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Jerry and Mallory Dendinger
#0356929
Jerry and his wife Mallory are staff members with Athletes in Action (AIA), the athletic ministry of Cru. AIA was started in 1966 by Dave Hannah and now is approaching 1,000 staff members and trained associates across the United States and in more than 60 countries around the world.
Over the years, AIA has been a global pioneer, innovator and servant leader in sport ministry. AIA exists to build spiritual movements through the platform of sport so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus. AIA and its staff are trusting God to see a Christ follower on every team, in every sport, in every nation.
Jerry currently serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of AIA and has been in a similar role since 2002. Jerry gives leadership to all AIA ministries in the U.S. With close to 700 staff in the United States we have ministries in the NFL, Pro Soccer, over 200 college campuses, a significant and growing digital ministry, send over 50 teams of athletes and coaches annually around the world to help build movements everywhere, run major events around the Super Bowl, Final Four, NBA All Star Weekend and host over 100,000 visitors, athletes and coaches on the Athletes in Action Campus in Xenia, Ohio. This Campus contains a main administrative building, dining hall, five dormitories, chapel and sports complex.
Mallory serves alongside Jerry as they travel together to connect with ministry partners, AIA events and staff across the country. She is also a part of numerous special projects during the year which includes helping to run our annual staff conference that involves all of our U.S. staff. Mallory enjoys the opportunity to be involved in helping to support our ministry efforts across the country while also being involved in local mentorship opportunities with women at home.
Jerry and Mallory have served with AIA since the winter of 1990, beginning as Track and Field staff in Southern California. Jerry also served as a chaplain for the US Track and Field team in various locations across the country and around the world for ten years, ending in 2002.
While serving as a chaplain, Jerry also competed across southern California and around the U.S. as a member of the southwest region AIA Track and Cross Country team from 1991 – 1993. This provided Jerry opportunities to share his faith with countless athletes and coaches. During this time, Jerry and Mallory also led a personal ministry within the athletic department at UC Irvine.
In 1996, Jerry and Mallory relocated the AIA Track and Field ministry to Ohio, where Jerry assumed a new role as Director of Track & Field. Soon thereafter, Jerry launched a new department within AIA called the International Acceleration Corps (IAC). This team remains a resourcing department to the 50 plus teams of athletes and coaches sent out by our Campus and Sports TEAM ministries each year.
In 2000, Jerry transitioned to the role of Director of Sports TEAM, overseeing the 40 teams that travel each year, which generate 10's of millions of exposures to the Gospel annually. AIA sends teams in Football, Basketball, Baseball, Wrestling, Cycling, Volleyball, Sports Performance and Track & Field. The athletes and coaches on these tours are equipped to become multiplying disciples who can lead ministries back on their local teams.
Jerry is a licensed minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, having served five different rotations as an elder at Centerville Community Church. Jerry and Mallory are graduates of the University of Southern Mississippi, where Jerry was a four year letterman in Cross Country and Track & Field. They have four adult children and a growing family with the addition of a daughter in law, Mya. Chris & Mya were wed in August 3, 2019 and she joins the family with Joshua, Jonathan and Rebecca.
Financial contributions can be made payable to Athletes in Action and sent to:
Campus Crusade for Christ
PO Box 628222
Orlando, FL 32862-8222
Account number: 0356929
Website: athletesinaction.org
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