by Ray Johnston
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Ray Johnston

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Ray Johnston has a rich and varied background as a university and graduate-school professor, speaker, writer, and founder of Thrive Communications. He is also the founding pastor of Bayside Church in the Sacramento, California suburb of Granite Bay, which Ray describes as “a church for people who don’t like church.” Bayside has grown into one of the largest churches in the nation with more than 12,000 people coming together every weekend at the main campus and thousands more in multiple affiliated churches throughout the Sacramento region.

Ray is the founder of Thriving Churches International. Each year his Thrive Leadership Conference sells out months in advance with over 4,000 leaders attending from across the country and around the world. An in-demand speaker, he has spoken to more than 4,000,000 people over the last 10 years.

Ray is a veteran of both youth and adult ministry, having crisscrossed the nation for years as a top instructor for Youth Specialties. A graduate of Azusa Pacific University and Fuller Theological Seminary, he was Chairman of the Department of Youth Ministry at North Park College and an adjunct professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He currently serves on the Board of Directors at Azusa Pacific University.

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Videos

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Full Media Kit .zip
Ray's Full Bio .PDF
HQ Cover Copy .PDF

Endorsements

Mark Burnett
Producer, Son of God movie

"Ray is one of our great Christian communicators. What the world needs is hope, the hope of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Ray, for helping us raise our Hope Quotient."
Luis Palau
Evangelist and Author, Out of the Desert...Into the Life God Fully Intended

“I have known Ray Johnston for many years and if anyone exudes the true nature and reality of hope, it’s Ray! You see it in his walk with God, in his family life, and the life of his church. In this book, Ray reveals how enthusiasm, fresh vision, creativity, and determination all come from hope. I have no doubt the wisdom found in this book will bless many. It did me!”
Craig Groeschel
Senior Pastor, LifeChurch.tv
Author, Fight

“If you are discouraged, down, or disheartened, Ray Johnston's book The Hope Quotient is just what you need. This book will build your faith, give you strength to move forward and help you overcome the challenges before you. Sometimes all you need is a little hope.”
Mike Novak
President and CEO, KLOVE and Air1

“If I were to recommend one book to you it would be The Hope Quotient by Pastor Ray Johnston. Being in ministry I can tell you that life leaves most of us feeling drained, out of balance, and without hope. The Hope Quotient gives you everything you need to refill your tank, engage life, and put God’s hope back in your heart. Read it, enjoy it, and pass it on."
Jim Daly
President, Focus on the Family

“We’ve heard a lot about Intelligent Quotient (IQ) and Emotional Intelligence (EQ) but Ray Johnston makes a compelling case that the most important factor of all may be our Hope Quotient (HQ). He reminds us, along with the apostle Paul, that ‘hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us’ (Rom. 5:5).”
John Ortberg
Senior Pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
Author, Who Is This Man?

“Ray Johnston is a high energy, life-giving, people-building hope machine. I am so glad he’s passing some of his secrets on for you and me.”
Jud Wilhite
Senior Pastor, Central Christian Church
Author, The God of Yes

“Ray Johnston is an incredible pastor and leader. He's learned these lessons over many years of faithfully following Christ and serving others. I'm so thankful he's sharing these powerful insights with all of us!”
Brad Lomenick
Past President and Key Visionary, Catalyst
Author, The Catalyst Leader

“If hope were a person, it would be Ray Johnston! He exudes life, passion, and amazing energy at all times. I know The Hope Quotient will give meaning and significance to so many looking for a hope-filled life. I dare you to read this book without walking away inspired and ready to change the world!”
Lincoln Brewster
Worship Pastor, Bayside Church and Integrity Music Recording Artist

“Not only is Ray one of my closest friends, he is also a man that I have had the pleasure of learning from and serving with for the last fourteen years. Ray believes the things that he's written in this book so much that he lives this book! I can’t wait to hear the stories of lives renewed and recharged as a result of people raising their HQ!"
Dave Stone
Southeast Christian, Louisville, Kentucky

“Ray Johnston has more energy and creativity than ten men. But after reading this book, I think he has more hope as well…and you can, too."
Elmer Towns
Cofounder, Liberty University

“I like Ray Johnston because he has great faith in God and puts it into action in his church and in his life. Out of his faith comes hope, the purpose of this book. I pray that God will use this message of hope to motivate the hopeless, to kick start the apathetic, to enliven those who’ve had life crushed out of them. Great book, Ray. May God use it in great ways."
Jim Burns, PhD
President, HomeWord
Author, Creating an Intimate Marriage and Confident Parenting

“This book is exactly like Ray Johnston—inspirational and encouraging. For those who have hope, HQ will no doubt give you more. For those who need hope, HQ will show you how. This book has moved inside my top ten inspirational books of all time."
Bil Cornelius
Founding pastor, Bay Area Fellowship, and author of Today is The Day.

“The Hope Quotient is what every leader needs to take their influence to the next level! Readers be warned: You will soon discover you are not reading this book ... it’s reading you!"
Margaret Feinberg
Author, Wonderstruck

"In the following pages Ray Johnston unleashes the hidden power of hope in a way that will change your life forever. This book will reignite your passion for dreaming big and stepping into the fullness of all God has for you. You're going to be hard pressed to find a book with more motivation or inspiration. Ray doesn't just teach about hope, he embodies it. This is a must read."
Larry Osborne
Author and Pastor, North Coast Church, Vista, CA

“Hope matters. Big time. Ray Johnston has written an incredibly helpful book that moves beyond the happy talk of motivation clichés to real life feet-on-the-ground practical advice for raising our HQ (Hope Quotient) and changing the way we perceive and experience the world around us. Read it. You¹ll be glad you did."
Bill Butterworth
Speaker and Author, Balancing Work and Life and The Short List

“If there was ever a person who qualified as a human dynamo it's my friend Ray Johnston. Thank God he focuses his boundless energy on his wife, his kids, his church, his messages and now, this fabulous manuscript. Be forewarned, Ray's enthusiasm is contagious. It won't take long before we're all talking about HQ."
Rev. Gary Walter
President, The Evangelical Covenant Church

“Hope is one of God's essential fuels for the soul. In this book, Ray pours hope into a spectrometer to understand its chemical make-up. These are not hackneyed pointers for wishful thinking; these are substantive principles for empowered living."
Chris Brown
Co-Senior Pastor and Teaching Pastor, North Coast Church

"If you have been around Ray for more than ten minutes then you have been encouraged and given hope. It's no surprise then that this newest book comes from the core of who he is, and shares some practical steps for how the rest of us can live a life filled with hope as well. This is a must read for those who struggle with feelings of doubt, defeat, and the ugly effects of pessimism."
Peter Habyarimana
Church Engagement, Compassion International

“Having grown up as a poor, street kid in the most difficult parts of Uganda, I can truly say that hope is what kept me going in the midst of what felt like endless darkness. Hope is was kept me thriving when it made no sense, and ultimately, what allowed me to be rescued from my hopelessness and put on a path toward a better life. In this book, Ray has done a great job unpacking ways in which you can live every moment of every day with inescapable hope, spurring us on to be generous with our families, work places, local communities, and people all over world who need a little hope."
Jon R. Wallace
President, Azusa Pacific University

“I have known Ray Johnston for more than 30 years and consider The Hope Quotient one of the most significant contributions available to anyone looking for more in life. This is a must read for everyone regardless of age, beliefs, or circumstances. His seven essentials will revolutionize your life and raise your Hope Quotient. His book is a gracious gift to you, the reader."
Dr. John Jackson
Author and President, William Jessup University

“My friend Ray Johnston has written the book on hope. The Hope Quotient is the core of his soul and as a fellow traveler and leader in life, I want you to know Ray lives these principles out in his life and ministry. Read The Hope Quotient and transform your life!"
Christian Ogoegbunem Isichei, MD
Founding Co-ordinator, Faith Alive Foundation, Nigeria
Professor and Consultant Chemical Pathologist, University of Jos/Jos Universitybr> Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria

“The book is for everyone who desires more hope in their lives through what Pastor Ray preaches and practices: a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, our ultimate hope. Measure Him and Raise Him and you will never be the same."
Clark Mitchell
Founding Senior Pastor, JourneyChurch.tv

“I will read anything and everything Ray puts in print! He is a tremendous author because he’s a tremendous person and leader! He’s right-on with his thoughts."
Dr. Mac Pier
CEO and Founder, The New York City Leadership Center

“Ray Johnston is one of the most effective pastoral leaders in America having built an innovative and effective congregation, Bayside Church in Sacramento. He speaks and writes in an incredibly engaging way. Ray is a gift to the American church and his voice an important one for this moment in American church history."
Jo Anne Lyon
General Superintendent, The Wesleyan Church

“Hope tends to be an elusive thought but Ray has brought it down to where it can be lived, understood, and experienced so we can become the people God intended for us to be when we were born."
Don Nava
Life Fitness Coach, The Totally Fit Life

“As a life fitness coach I see firsthand everyday the connection between the physical, emotional, and mental. Pastor Ray has taken hope and has boiled it down to irreducible minimums so that if a person will take the information in this book and apply it on a regular basis, it will result in sustainable transformation in key areas of their life."
Paul Carroll
Seventeen-year veteran reporter and editor, Wall Street Journal
Author, The New Killer Apps and Big Blues

“Pastor Ray has a higher Hope Quotient than anyone I know. He is a world-class guy, speaker, father, and friend. In this book, he offers simple, practical advice so the rest of us can start moving our HQ in Ray's direction. He mixes in his trademark stories so the book is even a breeze to read. No one needs to hope this book will be a raging success; it will be."
Paul Cole
President, Christian Men’s Network

“Hopelessness and discouragement are thumbs on the throat of the world, slowly choking people to death. In The Hope Quotient, Ray Johnston shows us how to release the death grip of negativity and launch into a new freshness of life—a place where we breathe deeply, live clearly, and achieve the dreams in our hearts. Thank you, Ray, for showing us how to be free of the death grip of hopelessness and for setting us on a path full of hope."
Paul Friesen
Author, The Marriage App

“Ray Johnston’s The Hope Quotient will guide you to become a person filled with hope, which will enable you to live more fully, driven by vision and expectancy. That will impact your relationships, your professional life, your accomplishments, and your sense of satisfaction and contentment. Your Hope Quotient will have a profound impact on how you live your life."
Rene Schlaepfer
Pastor, Twin Lakes Church
Author, Grace Immersion and Jesus Journey

“Ray Johnston is the most encouraging person I know. He absolutely radiates confidence in God. In The Hope Quotient, Ray introduces you to other powerfully hope-filled people whose amazing stories will cause your hope level to rocket to new heights! Best of all, when you finish The Hope Quotient, you'll be an agent of hope too. Read this. Read it because you need a dose of hope—and read it because your friends and family need you to activate the power of hope in their own lives."
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