Instructors

Jerry Sittser, Ph.D.

Gerald L. (Jerry) Sittser is a professor emeritus of theology and senior fellow in the Office of Church Engagement at Whitworth University where he has served since 1989. Sittser is also an experienced pastor, teacher and writer, as well as founder (in 2009) of the M.A. in Theology Program at Whitworth. His book A Grace Disguised has been a bestseller for more than 15 years and has been translated into more than 20 languages. He is also author of Water from a Deep Well, A Grace Revealed, and The Will of God as a Way of Life.

The Rev. Eric Peterson, D.Min.

Eric has a bachelor of arts in theology from Whitworth University, master of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate of Ministry from Portland Seminary at George Fox University.

Gaining a heart for ministry through Young Life in Maryland as a teenager, Eric went on to start a new club at a neighboring high school. He served for seven years as an associate pastor at Marine View Presbyterian Church in Tacoma. After that, Eric founded Colbert Presbyterian in 1997. He also has written three books: Wade In The Water, Letters to a Young Pastor (with Eugene H. Peterson), and Letters to a Young Congregation. Outside of CPC, Eric serves as an advisor for doctoral students at Portland Seminary, and as a trustee at Whitworth University.

Ben Brody, D.M.A.

Ben Brody has served as an assistant, then associate, professor of music and director of church music studies at Whitworth University since 2003. He studied music education and church music at Whitworth and went on to complete graduate degrees in choral conducting from the University of Washington. He spent four years as director of worship and music at First Presbyterian Church of Seattle. At Whitworth, he teaches courses in church music, music history, and choral literature, and he serves as director of campus worship. Brody cares deeply about the role of music in corporate worship and is passionate about helping pastors, church musicians, and worship committees develop faithful worship practices in their congregations. In addition to his work at Whitworth, he leads worship for local congregations in Spokane.

The Rev. Forrest Buckner, Ph.D.

Forrest Buckner joined Whitworth in 2015 as the dean of spiritual life. After completing undergraduate degrees in civil and mechanical engineering at Colorado School of Mines, Forrest worked at First Presbyterian Church of Boulder for more than nine years. He earned his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in theology from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Outside of Whitworth, he primarily enjoys spending time with his wife and three delightful children. The greatest gifts in working at Whitworth for Forrest are the wonderful students, faculty and staff with whom he gets to interact on a daily basis as he participates in the university's Christ-centered mission to invite every student to honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity.

Lauren Taylor

Lauren joined the Whitworth Campus Ministry staff in the summer of 2018 as the campus pastor for discipleship. After growing up in Wheaton, Ill., and graduating from Wheaton College with a B.A. in biblical and theological studies, Lauren moved out East to attend Princeton Theological Seminary. Lauren has served in youth ministry and college ministry now for over a decade. Lauren is married to Derek Taylor '08, Whitworth's Emmaus Scholars Program director, and together they spend their time chasing their two little boys, walking their dog, sharing meals with friends and talking about the Kingdom of God.

Kamesh Sankaran, Ph.D.

Kamesh Sankaran is a professor of engineering & physics at Whitworth University, where he is also the head of the interdisciplinary Worldviews in Policy course. He has a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Princeton University and has over 20 years of experience as a researcher on advanced spacecraft propulsion systems. Sankaran served for many years as the chair of the board of Partners International, an organization that empowers indigenous Christian ministries in more than 40 of the least-Christian nations in the world. He also serves on the advisory council of the Lausanne Workplace Ministry Network to mobilize Christians around the world to grow in their workplace discipleship and make disciples through their work.

The Rev. Mindy Smith, D.Min.

The Rev. Mindy Smith graduated from Whitworth in 1998. She was a theology major, was actively involved in Young Life during her time at Whitworth and served on YL staff in Spokane following her graduation. From there, she went on to Princeton Theological Seminary and earned her M.Div. in 2006. In summer 2008, Smith received a call to serve as campus pastor at Whitworth. For 10 years she developed ministry programs at the university, taught pastoral care and ministry training classes, and preached regularly during weekly community chapel. In May 2018, she graduated with a doctorate in ministry from Portland Seminary and transitioned on to serve as the associate director in the Office of Church Engagement. She now directs the office. In addition, Mindy oversees the Whitworth Ministry Summit, taking place at the end of June each year, and coordinates the Compelling Preaching program, aimed at supporting preachers to develop new skills and experiment with new models of proclamation.

The Rev. Betsy Wynne

Betsy Wynne has been the associate pastor for congregational care at First Presbyterian Church (Spokane) since 2012. She and her husband, Jeremy, have two children, Hannah and Asher, born in Aberdeen, Scotland, where Jeremy completed his Ph.D. at the University of Aberdeen and Betsy served as an assistant chaplain to the university and pastor to two small Scottish churches. The Wynnes love being a part of the Whitworth and First Presbyterian communities, and both enjoy digging deep into Scripture and pursuing God's work in people's lives.

The Rev. Jamie Fiorino, D.Min.

Jamie Fiorino serves as the associate pastor of connections and care at Whitworth Church. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Idaho, a master's of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and Doctorate in Ministry from Portland Seminary in the last ten years, so she greatly relishes being able to read for fun again! In addition to her work in her own congregation, Jamie serves the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest as coach to learners becoming commissioned ruling elders. As a former CRE, she is in a unique position to help form the next generation of lay pastors.

Joy York, Ph.D.

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The Rev. Lauren Hunter

Lauren Hunter graduated from Whitworth in 2014. She has her bachelor's in theology from Whitworth University and a master's of divinity from Duke Divinity School where she focused on Reformed theology, the interplay between art and theology, and campus ministry. She now serves as the associate director of Whitworth’s Office of Church Engagement, where she directs grant projects that resource the local church in areas of church resilience and child faith formation. She also hosts conversations around the church and belonging for OCE’s podcast, Where We Belong, and was ordained in the Presbyterian tradition in 2024. She is married to her husband, Josiah, and has the two daughters, Finley and Bridgette, who teach her so much about God.

Joe Wittwer

After eight years of youth ministry in Eugene, Ore., God called Joe and Laina to pastor Life Center in Spokane in 1978. They started with a group of 40 and Joe quickly took it down to almost nothing! Since then, the church has grown to several thousand and given birth to 28 daughter/granddaughter churches, all but one in the Spokane area. Joe and Laina have five grown children and 11 brilliant and beautiful grandchildren. Joe is a lifelong learner who completed a master's in theology at age 60 at Whitworth University. In 2014, he took a long overdue sabbatical and rode his motorcycle around the perimeter of the US. In 2021, Joe passed the lead pastor role to his son Michael and now works for him as founding pastor. Joe’s "big deals": love God, love people, make disciples, have fun!

Elizabeth Peterson

Elizabeth Peterson is a spiritual director, spiritual direction supervisor, yoga instructor and retreat guide. Elizabeth seeks to create safe and sacred spaces for individuals and groups to reflect on their own lives, become more aware of God’s presence, and live from their truest identity as Beloved. She holds a master of arts in spiritual formation from Portland Seminary, a Spiritual Direction Certificate from Gonzaga University, a Spiritual Direction Supervision Certificate from the Companioning Center and a B.A. in education from Whitworth University.

Derek Taylor, Th.D.

Derek Taylor received an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Th.D. from Duke University. He currently directs the Emmaus Scholars Program, a year-long discipleship and intentional living program for students, and teaches in the theology department at Whitworth University. He is especially interested in the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, scriptural hermeneutics, and thinking creatively about what it means to speak faithfully about God today.

Josh Leim, Th.D.

Josh Leim is associate professor of theology at Whitworth University where he teaches courses in New Testament, hermeneutics and worldview studies. His specialty is the Gospels and his first book, Matthew’s Theological Grammar (Mohr Siebeck, 2015), and other publications have focused on Jesus's divine-filial identity in the Gospels. Before doing doctoral work in NT, Leim worked in clinical counseling, and psychology remains an important medium through which he thinks about reading Scripture and following Jesus.

Johnathan Moo, Ph.D.

Jonathan Moo is Lindaman Chair and Professor of New Testament and Environmental Studies at Whitworth University. He teaches and writes in the areas of New Testament, Greek, early Judaism, environmental ethics, and science and faith. Johnathan completed his Ph.D. in the Divinity Faculty at the University of Cambridge, and he holds previous graduate degrees in wildlife ecology (M.S., Utah State University) and biblical studies (M.A. OT, M.A. NT, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary). His current research and writing is focused on the book of Revelation; a theology of belonging; and environmental ethics. He serves on the board of A Rocha USA, a Christian organization dedicated to biodiversity conservation.