Ed Jackson Church Multiplication Award
The Ed Jackson Church Multiplication Award is an annual recognition presented to an individual who has made a profound impact in expanding the Charis Fellowship through church multiplication. This prestigious award honors the legacy of Edward “Pastor Ed” Jackson, a catalytic church planter whose life exemplified unwavering dedication to spreading the gospel.
2026 AWARD
Dr. Jeff Bogue
Church Planter and Lead Pastor of Grace Church of Greater Akron, OH.
Jeff has served at Grace Church since 1993, planting the Bath Campus in 2000 and stepping into the role of Senior Pastor in 2007. Under his leadership, Grace has grown to eight campuses and two affiliate church plants with roughly 14,000 people connected to the church body. They have a vision of 30 campuses/churches in 30 years!
Jeff has invested deeply in the next generation of leaders, having launched over 100 internships and residencies since 2015, created a partnership with Grace College & Seminary, and personally coaching and shepherding dozens of Akron-area pastors and planters. He also stepped up to lead Momentum Ministry Partners through the uncertainty of COVID, shaping thousands of leaders through the youth conference and Momentum Pro. Assist is honored to recognize Jeff’s faithful leadership, sacrificial investment, and lasting Kingdom impact.
A video from the crowd of Dr. Jeff Bogue receiving this Award on July 22, 2026 in Pickerington, OH.
More about the Ed Jackson Church Multiplication Award
About Pastor Ed Jackson
Pastor Ed’s remarkable journey in ministry began after serving in the Marines during World War II and attaining the rank of lieutenant in the Ohio State Highway Patrol. For over five decades, he devoted himself to Christian ministry, leaving an indelible mark on communities and people from Alaska to Florida to Ohio and beyond.
Key highlights of Pastor Ed’s ministry include:
- Pioneering church planting efforts in Alaska, laying the foundation for all current and former Alaskan Grace Brethren churches
- Serving churches in Kenai and North Pole, Alaska; Orlando, Florida; and Findlay, Ohio
- Facilitating church planting across the Fellowship from Winona Lake, Indiana for 5 years as Director of Church Planting
- Engaging in global missions, including several trips to the Central African Republic
- Serving as a missions pastor at Grace Polaris and Grace Church in Powell, Ohio
Pastor Rick Nuzum, a close ministry colleague and friend of Pastor Ed made the following comparison– “Ed was a man like Caleb, a man of great faith.”
“Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. – Joshua 14:10-12 NIV
Pastor Ed’s autobiography, Faith Stranger than Fiction: A Fisher of Men, offers a deeper insight into his life of faith and his tireless efforts in church planting.
The Award
The Ed Jackson Church Multiplication Award seeks to:
- Honor Pastor Ed’s legacy of relentless dedication to church planting.
- Inspire a church planting/multiplication culture within the Charis Fellowship.
- Recognize individuals who demonstrate exceptional commitment to expanding the gospel through church multiplication.
- Encourage lifelong dedication to church expansion, following Pastor Ed’s example.
Criteria for Selection
Recipients of this award should exemplify:
- A proven track record in successful church expansion initiatives
- Innovation in reaching new communities with the gospel
- Mentorship and development of future church planters
- A life marked by faith, perseverance, and a passion for spreading God’s word
About the Sponsor
Assist Church Expansion, dedicated to empowering the growth and multiplication of churches within the Charis Fellowship, proudly sponsors this award. By recognizing those who continue the vital work of church multiplication, Assist Church Expansion encourages a new generation to commit their lives to the expansion of the gospel, just as Pastor Ed did. This award not only pays tribute to his memory but also aligns with Assist’s vision to help the Charis Fellowship be an expanding movement.
For more information about Pastor Ed Jackson’s life and ministry, please refer to his autobiography “Faith Stranger than Fiction: A Fisher of Men” or watch the video of his funeral service at Grace Church in Powell, Ohio.
Annual Award Recipients
2025 AWARD
Clancy Cruise
Church Planter and Pastor of Marysville Grace Church in Marysville, OH.
Clancy planted Marysville Grace in 2003 with a vision to reach his community, invest in leaders and multiply churches. Under his leadership, Marysville Grace has planted Bellefontaine Grace (2016) and Urbana Grace (2021), and in 2024 Bellefontaine launched the Lake Campus. Central to this multiplication has been the Pastoral Residency program, which has fueled the planting movement by mentoring 25 leaders through seminary into ministry. Together, these churches and campus have baptized more than 580 people and welcome nearly 2,000 worshippers each weekend. Assist is honored to recognize Clancy’s faithful leadership, sacrificial investment, and lasting Kingdom impact.
A video from the crowd of Clancy Cruise receiving this Award on July 30, 2025 in Lititz, PA
2024 AWARD
Mark Artrip
Church Planter & Pastor of Movement Church in Hilliard, OH.
Mark planted Movement Church in 2013 and prioritized church planting throughout the first decade of ministry. Despite meeting at the Hilliard YMCA for Sunday services, Movement Church daughtered three other churches in the Columbus, Ohio area: Three Creeks Church in Gahanna, OH; Contrast Church in Grandview, OH; and Bright City Church in Sunbury, OH. In January 2024, Movement Church celebrated the grand opening of their own building in Hilliard, and Mark’s passion for church multiplication (and a “movement” of church planting) never wavered. He also served as the first Director of Church Planting for Assist Church Expansion, and we are grateful for his significant investment in our ministry!
INAUGURAL ED JACKSON CHURCH MULTIPLICATION AWARD
See the video below of the presentation of this inaugural award in July 2024 by Executive Director Nathan Bryant to Mark Artrip, Pastor of Movement Church in Hilliard, OH.
