Leadership and Spiritual Formation Team and Project Faculty

Faculty Leads

Kurtley Knight

Position: Assistant Professor of Spiritual Formation, Portland Seminary

Jeney Park-Hearn

Position: Assistant Professor of Practical Theology and Formation and Chair of Leadership and Praxis, Seminary Masters Programs

Learn more about Jeney

Special Teaching Guests

Rob Westervelt

Position: Vice President for Strategy and Innovation, Lindenwood University. Founder and partner at TG THREE, a strategy company.

Academic and Professional Background: BS in Communication, Minor in Business Administration at Weber State University; MA in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics, Talbot School of Theology; Professional Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Stanford University.

Expertise and Research Interests: Strategy, Innovation, Marketing, Branding, High-Performance Leadership.

Email: rob@tgthree.com

Office: 636-949-4138

Web: tgthree.com

Chris Fillingham

Academic/Professional Background: BS in Music, Southwest Baptist University. MDiv in Global Christianity, Truett Seminary at Baylor University. DMin in Leadership and Spiritual Formation, Portland Seminary at GFU. Pastor for 15 years of churches in TX and MO.

Academic Interests and Research: Mystic and Contemplative Spirituality, Celtic Christianity, the Enneagram, and the role of the body, heart, and mind in spiritual formation.

Personal Life: Chris and his wife Jessi live with their four kids, two cats, and a dog in St. Louis, MO. Chris loves hearing people’s stories, being in beautiful nature, and playing board games.

Deborah Loyd

Vocational purpose Coach; Adjunct at Warner Pacific University, specializing in leadership development; Pastor Emeritis and Co-founder to The Bridge Church of PDX, Retrofit, and founder of Finding Forward Coaching. Author of Your Vocational Credo , and co-author of Dynamic Adventure: A Guide to Starting and Shaping Missional Churches.

Academic and Professional Background: BA in Biblical Studies and Business/Accounting, Excelsior College; MA in Exegetical Theology, Western Seminary; DMin in Transformational Leadership, Bakke Graduate University

Expertise and Research Interests: Emerging Church Culture and Spiritulaity, Leadership Development, Vocational Discernment.

Email: dloyd@georgefox.edu; deborahloyd@gmail.com

Office: 503-516-1415

Twitter: @deborahloyd

Project Faculty

Project Faculty work with advisees to provide individual & small group guidance for doctoral project development within the project portfolio research sequence.

Seminary faculty routinely serve as Project Faculty within the Doctor of Minstry program. See Portland Seminary faculty page for details.

Dominic Abaria

Position: Project Faculty, Portland Seminary; Pastor of Spiritual Care and Development, Portland Rescue Mission; Elder and Pastor, Roots Community Church; Founder & Spiritual Director, Fermata Ministries.

Academic and Professional Background: DMin, "Combating Ministry Burnout by Honoring Human Limitations," Portland Seminary; MDiv, Western Seminary; BA, Concordia University

Expertise and Research Interests: Ministerial and Clergy Burnout, Non-profit Organizational Leadership, Pastoral Leadership, Preaching, Teaching, Christian Spiritual Formation, and Spiritual Direction

Email: dabaria@georgefox.edu

Web: fermataministries.com

Tracy Cotterell

Position: Project Faculty (Portland Seminary); Senior Mission Associate (London Institute for Contemporary Christianity); Vice Chair of Board (Evangelical Alliance, UK); Co-Chair of Board (Venture Church, UK)

Educational Background: DMin, Leadership and Spiritual Formation, Portland Seminary; MA, Bible and Mission, University of Gloucestershire; BA, Theology, London School of Theology; BA, French and German, Nottingham University

Expertise and Research Interests: Whole-life fellowship; faith and work; leadership, strategy and innovation for churches and nonprofits

Email: tcotterell@georgefox.edu

Mike Larson

Position: Project Faculty, DMin in Leadership and Spiritual Formation

Educational Background: DMin, Portland Seminary; MDiv, Andrews University; BS, Theology and Biblical Languages, Union College

Certification: Board-certified chaplain, spiritual director

Expertise and Research Interests: Hospital chaplaincy, palliative care, trauma-informed spiritual care, spiritual care and mental health, spiritual direction, storytelling and the book of Revelation

Email: mlarson@georgefox.edu

Web: rhemata.org

Susan Rose

Position: Project Faculty, Portland Seminary; Founder and Executive Director, Diakonos Solutions; Transitional Pastor, St. Giles Presbyterian Church; Spiritual Director.

Academic and Professional Background: BA, Political Science; Certificate in Latin American Studies, University of Florida; MDiv, Summa Cum Laude, Memphis Theological Seminary; DMin, Leadership and Spiritual Formation, Portland Seminary; Certified Spiritual Director, Companioning Center.

Expertise and Research Interests: Entrepreneurial ministry, women in ministry and leadership, leadership development, spiritual formation.

Email: susan@diakonossolutions.com (Subject to change)
Web: diakonossolutions.com

Jason Wellman

Position: Project Faculty; Pastor

Academic and Professional Background: BS, Music Education, Bluffton University; MDiv, Ashland Theological Seminary; DMin, Portland Seminary

Expertise and Research Interests: Wesleyan theology, faith and work/vocation, faith integration, church and pastoral leadership, discernment practices, spiritual formation, leadership coaching.

Email: jwellman@georgefox.edu

Web: srumc.org

Seminary Doctoral Team

The Seminary Doctoral Team manages the program online platforms, organizes the face-to-face events, and provides support to students and Project Faculty, in-person or online. In short, this team is the 'glue' that holds the various elements of the program together.