Doulos = Bond Servant

Who We Are

Doulos Leadership Group exists to train, equip, and model a lifestyle of servant leadership rooted in the way of Jesus. The word doulos means “bond servant,” and it captures the heart of who we are and how we lead—freely choosing to serve others for the glory of Christ and the good of His Church.

We believe leadership begins with humility, integrity, and obedience to Jesus. Whether in the home, the church, or the broader community, Doulos seeks to form leaders who reflect Christ’s character and live with purpose, conviction, and faithfulness.

Why We Exist

In a world hungry for authentic, Godly leadership, Doulos Leadership Group was created to address a growing need—for leaders who imitate Christ by serving others. We see this need most clearly in pastors, families, marriages, and young leaders who desire to live faithfully but often feel overwhelmed, isolated, or under-resourced.

Doulos exists to walk alongside men and women as they grow in spiritual maturity, strengthen their leadership, and cultivate healthy rhythms that sustain a lifetime of faithful service. Our work is not about quick fixes, but about long-term formation—helping leaders become who God is calling them to be.

Group of 14 people standing in front of a waterfall during a hike. They are smiling and dressed in casual outdoor clothing, some wearing hats and backpacks.
A group of 13 young adults standing arm-in-arm on a wooden deck in front of a large glass building with trees and sky reflected in the windows.
Group of graduates in black caps and gowns celebrating outdoors, holding diplomas, with a tree and modern building in the background.
A group of people posing together in an auditorium with many empty seats, a stage, and a large screen displaying the words 'ONEighty.' The background shows a crowd on the stage preparing for an event.

Our Founder

A middle-aged man with glasses and short gray hair stands at a podium, smiling, wearing a plaid shirt with red, black, and white colors, in a room with a whiteboard or projection screen behind him.

When people encounter Eddy Shigley, they quickly realize he is a leader marked not by titles or authority but by service, faith, and relational influence. As founder and president of Doulos Leadership Group and Associate Professor of Theology and Ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University, Eddy has dedicated his life to shaping leaders who reflect Christ’s example of humility and conviction. His story is a tapestry of pastoral ministry, camp leadership, higher education, and family discipleship — each chapter deepening his passion to train leaders who serve like Jesus.

Eddy’s journey in ministry began in the local church. He served as Youth Pastor at College Wesleyan Church in Marion, Indiana, and later at First Wesleyan Church in Oklahoma. These years instilled in him a deep love for students and a conviction that leadership begins with discipleship. He poured himself into the lives of young people, pointing them toward Christ and equipping them to live faithfully in a culture that often pulls in the opposite direction.

That love for student discipleship expanded during his time as Camp Director at Pine Cove Christian Camps in Tyler, Texas. At Pine Cove, Eddy led teams of staff and counselors while cultivating an environment where campers could encounter Christ in life-changing ways. Camp ministry shaped his approach to leadership as something lived out in community — training, mentoring, and sharpening others through shared experiences and the challenge of doing “hard things for God.”

Eddy’s leadership journey then moved into Christian higher education, where he became Vice President for Student Life at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. In this role, he oversaw student development, mentoring programs, and campus culture. His leadership philosophy emphasized that healthy leaders produce healthy communities — and at OKWU, he worked to create a campus environment where students grew not only academically but spiritually, relationally, and emotionally. This period also honed his skills in organizational leadership and executive coaching, skills he would later bring into his doctoral studies and his consulting work.

In 2007, Eddy launched the Doulos Leadership Group — “doulos” meaning bond servant — as an extension of his calling to form leaders through service. Through Doulos, he has consulted with churches, camps, para-church organizations, and pastors across the country, offering coaching, strategy, and teaching that equip leaders to flourish. Whether at a marriage retreat, a pastors’ conference, or a boardroom consultation, Eddy’s goal is consistent: to glorify Christ by strengthening leaders and the communities they serve.

Parallel to this, Eddy joined the faculty of Indiana Wesleyan University, where he currently serves as Associate Professor of Theology and Ministry and Director of the Kern Mentoring Program. In the classroom and in mentoring cohorts, he brings together theological depth, practical ministry experience, and the relational heart of a pastor. Students don’t just hear lectures from Eddy — they walk alongside him, learning through mentorship, storytelling, and lived example what it means to lead with integrity, courage, and service.

Eddy’s years as a tennis coach at IWU also highlight his holistic approach to leadership. He guided both men’s and women’s programs to national recognition, earning conference titles and coaching awards. Yet he consistently prioritized character over competition, shaping athletes into men and women of faith who carried their lessons from the court into every area of life. In 2022, Eddy stepped away from coaching to focus more fully on mentoring and family, a decision that reflected his conviction that leadership means faithfully discerning and embracing the priorities God places before us.

A smiling woman with blonde hair, holding a young boy, stands next to an older man with glasses, who is also holding a young boy. They are outdoors in a park with trees in the background.
A large family group gathered outdoors in a park during daytime, smiling and posing for a photo with trees and grass in the background.
Four people standing on a wooden viewpoint with a scenic mountain landscape in the background, dressed in outdoor clothing.
Group of graduates wearing caps and gowns, holding diplomas, outside building with large glass windows and a green tree.
Three people standing on a large rock on a mountain summit, with a vast landscape and clouds in the sky behind them.
A smiling woman with blonde hair and glasses, wearing a patterned blouse and white pants, stands next to a smiling man with gray hair and glasses, wearing a blue jacket, on a wooden bridge with a small waterfall and lush green foliage in the backgrou
Two men smiling for a selfie in a rocky desert landscape with a large, layered mountain in the background.
Four men smiling outdoors at the entrance to Barr Trail, with a wooden sign and a map, surrounded by greenery.
Four people smiling on a balcony with a cityscape of Florence, Italy, including the Florence Cathedral, River Arno, and rolling hills in the background.
A group of 12 young adults standing arm-in-arm on a wooden deck in front of a large building with glass windows, outdoors on a partly cloudy day.
Two smiling men taking a selfie on rocky shoreline with ocean waves and cloudy sky in the background.
Four men standing close together on a beach at sunset, smiling at the camera. The ocean and sky are in the background.
Group of fifteen people, including children and adults, smiling and standing together in front of a waterfall in a forested area during daytime, with some wearing backpacks and winter hats.
A man and woman standing together, smiling, in front of a large yellow palace-like building with a landscaped garden and flower beds.
Group of five runners with medals celebrating after completing Tough Mudder obstacle course race, standing in front of the finish line with muddy clothes, orange headbands, and a muddy field background.
Two smiling men taking a selfie inside the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, with the ancient amphitheater's interior and crowds of visitors visible in the background.

At the heart of it all is Eddy’s family. He and his wife Esther have been married for nearly four decades and are the parents of seven children. Their home is both their greatest joy and their greatest ministry. Together they speak at marriage and parenting conferences, sharing their own experiences to encourage others to build Christ-centered families. For Eddy, leadership is never abstract. It begins at home, in loving his wife, discipling his children, and modeling the faith he proclaims.

Those who hear Eddy speak often describe him as a storyteller. He weaves together Scripture, real-life examples, and practical wisdom in ways that both challenge and encourage. Whether in a classroom, pulpit, camp, or conference, he calls people to surrender to the Lordship of Christ and to embrace leadership as service. His voice is pastoral yet practical, academic yet relational, visionary yet grounded.

Across every role, whether pastor, camp director, vice president, professor, coach, consultant, one theme holds steady: leaders are not made by chasing power, but by choosing service. This conviction is embodied in the name Doulos. For Eddy, being a “bond servant” of Christ is the highest calling and the deepest joy. His life demonstrates that when leaders choose humility … families, churches, and communities flourish.

Today, Eddy continues to invest in leaders at Indiana Wesleyan University, through Doulos Leadership Group, and in countless churches and ministries across the globe. He remains committed to the mission that has shaped every stage of his journey: to proclaim Christ, to form leaders, and to model a life of service. His story is a reminder that true leadership is not measured in titles or trophies but in transformed lives — lives that reflect the One who came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).