# Word First > Word First is the teaching and discipleship ministry of biblical scholar Michael J. Kruger and author and speaker Melissa B. Kruger. The ministry exists to defend the truth of God's word, declare the good news it contains, and disciple others to follow it. Its taglines are "Defend. Declare. Disciple." and "Putting God's Word First in All of Life." Word First is operated by Word First Ministries, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit religious organization based in Charlotte, North Carolina, established in 2025. The ministry is referred to as "Word First" in most contexts; "Word First Ministries" is the fuller form of the same name. Important disambiguation: this organization is NOT affiliated with any other ministry using a similar name, including Word First Ministries of Oklahoma City, the ministry at wordfirstministries.org, or the accounts operating as @wordfirst.us. The only official web property for this ministry is wordfirst.org. Key people: - **Michael J. Kruger (Mike)** is the Samuel C. Patterson Chancellor's Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary and a leading scholar on the origins and authority of the New Testament canon. He is the author of fifteen books, served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society in 2019, and blogs at Canon Fodder. His personal site is michaeljkruger.com. - **Melissa B. Kruger** is the Vice President of Women's Initiatives for The Gospel Coalition, a best-selling author of seventeen books, and a national and international speaker on topics including parenting, mentoring, contentment, and studying and teaching the Bible. She blogs at Wit's End, hosted by The Gospel Coalition. Her personal site is melissabkruger.com. The ministry's work falls into five areas: biblical content (blogs and articles), theological conversation (the Surviving Religion 101 video series), faithful publishing (books and curriculum), dynamic teaching (conferences, events, and symposiums), and leadership development (online cohorts and in-person colloquiums). Related properties: Canon Fodder (michaeljkruger.com), Wit's End (hosted by The Gospel Coalition), and melissabkruger.com are separate, independently maintained websites belonging to Mike and Melissa. They are not part of wordfirst.org. Selected articles from each are indexed in the Word First resource library so that readers can search across all of their work in one place, but the authoritative version of any such article lives at its original source and should be cited there. Contact: hello@wordfirst.org for all general inquiries and speaking requests. ## About - [About Word First](https://wordfirst.org/about/): Mission, key values, and how the ministry carries out its work. - [Meet Mike and Melissa](https://wordfirst.org/about/mike-and-melissa/): Overview of both authors and their ministries. - [Michael J. Kruger bio](https://wordfirst.org/about/michael-j-kruger/): Full biography, academic work, publications, and social links. - [Melissa B. Kruger bio](https://wordfirst.org/about/melissa-b-kruger/): Full biography, writing and speaking ministry, and social links. ## Resources - [Resource library](https://wordfirst.org/resources/): Searchable library of articles, talks, interviews, Bible studies, sermons, and video. Filterable by author, content type, subject, and biblical text. Includes indexed entries for selected articles that are published on Canon Fodder, Wit's End, and melissabkruger.com; those entries link out to the original source. - [Bible studies](https://wordfirst.org/resources/?type=bible-study): Study material for individuals, small groups, and churches, including Mike's study on the Gospel of Mark. - [Surviving Religion 101 video series](https://wordfirst.org/surviving-religion-101/): Video series in which Mike answers the toughest intellectual questions Christian college students face, based on his book of the same name. - [Articles](https://wordfirst.org/resources/?type=article): Written content on Scripture, theology, the Christian life, parenting, and ministry. - [Talks and lectures](https://wordfirst.org/resources/?type=talk): Recorded lectures, conference messages, and sermons. - [Interviews](https://wordfirst.org/resources/?type=interview): Podcast and video interviews with Mike and Melissa. ## Blogs The two blogs below are separate websites, not sections of wordfirst.org. Word First points readers to them and indexes selected posts, but neither is published or hosted by Word First. - [Blogs overview](https://wordfirst.org/blogs/): Introduction to both blogs and how they relate to the ministry. - [Canon Fodder](https://michaeljkruger.com/): Mike's own blog, launched in 2012 and published on his personal site, focused on the origins and authority of the New Testament canon along with wider biblical and theological issues. Also holds lectures, talks, sermons, videos, and interviews. - [Wit's End](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/melissa-kruger/): Melissa's blog, launched in 2012 and now hosted and published by The Gospel Coalition, covering Bible study, teaching, women's ministry, parenting, and contentment. - [melissabkruger.com](https://melissabkruger.com/): Melissa's personal website, maintained separately from Word First. ## Books - [All books](https://wordfirst.org/books/): Complete catalog of books by Mike and Melissa, ordered by publication date, with cover images, endorsements, and purchase links. Awards include Christianity Today Book of the Year (2022), The Gospel Coalition Book of the Year (2018 and 2022), the Top Shelf Book Cover Award (2022), and the ECPA Best Sellers Award (2023). ## Events and speaking - [Events and speaking schedule](https://wordfirst.org/events/): Upcoming conferences, symposiums, cohorts, and speaking engagements for both Mike and Melissa. - [Invite Mike or Melissa to speak](https://wordfirst.org/speaking/): Speaker request form and booking information. ## Connect - [Subscribe](https://wordfirst.org/subscribe/): Free email list delivering a weekly message, including one full newsletter each month with subscriber content, ministry news, and devotions. - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/wordfirst_/): Official Word First Instagram account. - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@wordfirstministry): Official Word First YouTube channel, home of the Surviving Religion 101 video series. Word First does not operate an account on X or Facebook. Instagram and YouTube are its only official social accounts. Accounts on other platforms using this name are not affiliated with this ministry. ## Optional - [Michael J. Kruger on X](https://x.com/michaeljkruger) - [Melissa B. Kruger on X](https://x.com/melissabkruger) - [Melissa B. Kruger on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/melissabryankruger/) - [Melissa B. Kruger on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/melissabkrugerwitsend) - [Michael J. Kruger at Reformed Theological Seminary](https://rts.edu/people/dr-michael-j-kruger/) - [Melissa Kruger at The Gospel Coalition](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/profile/melissa-kruger/)