ministry, and understanding new cultures.
Selected Publications
Burch, G. (2005). Community children: A ministry of hope and restoration for the street dwelling child. Miami, FL: Latin America Mission.
Burch, G. (2007). Street-living and working children. In D. McConnell & J. Orona, et al. (Ed.), Understanding God’s heart for children at risk. Milton Keynes, UK: World Vision Resources.
Burch, G. (2008). Children at risk in missional engagement. In R. J. Priest (Ed.), Effective engagement in short-term missions: Doing it right. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library
Burch, G. (2010). Ethical mission responses to children at risk. Evangelical Mission Quarterly, 46 (4), 416-422.
Burch, G. (2013). Bi-modal mission advancement in ministry with street-living and working children. Missiology: SAGE Publications, 41 (3), 257-272.
Burch, G. (2013). Children of the liberation. Currents in Theology and Mission, 40 (1).
Burch, G. (2014). Child protagonism in transformational community development. Transformation: SAGE Publications, 31 (1), 36-46.
Burch, G. (2016). Applied research with children at risk in development contexts. William Carey International Development Journal, 5 (1), 1-12.
Burch, G. (2016). Niños, niñas y adolescentes en riesgo como actores de la Misión de Dios. In A. Cabezas (Ed.), En nuestras manos y sus manos la coparticipación de la niñez y la adolescencia en la misión de Dios. San José, SA: BBB Producciones.
Burch, G. (2017). Bi-modal rhythms of celebration in Venezuela. In M. Cartledge & A.J. Swoboda (Ed.), Scripting Pentecost: A study of Pentecostals, worship, and liturgy. New York, NY: Routledge.
Burch, G. (2018). Children and youth ministries, Latin America. In M. A. Lamport (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Christianity and the global south. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.