About
—

J17 Ministries

—

The Bible talks about “dividing walls of hostility.” But the world in which we live seems to be experiencing more and more of those walls, despite frequent calls for tolerance and kindness. However, the good news of Jesus is that His Spirit has the power to slip in between the cracks of those walls in ways that mere human effort never will, giving way to a peace that passes all understanding.

Many important priorities exist within every community of believers. Passions that are dear to the Father’s heart are far more than any one congregation can address. J17 Ministries is emphasizing only one of those… but it’s the one Jesus apparently saw as the most critical, based on what was on His heart the night before He gave His life for us.

Let’s partner together to align with Jesus’ John 17 priority!

Employees of John 17

J17 Ministries Founder David Drum calls himself and his staff, “employees of John 17, following God around town and taking notes.” The notebooks keep filling up at an accelerating pace, as Holy Spirit is breathing fresh wind into Jesus’ prayer all around the city, country, and world.

Uniting the Body of Christ for a Divided World is needed everywhere - wherever there are unbiblical divisions. Starting in 2024, J17 Ministries began more intentionally building relational unity outside of Tucson, around the state, country, and world. The end of 2025 brought long-sought clarity - we are working for John 17 in two arenas: Tucson, and toward 2033.

2026 is bringing additional focus. Rather than a mistaken and unintentional message of “J17 is aligning with Jesus’ John 17 prayer, and here are ways you can partner,” a far superior direction is “Holy Spirit is uniting Jesus’ Body in astounding ways that include you, and here are some ways J17 seeks to help you do that.”

Vision

—

We envision individuals and congregations aligning with and living out Jesus’ John 17 prayer, resulting in such visible and substantive unity that people come to know who Jesus is and how much God loves them (compare John 17:23).

Mission

—

Our mission is to unite the Body of Christ for a divided world.

Statement of Faith

—

  •  We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

  • We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

  • We believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to the Father.

  • We believe that regeneration by the Holy Spirit is essential to salvation and sanctification.

  • We believe the Bible to be the inspired, authoritative, and fully normative Word of God in all matters of faith and life.

  • We believe the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is the primary purpose of the church and of every Christ-follower.

  • We believe that the unity of all Christian believers is the focus of Jesus’ prayer (John 17) as he headed to the cross, and therefore worthy of our significant investment.

  • We believe that the visible unity of believers that Jesus prayed for will require on our part humility, accountability, and prayer, as well as the Holy Spirit’s continual outpouring of the grace and truth of Jesus Christ in our midst.

Board of Directors

J17 Ministries Team

  • A smiling middle-aged man with glasses and gray hair, wearing a blue polo shirt, outdoors with blurred greenery and pink flowers in the background.

    David Drum

    FOUNDER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Pastor David Drum is a Tucson native, with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona and an M.Div. from Trinity Lutheran Seminary. He served as the solo/lead pastor of Community of Hope Lutheran Church in Tucson from 1990-2011. In 2011, he became the full time Church Domain Director for 4Tucson, helping churches and pastors throughout Tucson work more closely together. David has been married to his beautiful wife Valerie since 1988, and they have 4 children and two grandchildren. David has served as the president for Tucson Association of Evangelicals and Tucson Ministry Fellowship, on the national Board of Trustees and Board of Ministry for Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, and as the founder/leader for the Evangelical Renewal District of LCMC.

    He has authored three books, Jesus’ Surprising Strategy, If It Was Easy, Jesus Wouldn’t Have Prayed for It, and Peace Talks: The Good News of Jesus in a Donkey-Elephant War.

    In October, 2018, David founded J17 Ministries to further align with Jesus’ heart. A frequent preacher, teacher, conference presenter, and workshop facilitator, David shares the good news of Jesus with both passion and humor.

    Email: Dave Drum

    Read: Dave’s Blog

  • A woman with short platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, and makeup, wearing a patterned blazer with purple, gold, and black, a black top, blue jeans, and jewelry, standing with arms crossed in front of a textured concrete wall and wooden structure with metal bars.

    Dr. Deb Waterbury

    OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

    Dr. Deb Waterbury is a biblical counselor, author, speaker, and ministry leader based in Tucson, Arizona. With more than two decades of experience, she is passionate about helping individuals experience healing, freedom, and transformation through biblical truth.

    Dr. Waterbury is the founder of The Answer: A Biblical Counseling Center and The Academy of Biblical Counseling, equipping individuals, pastors, and ministry leaders with practical, biblically grounded counseling tools. Her passion for global ministry also led her to establish the Reap What You Sew School for Women in Malawi, Africa, providing vocational and business training for widows and women living in poverty.

    An accomplished author, Dr. Waterbury has written 15 books and Bible studies, including three Amazon #1 bestsellers. She currently hosts the weekly podcast Cancer Wasn’t Part of the Plan and has hosted several radio and television programs focused on faith, healing, and personal growth.

    Dr. Waterbury holds a Doctorate in Biblical Expository Studies from Pillsbury Seminary and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Grand Canyon University. She and her husband, Jeff, live in Tucson and have dedicated their lives to strengthening marriages and families through biblical counseling and discipleship.

    Email: Dr. Deb Waterbury

  • Amber Wilkinson

    OPERATIONS MANAGER

    Amber is a Tucson-area native, where she met and married her husband of over 20 years. She is a proud mother of two—one in high school and one in college. She enjoys spending time with her family or heading to the mountains to experience God’s beauty through nature. With a passion for organization and efficiency, Amber finds it a blessing to use her administrative skills to serve the Kingdom. 

    Email: Amber Wilkinson

  • Close-up of a woman with brown curly hair and blue eyes, lying down on a wooden surface.

    Jennifer Dellerman

    CITYWIDE DATABASE

    Jennifer’s passion is to glorify God by using her knowledge and skills to design systems and processes that help people reach their goals. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Arizona and a Master’s in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. After nearly two decades in the construction industry, she transitioned to the nonprofit sector in 2015. For the past 10 years, she has served with 4Tucson and now also contributes her talents to City Leaders Collective and J17 Ministries. In addition, Jennifer supports Fresh Start International by assisting with their annual fundraiser and Expo. Outside of her work, she enjoys life with her husband and their beloved fur babies.

    Email: Jennifer Dellerman

  • A woman with long gray hair smiling outdoors in front of a bush with white flowers, wearing a colorful top and a necklace.

    Lisa Byl

    JOHN 17 WEEKENDS

    I worship and serve at Desert Hope Lutheran Church.  But I also worship and serve the Tucson City Church.  

    I currently serve John 17 Weekends as the Chair for the Steering Team.  I have served on the Steering Team since its inception in 2014.  I believe it is the best tool in practicing church unity, in a short amount of time.  I absolutely love serving on John 17 Weekends in all the various ways that there are to serve.

    I am married to a wonderful man and mom in various forms to our blended family with 5 kids.  We currently have the youngest still home, but working towards the "empty nest" and loving the grand kiddos.

    Email: Lisa Byl

  • Smiling woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a navy top, sitting in front of a brick wall.

    Tasha Campbell

    JOHN 17 WEEKEND ADMINISTRATOR

    Originally from a rural town in northern Michigan, Tasha moved to Tucson, Arizona in 2010 to attend graduate school at the University of Arizona. She received her Master’s and then her Doctorate in Hispanic Linguistics, having followed the Lord’s calling to study the Spanish language in depth. In the years since, Tasha has sought the Holy Spirit’s guidance concerning the vision He gave her to be a part of “cross-cultural communication” which is how she ended up working as a missionary with J17 Ministries. Hence, one of her primary roles with the ministry is to aid in bridge-making between the Christian Latino and Anglo communities in and around southern Arizona. “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the Body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12).

    Email: Tasha Campbell

  • A smiling man with a shaved head and wearing a black shirt, standing in front of a wooden background.

    Louis Liss

    NEXTGEN WEEKENDS

    Louis Liss serves with J17 Ministries, leading the development of NextGen Weekends, while also serving as Senior Pastor of Mount Zion Lutheran Church in southwest Tucson.

    After a decade serving as missionaries in Lebanon, Louis and his family returned to the United States to care for their parents, bringing with them a deep passion for Kingdom collaboration.

    Having witnessed the impact of churches working together to reach people with the gospel, Louis is passionate about seeing the Body of Christ live out Jesus' prayer for unity through disciple-making and shared mission. His desire is to see believers from every background work together so that the world may know Christ.

    Outside of ministry, Louis enjoys traveling with his family, exploring national parks, spending time together in God's Word, and savoring slow-brewed Arabic coffee with cardamom.

    Email: Louis Liss

  • Portrait of a smiling woman with long black hair, wearing a white blazer over a black top against a beige background.

    Jasmine Esquivel

    PRAYER AND INTERCESSION COORDINATOR

    Jasmine Esquivel serves as J17 Ministries’ Prayer & Intercession Coordinator. She believes prayer is foundational to the unity and Kingdom work God is building through His Church. Having served in pastoral ministry, local church leadership, and missions, Jasmine has developed a deep love for the Body of Christ and a desire to see believers strengthened across congregations, communities, and cultures. She brings that pastoral heart to J17, helping cultivate intentional prayer covering for the people, relationships, and mission God has entrusted to the ministry.

  • A smiling woman standing on rocky terrain with mountains in the background and a clear blue sky above.

    Erin Wevodau

    BOOKKEEPER

    Erin has lived in Tucson for the last 20 years, and is wife to a Tucson firefighter and a stay-at-home mom to 5 wonderful kids. She loves bookkeeping part-time and reading fiction in any free moments.

  • Portrait of a smiling man with dark hair and beard, wearing a white shirt with a blue collar, against a plain gray background.

    Adedayo Adebayo

    DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA (volunteer)

    Adedayo loves to use his gifts for the advancement of God’s kingdom. He works at the intersection of education and faith in public schools. He thrives on community projects, loves volunteering, and brings energy and heart to everything he does. He is married and loves playing chess in his spare time.

    Email: Adedayo Adebayo

A child with a short haircut holding and reading a black Holy Bible, sitting on a bed with a white cover, wooden wall background.
Close-up of an elderly woman with white curly hair, wearing a blue hair bow with rhinestones, looking to her right with a gentle smile, sitting in a row of white chairs
A tall black cross standing in a field of blurred grass, with the sky in the background.
A crowd at a concert or event with raised hands, illuminated by colorful stage lights in blue, purple, and yellow, creating a vibrant atmosphere.
Blurred image of trees with pink and blue glowing lights, possibly at dusk or dawn.
Two men praying with heads bowed and hands clasped together in a dark setting.