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The cultural upheavals of the 1960’s combined with the spiritual impetus of the charismatic renewal and Jesus Movement, caused thoughtful Christians throughout the body of Christ to reexamine contemporary forms of church life in the light of the New Testament. Authors such as Howard Snyder (The Problem of Wineskins) and Francis Schaeffer (Collected Works) suggested that Christians, particularly in the west, had been compromised by the surrounding culture, and that their church life in both form and substance fell far short of biblical expectations. In the early 1970’s, while a graduate student at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, a young man named Ted Evans sat under the teaching ministry of Dr. Francis Schaeffer and participated with some of his students in a “L’Abrid type” Christian community. These experiences planted within him a vision of helping believers to live their lives within the framework of a Christian worldview and in the context of Christian community. Upon completing his M.Div. degree, Ted was providentially introduced to a like-minded leader named Gary King, who asked Ted to come to Celina, Ohio to help establish a fellowship of believers there. Eighteen months later, Ted found himself moving his family to Toledo, Ohio to work with Gary’s brother Ron, a kindred spirit who was already leading a group of Christians excited about what God was doing in His church. Thus began a wonderful relationship of men who shared a vision to establish churches committed to expressing the New Testament’s emphasis on a balance of the Word, the Spirit, and community life. Throughout the ‘70’s and early ‘80’s, Ted continued to establish churches primarily in the Ohio area. Gary and Ron King, joined by Roger Pugh from Michigan, focused their church-planting efforts in Ohio, Michigan, and other Midwestern states. Gary also did some work in England, which laid the groundwork for later expansion internationally. In 1980, Gary, Ron, and Roger incorporated their efforts under the name Apostolic Team Ministries (ATM). Between 1984 and 1987, the men associated with ATM, along with Ted and a number of leaders from the churches they had established, began considering forming a more formal network of church relationships. It became clear that by more closely coordinating their outreach efforts, they would be able to have a greater national and international impact. In June, 1987, a congress of church leaders resolved to become a network of churches. With this decision, Ted Evans was added to the directorship of the newly expanded Apostolic Team Ministries, International.