Heidi Baker

Heidi Gayle Baker (born August 29, 1959) is a Christian missionary, itinerant speaker, and the CEO of Iris Global, a Christian humanitarian organization. She is the author of several books on Christian spirituality.

Early life Heidi Gayle Farrell was born to James Moies Farrell and Glenetta Betty Farrell, née Schacht (1930–2015), an English teacher. She has a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from Vanguard University, They were ordained as ministers in 1985.

In 1980, the Bakers founded Iris Global, a non-profit Christian ministry dedicated to charitable service and evangelism, particularly in developing nations.

In 1995, the Bakers moved to Mozambique in order to begin a new ministry focused on the care of orphaned and abandoned children.

Iris Global negotiated with the Mozambican government to assume financial and administrative responsibility for a former government orphanage in Chihango, near the capital city of Maputo. There were roughly 80 children present.

Candy Gunther Brown, professor of religious studies at Indiana University, has called the Bakers "among the most influential leaders in world Pentecostalism."