Adjunct Professor of Cultural Contexts

Ministerial and Professional Background

Elizabeth believes that all churches should cultivate what she calls “border-crossing disciplines,” helping their congregations and communities to experience the missional, spiritual, personal, and organizational benefits of interacting honorably with others across sociocultural boundaries. Attentive to the cross-cultural dynamics that help or hinder effective partnerships, she enjoys facilitating effective border-crossing ministry that delights God and honors people, who are made in his image.

Personal Information

Since their marriage in 1992, Elizabeth and her husband, Scott, have lived in South Carolina, Hungary, Los Angeles County, and the DC metro area. With their four fabulous sons, they love taking long road-trips, serving at a culturally-diverse church, supporting the work of World Hope International, strolling through the nation’s capital (sometimes with roller-blades), cheering at youth sporting events, and munching popcorn together on the couch with a good movie.

Experience

Before serving in three multiethnic churches, Elizabeth lived overseas, directed Central Europe programs for an international educational services ministry, and trained hundreds of overseas workers. Called to help the church engage well in intercultural ministry, she has prepared for ordination in The Wesleyan Church, served liberally in hands-on local-church ministry, and participated in broader ministry networks through research, writing, teaching, speaking, and coaching.

Education

1993 B.A., Southern Wesleyan University
2000 M.A., University of South Carolina
2014 Ph.D., Cook School of Intercultural Studies, Biola University. Dissertation proposes Sustainable Cultural Concern as refinement to cultural intelligence theory through study of how evangelical university students navigate unfamiliar people, environments, and ideas.
2014 Ministerial credential in process, Chesapeake District, The Wesleyan Church.

Publications

Presentations

May, 2014. Beauty, Botox, and God’s Big Story. United Wesleyan Church, Alexandria, VA.
April, 2014. Faith: Living Like God Is with Us. United Wesleyan Church, Alexandria, VA.
November, 2013. Biblical, Cultural, or Personal? The 2013 conference of Mosaix Global Network, Long Beach, CA.
October, 2013. The More Excellent Way in Multiethnic Church Turnaround. The Turnaround 20/20 conference of the Society of Church Consulting and the Great Commission Research Network, Nashville, TN.
October 17, 2013. Interview by Jessica Martinez. “Pastors need to be open to change for ethnically diverse congregations to thrive, say multicultural ministry leaders.”The Christian Post.
October 2013. The Exchange with Ed Stetzer. Broadcast panel discussion with Mark DeYmaz and DJ Chang about multiethnic ministry. Lifeway.

Selected Writing

2011. Reframing the Pastor: Leadership Breakdown in a Chinese Immigrant Congregation. Unpublished study for Cross Cultural Leadership and Followership course, Biola University.
2011. Leading the Multiethnic Church: Help from New Metaphors and The Leadership Challenge. Great Commission Research Journal, 2(2). Winter issue.
2010. Leadership Transfer Awakens Dormant Dilemmas in a Multiethnic Church. Great Commission Research Journal, 2(1), 86-102. Summer issue.
2010. The Power’s Low, and It’s All My Fault: Demonology and Wesleyan Guilt. Unpublished study for Cross-Cultural Issues in Spiritual Conflict course, Biola University.
2010. Presence, Action, and Distance: Relating Christ (and HSLDA) to Culture. Unpublished paper for Theology of Culture course, Biola University.

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