The Rev. Larry Jent was born in Illinois, but his family never lost their roots from the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia.

He earned undergraduate degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1980 with specializations in Business Communications, Philosophy, and Classical Studies. He moved to North Carolina in 1982, earning his MDiv from Duke University in 1985. He has served churches in Illinois, North Carolina, Alaska, and Virginia for 30 years.

Larry and Barbara moved to Virginia in 2002. They have a blended family of five grown children and seven grandchildren. As a person of Cherokee and Sac-Fox heritage, Rev. Jent has always been active in Native American ministries. Native insights--along with his Appalachian sense of humor--shape his ministry in powerful ways.

An accomplished musician and storyteller, Jent has performed in folk venues throughout the southeast. He enjoys playing Appalachian, Native American, and Celtic root music--and has won prestigious liar's competitions! An avid outdoorsman, Rev. Jent enjoys hunting, fishing, and hiking. He never met a motorcycle he did not like.

Larry finds his greatest joy in telling the gospel--the greatest story ever told!