Biblica’s board of directors has appointed by unanimous vote Carl A. Moeller as chief executive officer, effective Oct. 14.

Since 2000, Dr. Moeller served three years as a pastor at Saddleback Church, then nine years as president and CEO for Open Doors, USA, before founding Sequoia Global Resources in 2012. He will replace Doug Lockhart, who announced last March that he would transition from his role as CEO by early 2015.

As president of Open Doors, Moeller helped awaken churches in the West to the ongoing persecution of Christians in other parts of the world. During his time with Sequoia, he helped cultivate philanthropic partnerships to address global needs, including poverty, autism and education. He has worked in more than 75 countries and is an ordained minister with the Evangelical Free Church.

“Throughout our search, we have been careful to seek God’s wisdom and direction as we make this important selection,” said Rob Gluskin, chair of Biblica’s board. “We feel confident that Carl is the right person to lead Biblica into our next season of ministry. His unique combination of global experience, organizational leadership and ministry-mindedness is exactly what we need as we help millions of people around the world connect more deeply with the Scriptures.”

“I am grateful that Carl answered the call to become the next leader of Biblica,” Lockhart said. “Biblica is an amazing ministry, and I believe God will continue to bless its work under Carl’s leadership.”

Moeller looks forward to his new role, which starts next month.

“Biblica has been doing kingdom work for over 200 years—providing Bibles for those who don’t have any and helping those who do to experience them more deeply,” he said. “I am so thrilled to be joining this incredible global ministry.”

Moeller will oversee a global leadership team consisting of Scott Bolinder, executive vice president; Bob Dinolfo, chief financial officer; Ken Norwood, vice president of philanthropy and major relations; Munengi Mulandi, area executive director for Africa; Stephen Cave, area executive director for Europe; Esteban Fernandez, area executive director for Latin America; and Richard Loh, area executive director for East Asia Pacific.