Wes Ellis
Wes Ellis is a Member in Discernment in the United Church of Christ and an M.Div. student at Princeton Theological Seminary. He has served in youth ministry and adult Christian education in UCC, UMC, and PCUSA settings, as well as evangelical ministry settings. He is passionate about theology and youth ministry and is convinced that the two belong to each other.
Tony Campolo
Dr. Tony Campolo is professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern University and a former faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania. For 40 years, he led the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education, an organization which he founded to create and support programs serving needy communities. More recently, Dr. Campolo has provided leadership for the progressive Christian movement, Red Letter Christians as well as, for the Campolo Center for Ministry, a program which provides support to those the church has called to full-time ministry. He has written more than 35 books and can be found blogging regularly on
Steven Argue
Steven Argue is an Applied Research Strategist at the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) and a faculty member at Fuller Seminary where he teaches in the Youth, Family, and Culture program. He directs FYI’s cohort coaches and serves on FYI’s Advisory Council. He is also co-leading research projects on ministry innovation and spiritual formation for adolescents and emerging adults.
Steve served as a pastor and Theologian-In-Residence at Mars Hill Bible Church [Grand Rapids, MI]. He researches, speaks, and writes on topics surrounding adolescence, emerging adulthood, spiritual development, and spiritual struggle.
Stephanie Paulsell
Stephanie Paulsell joined the faculty of Harvard Divinity School in 2001 as Lecturer on Ministry and was appointed associate dean for ministry studies in 2003. She served in the post of associate dean until 2005, when she was appointed Houghton Professor of the Practice of Ministry Studies. For the 2007–08 academic year, she was also associate dean for faculty and curricular affairs. Previously she served as director of ministry studies and Senior Lecturer in Religion and Literature at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
Paulsell studies the points of intersection between intellectual work and spiritual practice, between the academic study of […]
Sharon Galgay Ketcham
Dr. Sharon Galgay Ketcham is associate professor of theology and Christian ministries at Gordon College in Massachusetts. She earned her Ph.D. in theology and education from Boston College. Sharon’s two decades of experience in ministry include serving the local church, researching, writing, teaching, and mentoring. As a practical theologian, she is […]
Shane Claiborne
Shane Claiborne is a best-selling author, renowned activist, sought-after speaker, and self-proclaimed “recovering sinner.” Shane writes and speaks around the world about peacemaking, social justice, and Jesus, and is the author of numerous books including The Irresistible Revolution, Jesus for President, and his newest book, Executing Grace (June 2016). He is the visionary founder of The Simple Way in Philadelphia, and director of Red Letter Christians. His work has been featured in Fox News, Esquire, SPIN, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and CNN.
Seth Schoen
Dr. Seth Schoen’s research and teaching interests are in contemplative and spiritual practices, especially the cultivation of compassion. He is currently exploring how the Compassion Practice and critical race and racial formation theories mutually inform each other to create a spiritual path of renewal and transformation. As part of this effort, he has co-created Racial Resilience, anti-racism and anti-bias training program. Racial Resilience seeks, in part, to facilitate conversations about race by grounding them in compassionate, open, non-judgmental, and non-reactive personal and inter-personal spaces. Currently he is also an adjunct professor of Practical Theology at the University of San Diego.
Sarah F. Farmer
Dr. Sarah F. Farmer is Assistant Professor in the Theology and Ministry Department at Indiana Wesleyan University. A former associate research scholar at Yale Divinity School and Director the Adolescent Faith and Flourishing Program at Yale Center for Faith and Culture, Sarah received her M.Div. and Ph.D from Emory University, where she taught as an adjunct faculty and co-directed a Certificate in Theological Studies Program at a Women’s Prison. Sarah teaches in the areas of psychosocial identity and faith formation, community building, congregational studies, social change and transformative pedagogy.
Rubén Ortiz
Rev. Rubén Ortiz has served in urban ministry for 30 years. His professional emphasis has been in Leadership Development, Youth Ministry, Church Planting, and Community Development.
He is Director of National Programs at Esperanza College, administering a network of mentoring programs, a Bible Engagement effort with the American Bible Society and other initiatives. He oversees the Barrio Youth Initiative which includes the development and management of the the Christian Ministry degree program with an emphasis in Youth Ministry in partnership with Esperanza College of Eastern University. Previous to this he was Director of Hispanic Engagement for the national headquarters of Big […]
Rodger Nishioka
Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka became the director of Adult Educational Ministries at Village Presbyterian Church in March of 2016. He is also serving as senior associate. Born in Honolulu and raised in Seattle at the Japanese Presbyterian Church, Rodger is the son of a retired Presbyterian minister. He is one of the most sought-after and inspiring preachers in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Previously, Rodger taught at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta for 15 years. In that ministry, he taught pastors to be teachers and leaders in the church’s educational ministry, specializing in particular on youth and young adult ministry. On […]
Robert Emmons
Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Davis where he has taught since 1988. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of over 200 original publications in peer-reviewed journals or chapters and has written or edited eight books, including The Psychology of Ultimate Concerns (Guilford Press), The Psychology of Gratitude (Oxford University Press), Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier (Houghton-Mifflin), Gratitude Works! A Twenty-One Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity (Jossey-Bass) and The Little Book of Gratitude (Hachette). A leader in the positive […]
Patrick B. Reyes
Dr. Patrick B. Reyes, Director of Strategic Partnerships for Doctoral Initiatives at the Forum for Theological Exploration (fteleaders.org), is a Latinx practical theologian, educator, administrator, and institutional strategist. At the Forum for Theological Exploration, he supports scholars of color and works with institutional leaders on a number of inclusive excellence initiatives. His expertise is helping communities, organizations, and individuals excavate their stories to create strategies and practices that promote their thriving. He is the author of the book, Nobody Cries When We Die: God, Community, and Surviving to Adulthood. Learn more at