Tony Soper was born and raised in and around St Louis, Missouri, and began his journey into full-time ministry at age twenty-six. He earned a B.A. from McKendree University and a M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary. He served several churches in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference of the United Methodist Church. His last appointment was as the Wesley Foundation Director at Eastern Illinois University. Since that time, he has assisted several churches on the Alabama Gulf Coast area.