About Us…
Our Mission
To glorify God by equipping Christian leaders, locally and globally, with
biblical truth,
spiritual insight, and
practical wisdom
in order that they may excel still more in ministry.
Our Team
Cathy and David Horner
Cathy Horner
A gifted Bible teacher and mentor, Cathy Horner has impacted generations of women in a wide variety of leadership roles over the years. Serving with amazing skill and an indefatigable spirit, Cathy has proved what hard work and a profound love for Christ can mean in the life of a local church.
Many people outside of Providence Baptist church have no idea of the legacy she has cultivated. For over 32 years she has taught weekly Bible studies for women, largely focused on biblical exposition. An avid student of the Word, she has excelled in getting women to see the excellencies of Christ in Scripture. In addition to her Bible study teaching role, she began an annual Women's Conference that reached thousands of women in this region for over 30 years Then in the 1980s, she developed a Women's Ministry Council to oversee that important ministry at Providence, in the 1990s introduced a mentoring ministry, and for many years has spoken overseas in places like Korea, Zimbabwe, Ghana, India, Romania, Ukraine, Jordan as well as here in the United States.
She has shared in teaching many marriage conferences and retreats with David over the years and is regularly sought out by women desiring her seasoned wisdom and godly, biblical counsel.
As an English teacher by training (BA, 1973, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill–Phi Beta Kappa), her gifts also include teaching, mentoring, writing and editing. She has contributed to One-Year Women's Devotional by NavPress, edited by Donna Gaines, as well as to occasional newsletter and magazine articles.
All of this she has done while serving tirelessly alongside David, in both home and church life! Great days of ministry lie ahead for her with Equipped for Life!
David Horner
David Horner, founder and Executive Director of Equipped for Life since 2016, served as senior pastor of Providence Baptist Church from 1978 until he retired at the end of 2015 after 37 years as Founding and Senior Pastor.
Rarely do young men get to work alongside the kind of godly and gifted mentors David met in his early years as a follower of Christ. Disciple-making, evangelistic, creative, faithful people invested in him, helped him grow and developed in him a deep hunger for the Lord. He wants to do the same for others.
Therefore, he has invested in other leaders and potential leaders, seeking to pour into them the spiritual legacy he received. Years of practical ministry experience have given David a unique perspective. He holds degrees from Wake Forest University (BA), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (MDiv), and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (PhD). He is an emeritus member of the Gospel Coalition Council.
An established author, David has published four books: Firmly Rooted, Faithfully Growing; When Missions Shapes the Mission; A Practical Guide for Life and Ministry (republished as 7 Challenges Pastors Face) and Dad’s Words of Wisdom.
Years of experience traveling and equipping international Christian leaders in over 40 nations has broadened his understanding of the power of Christ to transcend borders and cultures.
Equipped for Life provides a new platform from which to give to others as others once gave to him. He sums up the aim of his call to an equipping ministry in the words of Paul, "...that we may present everyone complete in Christ" (Colossians 1:28).
Our Board
EFL Board Members
Gordon Bolin
With years of experience in sales, Gordon has demonstrated a heart for people and an ability to communicate his passion for his products. That ability carries over into his lifetime of ministry as an elder and Sunday School teacher at his church. An avid reader and student of our times, he constantly challenges the thinking of the status quo and offers biblical perspectives by which to understand the world around us better and propose biblical answers. He and his family have lived in the Raleigh area for many years. EFL is grateful to have him serve with us!
Steve Vaughn
A veteran of many mission trips as well as heading up the missions committee at his church, Steve has invested wisely and widely in helping spread the gospel to the nations. As a successful business man, he has proven to be innovative and creative throughout his career and brings keen insights to the table as EFL taps into his expertise and entrepreneurial thinking to grow the impact we will have for years to come. The godly heritage he has passed on to his family brings great pleasure to this gracious gentleman as he delights in seeing his children and grandchildren continue the line of his own years of faithful ministry. He and his family have called Raleigh home for many years but recently have relocated to a coastal community in North Carolina.
David New
A successful career at IBM uniquely qualifies David to bring his business acumen to the work of EFL in order to help maintain a high caliber of integrity to our organizational and operational structures. For years he served as an elder at Providence Baptist Church, steering the congregation through many periods of growth and change. Like many of our board members, David is a great thinker who has particular skills in the areas of assessment and discernment. As a long-time resident of the Triangle, David and his wife Mary brought up their family here and are now entering into that joyful season of grandparenting.
Steve Munshower
The administrative and organizational skills of Steve developed over a productive career in the pharmaceutical industry. Many young business leaders make their way to his door seeking his advice and counsel because they recognize him as a man of great depth with profound biblical convictions and practical spiritual understanding. After years in that industry, Steve spent a few years giving oversight and direction to the administrative needs of his church, serving the body of Christ in his capacity as an elder and Sunday School teacher. Steve has been in the Raleigh area for many years now and understands the unique character of our city as well as the global community. As a husband, father and grandfather, Steve appreciates the joys of a godly heritage.
Jon Roberson
Known among his friends and colleagues as a man of convictions with a heart for prayer, Jon brings to the EFL team his own business experience as well as his ministry heart. His many years working with Cisco bear witness to his acumen in the corporate world. But the real value Jon gives to our team lies in his spiritual insight and wisdom, his great gifts of encouragement and his love for the church, the Bride of Christ. Serving as an elder at Providence Baptist Church, Jon proved his value over and over again. EFL welcomes his significant contributions to this labor of love. He and his family have been in the Raleigh area for many years and have a heart for both this city and for the nations beyond.
Our Legacy
Commissioned by Providence
In January 2016, after 37 years in leadership at Providence Baptist Church, Cathy and David shared an emotional last night together with the congregation, elders, pastors and their families as we celebrated God’s faithfulness.
Worship Service to Say Farewell to the Horners
Providence Baptist Church, January 2016
In case you are interested, this video recording of the farewell service for Cathy and David Horner provides both a wonderful worship experience as well as a humbling remembrance of their 37 years of ministry at Providence Baptist Church. The video is long…nearly two hours…so check it out in small doses!!