Three voices. One throughline.

Co-Author · Series Director

Joel N. Clark

NYT Bestselling Author · Filmmaker · Adventure Storyteller

Joel is the Chief Creative Officer at Deeply Rooted Stories and the founder of A Family Story Films. Over more than two decades behind the camera he has filmed on all seven continents, crossed Iran on foot for a feature documentary, and directed branded work for Sony, Coca-Cola, Tag Heuer, and dozens of others. His films have streamed on Netflix, Amazon, and other major platforms, and his work has been recognized with multiple Telly Awards.

He is a New York Times bestselling author and has spent years developing I Changed the World, leading the cinematic art direction, the universe build, and the story architecture across all six published books and the eighty-four lives still on the way. Joel and his wife live in the Pacific Northwest with their three kids. [PLACEHOLDER: One sentence from Joel on why he cares about kids encountering these stories specifically — the personal "why" behind the series director role. Joel to provide in his own voice.]

Co-Author

Jason Clark

Pastor · Storyteller · Relational Theologian

Jason is the Head of Story and co-founder of Deeply Rooted, a development and production company built around revealing the goodness of God through the context of family. He served for more than twenty years as a worship leader, family pastor, and director of ministries before turning his pastoral heart toward full-time storytelling, bringing relational theology to film, podcasts, music, and books.

He is the executive director of A Family Story nonprofit, an Amazon bestselling author, and co-host of the podcast Rethinking God with Tacos, which has surpassed a million downloads. He has co-written books with NYT bestsellers Donald Miller (The Open Table) and Mark Batterson (Surrendered & Untamed), and his solo titles include Leaving and Finding Jesus and Prone to Love. Jason and his wife Karen live in North Carolina with their three children, Madeleine, Ethan, and Eva.

Co-Author

Mark Batterson

Lead Pastor · NYT Bestselling Author

[PLACEHOLDER: 2–3 sentence opening focused on Mark's personal connection to this series and why he chose to co-write children's books — not a church bio. What did he see in kids' faith formation that made him say yes to this project? Joel/Jason or Mark's team to supply.]

[PLACEHOLDER: 1–2 sentences on his pastoral philosophy as it relates to the series' identity-first theology. How does his teaching at NCC shape what the Stranger says to kids? This is the trust signal for pastors reading this page.]

He has written 25 books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Circle Maker, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Chase the Lion, Whisper, Win the Day, and A Million Little Miracles. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Regent University. Mark and his wife Lora have three children and a granddaughter.

[PLACEHOLDER: One personal sentence — something specific and human. A detail about Mark that a kid or parent would remember. Mark's team or Joel to provide.]