Dr. Jack Zorn

Founder, Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes

Dr. Jack Zorn was born on November 8, 1934, on a sharecropper’s farm in Geneva County, Ala. His father suffered from alcoholism, and his mother struggled to instill Christian values in the family.

As a young boy, he struggled in school because he often had to work the farm instead of attend classes. Stuttering badly, he dropped out of school and went to work.

In 1951, he was baptized during a gospel meeting held by Bill Hatcher. A student from Alabama Christian College encouraged him to come to “college” to get help finishing high school and begin college. Dr. Rex Turner, Sr. put him to work and enrolled him in college. There he met Sarah Frances Johnson, who became his wife in 1956.

Without any grants or scholarships, Dr. Zorn worked his way through school. He earned a B.A. from Alabama Christian College, an M.A. from Harding Graduate School and a Doctorate of Religious Education from the International Bible Institute and Seminary.

In his 21 years of full time preaching, he served local congregations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Louisiana. While preaching at Warner Robins, Ga., he was asked by the elders to develop a leadership training program for the youth at the congregation. He envisioned what today we know as Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes. What started with eight boys in Georgia has now grown to thousands of participants in Churches of Christ across the United States, Canada and the Bahamas.

In the November 1999 issue of the Gospel Advocate, Dr. Zorn was named one of the 100 Trailblazers in the Church of Christ, along with brotherhood greats like Gus Nichols and Marshall Keeble.

Dr. Zorn and his lovely wife, Frances, are currently retired and live in Sylacauga, Ala. They are active in their local congregation, Hollins Church of Christ, where Dr. Zorn teaches Bible classes and has served as an elder. Dr. Zorn spends countless hours mentoring and coaching young men and women. His life’s work has been preparing others for service in the kingdom of God.