Rev. Jon Aamodt, M.Div.

Portland, Oregon

Jon works as a chaplain for a 400 member retirement community. On Sundays he leads three Eucharistic services. In twenty three years of vocational ministry Jon has served as an associate pastor, church planter/worship leader, senior pastor/worship leader, and youth pastor. He has also served on recurrent short term ministry trips to India, and also to Indonesia and Mozambique. In the near future Jon plans on expanding his ministry by conducting periodic Eucharistic services and special events to reach out to non-churched people in Portland.

About thirteen years ago Jon was swept into the Ancient-Future river during an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that occurred in his local church.

Jon is married to Cheryl. They have three grown children and one teenager still at home. Jon plays guitar and writes worship and folk songs. He tends to spend his leisure time in the field with his German Short Hair Pointers: Emma and Molly.

Dr. Chris Alford

Pastor, Epiclesis: An Ancient-Future Faith Community, Sacramento, California

A long time worship pastor and now lead pastor of the first evangelical church start built intentionally on Ancient-Future principles, Chris Alford is the founder and Board Chair of the Ancient-Future Faith Network. A native of East Tennessee, Chris came to church-based ministry after several years in the symphony orchestra business where he used his musicology background to plan repertoire, write program notes, and serve as staff musicologist (“Which,” he says, “meant that I would help people remember how to spell ‘Dvorak’”) (and which, ironically, he didn’t on this particular page because he couldn’t find Czech alphabet symbols).

Chris left his Baptist roots in Tennessee when he was called to a large Evangelical Presbyterian church in the Sacramento area, and he now serves in what he calls a “pre-denominational” community of believers, Epiclesis. He celebrated 20 years of worship ministry in 2011. Chris is a graduate of the first, “Alpha” class of the Institute for Worship Studies, a tireless advocate of all things Ancient-Future, and is a frequent speaker and workshop leader.

Chris and wife Sheila have two children, Noah and Anna, and a wonderfully useless but beloved bichon frisé named Pepi. Chris is a husband, a father, a pastor, a musician, and a hoot.

Dr. Brad Allen

Author

Brad Allen has been involved in local church music ministry for over twenty-nine years. He has a bachelor of music degree from Baylor University, a Master of Music degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and obtained his doctorate in Worship Studies from The Robert E. Webber Institute of Worship Studies. Brad has served churches in Florida, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina. His youth choirs have sung at the National Cathedral in Washington, D. C. and in Europe. His children’s choirs have premiered musicals at national music conferences.

In addition to producing eight recordings, Brad has led and accompanied music mission tours throughout Europe, South America, and Asia. Brad’s first book (The Nuts and Bolts of Building and Music and Worship Ministry) is undergoing publisher review. His second book (Wounded Shepherd – Encouragement for Those Wounded on the Battlefield of Ministry) has just completed peer reviews and is currently in the hands of the editor, prior to submission for publication later this year.

The Allen family resides in Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Dr. Jim Altizer

Coordinator, Graduate Worship Leadership Program, Azusa Pacific University.

Jim Altizer has a Doctorate in Worship Studies, a Masters in Music Education, and a B.M. in Trumpet Performance. He coordinates the Graduate Worship Leadership program at Azusa Pacific University’s School of Theology, and has served as a Minister of Worship for 22 years. Additionally, he worked as a professional trumpet player for 35 years. He now speaks and leads at Conferences and Churches, and consults on Corporate Worship. His website www.RoadmapsForWorship.com features several of his books and recordings, as well as numerous articles, blogs and other stuff about worship. He also has a Video Teaching Series, and his YouTube channel has more free stuff. Check one out by clicking here.

Dianna Andrews

Minister, Wesleyan Church, Jacksonville, Florida.

Dianna Andrews is an ordained minister with the Wesleyan Church and holds a B.A. in Christian Counseling from John Wesley College in High Point, NC. She is working toward completing her Master of Arts in Ministry at Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University. She is married to Commander Dennis Andrews, a US Navy Chaplain who is in his 13th year of service. Dianna has served in ministry with her husband for 24 years and they have traveled around the world with the military. They live in Jacksonville, FL. They have a son who is a sophomore at Southern Wesleyan University, Central, SC; and a married daughter who is a senior at Houghton Wesleyan College, Houghton, NY graduating with a BA in Music this May.

Dr. Wilma Arant

Servant Leader Extraordinare.

A self-professed “multi-dimensional” person, Wilma Arant has been blessed with a dual calling for both education and ministry. She is a retired adult literacy advocate having served 33 years in postsecondary institutions, while her volunteer ministerial career has spanned over 45 years. Educationally, she has served as a basic skills professor, a curriculum and test writer, as well as a financial aid coordinator. As an accreditation specialist she has reviewed postsecondary institutions throughout Florida, Alabama, Kentucky, and New York. An avid pianist, Wilma’s ministerial career has centered upon worship musicianship and leadership, with encounters into women’s event ministries.

Since receiving the Doctor of Worship Studies degree from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in 2012, Wilma spends her time on an ancient-future project that unites her lifetime enchantment with the Psalms with her unique academic background. Active in Monroe Symphony Choir, Wilma also anticipates an upcoming concert tour to Ireland. In early 2011, Wilma’s husband, Dallas Manning, was diagnosed with kidney cancer. With the support of friends and family, and through the power of fervent prayer, he was miraculously healed. Wilma and Dallas reside in Swartz, Louisiana, and enjoy spreading God’s Story in word and song in area correctional facilities.

Doug Asche

Fair Oaks, California

Doug Asche is a founder and Principal of KASL Consulting Engineers. In addition to acting as Principal in Charge of a number of projects, Mr. Asche is the Corporate Secretary and Managing Partner. KASL was founded in Sacramento in 1982. The firm provides consulting civil engineering and surveying services to the private sector and local, state and federal governments. KASL’s areas of practice include site development; water supply, treatment and distribution systems; sewage collection, treatment and disposal systems and boundary, topographic and construction surveys.

Doug is a founding elder of Epiclesis: An Ancient-Future Faith Community, and a Board Member of the Ancient-Future Faith Network.

Rick Asche

Lincoln, California

Rick has served the local church for the past 16 years. With over a decade in student ministry, he has also ministered as a church planter, and both a small groups and men’s pastor. Originally from the Sacramento area, Rick has served up and down the West coast, from a beach town in San Diego County, to a mountain community at the gate to Yosemite National Park, to the Portland metro area.

As a “dregs”, free-church evangelical, Rick started becoming unsettled by what he calls the “ahistorical anarchy” he was experiencing in his local ministry contexts. In 2010, Rick was introduced to Chris Alford and The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies at a Thanksgiving dinner at his uncle’s house. Currently, Rick is a doctoral student in the Omega class at IWS and is preparing for his thesis. “I’m not sure if its God’s sense of humor or divine providence that my mentor, Chris Alford, is an “Alpha” and I’m an “Omega” at IWS…”

Rick and his wife Deanne have been married for 15 years. Currently they live in Lincoln, California and fellowship at Epiclesis. They have 2 daughters, Aubry and Jessalyn as well as 2 miniature pinschers, Rico and Cole. “I’m more of a hunting dog guy”, Rick said, “but hey, at least they’re not cats”!

Dr. Pat Bennett

Professor, Warner University, Lake Wales, Florida

Pat Bennett is a professor at Warner University in Lake Wales. He is husband to the lovely and talented Terry Bennett, and proud father to Stephen, an officer in the United States Army. Pat is a graduate of Oral Roberts University (BME), the University of South Florida (MM), and the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies (DWS). He plays French horn in the Florida Worship Choir & Orchestra. Pat is a gadget freak at heart and owns every episode of Superman (the George Reeves series) on DVD.

Rev. David Best

Co-Founder and President, Towl & Basin, Nashville, Tennessee; Center for Urban Strategy Development, New York, New York

David Best is a singer, speaker and author who has encouraged thousands of people in over 24 countries to discover their true worth and potential as persons made in the image of God.

As co-founder/President of Towel & Basin— an international resourcing group helping individuals and organizations develop their God-given visions— David challenges leaders to combine “success with significance through service,” and bring servant hearts and hands to human hurts.

David served nearly seven years as Pastor/Director of The Lamb’s Manhattan Church of the Nazarene and The Lamb’s Center in New York City. Prior to this, he was director of Compassionate Ministries for the Los Angeles District Church of the Nazarene. For over three decades David Best has been actively involved with cross-cultural and urban missions. He has initiated or helped plant new churches, train indigenous leaders and coordinate humanitarian relief projects which have provided well over $10.5 million in assistance to Mexico, Nicaragua, India, the Crimea, The Balkans, the Middle East, and numerous cities across the U.S.

David is an award-winning author, songwriter, and singer whose speaking and singing have taken him to colleges, retreats, churches, leadership development seminars, and urban and mission conferences. He has consulted with urban ministries, international mission agencies, other non-profit, and for-profit enterprises. He holds the B.A. in history and M.A. in religion with an emphasis on theology and ethics.

David is married to Marilyn, a social worker specializing with the elderly and youth. They live in New York City’s historic Harlem neighborhood.

Michael Britton

Pastor, Vintage Community Church, Hoover, Alabama

Michael Britton is a church planter and lead community pastor of Vintage Community Church in Hoover, Alabama. Michael has served as a children’s, youth, small groups, and family pastor before breaking with his Southern Baptist roots in a journey to reach the next generation with the Gospel. Along this journey Michael’s education from Southeastern Bible College (B.A. Biblical Studies), Beeson Divinity School, and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (M. Div.) helped form and shape a love and deepening need to connect with an ancient faith that will form the future of the church.

Michael serves with his wife (Kinisha) and three children (Ashton, Mackenzie, and Fisher) in a group of missional communities that gather weekly to remember and reflect on the Gospel story of creation, redemption, and new creation.

Dr. Steven Brooks

Founder, Worship Quest Ministries, La Mirada, California

Steven Brooks has been in local church ministry for nearly two decades. He has a passion for the local church as well as a passion for training, equipping, and mentoring the next generation of worship leaders. His primary interests are spiritual formation through corporate worship, music in the church, and the languages of worship (sacred space, sacred time, and sacred action).

In addition to local church ministry, Steven serves as adjunct faculty at Azusa Pacific University and West Coast Bible College and Seminary. He has also been a guest lecturer at Biola University and various ministry leadership conferences, including the Impact Conference.

Steven founded Worship Quest Ministries which serves as a resource for church leaders in the process of worship renewal. He resides in La Mirada, California, with his wife, Brooke, and their two boys, Jacob and Judah.

Dr. David Brown

Worship Pastor, Tri-Village Christian Church, Pataskala, Ohio

David serves as worship pastor at Tri-Village Christian Church just outside of Columbus, Ohio. He is a graduate of Johnson University, Hope International University, and holds a Doctorate of Worship Studies from The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies. In addition to ministering at Tri-Village, he also serves as an adjunct faculty member with several schools throughout the United States.

Dr. Connie Bull

Jefferson City, Tennessee

Connie C. Bull enjoys her calling as educator and worship leader. Over the past 10 years, she has served standing in the gap while invigorating the music ministry of 8 churches in the East Tennessee area. Since the fall of 2011, she teaches high school by day, and, most recently, in the evenings teaches Worship Practices at Carson-Newman College, striving to fuse the gaps in biblical worship philophy and worship relevancy for both music majors and religion majors. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Carson-Newman College, a Master of Divinity in Communications and a Master of Church Music from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Worship Studies degree from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.Connie is married to Dr. Brad Bull and is the mother of two ancient-future souls. She enjoys doing sacred dance with her daughter, Delyn (15) and receiving nightly blessings from her son, John-Clarke (10).

Bob Burroughs

Composer, Arranger, Author, Greer, South Carolina

Bob Burroughs is known primarily in music circles as a composer and arranger of church music. He is a graduate of Mars Hill College, Oklahoma Baptist University, and Southwestern Baptist Seminary. He has been active in church music for 54 years having served as Minister of Music in both full time and part time situations, as well as serving on the music faculty of Samford University, Mercer University (Atlanta campus) and Palm Beach Atlantic University–as Composer-in-Residence and Associate Professor of Theory and Composition.  He was, for eight years, Director of the Church Music Department, Florida Baptist Convention, Jacksonville, Florida. He now lives in Greer, SC. He is currently an editor at ”Creator” magazine.  Bob is married to Esther Burroughs and as of August 28, 2011, the Burroughs will have been married 53 years. Bob loves traveling with Esther in her speaking ministry, composing music and doing yard work.

Mark Chapman

Lexington, Kentucky

Mark and Becky Chapman are disciples and disciplers living in Lexington, Kentucky, and serving Christ at Anchor Baptist Church. Ordained into the Gospel ministry there in 2009, Mark served as Interim Pastor for New Hope Baptist Church in Fort Myers, Florida, for a season and has returned to build discipleship networks in and among local churches. Reaching back toward the ancient church and her faith practices, Mark helps believers understand and work with faith that spans barriers of geography, history and denominational distinctives; barriers that helped fracture and separate the Christian community. By learning about and building on the foundation of what the Church has always believed and preached everywhere, in every age, we encourage and empower people to be the Body of Christ and “do the works that I have done…” in our Post-Modern – some have said Post-Christian – era. Helping believers unite, focusing every eye and heart onto the redemptive Incarnation of God in the person and work of Jesus is the heart of true religion. Joining together as we walk out our baptism in this time and culture is strong evidence of our participation with God in both the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Reaching the lost and guiding the saved into the fullest practice of this simple vision is work that summons all of our combined substance, art and effort.

Bill Cole

Gold River, California

Bill Cole is an internationally-respected professional speaker, trainer, executive coach, and author. In 1996, he founded Advanced Business Solutions, Inc. Bill has served Christ as a Presbyterian elder, member of the New Wineskins Association of Churches’ Strategy Team, a founding elder of Epiclesis: An Ancient-Future Faith Community in Sacramento, California, and serves as a Board Member and CFO for the Ancient-Future Faith Network. Bill is a former collegiate water polo player and an accomplished trumpet player and conductor. When he’s not busy (which is seldom) he and wife Kristy love to travel, especially to keep close connections with many friends and family across California.

Dr. David Collins

Chair, College of Fine Arts, North Central University, Minneapolis, Minnesota

David Collins has been a professor of music at North Central University since 2003. Along with his administrative duties as chairman, he teaches music ministry classes and directs two of the university choirs. He holds a B.S. in Church Music from North Central University, a Master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Minnesota, and a doctorate in worship studies from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.

David was a music pastor for twenty-five years prior to teaching full time. His love for the Church and passion for worship ministry form the foundation for who he is as a teacher of future worship leaders. David is also on staff part time at River Valley Church in Apple Valley, MN, as a pastor and mentor to the wonderful young worship leaders there. David and his wife, Linda, have four grown children and four grandchildren. Dave loves to hunt, fish, camp, and hang out with his black lab, Mackenzie.

Dr. Alan Cooper

Worship Renewal Resources, Nashville, Tennessee

As founder and director of Worship Renewal Resources, Alan Cooper provides team worship consultation and coaching to churches across the United States and internationally, sharing Ancient-Future worship perspectives and helping churches plan and implement worship practices. Alan holds M.W.S. and D.W.S. degrees from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies. He has served Stone-Campbell Churches of Christ for thirty years in pastoral and preaching ministry. He teaches Worship Studies at Nations University in Nashville, Tennessee. As former director of an international outreach program, Alan launched nationwide campaigns in the United States, Europe, South Africa and South America. He served as head of the Bible department of the nation’s largest online Christian high school, The Potter’s School, developing their core Bible curriculum. Alan and his wife, Lisa, live in Nashville and have two adult sons, Nathan (MWS, Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies), creative director for Worship Renewal Resources and a worship minister in the Nashville area, and Stephen, an IT professional in Seattle, Washington.

Rev. Dr. D. Mark Davison

Brentwood Bay, British Columbia

Mark Davison is an ordained Priest in the Anglican Church in North America. He has most recently served as founding Rector of Cross Roads: Peninsula Anglican Church in Brentwood Bay on Canada’s beautiful Vancouver Island. Mark graduated from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in 2011. While working on his Doctorate in Worship Studies, his academic focus was primarily on Eucharistic liturgy. Mark lives in Brentwood Bay British Columbia (home to the Buchart Gardens) with his wife Lyn who serves as a counselor at the local Christian High School.

Dr. Lisa Deam

Valparaiso, Indiana

Lisa Deam is an award-winning author and speaker who uses art of the Christian past to illuminate modern faith. She was drawn to the Ancient-Future Faith Network because of her interest in medieval maps, which she believes to be an important early church resource for renewing our faith and worship today. She leads spiritual formation workshops using medieval maps and medieval spiritual principles to shed light on our personal journeys with Christ.

Lisa is a frequent contributor to “The Cresset,” the Christian literary journal of Valparaiso University, and is the winner of an Award of Excellence from the Associated Church Press. She is completing a book on medieval world maps as tools for spiritual reflection.

When not roaming the Middle Ages, Lisa lives in Valparaiso, Indiana, with her husband and two young children. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and is an active member of her church.

Dr. Karen Durbin

Grantham, Pennsylvania

Karen Durbin is an experienced worship leader, mentor, speaker, teacher, and Christian worship consultant. For sixteen years, she served as the Minister of Music and Worship for the Grantham Brethren in Christ Church where she developed collaborative worship planning and leading teams, monthly Taizé prayer services, and an active arts ministry. During her tenure, she developed a church based internship program for Messiah College students in worship ministry. She developed and teaches the Brethren in Christ denominational course in biblical worship. Karen is currently working as a consultant with the Homewood retirement community (Hanover, Pa) to develop and lead weekly Taizè services during Lent. Karen holds a B.S. in music education from Messiah College, a certificate in church music from Lebanon Valley College, and Master and Doctoral degrees in worship studies from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.

Karen is married to David and the mother of 4 young adult children. She seeks to follow Christ in all areas of her life and ministry.

Dr. David Eckert

Worship Minister and Musician, Tucson, Arizona

David was called into the ministry from a commission in the United States Navy in 1990. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, he holds a master of music from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. He has served churches in California, Texas, Illinois, and Arizona.

David’s wife Lori has been a wonderful ministry partner along with their four daughters, all of whom are musicians.

David was introduced to Ancient-Future worship while in seminary through Dr Webber’s book Worship Is a Verb. Through the years he was able to modestly implement elements of Ancient-Future practice within the Southern Baptist context. At present he serves in a non-staff capacity at El Camino Baptist Church as organist, pianist, horn player, orchestra director, and subbing for the worship pastor in choral and worship leading.

He presently plays assistant first horn in the Arizona Symphonic Winds and the Dulce Musica Woodwind Quintet. He has also been a member of the Civic Orchestra of Tucson and the Desert Mountain Brass Quintet. He has especially enjoyed accompanying his daughters’ high school choral performances. Recently he obtained a real estate license and has been learning this new field to keep bread on the table.

David prays daily for an Ancient-Future fellowship to be planted in the Tucson area, and would be open to however the Lord would use him in such a work.

Fr. Paul Edgerton

Founding Pastor, Church of the Redeemer, Wilson, North Carolina

Paul Edgerton was ordained in the Reformed Episcopal Church in 2008 after nearly a decade of ministry in the Pentecostal tradition. He is the founding pastor of The Church of the Redeemer, the first church plant of the Reformed Episcopal Church in North Carolina. His pastoral emphasis is on worship and discipleship, with particular focus on healing/deliverance ministry in the context of spiritual direction. He writes and speaks at conferences on worship and teaches English at a local public high school.

Fr. Paul holds a Master of Divinity from the Church of God Theological Seminary and a doctorate from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies. The focus of his doctoral studies was the contemplative and charismatic dimensions of liturgical worship.

Married to the intrepid Christie, Fr. Paul is the ridiculously doting father of Isaac and Elizabeth.

Dr. Larry D. Ellis

Denver, Colorado

Dr. Larry D. Ellis has served as a Bible teacher and Minister of Worship and Music in Baptist, Presbyterian, and Episcopal churches in Denver, Colorado, for approximately 30 years. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oklahoma. He earned a Masters of Worship Studies and Doctor of Worship Studies degrees at the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies doing his research in Christian spiritual formation in the Ancient Church. Dr. Ellis was ordained to the gospel ministry in 1987 and also has composed over 90 sacred musical works and authored two books– including Forgiveness: Unleashing a Transformational Process.

Dr. Clayton Faulkner

Director of Worship, Music, and Technology, Faith Lutheran Church, Bellaire, Texas

Clayton Faulkner is a disciple, husband, father, and pastoral musician living in Houston, Texas. His blog is, as he calls it, ”a random junk drawer” of thoughts and learnings on liturgy, worship, the Bible, church, theology, faith, music and whatever else he finds interesting. Clayton received his doctoral degree from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies. He was a founding pastor of Theophilus Church in Houston, Texas, and continued to consult them after his departure, and now serves as Director of Worship, Music, and Technology at Faith Lutheran Church in Bellaire, Texas.

Dr. Don Fugate

Pastor, Foxworthy Baptist Church, San Jose, California

Dr. Don Fugate serves as Senior Pastor at Foxworthy Baptist Church in San Jose, California. He has served the church in San Jose since 1983. For 24 years, he served as Associate Pastor of Worship. Don has written articles for The Church Musician and Creator Magazine. He is a published composer with Crescendo and Broadman Press. He serves on the adjunct faculty of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary and Olivet University. He is currently serving as Chairman of the Executive Board for the California Southern Baptist Convention.

Don received the Doctor of Worship Studies in 2004 from the Institute for Worship Studies, a Masters degree in church music in 1978 from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, and his Bachelor’s degree in 1976 from California Baptist University. Don has been married to Diann for 38 years. They have two grown sons, Donny and David.

Dr. Teresa Gardner

Founder and Director, Zion Center for Worship and the Arts, Charlotte, North Carolina

Teresa Gardner has long held a vision for seeing the arts restored for the glory of God and is the Director of Zion Center for Worship and the Arts (ZCWA)– a center for worship training through biblical study and technical artistic development based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Teresa has also directed theResurrection Dance Ministry (of Resurrection Lutheran Church) for over thirty years– training worship dancers of all ages, assisting other churches in establishing dance ministries, and presenting God’s Story through movement in local, national and international venues. As a Conference Teacher and Clinician, Teresa has taught in many nations on Biblical Worship and Worship Expression.Teresa teaches on both the personal and corporate expressions of offering our worship to God through movement-– from the simplest gestural expressions to the more developed movement language of the trained dancer. Whether in the “free praise” church environment or the higher liturgical church setting, Teresa’s experiences in multi-denominational, international and multi-cultural worship settings provide rich resources for understanding the appropriate development and application of worship movement expression for individual ministry and church settings.Teresa recently received her Doctorate of Worship Studies from The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies. Her doctoral project on The Biblical and Theological Foundations of Dance Ministry has provided the basis for ZCWA’s newest venue of biblical worship arts education and training through online courses (www.zcwa.com).

Teresa resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, where for 35 years she has been surrounded and supported by wonderful communities of faith.

Israel also plays an important role in Teresa’s life and ZCWA’s ministry. From 1999-2010 Teresa served with the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem as Dance Company Manager for the annual Christian Celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. Ongoing trips to Israel provide worship and educational opportunities for others to learn with ZCWA of our Ancient-Future connection with this land.

Dr. Martha Garmon

Minister of Worship and Music, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Palatine, Illinois

Martha Garmon is the Minister of Worship and Music at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Palatine, Illinois, where she plans the worship services, oversees the music of the church, directs the presentation of Scripture in worship and oversees all the technical aspects of worship. She is a Commissioned Minister and Director of Parish Music for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Martha holds a Bachelor of Applied Music in Flute and Piano from Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas, a Masters of Church Music in Choral Conducting from Concordia University, Mequon, Wisconsin, and holds the doctoral degree from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.

Dr. Ouida Harding

New York, New York

Ouida is a native New Yorker (Harlem) where her father, Rev. Walter L. Harding (one of the founders of the local association), served as pastor of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church for fifty-three years. On the job training in church music ministry began at St. Luke when, at 12, she was assigned to assist the Minister of Music (Mrs. Harding), until she left New York in 1971. In 1975, Ouida’s military assignment permitted her to return immediately after her mother’s sudden illness, and her role in church music ministry resumed.

Ouida graduated from City College of New York (BFA, 1988) and in 2003 received a Master of Arts in Church Music from the Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, Georgia, to which she commuted weekly from New York. After dialogue with Dr. J. Wendell Mapson Jr. and completion of Dr. Melva Costen’s African American Christian Worship course at ITC, Ouida decided to restructure her life’s work with the training mission to enhance the ministry of church choirs, serve as pastoral consultant, and grow church musicians, especially in the Black Church.

Ouida’s love for Christ through choir ministry has placed her in great demand throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, Barbados, and Port Limon, Costa Rica, to explore gospel music first as something other than a job or a hobby; and on December 30, 2007, Ouida was licensed by Dr. Winston R. Rudolph and the congregation at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Pompano Beach, Florida, as a Minister of Music to preach the gospel through the ministry of music and set standards for leadership in church music ministry.

Dr. Phil Harrold

Associate Professor of Church History, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge, Pennsylvania

Philip Harrold is Associate Professor of Church History, Trinity School for Ministry (Episcopal-Anglican), in Ambridge, Pennsylvania.  Phil writes, “Trinity is the place where I play the accordian, direct the faculty jazz band, enjoy lively conversation about life and theology with students and colleagues over sumptuous meals, meet Anglicans from all over the world, laugh a lot, cry sometimes, pray quite a bit…and I teach the church history courses.”Phil’s research interests range from the Patristic catechumenate to the postmodern historical imagination. His Ph.D. dissertation examined the history of secularization in American higher education (now published in the Princeton Monograph Series at Wipf & Stock). He has also published on the history of American revivalism, the Victorian crisis of faith, and science-and-religion in the 19th century. His varied work in that period prompted further inquiry on the topic of historical imagination in late modernity and postmodernity.

Phil has examined the history of Christian practices, especially with regard to discipleship and the formative context of ecclesial life, and he likes to monitor how contemporary ancient-future movements draw from that history. He tries to be a participant observer, but he also enjoys the way students at Trinity engage these issues. His more recent publications address these topics as well as some distinctively Anglican projects pertaining to the rule of faith, as praxis, and the history of church planting in Anglicanism—from Augustine of Canterbury to the East African Revival. These include ‘A Place Somewhat Apart’: The Private Worlds of a Late Nineteenth-Century Public University (Eugene OR: Wipf & Stock, 2006) and a co-edited volume with D. H. Williams entitled The Great Tradition–A Great Labor (Cascade Books, 2011).

Dr. James R. Hart

President, The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies, Orange Park, Florida

James R. Hart serves as the President of the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies (IWS). During his tenure at IWS he has held positions as Dean of Students, Dean of Administration and Provost. In June of 2007 he was inaugurated as the second president of IWS. Dr. Hart has been involved in worship leadership and music ministry for over 30 years, and has taught in the areas of worship, theology and music in various colleges and seminaries, including Asbury Theological Seminary, Christ for the Nations Institute, and Oral Roberts University. He holds a Bachelor of Music from Oral Roberts University in Sacred Music, a Masters of Music from the University of Tulsa, and the Doctor of Worship Studies from the Institute for Worship Studies. He is a published composer/arranger, songwriter and author. Dr. Hart and his wife Carol have three daughters along with a female dog, a female cat, and a fish that is anyone’s guess.

Dr. Rob Hewell

Associate Professor, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas

Rob Hewell is Director of the Worship Studies Program and Chair of the Department of Worship Arts at Ouachita Baptist University (OBU), and is a member of OBU’s Christian Studies and Fine Arts/Music faculties. Prior to joining the faculty in 2001 he was on the staff of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention for eight years, and before that was a full-time music minister and worship pastor for fifteen years.

Rob’s book Worship Beyond Nationalism: Practicing the Reign of God was published by Wipf & Stock (2012). His research and writing interests are primarily focused on the faithfulness of the church’s worship and its witness in the world. He is also a long-time contributor to various periodicals, with more than eighty articles and book reviews in publication.

Rob holds degrees from San Francisco Theological Seminary (D.Min.), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.C.M.), and Midwestern State University (B.M.E.).
Additional professional activities include being a Resident Fellow and Professor of Worship at B.H. Carroll Theological Institute, and membership in the International Council of Ethnodoxologists. Rob and his wife Cyndy live in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

Robert N. Hosack

Executive Acquisitions Editor, Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Bob is a graduate of Grove City College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He’s been involved in Christian book publishing for over twenty years and is somewhat unique in his circles serving both academic and trade book authors. His heart connection to the Ancient-Future Faith Network is that he suggested and published Robert Webber’s Ancient-Future series, a group of books that have influenced many pilgrims.

He’s married to the bright and beautiful Dr. Lisa Hosack and has three lovely daughters, one a student at Wheaton College and the other two in high school.

Johnny Johnson

Pastor, Paradise Ministries, Atascadero, California

Pastor and Musical Director Johnny Johnson is a familiar figure on California’s Central Coast for his leadership of the Paradise Ministries organization and his musical direction of numerous community theater productions, including My Fair Lady, West Side Story, 42nd Street, Guys and Dolls, Anything Goes, and Fiddler on the Roof with Atascadero High School, Sweeny Todd with Chameleon Productions, and Jesus Christ Superstar with Paradise Productions at the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo.

Johnny is known nationally and internationally for his work with the Continental Singers and Celebrant Singers, having directed over 1500 concert ministry programs in 40 countries while serving as Talent Director and Vice-President for the organization.

With a Master’s Degree in Music and a B.A. in Christian Education, Johnny heads Paradise Ministries, Inc., a worship teaching/training organization he founded on California’s central coast in 2002, where he lives with his wife, Pamela, and daughter, Cassandra, and is Pastor of Paradise Fellowship, and a teacher in the local school districts.

Dr. Mark Jonah

Assistant Professor of Worship Arts, LeTourneau University, Longview, Texas

Mark joined the faculty of LeTourneau University in the fall of 2010, where he teaches Foundations of Christian Ministry, Worship Leadership, Foundations of Worship, Multimedia and Technology for Worship, and the University Chorus. He is experiencing the temperatures of East Texas that are quite different from his home country of Canada! Most recently living in Alberta, Canada, the move to Texas has included seeing many familiar things- oil rigs, cowboys and half-ton trucks. Mark’s experience in worship arts has been challenged and stretched through formal studies and has been realized and practiced through church ministry. With close to 25 years of experience in worship arts ministry in local churches, Mark is excited to be part of the team at LeTourneau developing a new degree focusing on worship arts. The beginning of the Worship Arts degree took place in fall, 2011. Originally from the East coast of Canada, and a veteran of worship ministry, Mark has studied and worked across Canada, including churches in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Kitchener, and Moncton. Mark and his wife Jennifer are parents to three active and talented teens.

Mark received his doctoral degree from The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies (2009), a master’s in theology from Tyndale College and Seminary (2001), and did his bachelor’s work at the University of Waterloo (1991) and Briercrest Bible College (1986).

Jessica Howe Jones

Assistant Professor of Worship Arts, Church of the Redeemer Anglican, Jacksonville, Florida

Jessica is the Co-Director of Worship at Church of the Redeemer Anglican, in Jacksonville, FL. She holds a Bachelor’s in Music Education and a Master’s in Educational Leadership, both from the Florida State University. Jessica is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Worship Studies from The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies with an expected graduation date of June, 2014.

Dr. Ellen Koehler

Director of Worship and Liturgy, Epiclesis, Sacramento, California

Ellen Koehler has been director of music and liturgy at Epiclesis since the community’s first meetings in 2009. She studied musicology and piano performance at Oregon State University before moving to the Sacramento area in 1988. As a church musician for some 25 years, she has served as sanctuary pianist, organist and choral accompanist in diverse styles– from classic and traditional to contemporary. She has also played in chamber music and orchestral settings and worked in instrumental and choral composition and arranging. Her great joy these days is in composing and arranging music for Ancient-Future worship. Ellen holds a Ph.D. in Intellectual and Cultural History from the University of California, Davis, with specialties in religious history and nineteenth-century France, and has held lectureships at UCLA and UCD. She and her husband, Loren, enjoy travel, hiking and photography. They are blessed with three grown children and two grandchildren.

Dr. Richard Leonard

Laudemont Ministries, Hamilton, Illinois

Dr. Richard C. Leonard, a minister of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, was Academic Dean of The Institute for worship Studies from 1998-2001. Subsequently he served as Interim Minister of Union Congregational Church, North Aurora, Illinois (2004-05). Having received the Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Boston University in 1972, Dr. Leonard served as a college professor in Texas and pastor of United Methodist churches in Illinois before transitioning to the C.C.C.C. He was Scripture Editor for The Complete Library of Christian Worship (Hendrickson, 1993), edited by Dr. Robert E. Webber, and continued his writing activities after his work with the IWS. He was the “ghost writer” of A Theological Miscellany (Nelson, 2005) and co-compiler of A Glimpse of Heaven (Simon & Schuster, 2007). Additionally, he has written three novels, the most recent being New America (Lampstand, 2009). Dr. Leonard is the publisher of WestWard Quarterly, the poetry magazine edited by his wife, Shirley Anne. The Leonards make their home in Hamilton, Illinois, where Dr. Leonard continues to write and to fulfill occasional ministry assignments. His Laudemont Ministries web site is www.laudemont.org, and his author web site is www.rcleonard.com.

Dr. Gregory Magruder

Pastor, Parkview Baptist Church, Gainesville, Florida

Dr. Gregory Magruder came to Parkview Baptist Church in Gainesville, FL, in August of 2000. He is married to Karen (Chapman) and has three married children; Wes, Olysha, and Andrew. Pastor Magruder is a graduate of Georgetown College, Kentucky (BA English), Southewestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, Texas (MDiv), and the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies (DWS).  Pastor Magruder has led the church to be community-minded, mission-oriented, and purpose-driven. The church hosts sixteen plus community groups including AA, NA, Al-Anon and the International Learning Center. The church actively supports missions through its giving and ministry projects. A strong proponent of building disciples, Greg has led the church to develop on-going discipleship training for adults, youth and children. The CLASS system leads new members to become purpose driven Christians actively using their spiritual gifts in ministry and witness. He is moving the church toward ancient-future worship.

Pastor Magruder came to Florida from Logan, Ohio, where he pastored the First Baptist Church. He also has pastored in Oklahoma. The son of a Southern Baptist Home Missionary, Magruder was born in New Orleans, Louisianna, grew up in Ohio and western New York. He taught and coached in public and private schools for ten years before becoming a minister. He is happy to be in Florida and proud to call himself a Gator fan.

Dr. Mark Mahaffie

Pastor, Sequoia Heights Baptist, Manteca, California

Dr. Mark K. Mahaffie, pastor at Sequoia since 1991, holds a Doctoral degree from the Robert E. Webber Institute of Worship Studies, a Master’s Degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor’s from California Baptist College.

Mark loves baseball (it’s really the only sport, he says, though he also enjoys Ping Pong, various table games, and Sudoku) and most any fried food you can think of. He and wife Lanell have been married since 1975, have two adult children, Leisa Moore and Dan Mahaffie, and three terrific grandchildren.

Darlene Monroe

Ministry Leader, Celebrate Recovery Inside of Greater Sacramento, Sacramento, California

Darlene is the ministry leader of Celebrate Recovery Inside of Greater Sacramento where she works with a team of volunteers and other local organizations to reach into the local and state prison systems and minister to the inmates through the Celebrate Recovery curriculum. Darlene holds both a Bachelors degree in Liberal Studies and a Masters degree in Education with an emphasis in Behavior Studies, Gender Equity Studies, from California State University, Sacramento. Darlene has worked in public education for most of her career in both staff and faculty capacities.

Darlene lives in Orangevale, California, with her two roommates, her cats Cody and Willow, and their feline partners in crime, Pixley and Slagathor. She is an artist with a focus in color pencil medium with much of her current work influenced by biblical stories and learning through the church. Darlene has been a member of the Epiclesis community since the community’s early days.

Rev. Christopher J. Montgomery, O.S.L.

Pastor/Senior Minister, Church of the Brethren, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania

Christopher Montgomery, O.S.L., is an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren and has been in pastoral ministry since 2003. He is the Pastor and presiding elder of the Church of the Brethren in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, where he also does work with other congregations and judicatories evaluating and implementing vital and sustainable worship practices (missionalworship.com).

He has served in various worship, arts, and leadership roles in evangelical and Anabaptist congregations from 20 to 1,000 in Arkansas and Pennsylvania. He holds degrees from Ouachita Baptist University (B.A.), Biblical Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and is a doctoral candidate in worship studies from the Webber Institute for Worship Studies. He is a member of the Order of Saint Luke (an ecumenical religious order dedicated to sacramental spirituality and liturgical scholarship), as well as the International Council of Ethnodoxologists. His research and writing is primarily focused on the missional and small-parish applications of sacramental spirituality.

Christopher and his wife Amanda have one daughter (Samantha Mae) and live near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Dr. David Neff

Editor in Chief & Vice President, Christianity Today Media Group

David Neff is Editor-in-Chief of the Christianity Today Media Group. Here is a brief history of his love affair with church history: David first became aware of the drama of church history at age five, when his father took him to see the 1953 theatrical release Martin Luther. At age 22, as a first-year youth pastor, he bewildered his congregation by basing his first ever children’s sermon on the martyrdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Ten years later, at 32, he based another children’s sermon on the death of a different martyr-Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna-and got a much better reception. That same year, he learned a lot by teaching an undergraduate survey course in church history, covering for a friend who was on sabbatical. At 37, David and his wife LaVonne were among spiritual pilgrims featured in Robert Webber’s Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail. At 56, he became executive editor of Christian History and Biography, just in time to work on Issue 82, “Phoebe Palmer: Mother of the Holiness Movement.” More recently, at age 60, David wrote a 7,000-word introduction to a 30th-anniversary edition of Robert Webber’s Common Roots, the original call to ancient-future faith. Now 64, David wants to continue expanding the contemporary church’s awareness of its rich history so that Christians can enrich their spiritual lives and (perhaps) avoid repeating the mistakes of earlier generations.

David and LaVonne love to travel. He has particularly enjoyed visiting church historical sites in England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Holland, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel , and the Palestinian territories. Because of their differing temperaments David calls his wife “Luther,” while she calls him “Erasmus.”

Dr. Jonathan Nelms

Pastor, Covenant Church, Cookeville, Tennessee

Dr. Jonathan Nelms serves as lead pastor of Covenant Church, Cookeville, Tennessee. After serving as associate pastor/music at First Baptist Church, Cookeville, for 18 years, Jonathan responded in faith to plant the Covenant Church in August, 2011. Covenant is a Baptist church built on a covenantal ecclesiology that values ancient-future worship, relational discipleship, and missional living. Jonathan is a graduate of Belmont University, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies. He comments that God used the latter of these institutions to spark a holy restlessness that led to the founding of the Covenant Church. Jonathan and his wife Glenda have two teenage sons, Nathan and John Philip, who are actively involved in living out their faith as the body of Christ.

Brett Pavia

Western Europe

Brett Pavia, leader of the Urban Abbey, a European student mission base, is a veteran of missions. With years of experience in full-time missions work in Hungary doing coffeehouse ministry, youth hostel management, and student prayer ministry) Brett and his wife Sina have also served the Kingdom in short-term projects Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Finland, Austria, Romania, Slovakia, and Argentina.

Brett’s educational and language background is diverse: North Central University, Minneapolis– B.S. Psychology/Education; Continental Theological Seminary, Brussels, Belgium– Semester Abroad; Wheaton College Graduate School– Historical and Systematic Theology Studies; Assemblies of God Theological Seminary– Theological Studies.

Brett’s passions include leading silent prayer gatherings, community service projects, and teaching on the Desert Fathers and ancient Greek and Coptic icons.

Dr. Carl Peters II

Worship Pastor, Anchor Baptist Church, Lexington, Kentucky

Carl Peters is married to Reneé (21 years of marriage) and has three sons: Daulton (16), Kendall, (13), and Hayden (5). Having served churches in Michigan, Kentucky, Florida, and California, Carl is currently ministering at the Anchor Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky (since 2006). His gifts are utilized in the ministries of worship, music and discipleship. As a proponent of the Ancient-Future principles so brilliantly articulated by Dr. Robert Webber, Carl has given special attention in His church settings to the central place of covenant renewal as a defining factor in scripturally informed worship. Believing that the covenantal components of Word and Sign are meant to be twin peaks within the biblically prescribed “four-fold pattern” of worship (Gathering, Word, Table and Sending Forth), Carl has spent the last twelve years pursuing renewal in the vital nature of the Table in the Christian sacred assembly.

Further, Carl has worked to implement a catechetical structure within a traditional Baptist setting. Utilizing Webber’s “Journey to Jesus” as a model, progress is being made in the initiation of this four stage discipleship strategy, derived from the early church, as a normative facet of church membership at Anchor. Along with teaching worship and choral seminars in several states across the country, Carl also has several published articles on worship, including a “Creator Magazine” piece on returning the Table to its proper place (Real Presence: Renewal at the Lord’s Table). Carl writes a blog dealing with many of the issues that animate his work (carlmpeters2.blogspot.com).

Dr. Stephen Phifer

Founder and Director, Worship Renewal Center, Bartow, Florida

Stephen Phifer the founder/director of the Worship Renewal Center, an online resource for worshipers, worship leaders and pastors. Steve is a career Assemblies of God worship leader and currently directs the Worship Orchestra at Church at the Mall in Lakeland, Florida. He writes a daily devotional available at www.TheWorshipRenewalCenter.com. He is the author of Worship that Pleases God available from Amazon.com and is finishing a new book on worship renewal titled The Promise of His Glory: Finding a Biblical Road to Worship Renewal. Steve earned the Doctor of Worship Studies degree from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in 2004.

Dr. Ron Richardson

Citrus Heights, California

Ron has led worship across the denominational spectrum. He played his first service on the organ in a Lutheran church at age twelve and has been on full time staff in Charismatic non-denominational and Presbyterian settings. Ron has taught choir and orchestra to all levels of students from elementary school to adults, and the elderly. He is happy when he is cooking, eating with friends, or out biking the American River. He enjoys painting, and spending time with his beautiful bride and two great kids. He loves to travel, especially when it is to a California winery, and enjoys the beach and Muir woods. Ron has two degrees in music and holds a doctoral degree from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies. He is part of Epiclesis fellowship in Sacramento and is excited to see what God is doing in worship renewal there and around the world.

The Very Rev. Dr. Donald P. Richmond, Obl.OSB.

Reformed Episcopal Church, Apple Valley, California

The Very Rev. Dr. Donald P. Richmond, a Priest-Oblate with the Reformed Episcopal Church and the Order of Saint Benedict, is a graduate of both IWS and the Maryvale Ecclesiastical Institute. His areas of interest and specialization, having trained and published in both, are Byzantine Iconography and Art in Catechesis. A prolific author, Don has published four books (and two more under consideration), two chapters in books (with one pending release), four hundred articles, poetry and monastic art. He lives in southern California with his very patient and far more educated and articulate wife.

Dr. Lee Rider

Worship Pastor, Moffett Road Baptist Church, Mobile, Alabama

Lee attended Mississippi College where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Master of Music degree. After his time at Mississippi College, he felt the Lord urging him to attend seminary and, in 2011, Lee received his Doctor of Worship Studies degree from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.

Lee’s desire is to see God glorified through a worship lifestyle and for God to use him to lead congregations in corporate worship that is always guided by the Holy Spirit. His passion is to see worshipers giving God a true sacrifice of praise by realizing that the focus of worship is not on ourselves, our wants, our problems, or our circumstances, but entirely on God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Lee is happily married to Tammy Rider and together they have two wonderfully energetic boys, Christian (8) and Connor (5).

Jim Robertson

Interface Worship, Edmonton, Alberta, Cananda

Jim Robertson is a lay liturgist and a worship innovator. His first foray into alternative worship was in 2004 with Altarwalk, a station-based devotional created for the Christian Dance Fellowship of Canada’s national conference. Since then, he has developed a broad repertoire of alternative worship practices and events that he coordinates through his Interface Worship initiative. A restless innovator, Jim has explored the use of prayer bowls as tactile mantras in contemplative practices, written experiential liturgies for high points in the church calendar, created devotional exercises, designed liturgical sculptures, planned creative worship retreats, and crafted many rituals and liturgical components to be used within alternative worship events.

Jim’s major events have become known as lavish celebrations of art and devotion, often featuring multiple artists creating prophetic works, hundreds of feet of fabric, blends of ancient and modern devotional practices, multiple prayer stations, unique Eucharistic rituals that portray the event theme, and a serious probing of deeper theological concepts through the experience of worship. Photos of some of his work can be viewed here. Amazingly, Jim maintains a day job as a criminal lawyer. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with his wife Darlene, and has four grown children.

The Rev. Dr. Ken Rushing

Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Plant City, Florida

Ken Rushing is Vicar of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, a new church plant in Plant City, FL.  Ken has served churches in Mississippi, Texas, and Florida over the past 33 years in the areas of worship leadership, music, administration and pastoral care.  Ken also serves on the staff of the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies where he has held positions including Registrar, Webmaster, Director of Distance Learning Technology, and now Director of Information Technology.  This is a good fit considering Ken is President of Rushing to Serve, Inc., a computer business developed in the late 1980s to serve the ministries of the church through technology.  Ken also enjoys an adjunct professor position at Trinity College of Florida where he teachings Intro to Teaching and Preaching and Fundamentals of Worship.  Ken holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Church Music from the University of Southern Mississippi, a Master’s of Music from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Worship Studies from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.  Ken is a Priest in the Convocation of Christ the Redeemer, the Missionary Diocese of All Saints and the Anglican Church in North America.  Fr. Ken has been married to Ann since 1980 and has 3 wonderful daughters and one son-in-law.

Dr. Lester Ruth

Research Professor of Christian Worship, Duke Divinity School, Durham, North Carolina

Lester Ruth is Research Professor of Christian Worship at Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC. Prior to teaching, he served several pastoral appointments in the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. His doctorate in worship history is from the University of Notre Dame.

Ruth is the author or co-author of several books including, most recently, Walking Where Jesus Walked: Worship in Fourth-Century Jerusalem, A Little Heaven Below: Worship at Early Methodist Quarterly Meetings, Accompanying the Journey: A Handbook for Sponsors, Early Methodist Life and Spirituality, and Creative Preaching on the Sacraments. His articles on a variety of liturgical topics have appeared in national and international journals and periodicals. He is an editor for a series of congregational case studies in the history of Christian worship, the Church at Worship series, published by Eerdmans Press.

Most of his publications have dealt either with worship in the patristic period or worship in American Evangelicalism. He remains dedicated to exploring how classic worship can renew the church today. He teaches, too, in the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Orange Park, Florida.

Dr. Chris Sammond

Director of Music & Technology, New Hope Baptist Church, Hamilton, Ohio

Chris began leading worship in January 1997 and joined the New Hope Baptist Church staff in September 2011. He has served churches in Tennessee, Georgia and Ohio. Prior to accepting the call into full time Christian service, Chris taught music and drama for several years in public and private schools and entertained a short career in radio. He is married to Erika, and together they are the proud parents of Tony, Noah and Chloe. Chris received his doctoral degree in worship theology from The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Orange Park, Florida, and the Master of Music Education and Bachelor of Music from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a strong advocate of worship-leading choirs and has sung in choirs for Don Moen, Lenny LeBlanc, Paul Baloche and others. When not leading worship, Chris can be found listening to his extensive collection of records from the 80’s on his many Apple products.

Vern Sanders

Publisher, Creator Magazine, Pismo Beach, California

Vern Sanders has served in some form of church music and worship leadership for 40 years in a variety of denominations both in the United States and also in Canada. He is currently Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church, Templeton, California. He regularly consults with churches and church leaders and, in his role as the Publisher of “Creator Magazine”, Vern can often be found on the phone encouraging, teaching, counselling, emboldening, and otherwise ministering to the ministers of worship.

Dr. Joel Scandrett

Interim Director, Robert E. Webber Center at Trinity School of Ministry, Ambridge, Pennsylvania

Dr. Scandrett received his PhD in Historical and Systematic Theology in 2005 from Drew University where he studied under Thomas Oden and served as both a Research Director and Translations Project Director for the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. He has already taught a number of online Systematic Theology courses at Trinity as one of the school’s adjunct professors. Dr. Scandrett also has experience teaching at Wheaton College, Northern Seminary, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. In addition to his academic credentials, Dr. Scandrett has a background in the Christian publishing industry, having served as an Associate Editor at InterVarsity Press. Joel Scandrett commented, “The mission of the Robert E. Webber Center [at Trinity] holds immense promise, not only for the future of global Anglicanism but for the future of global Christianity. Drawing on Scripture and ancient Christian tradition, it seeks nothing less than the renewal and maturity of the church today. I am profoundly honored and grateful to be appointed to this task, and thrilled at the prospect of joining the Trinity community. Thanks be to God!”

Javon Seaborn

Chaplain, United States Army, Fort Gordon, Georgia

Chaplain (CPT) Javon A. Seaborn is currently an ordained priest with the Episcopal Missionary Church and endorsed by the Coalition of Spirit-Filled Churches as a military chaplain. He served as a civilian pastor and church planter for five years before coming on active duty in 2006. He also served as an enlisted soldier on active duty for 9 years in the U.S. Army. He is a graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Virginia Union School of Theology, Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Medical College of Virginia Clinical Pastoral Education Program (2 units), and Chaplain Officer Basic Course.

Chaplain Seaborn is currently the 67th Signal Battalion Chaplain at Ft Gordon Georgia. Previous assignments, including those while enlisted, found him at Fort Eustis, Virginia, Fort Stewart, Georgia, Fort Drum, New York, and the 141 Signal Battalion (Desert Shield and Desert Storm) in Ansbach, Germany. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Non Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, and two Kuwait Liberation Medals (Saudi Arabia and Kuwait).

Chaplain Seaborn has been married to the former Virginia White since 18 December 1993. Read more about Chaplain Seaborn and his work in this online edition of “The Signal”, Fort Gordon’s newspaper.

Rev. Alan Shoumaker

Minister of Music, Jefferson Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Born in Inglewood, California in 1959, Alan received his Bachelor of Church Music degree from East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas, and Master of Church Music degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Alan worked on a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, but after learning about the Institute for Worship Studies, Alan transferred to IWS, and is now a candidate for the Doctor of Worship Studies degree at the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville, Florida.

Alan has been married to his high school sweetheart, Kim Cathey Shoumaker, since 1981. Kim and Alan have four adult children: Lindsay, Mitchell, Laura Beth, and Benjamin. Lindsay and her husband, Kyle Silvio, have a 3 year old son, Jackson, and a 3 month old daughter, Reese. Kim has a degree in Medical Records Administration from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana.

Alan has served as Minister of Music at Jefferson Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the past 18 years. One of Alan’s great loves is teaching, and he has served as an adjunct professor for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary since 1996.

Dr. A. Merril Smoak, Jr.

Associate Pastor, Music and Worship, Trinity Church, Livermore, California

Merrril Smoak continues to serve Trinity Church, Livermore, California, as Associate Pastor, Music & Worship, a post he has held since 1978.  Since 2005, he also served as the Dean of the Jubilee College of Music, Olivet University, Scotts Valley, California. His ministry passions are fourfold: To lead people into the presence of God through meaningful worship; to keep choirs alive and vital;  to help more evangelicals follow the Christian Year; and to encourage Christian artists to create new Christian art. He holds degrees from California Baptist College, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and The Robert E. Webber Institute of Worship Studies. Family is very important to Merril and his wife Donna. They enjoy 3 sons, 3 daughters-in-law, and 7 grandchildren. His other passions include collecting hymnals, the Sierra NevadaMountains, and the Giants beating the Dodgers.

Merril is a recognized collector of early American hymnbooks, tunebooks, and psalters. His article entitled “The Adventure of Collecting Hymnals: A Beginning Primer” is in the Winter 2012 edition of THE HYMN published by The Hymn Society. Lifeway has recently published six of his articles on the Christian Year in their worship journal LET’S WORSHIP.  He is director of the Livermore Christ Centered Art group which sponsors an annual Christ centered art festival.

Rev. Tim Strickland

Founder, Clergy2Clergy, Olive, North Carolina

Tim Strickland is the founder and executive director of Clergy2Clergy, as well as serving on the board of Project Reclaim Ministries and Faith and Rural Life. He is the current president of the Mount Olive Area Ministerial Association (MOAMA). Tim is an ordained minister in the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, has pastored several churches, and is currently involved in an Ancient Future Faith Community Church plant. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology with a concentration from Appalachian State University. Tim and his wife Pam have two elementary school age children and reside in Mount Olive, North Carolina.

W. David O. Taylor

Candidate, Doctor of Theology, Duke Divinity School, Durham, North Carolina

David Taylor was a pastor at Hope Chapel in Austin, Texas, where over the course of twelve years he supervised an arts ministry and the adult education program in addition to serving on the preaching team. Born and raised in Guatemala City, he studied at the University of Texas (Plan II and International Relations), Georgetown University, the University of Wurzburg, and Regent College in Canada, where he received degrees in theology (MCS) and biblical studies (ThM).

In 2010 he edited the book For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts (Baker Books), which includes contributions from Eugene Peterson, Andy Crouch, Lauren Winner, Jeremy Begbie, Barbara Nicolosi, John Witvliet and Joshua Banner. He has written articles for Books & Culture, CIVA Seen, Christianity Today, Calvin Theological Journal, Comment magazine, The Living Church, InTouch magazine, and The Christian Vision Project.

His artistic interests include playwriting, modern dance and film. He and his wife Phaedra currently live in Durham, NC, where he pursues doctoral studies in theology and the arts at Duke Divinity School (under Jeremy Begbie and Lester Ruth’s supervision), while she pursues the vocation of gardener, cook and visual artist.

Dr. Steven M. Tice

Staff Representative, The Navigators, East Rockaway, New York

Steven Tice has been attending church since birth and involved in ministry since 1974, usually with a focus on discipleship and worship. He and his wife, Audrey, graduated from Messiah College in 1981 and earned Masters’ Degrees (his in Music Composition) in 1983. They both have been on staff with the Navigators since 1988, serving collegiate and church ministries in the New York Metropolitan Area. Steven is a recent (2013) DWS graduate from The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies. The Tices have two married sons.

Dr. Joanne Lindsell Webber

Sawyer, Michigan

Joanne Webber, wife of the late Robert E. Webber, worked in education, social work, and law in the public sector for 30 years, and has been retired since 1997. Joanne holds the Bachelors of Education from Wheaton College, a Masters in Public Administration from Northeastern University, in Boston, Massachusetts, and a Doctoral of Jurisprudence from John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois. Joanne serves as a Board Member of the Ancient-Future Faith Network.

She resides in the beautiful lakeside home that she and Bob built at Bethany Beach in Sawyer, Michigan.

Rev. Paul Woodward

Pastor, Straightstone Baptist Church, Long Island, Virginia

Rev. Paul Woodward is the under-shepherd at Straightstone Baptist Church in Long Island, Virginia, and accountable to the Good Shepherd for this flock. Prior to this post he was an Associate Pastor at Reservoir Community Church in Newport News, Virginia, and the Military Minister at Liberty Baptist Church in Hampton, Virginia.  Paul is married to Tanya Woodward of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has two children.  He retired from the Navy in June, 2008, and graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science, and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary with an MA in Theology.  Paul’s passions are in Systematic, Biblical and Applied Theology and Church History.