Shawn Thornton is the President and Chief Ministry Officer of Joni and Friends, an
international, Gospel-centered, non-profit ministry founded by Joni Eareckson Tada that
offers hands-on help and Gospel hope to people living with disabilities. Joni and
Friends focuses on equipping churches worldwide to welcome and include people living
with disabilities and their families into the life of a local Christian community.
With decades of pastoral experience, Shawn most recently served as Senior Pastor of
Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village, California, where he supported the
development of a dynamic disability ministry program that provides an example for
churches across the country.
Shawn has a personal experience with disability. His beloved mother suffered a
traumatic brain injury in a car crash at the age of 14 that left her with a lifetime of
lingering mental, emotional, and physical impacts. His mother’s traumatic brain injury
resulted in a chaotic home life. But his mother was a strong Christian who was moved
by Joni Eareckson Tada’s 1976 autobiography, Joni: an Unforgettable Story. When
Pastor Shawn’s mother would have a bad day, she would say, “If Joni Eareckson can do
it, then so can I.”
Shawn also serves on the Boards of Directors of Awana Clubs International. He and his
wife, Lesli, have three adult children. Shawn leads Joni and Friends with a passion to
glorify God as the ministry communicates the Gospel and mobilizes the global church to
evangelize, disciple, and serve those living with disability.
