Johannes Maas is an American missionary and a Christian leader.

Background
He was raised in Prospect Park, New Jersey, a small borough 15 miles west of New York City, which was
populated by immigrants who sailed from Holland to America via Ellis Island.
His father was Cornelius Maas (1892-1975), who arrived in America in 1901 from the Dutch island of Texel.
He was a descendant of Leonardus Maes (born 1662). The name Maes was later changed to the Dutch
spelling Maas.
His mother, Akke Nawijn (1894-1977) arrived on Ellis Island in 1907. She was a descendant of Firmin Navin
(born approx 1725), a French Huguenot, who fled to Holland to escape persecution in France which
continued after the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Notable of the Nawijn family is a cousin, Hilbrand
Nawijn, a Dutch politician, a former Member of the House of Representatives.
Maas has testified that he felt a call from God at the age of three to serve God as a missionary. At the age of
18, he had completed the necessary seminary course for ordination at the Pillar of Fire Church seminary at
Zarephath, New Jersey, and was ordained a deacon by Bishop Arthur Kent White.

Career
After completing his BA degree in 1958, he joined the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and was later ordained an
elder. He served as the principal and business manager of Allegheny Wesleyan College, a school affiliated
with the conservative holiness movement. He was a Professor of Religion at Hobe Sound Bible College from
1961-1963. In 1967, Maas received a M.Ed. degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and was granted
advanced standing for his Ph.D. He later served as director of the Wesleyan Missionary Council. While on a
world tour for the Council, he spoke at a convention affiliated with the Indian Pentecostal Church of God. It
was conducted in the Indian eastern state of Andhra Pradesh in a primitive area near the Bay of Bengal,
where he saw many malnourished children, homeless widows, and sacrificial pastors and evangelists
laboring under great difficulties with little support. It was there that he received a challenge to care for these
impoverished people. In 1977, with the help of several American Christian business leaders, he founded
Worldwide Faith Missions [1]. This organization has been instrumental in building 25 Children’s Homes in
India, and has over 100 member churches.
Maas has appeared as a guest on many television shows, including the 700 Club and 100 Huntley Street.
While serving as a co-host of the latter program, he interviewed Dr. Mark Buntain, founder of Calcutta
Compassionate Ministries.[2]. Dr. Buntain built the Mission of Mercy Hospital which cared for many of the
dying people from Mother Teresa’s ministry. Buntain arranged for Maas to spend a day with Mother Teresa to
discuss their mutual ministries in India.[3] It was during that day-long visit that Mother Teresa shared her call
from God and subsequent ministry of 50 years to the dying people of Calcutta. She related to him how God
had spoken to her that her ministry would be to help the dying of Calcutta “to die with dignity.” [2] (History
tab)
Since 1975, he has served as editor of "Mission of Mercy Magazine", a monthly publication about missionary
work in Asia.[4]
He maintains offices in Ohio and Chonburi Province, Thailand, and recently concluded an exploratory tour of
Indonesia, Malaysia, and China.

The theologian
Maas received intensive theological education under leading scholars including Rev, I.L. Wilson and Bishop
Donald Justin Wolfram, and studied religion and Judaism in the doctoral program at the Pittsburgh
Theological Seminary, and at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Religious Education under Dr. Aaron
Kessler and others. He has served as an advisor on Wesleyan theological and doctrinal disputes for the
Wesleyan holiness movement. He was a founder and theological contributor to the Aldersgate School of
Religion. He did extensive research on the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification, researching aorist
tense readings in the Greek New Testament. These findings are published in his book, Holiness for Humanity.
He has contributed writings to Wesleyan holiness organizations.[5]

Awards and recognitions

Maas received a commendation from the White House for his efforts in humanitarian work in India and his
input in resolving the stained relations between the United States and India. These tensions came as a result
of Henry Kissinger’s visit to Pakistan to arrange the official visit of President Richard to China.[6] Maas met
with government officials on several occasions, and was honored with a letter of recommendation from Bob
Maddox [4], White House Special Assistant for Religious Liaison for President Carter, who wrote a letter of
recommendation, "This is to introduce Dr. Joe Maas, President of Worldwide Faith Missions of Canton, Ohio ...I
appreciate the Christian commitment and compassion of Dr. Maas (Signed, Bob Maddox, Special Counsel for
Religious Liaison).[7][8][not in citation given],
He is included in the Marquis Who's Who 16th Edition (1978-1979) Who’s Who in the Midwest.[9] He is
featured in the spring, 2006, edition of PITT Magazine, the alumni publication of the University of Pittsburgh.
[10]
His biography is included in the 2009 edition of Marquis Who's Who in the World.[11]
Maas has received awards for his humanitarian efforts in honor of his service for humankind in India,
including a Key to the City of Mobile, Alabama. He was featured in a documentary film about his
achievements in India.[12] Many of his opinions have been published in Thailand’s two English-language
newspapers, Bangkok Post and The Nation.[13]

See also
 Worldwide Faith Missions

References
 ^ http://www.freebase.com/view/guid/9202a8c04000641f800000000de8c2ac
 ^ a b
http://www.buntain.org/about.html
 ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mother_Teresa_and_Dr._Johannes_Maas.jpg
 ^ http://www.scribd.com/doc/18417430/July-Newsletter1
 ^ http://www.classicholinesssermons.com/?p=202
 ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_Nixon_visit_to_China
 ^ http://www.scribd.com/doc/17588023/Worldwide-Faith-Missions-White-House-Letter
 ^ Maddox,Robert.” Preacher at the White House”. Nashville: Broadman Press,1984.
 ^ Marquis Who's Who in the Midwest, 16th Edition, 1978-1979, p. 436
 ^ http://www.pittmag.pitt.edu/spring2006/homecoming.html
 ^ Marquis Who's Who in the World, 25th Edition 2008
 ^ Three Million Gods
 ^ The Nation , November 22, 2006, etc.

External links
 Worldwide Faith Missions
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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Maas_(missionary)