Editing The Way International (section)

== History ==

===Victor Paul Wierwille===
Dr. [[Victor Paul Wierwille]] was born on December 31, 1916.<ref name="Wierwille1971">{{cite book|author=Victor Paul Wierwille|title=The New Dynamic Church|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-AobAAAACAAJ|date=1 September 1971|publisher=American Christian Press|isbn=978-0-910068-03-1}}</ref> Wierwille was deeply interested in Christianity from a young age, and attended Mission House College and Seminary, [[Moody Bible Institute]], as well as the [[University of Chicago Divinity School]]. He later received a [[Master of Theology]] degree from [[Princeton Theological Seminary]] and a doctorate from [[Pikes Peak Bible Seminary]].<ref name="Berry1987">{{cite book|author=Harold J. Berry|title=The Way International|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-GoRuAAACAAJ|year=1987|publisher=Back to the Bible|isbn=978-0-8474-0825-2}}</ref>

Wierwille was ordained as a minister in the [[Evangelical and Reformed Church]] (now part of the [[United Church of Christ]]). He maintained he had recovered the true apostolic understanding of Christianity that had been lost to the church. He later claimed God spoke to him personally, telling him he would teach him "the Word as it had not been known since the first century", so that he could pass it on to others.<ref name="Williams1979" />

=== Radio ministry ===
On October 3, 1942, Wierwille began a weekly live radio program dubbed ''Vesper Chimes'', recruiting a group of young people from local churches to help him. The program was broadcast from [[WLOK (Ohio)|WLOK]] in [[Lima, Ohio]], where the youth would sing and perform alongside Wierwille's [[sermon]]s that included "principles for [[abundant life]]". Soon afterwards, the program was renamed ''The Chimes Hour Youth Caravan''. Wierwille published his first book, ''Victory Through Christ,'' in 1945, compiling his radio sermons. In 1947, ''The Chimes Hour Youth Caravan'' [[non-profit corporation|incorporated]] with Wierwille as president alongside a board of directors.<ref name="MeltonBaumann2010">{{cite book|author1=J. Gordon Melton|author2=Martin Baumann|title=Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, 2nd Edition &#91;6 volumes&#93;: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v2yiyLLOj88C&pg=PA3090|date=21 September 2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-204-3|pages=3090–}}</ref>

That year, ''The Way: The Chimes Hour Young People's Publication'' began publishing writings by people associated with the radio program each month. Starting in 1948, Wierwille began broadcasting every morning in addition to the regular weekly program. Nearly ten years following the first broadcast, The Van Wert Gospel Gift Shop and Multigraph Printing and Publishing Co. opened for business and released the first issue of ''The Way Magazine''.<ref>''Born Again to Serve'', by Dorothea Wierwille. American Christian Press. 1996. {{ISBN|0-910068-79-8}}, pp. 85,86</ref> ''The Chimes Hour Youth Caravan'', broadcast over radio station [[WLW]] in [[Cincinnati]], continued to have radio and public performances until April 1953, at which time the [[Nielsen ratings]] showed that 70,000 homes were tuned in on Sundays.<ref>''Born Again to Serve'', p. 89</ref> Wierwille continued to broadcast his meditations over [[WIMA (AM)|WIMA]] in Lima, [[WONW]] in [[Defiance, Ohio|Defiance]], and [[WRFD]] in [[Worthington, Ohio]], until 1955.<ref>''The Way Magazine'', February 1955. American Christian Press.</ref>

=== The Way ===
In 1953, Wierwille started teaching the course that would later become ''Power for Abundant Living''. It was held in [[Van Wert, Ohio]]. It expanded to other locations in Ohio and eventually to other states. Four years later, he resigned from the Evangelical and Reformed Church pastorate to devote his time to The Way ministry.

Moving to his family's farm in [[New Knoxville, Ohio]], in 1959, he established the location as the headquarters for The Way's Institute for Biblical Research and Teaching, later The Way Inc. The Way's followers grew significantly in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In January 1968, Wierwille visited [[San Francisco]] to personally witness the [[Jesus Movement|Jesus People]] street ministries, such as those in [[Haight-Ashbury]], where he himself ministered.<ref name="Williams1979" /><ref name=JesusPeople>{{cite book|last=Eskridge|first=Larry|title=God's Forever Family: The Jesus People Movement in America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TIZoAgAAQBAJ&q=wierwille+visiting+jesus+movement&pg=PA50|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=21 April 2014|pages=50|date=28 June 2013|isbn=978-0195326451}}</ref> Some of the groups he met later incorporated as The Way East (based in [[Rye, New York]]) and The Way West (based in [[Mill Valley, California]]), groups that utilized Wierwille's PFAL class in their ministries. Wierwille had many join him on his trip, marking a period of large growth for his ministry. Wierwille later merged The Way East and The Way West into The Way Inc., now the Way International.<ref>"Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism" by Randall Herbert Balmer. (2004) "The Way International" page 623."</ref><ref name=GroovyChristians>{{cite journal|last=Howard|first=Jane|title=Groovy Christians of Rye, N.Y.|url=http://api.ning.com/files/SC5hFdj9kQdCRc14my-VKHgG7ZdQt-iGP2QAJefUl9kTKrAwMe0D45HsT-0jXrADhgUyt2pLAcjMyxUlvZNZpmDPHkYVCipb/GroovyChristiansArticleSigned.pdf|access-date=21 April 2014|journal=Time|date=14 May 1971|quote="The Way is heavy," say Rye kids at a prayer-and-fellowship meeting}}</ref>

==== Leadership changes ====
In 1982, during the ministry's 40th anniversary celebration, Wierwille installed L. Craig Martindale as president and accepted the title Founding President.

In 2000, Martindale's term as president ended and Rosalie F. Rivenbark replaced him. The governing board, originally called the board of trustees, but now called the board of directors, consisted of three to five directors, with Rivenbark as chairman.<ref name="Beverley2009">{{cite book|author=James A. Beverley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ul0kFIxtMfkC&pg=PT155|title=Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Religions of the World|date=17 May 2009|publisher=Thomas Nelson Inc|isbn=978-1-4185-7746-9|pages=155–}}</ref>

In January 2017, Rivenbark stepped down from the presidency but retained her position as chairman of the board of directors. Jean Yves DeLisle was installed as the fourth president.

On March 10, 2020, Vern Edwards was installed as the fifth president<ref name="lisle" />

On June 16, 2020, Rivenbark stepped down as chairman, and the board of directors was reduced to three members: Edwards, Bill Greene, and John Rupp.<ref>The Way International Website. 6/16/2020</ref>