The author is a graduate of Penn State University and is a retired professional engineer. He was director of construction for a major retailer until retirement. He and wife Jeanne are the parents of Harold and Joanne, and have been blessed with eight grandchildren. Lerch is the founder of Word to the World Ministries, an outreach to provide at-no-cost witnessing resources. Lerch accepts the Bible as the Word of God and literal history of the universe.