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Dallas Willard Ministries exists to proclaim, teach and manifest the love, truth and transforming power of Christ and the Kingdom of God. Abundant life through union with God is available here and now to all who place their confidence in Jesus Christ and become his disciple in Kingdom living.
We are a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to developing and disseminating the ideas, writings, and teachings that the Lord brought to life through Dallas. Our efforts are not centered on Dallas himself, but on the truth he continuously encouraged his "fellow pilgrims" to pursue. Dallas taught that the most important thing you and God get from your life is the person you become. We are here to support and encourage you in your journey into Christlikeness. We warmly invite you to connect with us and explore our resources and learning opportunities as you seek to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Dallas Willard Ministries is proud to welcome our new Philosopher in Residence, Dr. Aaron Preston.
Aaron took his very first Philosophy class with Dallas as an undergraduate at USC (1991-1995) and was immediately hooked on both the discipline and the teacher - so much so that, after earning his Masters in Theology at the University of Edinburgh, he returned to USC as a graduate student (1997-2002) to take his doctorate in Philosophy under Dallas' supervision. He has spent 24 years teaching philosophy, first at Malone College in Canton, Ohio (2001-2007) and then at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana (2007-2025).
Like so many of his fellow students, Aaron looked to Dallas as a personal mentor as well as a professor. They maintained a close friendship and mentoring relationship for the rest of Dallas's life, and Aaron was part of the team that completed The Disappearance of Moral Knowledge.
Members of the “Dallas Willard is My Homeboy” Facebook group have long been benefitted by Aaron’s helpful and reliable answers to their questions about Dallas’s writing in both theology and philosophy. He loves teaching and is energized by conversations that help people grow through Dallas’s work. As DWM’s Philosopher in Residence, Aaron will be guiding our efforts to highlight more of Dallas's philosophical work, helping to clarify Dallas's teaching, offering online courses and webinars, and continuing to serve as co-leader of the Moral Knowledge Initiative.
Aaron’s next online course offering is scheduled for September 2026 on the title of “The Disappearance of Moral Knowledge.”
For more on Aaron’s academic work, please see his PhilPeople profile. For more on his relationship with Dallas, please see his page in our Speakers Bureau and his memorial tribute, Dallas Willard: My Beloved Rabboni.
To equip people to live in a daily interactive relationship with God through a fresh hearing of Jesus’ life and teachings. (See our expanded Vision statement)
To present the reality of the kingdom of God now on earth and available to all. We are committed to empowering people to step into their “eternal destiny in God’s great universe.”
Dallas participated in the planning for Dallas Willard Ministries at the time of its inception in 2013, emphasizing that the focus MUST be on Jesus, not Dallas. The Advisory Council that met with Dallas from 2001-2013 became the first Board of Directors. Those council members are all still directly involved with DWM, including Jan Johnson as our Board Chair, Keith Matthews who partners with Jan as the lead teachers in the School of Kingdom Living, Rebecca Willard Heatley as Communications Director, and Bill Dwyer as our YouTube channel director. We seek to do our work in the relational manner that Dallas embodied (following him as he followed Christ), with our emphasis on “Living in the Kingdom now” resulting in real change in people’s lives.
We'll keep you up-to-date about newly available resources and opportunities related to Dallas's work. (Don't worry: updates are only sent out once every 1 or 2 months.)
Thank you for your interest in Dallas Willard Ministries! I am grateful for the opportunities God is giving us to share the good things we have learned from Dallas. The impact of his teaching has changed many lives and even been credited with starting the Spiritual Formation movement. His influence in academic and philosophical circles continues to bring God glory in “secular” settings. Our desire is to make Dallas’s teaching more and more available so that everyone can
know the joy of living in the fullness of the Kingdom of God here on earth in every moment of every day. What a great gift!
Some organizations focus on spiritual transformation within universities; others focus on overall church renewal. We applaud them, count them as friends and partners, and wish to come alongside them with our simple emphasis of helping individuals become disciples of Jesus. Our core passion is to see people living in the Kingdom of God in ways that result in real change in their lives.
All ministries are a blend of Spirit-given ideas, anointed staff, prayer and finances. The magic happens when those things come synergistically together. We are grateful that the Lord is graciously connecting us with talented volunteers who are assisting us with developing resources that will help us introduce new audiences to what we’ve learned from Dallas. Please take a look at what we're working on in the list below. We are excited about this progress and ask for your prayers for our team as we place all these efforts in the hands of our gracious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Jan Johnson - Chair, Dallas Willard Ministries
We invite you to partner with us in these projects by sharing your talents as a volunteer or through financial gifts. If you're interested in serving with DWM, please see our Volunteer Team page to learn more about how you can get involved. To support our efforts financially please visit our Donation page.
