Doug Fields has been a pastor to teenagers and ministry leader for over 30 years. After graduating Vanguard University in 1984, he received his MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary. He served at South Coast Community Church (now Mariners Church), in Newport Beach, CA for 11 years before he moved to be the youth and teaching pastor at Saddleback Church (Lake Forest, CA) of 20,000+ people. He was on staff with Rick Warren and a great team of leaders for 18 years.
With a growing demand for speaking, writing and leadership/ministry consulting, Doug resigned from Saddleback Church in September 2009. This move allowed him to pursue ministry opportunities that best align with his gift for teaching, relational leadership and yet it still allows him to engage in his first love: "in-the-trenches" ministry (he currently is a volunteer leader for a small group of 9th grade guys & also teaches on the weekend at Saddleback's high school ministry).
Today, most of Doug's time is spent speaking at conferences/churches/events, writing, teaching youth ministry at Azusa Pacific University, and providing leadership and resources as a part of the Youth Specialities Team.
Doug is the author of 50+ books, including the award-winning Purpose Driven Youth Ministry (PDYM) which is a youth ministry textbook used all over the world. This book has been translated in over a dozen languages and he has personally taught PDYM in almost every state and in several countries; Australia, Germany, Philippines, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. Doug's influence in youth ministry is known around the world (and even in Wikipedia).
In addition to caring for youth workers, Doug also has a huge heart for teenagers. Every summer his Student Leadership Conference attracts teenage leaders from all around the world. At this event, promising young leaders learn how to be influential in their homes, churches, schools and communities.
Doug is also the founder of Simply Youth Ministry, a resource company designed to help youth workers. In 2006 he partnered with Group Publishing to bring these two youth ministry resource providers into collaboration for a wider, global impact.
In many ways, Doug is a pastor to youth pastors! He hosts a weekly podcast where he and some very close, youth ministry friends laugh a lot and answer youth ministry related questions sent in from all over the world. The podcast audience is more of a youth ministry team/family and this medium is simply one of the ways that Doug continues to connect with youth workers.
Of all these things, Doug would say his greatest accomplishment is marrying way out of his league to Cathy, his incredible wife of 25 years, and having amazing children; Torie (22 years old), Cody (19) and Cassie (15).
