Scott Lanser has served professionally in administrative and pastoral leadership for over 30 years. Scott served as a Senior Director for the YMCA and subsequently as Business Administrator of The Salvation Army where he directed youth and family programs and provided administrative and financial oversight. Key projects included the development of inner-city outreach programs:  a youth center with daily spiritual life, recreational, social, and educational programs that served over 500 students, tutoring programs for at-risk elementary students, after-school childcare programs, and day and residential camping programs. He also served in support and training roles for various pro-life ministries, helping pregnant teens and their children.

While ministering in these roles he also served as Youth Pastor of Westgate Baptist Church, Senior Pastor of New Hope Bible Fellowship, and currently serves on the leadership team of Chestnut Hill Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Scott’s church leadership responsibilities have included extensive youth ministry and discipleship programs and a weekly community Bible study that has met continually for over 30 years. He also serves as a featured guest speaker for para-church campus ministries and youth camping programs with a focus upon critical biblical and apologetic issues.  Scott earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Bible and Christian Education at Lancaster Bible College and holds an M.A. in New Testament Studies from Biblical Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Scott currently serves as the President of ABR, providing executive, fiscal, and strategic leadership for the mission of ABR in its worldwide outreach and ministry.

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Gary Byers currently serves as the Co-Director of the Shiloh excavations for ABR and as the Dean of the College of Archaeology, Trinity Southwest University in Albuquerque, NM. A graduate of Liberty University with a BS (1974) and MCE (1980) and Baltimore Hebrew University with a MA (thesis: “Domestic Architecture in Iron Age I Palestine”), he is currently completing his PhD at Veritas International  University – dissertation subject “The Intermediate Bronze Age Domestic Quarter on the Lower Tall at Tall el-Hammam, Jordan.”

Gary's excavation and field experience include: Assistant Director at Shiloh, Israel (2017-present); Assistant Director at Tall el-Hammam, Jordan (2006-present); Administrative Director at Khirbet al-Maqatir and Senior Archaeologist, Israel (1995-2000, 2009-2011); square supervisor at Khirbet Nisya, Israel (1993-1994) and excavation staff at Tel Miqne/Ekron, Israel (1984).

Adjunct professor at Faith Theological Seminary in Towson, MD (2013-2018), Gary is a member of the board of directors of the Near East Archaeological Society (2000-present), served on the board of directors of the Associates for Biblical Research (2004-2019) and is a member of the American Schools of Oriental Research.

He also spent over 20 years (1998-2019) as Spiritual Life and Deputy Directors at Helping Up Mission in Baltimore, Maryland, where over 500 men reside in a 12-month residential Spiritual Recovery Program for drug and alcohol addiction and was the founding and senior pastor of Fredericktowne Baptist Church (1974-1991) in Frederick, Maryland.

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Rick Lanser earned a BS degree in medical technology in 1976 from Penn State. After subsequently working for two years in microbiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, he left to attend Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, PA. Six years and three children later, he earned an MDiv degree, graduating with honors in 1986. Having lost his hearing from spinal meningitis at age seven, after graduation he did not sense a call to a pastoral position, so he used his training primarily as a Sunday school teacher and board member of a ministry to the deaf while working secular jobs. In 1995 the Lord directed him to the ABR ministry, when he joined the staff to assist with desktop publishing needs. As the ministry has grown he has taken on different tasks, initially working on website and newsletter development, and later serving as Executive Editor of Bible and Spade magazine. He presently serves as a proofreader and writer for the magazine and ABR Newsletter. Always intensely interested in the Old Testament, his original research focus was on the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis, particularly the ongoing search for Noah's Ark. While these remain an area of great interest, more recently the Lord has directed him into a wide-ranging study of biblical chronology centered on the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks in Daniel 9:24-27, "The Daniel Project." Rick and his wife Jeanne make their home in Elverson, PA.

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Henry B. Smith Jr. is the Administrative Director of the Shiloh Excavations. He served as the Director of Development for ABR from 2005 through 2015. He presently serves as a staff researcher, as administrator for the Shiloh Dig, and as the co-host of ABR's television program, Digging for Truth. Henry served as a volunteer at the Hazor excavations in 2007, and was the host of both the ABR Biblical Egypt Study Tour in 2008 and ABR's Israel Tour in 2010. He was a square supervisor at the Khirbet el-Maqatir Excavations in 2012 and 2013, and at Shiloh in 2017 and 2018. Born and raised in northwestern NJ, he earned a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers in 1992. In 2015, Henry graduated from Westminster Theological Seminary with an M.A.R., emphasizing apologetics and Biblical languages. He has published dozens of articles on the ABR website, including: Canaanite Child Sacrifice, Abortion and the Bible and Cosmic Death from Adam's Fall: An Exegesis of Romans 8:19-23a. He is presently heading up the The Genesis 5 and 11 Genealogy and Chronology Research Project for ABR, authoring: Primeval Chronology Restored, The Case for the Septuagint's Chronology in Genesis 5 and 11, and On the Authenticity of Kainan, Son of Arpachshad. 

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Scott Stripling is the Director of Excavations for the Associates for Biblical Research at ancient Shiloh (2017 to present). He also serves as Provost and Director of the Archaeology Institute at The Bible Seminary in Katy, Texas. Previously, Stripling directed the ABR excavations at Khirbet el-Maqatir, served as Field Supervisor at Tall el-Hammam in Jordan, Director of the Mt. Ebal Expedition, and as a supervisor of the Temple Mount Sifting Project in Jerusalem. Stripling did his graduate studies at the University of Texas (M.A.), Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (M.A.), and Veritas International University (Ph.D.). Stripling serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Near East Archaeological Society and has published widely in peer-reviewed journals, popular magazines, and books. He is a popular speaker at churches and conferences around the world and a guest on numerous television programs and documentaries such as Fox News, The 700 Club, The New York Times, TBN, History Channel, and Discovery Channel. His passion is connecting the material culture of the Holy Land with the biblical text. Scott and Janet, his wife of 40 years, have four grown children and five grandchildren.

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Bryan Windle is a pastor, youth leader and Bible teacher in Northern Ontario, Canada. He and his wife Jennifer have four children and currently live in Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island. 

Bryan spent two years at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, ON, before graduating from Nipissing University in North Bay, ON with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a Bachelor of Education degree. He began his professional career as an elementary school teacher and taught for eight years.  Throughout this time, he was active in his local church, serving as an elder and youth leader.  Bryan then entered the ministry, serving for 13 years as the Managing Director of a local Bible Camp.  Recently, he answered God's call to become the pastor of Island Bible Chapel (IslandBibleChapel.com), a position he has served in since 2015. 

For over 20 years, Bryan has taught in churches, youth groups, and Bible Camps with a passion for highlighting the historical context of each passage as well as how archaeology demonstrates the reliability of Scripture. 

In 2018, he co-founded the Ready Answers Apologetics Conference (ReadyAnswers.ca) to equip Christians in northern Ontario to have a ready defense of Christianity. 

Bryan follows the latest happenings in the world of biblical archaeology publishes a weekly blog called Bible Archaeology Report (BibleArchaeologyReport.com).  His goal is to make biblical archaeology more accessible to the average person, and in particular, the younger generations.

Bryan serves as a Staff Researcher and Writer for ABR and writes the weekly Breaking News updates for BibleArchaeology.org.

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Abigail Leavitt has been engaged in the world of biblical archaeology since 2007, working at numerous archaeological projects including ABR’s Khirbet el-Maqatir excavationf, Mount Zion, Khirbet ‘Auja el-Foqa, Khirbet Rafid, Fazael, and others. Abigail earned a master’s degree in Biblical History and Archaeology at The Bible Seminary, in Katy, Texas. She has written and co-authored multiple publications including:

The El-Burnat (A) Structure(s): Joshua’s Altar?

A Headless Judean Pillar Figurine from Tell el-Ful

Excavations at Khirbet el-Maqatir (two chapters)

Abigail recently joined the professional staff of ABR in March of 2023 and where she continues to serve as the Assistant Director of the Shiloh Excavation at Tel Shiloh in Israel. Abigail hails from Lewiston, Idaho, but is currently residing in Israel, where she is pursuing a PhD in archaeology at Ariel University.

Bryant Wood was born and raised in Endicott NY. After graduating from high school, he attended Syracuse University on an athletic scholarship, graduating with a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering. While at S.U., Wood participated in cross-country and track, setting school records in the 880-yard and mile events and serving as captain of both the cross-country and track teams in his senior year. He also was named Siekaly Scholar for outstanding athletic and academic achievement, was inducted into Pi Tau Sigma, a mechanical engineering honorary society, and was president of the Engineering Student Council.

Wood then worked for the General Electric Company in Schenectady NY. His employment with G.E. was interrupted by a two-year term of service as a lieutenant in the Army Security Agency. During this time he was a member of the U.S. inter-service cross-country team, participating in international competition in Europe, and the All-Army track team. While with G.E., Wood held various positions at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory related to the design, fabrication and testing of nuclear reactors, and earned a M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy NY.

In 1973 Wood left G.E. to pursue Biblical and archaeological studies. He earned an M.A. degree in Biblical History from the University of Michigan in 1974, and a Ph.D. degree in Syro-Palestinian archaeology from the University of Toronto in 1985. Dr. Wood joined the staff of the Associates for Biblical Research in Akron PA (ABR) in 1986. In 1989–90, he was visiting professor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Toronto. Dr. Wood was the Director of ABR from 1995 to 2000 and is currently Director of Research. He was Editor of their quarterly publication Bible and Spade from 1995 to 2012 and is now Consulting Editor. In addition, he has served as adjunct professor at Biblical Theological Seminary, Hatfield PA; Evangelical School of Theology, Myerstown PA; Faith Theological Seminary, Los Angeles; Lancaster Bible College, Lancaster PA; Messiah College, Grantham PA; Toronto Baptist Seminary, Toronto; and Tyndale University College and Seminary (formerly Ontario Bible College), Toronto.

Dr. Wood's extensive archaeological field work includes serving as co-director of a survey of three reservoir areas in northern Jordan, 1978; area supervisor for the Wadi Tumilat Project excavation at Tell el-Maskhuta, Egypt, 1979, 1981, and 1983; volunteer at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev excavation at Haruvit in the northern Sinai, 1981; member of the Wadi Tumilat Project survey of the Wadi Tumilat, Egypt, 1983; field archaeologist for the Associates for Biblical Research excavation at Khirbet Nisya, Israel, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994; Director of the Kh. el-Maqatir excavation, Israel, 1995–2013; and Ceramic Typologist for the Kh. el-Maqatir excavation, 2014–2016.

Wood is a specialist in Canaanite pottery of the Late Bronze Age. He is author of The Sociology of Pottery in Ancient Palestine: The Ceramic Industry and the Diffusion of Ceramic Style in the Bronze and Iron Ages (1990), as well as numerous articles on archaeological subjects published in various academic journals. Dr. Wood received international media attention for his research on ancient Jericho that demonstrated the historicity of the Biblical account of the capture of the city by the Israelites. He is listed in Who's Who in Biblical Studies and Archaeology, 1993; Who's Who in the East, 1995–1996; Who's Who in the World, 1996; International Who's Who of Professionals, 1999; Strathmore's Who's Who, 2002–2003; 2000 Outstanding Academics of the 21st Century, 2004; and the 2013 Edition of the Christian Who's Who.

Dr. Wood has been awarded travel grants from the Endowment for Biblical Research (1981) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (1989, 1992) to carry on his archaeological research. In 2011, 2014 and 2015 he received National Science Foundation grants to do neutron activation analysis of pottery from Kh. el-Maqatir. He is on the Board of Directors of the Near East Archaeological Society. Bryant and his wife Faith reside in Manheim PA. They have four children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandaughter.

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The ministry of ABR dedicates this website to our founder, Dr. David Livingston (1925-2013). David's lifetime of work and tireless defense of the inerrancy of God’s Word has been an inspiration to all of us at ABR. David passed into the presence of our Lord on November 25, 2013.

Dr. Livingston founded Associates for Biblical Research in 1969 but was involved in several Christian ministries during his lifetime, serving for over 60 years. David served in the US Navy in the Pacific during WWII. In the early 1950’s, he served as a pastor in the UPUSA church, then departed for Korea as a missionary for 12 years, serving as a church planter and founding president of a Christian college for 5 years. His ministry in Korea included serving with Campus Crusade for Christ from 1972-1975.

David founded ABR as a response to the scholarly assertions claiming that there was no evidence for the Conquest of Joshua and that the city identified as Ai was never destroyed at the time or in the way the Bible describes. Through careful original research, he concluded that scholars had misidentified the location of ancient Ai and worked tirelessly to bring about a new paradigm and understanding for the location of this important Conquest city of Joshua. This effort led to many years of archaeological excavation and investigation at Kirbet Nisya, which was David's candidate for Ai. Kirbet Nisya better fit the biblical requirements than the consensus view that placed Ai at the site of Et Tell. An important corollary study to this effort included correcting a related scholarly blunder: the misidentification of Bethel. Properly identifying Bethel was the key to finding Ai. David concluded that Ai was at Khirbet Nisya, directing 15 seasons of excavations there.

David’s educational background was extensive. He graduated from Wheaton College with a B.A. in General Science, Pittsburgh Xenia Seminary with an M. Div., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with an M.A. in OT Studies, took graduate studies at Dropsie University and received his Ph.D. in Archaeology from Andrews University in 1988. His doctoral dissertation topic consisted of six years of his excavation reports from Khirbet Nisya.

David also participated in excavations at Jericho, Jerusalem, Jezreel, Bourgata, and Gezer. He conducted more than 25 tours in Israel, Jordan and Egypt.

He served six years as editor of ABR's flagship publication, Bible and Spade, and 20 years as the editor of the ABR Newsletter.

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