Ministry faculty shape education through service on national boards

Dr. Karen Jones

Dr. Luke Fetters

Dr. Tom Bergler

HUNTINGTON, Ind. Three Huntington University ministry professors are helping to shape the look of Christian education through service on national boards.

"I think it's very good for Huntington University that three of us are on the highest professional boards of the associations in our disciplines," said Dr. Luke Fetters, professor of ministry and missions. "It's a cool place to be because we're thinking about helping to shape the curriculum that's going to be used in Christian education departments in seminaries and in Bible Colleges and places like HU kind of setting the standard of what Christian preparation looks like."

Fetters serves on the board for the Society for Professors of Christian Education. Meanwhile, Dr. Karen Jones, professor of ministry and missions, and Dr. Tom Bergler, professor of ministry and missions, serve on the executive board for Association of Youth Ministry Educators.

Jones was a founding member of the Association of Youth Ministry Educators. She has also served on the executive board and held the position of president in the past. She currently is serving her second term but has had experience sitting on the Society for Professors of Christian Education board, as well.

"It's pretty unusual when you think of all the Christian universities across the country, and the boards are small, maybe 10 people on a board, that three of our four ministry professors are on the leadership boards," Jones said.

Bergler is the author of "The Juvenilization of American Christianity" which has sparked debates across the ministry community and was featured on the cover of Christianity Today. He is the co-founder of the Spring Academy and serves currently as the senior associate editor of The Journal of Youth Ministry. He was responsible for directing the national conference this past fall for his board.

Fetters and Jones are slated to direct their respective department's conferences in 2015.

Fetters is excited to have the opportunity to serve on the board due to the extensive impact their work has on his field.

The HU faculty were nominated by their peers for the various boards.