Meet John

John Ashmen was named president and CEO of Citygate Network in 2007 and served 16-plus years in the position. He led the organization through a reassessment, relocation, re-staffing, refocusing, rebranding, and a pandemic. Through all of this, Citygate Network membership grew by almost one-third.

Prior to 2007, John served for nearly 15 years in the COO role at Christian Camp and Conference Association, overseeing publications, educational events, technical resources, and marketing for this national confederation. For much of that time, he also was an advisor to the board of directors of Christian Camping International/Canada, plus he helped expand the scope and leadership expertise of Christian Camping International/Russia. Drawing on his experience in actual camp administration in New Jersey for 15 years, and then association management (working with more than 1,000 camps and conference centers), John was the lead writer, and executive producer for the multi-award-winning Cairn Series™ professional training CDs, which were deemed the definitive work on Christian camp and conference history and leadership orientation.

John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Bible, with a social work emphasis, from Cairn University in Pennsylvania, and has a Master of Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix, based in Arizona. His writings have appeared in numerous books, journals, and websites, and he continues to teach ministry management seminars nationally and internationally. John’s book, Invisible Neighbors, (published by Cross Section) is widely considered to be the how-to manual for followers of Jesus who are serious about meaningful engagement with the poor and powerless. In this same ministry genre, John was instrumental in the establishment of the Global City Mission Network, a nexus of faith-based organizations serving those in abject poverty in major cities around the world.

He serves on the board of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), a network of denominations, organizations, schools, and more than 45,000 local churches from nearly 40 different denominations. Additionally, he was previously on the steering committee of the Circle of Protection, an alliance of national Christian leaders and denominational heads who are focused on promoting legislation to end hunger and poverty. He was also appointed to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness’ Strategic Planning Task Force and worked directly with America’s homelessness czar.

John and his wife, Judi—who retired from more than 30 years in the medical field—live in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Together, they enjoy tennis, camping, and hiking in remote mountainous areas, at home and abroad. Their three married children—who live in New Jersey, Texas, and Tennessee—have provided them with seven grandchildren to visit, as often as they get the chance.