Formation Pathways

Encountering God: A Biblical Theological Devotion

A regular temptation for all Christians is to worship our own image of God, shaped to suit our personal preferences or cultural priorities, rather than the God of scripture. In the Encountering God pathway, we will be reflecting on the nature and character of God as he has revealed Himself in scripture, from the Old Testament through the revelation of Jesus. Through meditation on His character and encountering Him in prayer, we will seek to confront our sinful tendency to be people “bent inward” on ourselves, and will pursue transformation through encounter with God.

Formation Leader: Dr. Trey Nation
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meeting for 45-60 minutes per week
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

Following the Global Jesus

In Following the Global Jesus we will seek to understand how the diversity of the global body of Christ impacts our own walk with Jesus. We will approach the scriptures with cultural humility, seeing how we can learn from brothers and sisters around the world. We will explore our global discipleship through my book (co-authored with Cindy Wu) Our Global Families with a view to think globally about our lives. We want to see the practical ways in which we might serve our two global families, human and Christian. We will look at how we might better get along with our Christian family. We will look at interfaith relations through the same lens of common identity. We will also consider how common identity might be helpful in working together for justice and peace.

Formation Leader: Dr. Todd Johnson
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meeting for 45-60 minutes per week
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

Gospel-Shaped Discipleship [MEN ONLY]

Discipleship is not a one-time event at the beginning of the Christian life. It is an identity in Christ and a relationship with Christ that define the very core of who we are as his followers and extend throughout our walk with him. In Gospel-Shaped Discipleship, we trace our journey with Jesus alongside the Gospel’s own story of discipleship. We consider three distinct “seasons” in the life of the Twelve with him—the season of calling, the season of learning, and the season of mission—and reflect on how these same seasons have shaped, and continue to shape, our own walk with Christ. It is a journey of walking together and following Christ.

Formation Leader: Dr. Mateus de Campos
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: men only
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meeting for 45-60 minutes per week
Meeting Time: meeting either Wednesday or Thursday mornings

Growing in Christ through Six Spiritual Traditions

In Growing in Christ through Six Spiritual Traditions, we will seek to grow into our life in Christ by exploring six spiritual traditions. Richard Foster has described six major dimensions or “streams” of the spiritual life found in the life of Christ and Christian tradition: the Contemplative Tradition, the Holiness Tradition, the Charismatic Tradition, the Social Justice Tradition, the Evangelical Tradition, and the Incarnational Tradition. Using James Bryan Smith and Lynda Graybeal’s A Spiritual Formation Workbook, we will explore the Scriptures alongside each tradition and identify those that nourish your life in Christ, while being focused on growing as a group into our life in Christ.

Formation Leader: Dr. Karen Mason
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meeting for 45-60 minutes per week
Meeting Time: 10:00-11:00 a.m. on Wednesdays

Guide to Becoming an Emotionally Healthy Leader

In the Guide to Becoming an Emotionally Healthy Leader Pathway, we will read Scripture along with Peter Scazzero’s The Emotionally Healthy Leader. We will take time to reflect, journal, and discuss various chapters, including “Facing Your Shadow,” “Leading out of Your Marriage or Singleness,” “Practicing Sabbath Delight,” “Culture and Team Building,” and “Power and Wise Boundaries.” Our goal is to grow and mature as emotionally healthy Christians so we can be better servants of God.

Formation Leader: Dr. Quonekuia Day
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meeting for 45-60 minutes per week
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

Heart of a Peacemaker

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” (Matt. 5:9). As Jesus came to bring peace between us and God, so He calls us to mirror His heart in all of our relationships. We will be walking together through Ken Sande’s short book, Resolving Everyday Conflict, seeking to understand God, others, and ourselves better. By God’s grace, we will grow in our ability to receive and give grace, as well as to “speak the truth in love, and so…to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head..[which] grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph. 4:15,16).

Formation Leader: Dr. Katherine Horvath
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meeting for 45-60 minutes per week
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

The Holy Club

This pathway is inspired by the Oxford Holy Club, the campus ministry led first by Charles and later by John Wesley. Our meetings will emphasize the spiritual disciplines of reading the Bible and other devotional books, prayer, fasting, serving the poor, and covenant discipleship.* The purpose of the Holy Club is to live a Christ-like life through the practice of spiritual disciplines.

Church historians refer to the Holy Club as the first rise of Methodism. It was the foundation from which their own spiritual journey began to take root. I believe these early experiments were necessary for their later expressions of spirit-filled ministry that blossomed into the Evangelical revivals of the eighteenth century. Like the original club, this pathway is open to anyone of any tradition who seeks to draw closer to the LORD.

Covenant Discipleship in the Wesleyan tradition is a method of making disciples of Jesus Christ through small, weekly accountability groups that “watch over one another in love.” Members write a personalized covenant based on the general rules of Methodism, committing to specific actions of devotion, worship, justice, and compassion, and then meet to share how they have lived out their covenant.

Formation Leader: Dr. Daniel Flores
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meeting for 45-60 minutes per week
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

Literature and Spiritual Formation

In the Literature and Spiritual Formation Pathway, we will engage portions of works by authors like J. R. R. Tolkien, W. B. Yeats, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Susanna Clarke, and consider how literature can shape our perspectives on spiritual matters, as we reflect on them in the light of Scripture.

Formation Leader: Dr. Sean McDonough
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meeting for 45 minutes per week
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

Pilgrim Discipleship: Toward the Heavenly City by Faith, Hope, and Love [MEN ONLY]

In ancient seafaring, when no shore was visible, sailors navigated by the stars. Without these celestial markers, the open sea became an expanse of disorientation—wind, waves, and storms without reference points. In the contemporary world, the “liquid life,” and the loss of metanarratives has meant not only the loss of a destination but also the loss of navigational tools. Faith, hope, and love—the theological virtues—were ancient believer’s compass, stars, and anchor, orienting them through stormy seas and dark nights.

This year we will explore discipleship as pilgrimage and character formation as a voyage during stormy seas. Can our conformity to Jesus and his gifts of faith, hope and love be stirred in us precisely while we suffer? Will our terrestrial navigation rely upon celestial observation? Can we have wise spiritual discernment while we make the right choices in stormy seas? Together we will rely on key Scriptural passages, spiritual practices such as lectio divina, John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim Progress, and Augustine of Hippo’s journey as we focus on what it means to be a migrant and a pilgrim marked by faith, hope, and love towards the Heavenly City.

Formation Leader: Dr. Davi Ribeiro Lin
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: men only
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meeting for 90-120 minutes every other week
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

Spiritual Formation, Self-Awareness, and the God of Grace

John Calvin says that theology requires knowledge of the self and knowledge of God. The same is true for spiritual formation. Therefore, this pathway will draw on various matrices (spiritual gifts, vocational call, family of origin, rule of life, and others) to help you understand yourself in light of your relationship to God, your community, and your history and calling. Part of this process involves reading Peter Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. The course will also prepare you for methods you can use in offering spiritual direction to others.

Formation Leader: Dr. Glenn Butner
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meeting for 45-60 minutes per week
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

Thriving as a Missional and Cross-Cultural Believer

In the Thriving as a Missional and Cross-Cultural Believer Pathway, we will seek to navigate the multi-cultural landscape of God’s world as we grow our understanding of and love for people in various cultural settings. Our gatherings will be relational, engaging, and immersive as we learn from God and from each other. As the basis of our time together, we will use Mateus de Campos’ Gospel-centered discipleship guidebook, Walking Together, Following Christ, supplemented by activities and resources that focus on cross-cultural experience.

Formation Leader: Dr. Xiyi Yao
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: to be coordinated by Formation Leader
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

Walking and Working with Jesus Day by Day [SPRING ONLY]

The focus of our formation group will be walking and working with Jesus daily, weaving faith into our everyday routines. Recognizing the common struggle of compartmentalizing spiritual life from work, relationships, and daily decisions, I am passionate about mutual support in integrating faith practically. We’ll read and reflect on selected passages from John’s Gospel, exploring themes like “abiding in the vine” and Jesus as our daily bread. Through community discussion, we’ll move from biblical text to concrete application, sharing specific ways we’re living out our faith in ordinary moments. Format will remain flexible as our group finds its rhythm.

Formation Leader: Dr. Eun Ah Cho
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: spring only
Format: 8 meetings every other week and a half day retreat at my place
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

Walking with Women in Ministry [WOMEN ONLY]

In the Walking with Women in Ministry Pathway, we will walk alongside the women who walked with Jesus in the gospels and see how listening, generosity, service, and other spiritual practices are characteristic of what it means to walk with Jesus. By this we will draw near to each other as we draw near to God.

Formation Leader: Dr. Patricia Batten
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: women only
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meeting for 90-120 minutes every other week
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

Pilgrimage with Christ [WOMEN, MOTHERS ONLY]

Together, we will walk while we converse – often with children nearby (either in strollers or playing outside when weather permits). Together, we will reflect on what we learned through our Scripture reading and/or Devotional Classics read the prior week and share prayer requests. We will pray over one another as we parent and balance a variety of callings aimed at following Christ on the journey of life.

Formation Leader: Dr. Autumn Ridenour
Group Size: 3-4 students per group
Cohort: for mothers of children
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meeting for 45-60 minutes per week
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

Reflective Pathway

In the Reflective pathway, we will engage in intentional spiritual formation—increasing in intimacy with Jesus Christ and maturing in Christ-like character and conduct in the context of a loving Christian community. When we gather together, we will focus on listening to the Holy Spirit in and through one another through the practice of lectio divina, sharing our state of soul, and developing our own Rule of Life.

Formation Leader: Rev. James Hauptman
Group Size: 6-8 students per group
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meeting for 90-minutes every other week
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

Disciple-Making as a Way of Life

In the Disciple-Making as a Way of Life Pathway, you will lead a discipling relationship with someone or a small group in your own context and be equipped through six monthly hands-on School of Discipleship workshops throughout the year. Jesus did not model disciple-making as a program to be implemented; it’s a way of life to be learned and practiced. As you lead a discipling relationship or a discipleship group in your own context, we will gather for six monthly workshops in our School of Discipleship series of workshops led by seasoned disciple-making practitioners.

School of Discipleship Workshops Schedule

All workshops are 1:30-4:30 p.m. on Fridays.
September 26, 2025: Mapping Your Discipleship Landscape
October 10, 2025: StrengthsFinder: Cultivating Your Strengths for Discipleship
November 7, 2025: Hearing and Doing What God Says
February 13, 2026: Calibrating Invitation and Challenge
March 6, 2026: Making Missional Disciples
March 27, 2026: Building a Disciple-Making Culture

Formation Leader: David Broberg; workshops led by seasoned disciple-making practitioners
Group Size: no limit
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meet with your disciplee(s) weekly or bi-weekly; gather for six monthly workshops

Discipleship with College Students

In the Discipleship with College Students Pathway, you will have the opportunity to lead discipling relationships with Gordon College students and be equipped through six monthly hands-on School of Discipleship workshops throughout the year. College is a unique time of life when students tend to wrestle with the big questions of life around meaning, purpose, identity, and calling the very kind of questions Jesus was addressing in his interactions with people throughout the Gospels. As you lead a discipling relationship or a discipleship group at Gordon College, we will gather for six monthly workshops in our School of Discipleship series of workshops led by seasoned disciple-making practitioners.

School of Discipleship Workshops Schedule

All workshops are 1:30-4:30 p.m. on Fridays.
September 26, 2025: Mapping Your Discipleship Landscape
October 10, 2025: StrengthsFinder: Cultivating Your Strengths for Discipleship
November 7, 2025: Hearing and Doing What God Says
February 13, 2026: Calibrating Invitation and Challenge
March 6, 2026: Making Missional Disciples
March 27, 2026: Building a Disciple-Making Culture

Formation Leader: David Broberg; workshops led by seasoned disciple-making practitioners
Group Size: 6-8 students
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meet with your disciplee(s) weekly or bi-weekly; gather for six monthly workshops

Coaching for Disciple-Making [ONLINE]

If you have already gone through School of Discipleship, you can continue your disciple-making journey by being equipped for disciple-making through a monthly online discipleship coaching huddle with a seasoned disciple-making practitioner and coach, Jeremy Snoberger, as you lead a discipling relationship with someone or a small group in your own context. While our School of Discipleship workshops introduced you to key tools and skills for disciple-making, the discipleship coaching huddle will give you personalized coaching and mentorship within a small group of other students leading discipling relationships by working through Bob Rognlien’s Empowering Missional Disciples.

Formation Leader: Jeremy Snoberger
Group Size: 6-8 students
Cohort: open to men and women
Semesters: fall and spring
Format: meet with your disciplee(s) weekly or bi-weekly; meet for 6-8 monthly 90-minute coaching huddles [ONLINE]
Meeting Time: to be coordinated by Formation Leader

Hi, I’m David Broberg

I’m the Assistant Director of Discipleship at the Discipleship Experience. As a Gordon-Conwell alum, I love that I get to walk in discipleship with students during a season of life that can be so formative for one’s sense of call from Christ. God has gifted me with several discipling relationships throughout my life in which I grew and experienced healing with others as we walked together, following Christ. Some discipling relationships have looked like mentorship; others have looked more like spiritual friendship. But all of these relationships have this in common—Jesus is the Grand Discipler and we are all sitting at his feet being shaped by him.

For me, the beauty of discipleship is that we are, in fact, all walking together as we follow Jesus. It is amazing to think that when Jesus sets out to disciple people, he calls us to be in intentional relationships with each other where we brush shoulders with people we would have never expected, so that we learn together, grow together, challenge each other, and support each other in our discipleship to him. When I’m not tending to the Discipleship Experience, I love exploring all that the North Shore has to offer, from hiking trails, marshes, and beaches, to downtowns, coffee shops, and restaurants.

Hi, I’m Dr. Jeffrey Arthurs

I’m the Robinson Chair of Preaching and Communication and the Director of the Haddon W. Robinson Center for Preaching. My teaching area is homiletics and communication. I’m passionate about the local church and have been a pastor in years past. I have participated in the Discipleship Experience for several years and have enjoyed walking with seminarians as part of their spiritual journey at Gordon-Conwell. At my home church, North Shore Community Baptist, I developed a program for potential elders to help them discern God’s calling and feel equipped for that task. Discipleship is important to me because our Lord commanded us to “make disciples,” because I have been encouraged in the journey by my own mentors, and because I believe that the way to change the world is one person at a time. For fun I exercise a lot, playing disc golf, tennis, running, biking, and doing yoga. My wife and I enjoy watching old movies and traveling, and I love to read fiction but don’t have enough time to do so!

Hi, I’m Dr. Kenneth Barnes

Prior to my academic career, I spent many years as a senior international executive for several multi-billion dollar companies doing business on six continents. I also served as a bi-vocational pastor in both the United States and the United Kingdom where I hold dual-citizenship.

In 2007, I began serving as a chaplain and mentor to international graduate students at Oxford University. As part of the Oxford Character Project, the Graduate Christian Union, Trinity Forum, and the Veritas Forum, I was thrilled to engage with skeptical students to consider the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In addition to engaging skeptics, my passion is to nurture Christian students in the integration of their faith and work.

My main areas of research and teaching are the intersections of theology and economics and faith at work.

My wife Debby is a singer, songwriter and professional voice-over artist. We have three grown children: Bernadette, Christian and Julia and three grandchildren: Luca, Mylo and Giovanni.

Hi, I’m Dr. Patricia Batten

After receiving my MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA, I pastored a small church in Kennebunkport, Maine. That’s where I honed my preaching skills, week after week, speaking to the needs of the congregation from the Bible. After earning my DMin in preaching, I pursued my passion for teaching. I find great pleasure in teaching soon-to-be pastors how to preach expository sermons. But I still has an active preaching ministry. I am delighted to be involved in academia and in ministry. I’m convinced that my preaching makes my teaching more effective and my teaching makes me a better preacher.

I love telling a good story and the Bible is full of them. Sometimes, I’ll even tell the biblical story from the perspective of a biblical character. Through story, we can find all sorts of resonances between the way the people of the Bible were discipled by the same God who disciples us today. When I’m not preaching or teaching, I enjoy living life on the North Shore of Boston with my family: my husband, Rich, our three sons, Jack, Sam, and Tim and our beautiful daughter, Audrey Grace.

Hi, I’m Dr. Glenn Butner

I am Associate Professor of Theology, but in my previous institution I taught the spiritual formation sequence and several other ministry courses. Discipleship has been an important part of my life, beginning in my conversion in high school and moving into college and seminary life. When I was an instructor in spiritual education, I began to appreciate the language of spiritual direction, which brings into focus spiritual growth and maturity. Some models of discipleship focus on passing down information (a noble cause! See 2 Tim. 2:2), but my approach tends to focus on moving from spiritual milk into the maturity of spiritual solid food (1 Cor. 3:2). Discipleship meetings might involve discussing Scazerro’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (don’t worry – I don’t assign a lot of reading or anything!) or practicing spiritual disciplines together, and meetings are always rooted in Scripture. Otherwise, I am a pretty laid back guy who enjoys playing with his three kids, cooking or eating new foods, and enjoying the outdoors through sports or recreation.

Hi, I’m Dr. Eun Ah Cho

I am the Dean of the Ockenga Institute and an Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies at Gordon-Conwell. I find daily rest and strength in knowing that I can make my home in Christ, just as He does in me (John 15:4). In all that I do, whether it is an academic endeavor or a mundane task, I remain grateful in Jesus’ invitation to walk and work with Him in the unforced rhythms of grace (Matthew 11:28-30). I begin my days with the end in mind – that on that day a great multitude “from every nation, tribe, people and language” will stand before the throne and the Lamb and worship God (Revelation 7:9). Thanks to the guidance of those who walked before me, I have learned to rest in Jesus, work with Jesus, and hope in Jesus. With those whom God entrusts me with through the Discipleship Experience, I want to do the same.

Hi, I’m Dr. Mateus de Campos

I’m an Assistant Professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell. I’m originally from Brazil where I served as a pastor for about ten years. During that time I learned the value of discipleship, not only as a tool for ministry, but most importantly, as a fundamental way to live the Christian life. Discipleship is about spiritual friendship with Christ and with others. It is an ongoing journey where we follow Jesus in community with the desire of being shaped by his character. I understand discipleship through the lenses of the Gospels, especially the Gospel of Mark, which is my main area of interest. I enjoy taking walks, reading, listening or watching a well-told story, and spending time outdoors with my family.

Hi, I’m Dr. Jana Holiday

Hi, I’m Dr. Katherine Horvath

I am the Director of Career Services and Admin. Dir. of Mentored Ministry here at Gordon-Conwell.  I also teach the course, Conflict Management in Life & the Church based on my DMin research and previous MACO concentration.  Called to ministry fresh out of college, I was on staff with Cru for many years, followed by a stint in West Africa and a few years in Russia with the Navigators—where in each place discipleship has been a core value and activity.  Currently, I enjoy serving as deacon at my church and volunteer chaplain at our county women’s prison.  As a native New Englander (“born in Maine, raised in New Hampshire and grew up Vermont”) I love humor, hiking, nature, and the outdoors!

Hi, I’m Dr. Gordon Isaac

I teach church history and serve as the director of the ThM program in Christian Thought. My special area of study is Martin Luther and the Reformation. His expression of the gospel has had a powerful effect on my grasp of Christianity. I have studied at a holiness seminary on the west coast, with the Lutherans in the upper Midwest, and I completed my Ph.D. at Marquette, a good Jesuit University. Sojourning with different expressions of the faith has informed my study of church history and my views of discipleship. In addition, I grew up in a church in Seattle Washington located just above the downtown that had outreach using community programs, a coffee house ministry, and a house for men out of prison. Discipleship can take a thousand forms, but is meant to shape an individual in the context of the Christian community. When not teaching, I love to cook, walk the waterfront in Gloucester, and follow the Premier League.

Hi, I’m Dr. Todd Johnson

I am the Eva B. and Paul E. Toms Distinguished Professor of Mission and Global Christianity and Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. I enjoy studying Christianity in every country of the world and producing massive reference books! I was discipled and began discipling others in high school in my Lutheran church in my hometown (Minneapolis) but my own faith journey was quickly impacted by my contact with Christians in other countries. I feel that intercultural discipleship offers the most authentic Christian experience because of the global nature of our faith. As such I enjoy literature, art, music, and food from all around the world and gain the most from those Christians least like me.

Hi, I’m Dr. Carol Kaminski

I am Professor of Old Testament and Chair of the Bible Division. Originally from Australia, I’ve taught the Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell for 20 years now! My passion is to help people understand the Bible—especially the Old Testament! I’m the founder and director of Casket Empty Media, which is a Bible series created around the acronym CASKET EMPTY, designed as a teaching tool to help people in the church learn the storyline of the Bible. In my earlier years as a Christian, I was greatly impacted by spiritual mentors who walked the journey with me and taught me what it means to live the Christian life—some continue to pray for me over 30 years later! My heart is to now be that spiritual mentor for other women during their time at seminary. Discipleship is important because studying the Bible needs to be done in community, as we grow together as followers of Jesus. In my free time, I enjoy hosting friends for a meal, kayaking on the Ipswich River, and since I’m an Aussie, anything in the sun is great!

Hi, I’m Dr. Angie Kim

I am an assistant professor of counseling in the MACO program and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). My scholarly research is in the areas of defining barriers and factors that impact underutilization of mental health services by Asians and Asian Americans as well as examining the roles of churches and church leaders in increasing mental health awareness and care.

In counseling, building a genuine and authentic relationship with clients is the most important therapeutic factor above the counselor’s knowledge and skills. Without the therapeutic relationship, individuals cannot experience change, healing, and growth. Similarly, relationship was always at the center of my past discipleship experience. The Holy Spirit consistently worked through the discipleship relationship itself to teach, encourage, admonish, and grow individuals to emulate Christ. This type of relational discipleship, centered around the Word, is life-giving and purpose-giving for both the discipler and the one being discipled. I look forward to building enriching relationships with individuals through the Discipleship Experience as we study the Word together!

When I am not working, I enjoy conversing over coffee, traveling with my family, and taking my son to local farms.

Hi, I’m Dr. Davi C. Ribeiro Lin

I am assistant professor of pastoral theology and I currently teach pastoral counseling, ministry, biblical leadership and Augustine of Hippo. I love the Lord, my wife Aline, my son Bernardo and enjoy playing soccer, pickleball, piano, guitar and strategy games. What is discipleship? A way of joy and fruitfulness amidst the calling to pick up one’s cross. It relates to the compelling joyful call to follow Christ who is infinitely greater and wiser and the promise of life that comes from embracing the death of our own egos, “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). It is on one side the delight of following God’s law (Psalm 1:2) and that law stirs my longing to praise (confessio laudis, confession of praise) and on the other side the conviction that I must be conducted, directed in my own sinful blindness (confessio peccati, confession of sin): “Lord, have mercy on me, I want to see” (Mark 10:48,51). As we meet together with our Lord on the road to resurrection life, our closed hearts burn as Scripture is opened (Luke 24:32). Disciples are blind beggars that meet Christ on the journey and through that sacred encounter have their eyes healed in order to follow and participate in the joy of Christ’s sacrifice.

Hi, I’m Dr. Karen Mason

I teach in the area of counseling. I am a psychologist and a counselor but first a Christian. My special interest is how faith communities help prevent suicide. My first meaningful experience of being discipled was in my freshman year of college in a small group. Next was a Renovare group with six others, all traveling together on the road to becoming more like Christ. Both were formative in helping me build a personal relationship with God. I have also had two spiritual directors that have walked with me through the ups and downs of life while helping me develop spiritual disciplines that have been crucial in my life. Through discipleship God has moved from being a far-off person to being my Father, one who delights in me and I delight in him. In my free time, I love to do anything outside—skiing and hiking a mountain are especially fun.

Hi, I’m Dr. Sean McDonough

I came to Gordon-Conwell in 2000 from Pacific Theological College in Suva, Fiji, where I had served as the Chair of the Biblical Studies Department and as a lecturer in New Testament. Throughout my time teaching at Gordon-Conwell, I have enjoyed staying active in ministry. I have been a Sunday School teacher and occasional preacher at First Congregational Church in Hamilton and am a speaker for Medair, a Christian relief organization based in Switzerland. My research interests include creation/cosmology in the Bible and the Ancient Near East, Hellenistic Judaism, Greek philosophy and religion and the Book of Revelation. I am happy to walk in discipleship with students as part of the Discipleship Experience. When I’m not teaching you might find me supporting Boston’s sports teams, spending time with my family, traveling or hiking.

Hi, I’m Dr. Trey Nation

I came to Gordon-Conwell as a Professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies after finishing my doctoral work at Harvard. My research interests include the history and cultures of Mesopotamia and the Levant, the religions of the ancient Near East (particularly the religious lives of everyday people), and the biblical theology of the Old Testament in the tradition of Vos and Kline. I have taught adult education and occasionally preached for years, and am now part of a presbyterian church in downtown Boston.

I am a firm believer in the importance of discipleship. My own journey has been shaped at every stage by the counsel and encouragement of older believers. Sanctification and growth most often occur in Christian community, and seldom in isolation. It has been my experience that leadership roles in the church can be some of the most spiritually lonely positions. I promise you that developing a habit and rhythm of being discipled and discipling others is not just personally beneficial, but an act of service to your future churches and ministries!

Outside of teaching and research, my family and I love to hike and explore the coast of the North Shore, play board games, and I spend my rare solitary moments reading novels or poetry.

Hi, I’m Dr. Donna Petter

I am the Director of the Hebrew Language Program at the Hamilton campus and Associate Professor of Old Testament. I am originally from Pittsburgh, PA but have traveled extensively as a result of my involvement in Youth with A Mission (YWAM), a short-term missionary organization. YWAM’s vision and mission statement, “to know God and to make Him known” reflects discipleship as a core value. I was discipled in YWAM by the Word of God and a community of Christ followers who shared this common vision for discipleship and evangelism. It changed my life. This is how I understand discipleship. In my free time, I love to cook, bake, and entertain. I especially enjoy all things Italian or French!

Hi, I’m Dr. Thomas Petter

As an associate professor in Old Testament at the seminary and a pastor in a Congregational church in the Boston area, the intersection of discipleship, worship, and the study of the Gospel in the Old and New Testaments are primary interests of mine. One of the most formative experiences of my life was to participate in a Discipleship Program in Youth With A Mission (1984). The six-month program was an immersion in the study of God’s character, principles of intercession, evangelism and doing “life-together” as followers of Christ gathered from many parts of the world. The lecture-phase was followed by a hands-on outreach in Tanzania. There we experienced the power of the Gospel together through hardships, tough living conditions, and the sweet fellowship of the Spirit with our brothers and sisters in East Africa. Authentic discipleship always includes humility and teachability. But it’s never at the expense of the study of His Word. Jesus’ disciples “continue in His Word.” In a culture constantly vying for our attention, the Word of God (His will for our lives) remains our sure foundation and the true pathway to being disciples (Romans 12:1-2). In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and day-dreaming about sharing my time between Hawaii, Lakeside MT, and other undisclosed locations around the world.

Hi, I’m Dr. Autumn Ridenour

I am the Mockler Associate Professor of Christian Ethics. I enjoy teaching about foundational approaches to ethics and find that union with Christ through the Spirit plays a fundamental role in shaping virtue or character ethics. I’m also interested in a theology of aging to consider not only ways we physically grow, but also our capacity for spiritual and moral development through the human life span. For this reason, I find intergenerational relationships, fellowship, and discipleship to play a critical role in the body of Christ. Significant mentors and relationships have invested in my own spiritual growth since my youth. As an adult, I find practicing the gospel through authentic community to be one of the most life-giving activities we can participate in for our flourishing and development in Christ. Much of my time beyond the classroom is spent with my family and church community. With two young sons, our family enjoys spending time outdoors, walking, reading, learning, and laughing—lots of laughing. Our most recent family addition includes a bearded dragon named Admiral Ackbar.

Hi, I’m Dr. Jim Singleton

I am the Associate Professor of Pastoral Leadership and Evangelism and have been at Gordon-Conwell since 2012. Prior to that I was a pastor for 30 years in Texas, Washington, and Colorado. I also lead a project called Thriving in Ministry which is for alums in New England and their friends. I have been involved in Discipleship every year since 1983. My own life was touched by key relationships around God’s Word—both with mentors and with peers. An early reading of The Lost Art of Disciple-Making by Leroy Eims, put me on a path of being in these kinds of relationships for years. When not working, I love to exercise and walk. I especially love baseball and played competitively until I was 55. Too many brain cells are devoted to trivia about baseball.

Hi, I’m Dr. Adonis Vidu

Knowledge of God and knowledge of self go together, as Calvin saw. I teach theology in a way that makes it clear that one’s very identity is at stake in what you believe and how you live it. Seminary is a place where a student can be guided to discover for herself the enduring truth of the Gospel and its multifaceted significance. In teaching theology, a professor is also a spiritual guide. Theology must be studied in an attitude of discipleship, in full awareness that a student will be called to imitate the teacher, as the teacher imitates Christ. When I am not doing all this, I like to spend my time watching science-fiction shows, reading biographies, historical fiction (especially Middle Ages and 1776), taking long walks with my wife and fishing for striped bass off Crane Beach, to name just a fraction of my hobbies.

Hi, I’m Dr. Xiyi Yao

I am Professor of World Christianity and Asian Studies. Originally from China, I spent my college years there, worked there, and got converted there. I then went on to complete my theological education (MA in Theological Studies and Doctor of Theology) in the United States, and taught in a seminary in Hong Kong before I came to Gordon-Conwell in 2012. Even during the past ten years at GCTS, my teaching has been done in diverse cultural contexts.

In my two decades of theological teaching, I have always firmly believed theological education is not so much about knowledge-delivering, but more about the total transformation of students’ lives and the wholistic preparation of workers for the Church. Therefore, discipling should stand at the core of our theological training. With that conviction, I led student small groups throughout my time at the seminary in Hong Kong, mentored two Chinese students through an early iteration of the Discipleship Experience here at Gordon-Conwell, and have been involved in mentoring the next generation of Chinese Christian scholars through the Veritas Forum and other platforms.

I am honored to be part of this program. What I bring to this program is my enthusiasm for helping young people grow spiritually, my love for relation-building, and my rich cross-cultural discipling experience. 1 Peter 2:11-12 reminds us: we are all strangers embarked in a journey together in this world. I really look forward to walking alongside of you in this journey of joy, challenge, growth, and service.

Hi, I’m Dr. Gina Zurlo

I am the Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell, which is an academic research center on campus. I received my MAR from Gordon-Conwell in 2009 and my Ph.D. from Boston University in 2017. I’m an interdisciplinary scholar, crossing between history, sociology, and World Christianity. I’m very much interested in trends related to gender and race in the church (locally and globally) from both historical and contemporary perspectives. I’m participating in the Discipleship Experience partly because I completely lacked discipleship at a formative period of my youth, contributing to quite a spiritual and theological mess to clean up as an adult. I think it’s important for people to have trusted friends and mentors to walk beside, share life with, and explore faith together. My clearly interconnected hobbies are fitness of various kinds and cake decorating.

Hi, I’m Pastor Kevin Adams

I have been in full time Christian ministry since 1981 when I left Bangor University North Wales with a degree in Theology. With the backing and support of the Evangelical Movement of Wales I worked for 5 years in Evangelistic ministry including local missions, University outreach, youth work, and regular pulpit ministry.

In 1986 I became a full time pastor at Ammanford Evangelical Church, South Wales where I ministered for 18 years. During this time I continued my research into Welsh Evangelicalism and published two books and a documentary film on the one hundredth anniversary of the 1904 Welsh revival.

This work brought me to the United States, where I met my now wife Dr. Gwenfair Walters Adams. For the last seventeen years I have been the senior pastor at East Baptist Church at Lynn MA. This position, along with close ongoing links with the seminary, has enabled me to continue mentoring students both officially through the Mentored Ministry program and unofficially with students who chose to attend at East Baptist.

I believe that spiritual growth and discipleship best occurs in the context of community. We are not” stand alone” spiritual gladiators but rather an essential part of the multifaceted body of Christ.

My influencers in spirituality besides the Bible include late medieval devotion, the English Puritans, German Pietism , Welsh Calvinistic Methodism, and many others. My current interests and studies include “Understanding Classic Secular Fiction as a Bridge for the gospel”, “Christianity’s Confrontation with Totalitarianism” with a fresh look at the German churches’ attitude towards the Third Reich. I also continue to speak and advise on Revival History.

Hi, I’m Pastor Jon Conant

I’m  a 2017 Gordon-Conwell graduate. I was born and raised in Portland, Maine—it seems a large part of my heart is still there—but after coming to Gordon College to study music, I’ve now been on the North Shore for about twenty years. At Gordon-Conwell I did the MDiv and MACO tracks because I’ve always been drawn to the interplay of theology, spiritual formation, and mental and emotional health issues. It wasn’t until seminary that I realized I had never been regularly and systematically discipled by someone. Thankfully, Jim Singleton graciously agreed to walk with me through that process. That year formed much of the way I think about discipleship and what it looks like to walk with someone through scripture, to listen, reflect, exhort, and help fan into flame the gifts God has given them. I’ve taken part in the Discipleship Experience every year because it was such a formative part of my seminary experience, and a significant part of my role as a pastor now is dedicated to discipleship. I enjoy working on cars, having heart-to-hearts over good coffee, singing renaissance choral music, going on outdoor adventures with my wife and three kids, and watching Patriots football.

Hi, I’m Pastor Manny Cumplido

I’m  a 2018 graduate of Gordon-Conwell (MDiv). I grew up in Rhode Island with faithful parents who raised me in an immigrant, pentecostal church. In college, I had my own coming to faith where I first experienced discipleship through the love of campus ministers. Several years after that, a handful of brothers in Christ walked side by side with me through a recovery program that drastically overhauled my day-to-day relationship with God: prayer, scripture, and other spiritual disciplines were all integral to that process. At Gordon-Conwell I was fortunate enough to be discipled in ministry with Pastor Doug Whallon, and in study with Professor Adonis Vidu, whose encouragement to do theology “on our knees” helped ground difficult questioning in devotion to Jesus. All of this shapes how I see discipleship today. Discipleship has taken different forms in my life, but the constants have always been growing in Christlikeness, submitting to Scripture, and authentic relationships.

Alongside the joy of teaching & leading, I try to be intentional with young adults in our community, remembering how transformative that season was in my own life. I love hiking, & aspire to visit every national park with my wife and two children. I’m also perfectly content with a quiet room, decent chair, and a couple books about metaphysics.

Hi, I’m Pastor Sharon Dhavale

I’m a pastor in residence at Grace Chapel’s Watertown campus. I’m excited to be part of Gordon-Conwell’s Discipleship Experience! As someone who has grown up in a missionary home and has had the opportunity to live in five countries, I’m passionate about the shapes that Christian worship and lived experiences take around our globe. I love being part of the rich glimpses of Revelation 7:9 we get on earth—“After this I looked, and beyond, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the lamb…” It’s an amazing view into how big God is! As I’m going through my pastoral residency, I’m also growing a sweet love for pastoral care and community outreach in the local church context. God cares so deeply about His children and the Church has a beautiful others-centered role to play in demonstrated God’s loving care. When it comes to discipleship, I’ve grown up being freely and generously poured into (including during my time at Gordon-Conwell!) I’ve been constantly encouraged to pursue God with my whole heart, mind, and soul. I wouldn’t be where and who I am today without this gift! Two hobbies of mine include reading and traveling.

Hi, I’m Pastor Andrew James

I am the Lead Pastor of First Church Congregational Boxford, which is a 320 year old church about 20 minutes from Gordon-Conwell’s Hamilton campus. I have been at the church for about 6 years now. It has been a great challenge and joy to seek the Lord in this role to pour into His people. It was prior to my time at the church (very thankfully) that I learned the incredible value of discipleship. I was discipled through the ministry of Cru in my early 20’s and then for 8 years I was on staff with a ministry to the workplace called CBMC. It was in this time that I was poured into by a gentlemen about 40 years older than me on a weekly basis, and I saw in him the value of tremendous intentionality. Ever since, I have sought to implement that same intentionality while pursuing my MDiv at Gordon-Conwell, while discipling others, and while participating in the Discipleship Experience over the past 2 years.  I love spending time with my wife and three kiddos, learning about history, playing basketball and town softball, relaxing in the sun, sharing the Good News with seekers, and of course rooting out my beloved alma mater, the Alabama Crimson Tide winning college football national championships which is a nearly annual event!

Hi, I’m Pastor Brigham Lee

I am the Danvers Campus Pastor and Service Production Director at Calvary Christian Church. I am passionate about raising up leaders and ministers of the gospel. Intentional discipleship is crucial to equipping believers for the fulfillment of Christ’s call by the power of the Holy Spirit. I was discipled in my home church from a young age by men and women of God. I was then mentored at Calvary by my senior Pastor as I prepared to enter full-time vocational ministry. The model of Godly leadership with a personal touch made all the difference in my walk with Christ, and walking with others on a similar journey is the most effective way for us to reach the North Shore of Boston with the gospel, and the world. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, golfing, and reading. I also enjoy traveling to eat amazing food – you’ve got to go where the food is!