Release date: July 10, 2008

New Emory Theology Faculty Honor Methodist Links

Contact: Elaine Justice, 404-727-0643, elaine.justice@emory.edu
Contact: Kelly McLendon, 404-727-4481, kelly.mclendon@emory.edu

Emory University's Candler School of Theology has hired seven new faculty members with diverse backgrounds in scholarship and ministry to help the school implement its strategic plan and build on the school's history as a United Methodist seminary, says Jan Love, dean of Candler, noting that six of the seven appointees are United Methodists.

"We want to ensure that we maintain strong relations with the United Methodist Church, the denomination for which we are an official seminary," says Love. "Hiring these faculty this year demonstrates our commitment to this relationship as well as the rich talent available among those who serve both the church and the academy, a hallmark of the whole Candler faculty."

Bishop Dr. Rüdiger Minor joins the faculty as the Daniel and Lillian Hankey Professor of World Evangelism. Minor is a native of Germany and served as a leader of United Methodists in the former East Germany during the Cold War. He is a graduate of Karl Marx University (now the University of Leipzig), with a doctorate of theology and has taught at the United Methodist Theological Seminary in Bad Klosterlausnitz. Both institutions played key roles in educating Christian leaders in East Germany before the fall of communism. Minor also taught at the United Methodist Theological Seminary in Moscow as professor of comparative Christianity. He was elected a United Methodist bishop in 1986 and served as leader of the church's East German Central Conference. From 1993 until 2005 he was the bishop in residence in the Euro-Asia Area and bishop to the Northern Europe Central Conference. During this assignment, he helped to re-establish the United Methodist Church in Russia.

Bishop Minor will serve in the position for two years, working closely with the faculty and the World Methodist Evangelism Institute, a cooperative ministry of Candler and the World Methodist Council that trains evangelism leaders.

The Rev. Dr. Anne Burkholder joins the faculty as associate dean of Methodist studies. Burkholder is an ordained United Methodist elder. She served most recently as the director of connectional ministries and district superintendent in the church's Florida Conference and has extensive experience in redevelopment of congregations in Florida and North Carolina. Buckholder has served as executive director of Miami Urban Ministries, where she oversaw the development of faith-based social service ministries, including the Head Start program for Haitian children. She holds a Ph.D. in ethics and society from Emory, and has teaching experience ranging from Duke Divinity School to The United Methodist Women's Schools of Christian Mission.

The associate dean of Methodist studies at Candler is a new position designed to coordinate curricular and non-curricular programming for students seeking ordination in the United Methodist Church and all other Wesleyan denominations. The associate dean also will oversee the United Methodist Course of Study and will manage the relationships between Candler and the annual conferences of the church.

The Rev. Dr. Don Harp will serve as pastor-theologian in residence for the 2008-2009 academic year, a new position created to help students gain insights from pastors with a career's worth of experience. For more than 40 years, Harp has served in the United Methodists' North Georgia Conference. His congregation experienced tremendous growth during his years as senior minister at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, which now has more than 6,900 members. Harp received his master of divinity degree from Candler and doctorate of divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Ellen Ott Marshall will join the faculty in the fall of 2009 as associate professor of Christian ethics and conflict transformation. Marshall will teach Christian ethics, offer advanced electives and participate in Candler's contextual education program. She holds a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in religion, ethics and society, and has been an associate professor of ethics at Claremont School of Theology since 2002. She is the author of "Christians in the Public Square: Faith that Transforms Politics" (Abingdon Press 2008).

Marshall's appointment supports Emory and Candler's strategic plan, which calls for enhanced curriculum in the area of religion, conflict and peacebuilding.

The Rev. Dr. L. Edward Phillips will serve as associate professor of worship and liturgical theology. Phillips, an ordained United Methodist deacon, has served most recently as associate professor of practice of Christian worship at Duke Divinity School. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in the history of liturgy. He taught at Union College and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary before moving to Duke Divinity School in 2005. He is currently working on a project titled "The Character of Christian Worship," along with several editing projects and articles.

The Rev. Dr. Andrea C. White joins the faculty as assistant professor of theology and culture. She will teach courses in systematic theology and participate in the contextual education program. She also will teach in Emory's Graduate Division of Religion. White recently received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Divinity School. She is an ordained clergy member in the American Baptist Churches USA.

The Rev. Dr. Robert "Bob" Winstead joins the faculty as director of lifelong learning. Winstead, an ordained United Methodist elder, served most recently as senior pastor of Haygood Memorial United Methodist Church in Atlanta. He has vast experience as an educator in the church and has written books and articles dealing with church leadership and administration. Winstead holds a doctor of ministry degree from McCormick Theological Seminary and a master of divinity degree from Candler.

The director of lifelong learning is a new position at Candler designed to support the school's strategic initiative to broaden and deepen these programs. Winstead will work with Candler faculty and administrators to assess the needs of constituencies, evaluate the existing programming and establish a unique lifelong learning niche for the school.

Emory University (www.emory.edu) is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate experience, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. Perennially ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report, Emory encompasses nine academic divisions as well as the Carlos Museum, The Carter Center, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, Georgia’s largest and most comprehensive health care system.

Subscribe to News@Emory RSS feeds for automatic updates of the latest news at Emory.

Back