Rev. Vern Streeter
Lecturer in Adventure and Theology
YTI welcomes Vern Streeter to our faculty this fall as lecturer in adventure and theology. Vern is lead pastor of Harvest Church in Billings, Montana. Prior to planting Harvest in 2000, Vern was a youth pastor for 10 years at Faith E. Church (the “Mother” church of Harvest), also in Billings. Vern earned his masters in Bible from Dallas Theological Seminary and a bachelors in communication from Biola University.
For fun, Vern likes to take part in all sorts of adventures—hunting, climbing, skiing, sailing, backpacking, riding his horse deep into the backcountry, riding both road and mountain bikes, driving fast, and flying his paraglider. Occasionally Vern sits down and watches sports on TV.
Rev. Kurt Caddy
Lecturer in Theology and the Arts
Rev. Kurt Caddy is no stranger to YTI. Having been artist-in-residence and the instructor for several arts classes, he joins the YTI faculty as lecturer in theology and the arts. Kurt is pursuing his Doctor of Worship Studies from the Institute for Worship Studies and earned his MDiv from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
As a visual artist, Kurt believes that art is generative and transformative, and that one of the roles of an artist is to help (or force) the viewer to “see the unseen.” He says, “As an artist, a ‘little c’ creator and a follower of Jesus, I simply must believe that beauty can and will spring from brokenness. We live in a broken world. I see it on the news. I see it in our cities. I see it in my home. I see it in my mirror. But this brokenness is not forever! This brokenness does not get the final word. Isaiah tells of a day when God will ‘give us beauty for ashes and the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a fainting heart.’ My purpose as an artist is to take time to see the ordinary and to transform it into something extraordinary. In a real sense, each work is a hope-filled prayer for beauty and transformation.”
Kurt lives on a small farm in southwest Missouri. He is married to Laura, and they have 8 biological and adopted children.
Rev. Mike Gammill
Lecturer in Leadership Studies
Mike Gammill is joining the YTI faculty as lecturer in leadership studies. He is a Senior Lead Navigator with Auxano Consulting, helping church teams across the country create breakthrough clarity to realize their vision. As a leadership consultant, Mike is passionate about helping leaders show and model the way of Jesus. In addition to facilitating collaborative conversations that lead to strategic clarity and action, Mike is Auxano’s Team Building Specialist and has helped churches, ranging from 50 to over 15,000 in weekend worship attendance, optimize their ministry teams and organizational leadership.
Mike earned his MDiv from Asbury Theological Seminary and is an Ordained Elder in The Evangelical Church. He lives with his wife and their youngest daughter in Bozeman, MT where they often get outside, running, hiking, and skiing with their Golden Retriever. Mike’s hobby is trail running and has several ultra-distance mountain races under his feet. After a 2022 race season focused on recovering from tendon injuries, Mike has plans to return strong in 2023 with a 50K mountain race noted for strenuous climbs and steep descents.