John Maxwell

John Calvin Maxwell is an American author, speaker, and pastor who has written many books, primarily focusing on leadership. Titles include The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. His books have sold millions of copies, with some on the New York Times Best Seller List.

Maxwell was born in Garden City, Michigan, in 1947. An evangelical Christian, he followed his father into the ministry. He completed a bachelor's degree at Circleville Bible College in 1969, a Master of Divinity degree at Azusa Pacific University, and a Doctor of Ministry degree at Fuller Theological Seminary. He currently resides in South Florida with his wife, Margaret. He is an ordained minister in the Wesleyan Church.

Since the 1970s, Maxwell has led churches in Indiana, Ohio, California, and Florida. After serving as a senior pastor for 14 years, he left Skyline Church in 1995. In 2004 Maxwell returned to congregational ministry at Christ Fellowship in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where he is currently a teaching pastor.

On November 16, 2008, he began serving as a guest pastor at Crystal Cathedral in Orange County, California. His mentor, Robert H. Schuller, had a variety of noted evangelical pastors preach at his megachurch after his son, Robert A. Schuller, resigned as senior pastor in 2008. Maxwell returned to preach at the Crystal Cathedral several times, and his messages were shown on the Hour of Power television program.

Maxwell is a leadership expert, speaker, and author. He founded INJOY, Maximum Impact, The John Maxwell Team, ISS, and EQUIP. EQUIP is an international leadership development organization working to help leaders involved with leaders from more than 80 nations. Its mission is "to see effective Christian leaders fulfill the Great Commission in every nation."

Maxwell speaks annually to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and organizations as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point and the National Football League. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, he was one of 25 authors named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, have sold over a million copies.

In 2007, Maxwell was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa at Concordia University Irvine. In addition, Maxwell has a building named after him and his family at Indiana Wesleyan University, the Maxwell Center for Business and Leadership, due to his influence on the Wesleyan Church, the university's owner. In 2015, he was inducted into the IWU Society of World Changers, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate.

Maxwell was a keynote speaker at National Agents Alliance NAA Leadership Conference several times, most recently in 2010. In addition, Maxwell was the keynote speaker for the Symmetry Financial Group's National Conference in February 2018. In 2012, he was awarded the Golden Gavel by Toastmasters International. In May 2014, Maxwell was named the No. 1 leadership and management expert in the world by Inc. Magazine.