Wade Harlan is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. After serving as an Air Force officer in California, Cyprus, Belgium and Washington state, he spent nine years mobilizing Christian students and young adults for overseas mission opportunities. He also led short-term teams to work among the Nahuatl Indians of rural central Mexico.

He's been involved for the last 30 years as a coordinator, teacher and professor of record for the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course in the U.S. and overseas and in the 90’s helped start and co-led a mission mentoring ministry at The Church on Brady in Los Angeles, at church that at one point had 15% of it’s 600 members living and ministering overseas among unreached people groups.

He, his wife, Helen and their son and daughter spent 18 years as pioneer church planters with the International Mission Board (IMB) leading a multi-national, multi-agency team among the Zhuang animists of southern China. They started a house church and also did agricultural projects teaching poor Zhuang farmers improved farming methods for raising pigs and growing corn. Wade also helped start and led a partnership for 16 years that facilitated cross-cultural workers, agencies and churches from more than 10 countries to work more effectively together.

Wade has a master's degree in Intercultural Studies from Biola University and is a doctoral candidate at Gateway Seminary. Before coming to MBCLA Wade served as a youth pastor in Orange County and as a pastor in Alhambra. Wade's hobbies include: tennis and writing.