Our Team
IBAC Staff
Jim Wilson
Founder & President
Prior to founding and dedicating himself to IBAC Ministry, Jim actively served as a pastor from 1986 – 2009. Jim received his Bachelor of Arts from Baptist Bible College (1981), Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary (1986), and Doctor of Ministry, Dallas Theological Seminary (2001). In 2009 Jim joined the staff of ReachGlobal and dedicated himself fulltime to developing IBAC Ministry as well as serving as the City Team Leader for San Jose, Costa Rica.
Today, Jim oversees the strategic direction of IBAC, the ongoing development of its curriculum as well as mentoring and developing IBAC’s teaching team. Jim’s passion and delight remains teaching Latino pastors at actual IBAC Bible Institutes.
Bethany Amaya
Director of Communications
Bethany has served in full-time cross-cultural ministry since 2009. She attended an IBAC institute as a student in 2018 and later began translating. She now serves as IBAC’s Director of Communications. Bethany’s understanding of both the US and Latin culture allows her to communicate well with our sponsor churches in the US and our multicultural team.
Esteban Amaya
Institute Coordinator, Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia
Esteban has served in full-time, cross-cultural ministry since 2011 in different capacities in the local church. He was invited to participate in IBAC as a student in 2018 and was so encouraged that he immediately thought of how IBAC could partner with his church in Bolivia.
Esteban’s involvement and service with IBAC has grown over the years, and he currently serves as coordinator for Argentina, Bolivia, and Mexico. Esteban’s gifts and talents of teaching, and relationship building are a tremendous blessing to IBAC.
Josué Brenes
Institute Teacher & Coordinator
Prior to joining IBAC, Josué pastored local churches in Costa Rica since 1992. While still pastoring a local church, Josué was invited to teach with IBAC in Costa Rica in 2014. As a result of Josué’s exceptional giftedness in teaching and communication, combined with his passion for training and encouraging pastors, Josué was invited to teach at more IBAC institutes. Over the recent years Josué has become one of IBAC’s primary teachers as well as providing pastoral care to the IBAC team.
Amy Grooters
Director of Finance
Amy has served full time in missions since 2015 and has served with IBAC since 2020. Amy utilizes her 30+ years of experience in accounting and administration, to create and manage all of IBAC Corporations’ accounting processes as well as directly administers the funding of IBAC’s many institutes.
Jay Grooters
Director of Operations & Partnership Development
Jay has been serving full time in missions since 2015 and with IBAC since 2020. Jay utilizes his gifts of leadership and 25+ years of experience in business to oversee IBAC’s operations, finances, staffing and strategic planning. Jay also spearheads IBAC’s partnership development efforts and overall funding initiatives.
Michael Vargas
Institute Coordinator – Costa Rica, Panama
Michael has been serving with IBAC since 2016, when at the recommendation of his pastor, he was invited by Jim Wilson to teach at an IBAC institute in Algarrobo, Panama. Michael is a gifted teacher and teaches at many institutes for IBAC, coordinates institutes in Costa Rica and Panama, as well as spearheads IBAC’s relationship and initiatives with the Gnobe people of Panama. Michael officially joined IBAC’s staff in 2022.
David Ziel
Institute Coordinator – Costa Rica
David, along with his wife Angie, has been serving as a missionary in Costa Rica since 2011 in church development, wholistic ministries, and theological education. He began regularly teaching and coordinating institutes with IBAC in 2018 in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama and enjoys the collaborative and interactive teaching environment of the institutes. Give to David and Angie via ReachGlobal.
Kevin Rivera
Institute Teacher & Translator
Kevin has served in missions since 2014, and began serving with IBAC in 2018. Kevin began serving and continues ministering with IBAC as a translator as well as a growing role as a bible teacher.
Kevin and his wife have a deep desire to serve the body of Christ by promoting biblical literacy to communities where biblical resources and education are scarce. Seeing the impact IBAC has had on pastors around Central America has profoundly impacted his desire to continue studying God’s Word and growing in his ability to make the truths of the Bible clearly understood by the Body of Christ. He currently serves IBAC institutes in Costa Rica, Panama, and Guatemala.
Board of Directors
Dr. Jim Wilson
President
Jay Grooters
Vice President
Amy Grooters
Treasurer
Jerry Vickers
Secretary
Shannon Neill
Voting Member
Latino Teaching Team
Over the past 20 years of ministry in Latin America, IBAC has formed relationships with thousands of Latino pastors and leaders. In the course of our equipping ministry, IBAC leadership has identified several pastors who have the gift of teaching and leadership. For the past several years a significant ministry focus of IBAC has been to equip, develop, and mobilize these gifted men who have begun teaching and leading in our Bible Institutes. The strategic plan to mobilize these gifted, national leaders results in the expansion of our geographic coverage, puts these talented servants “in the game” of missions, and relieves the travel pressure from our current leadership.
