Whitworth Ministry Summit
Inés Velásquez-McBryde
Inés Velásquez-McBryde is a pastor, preacher, reconciler and mujerista theologian. She is the lead pastor and co-founder of The Church We Hope For. She is originally from Nicaragua, third generation pastor, and the first pastora in her family.
Inés earned her M.Div. at Fuller Theological Seminary where she served as a chaplain for two years. Inés has 23 years of combined ministry experience in church-planting and pastoral staff leadership in multiethnic churches. She has spoken in local church pulpits across the nation as well as at national and regional conferences, sharing her passion for multiethnic church planting, racial reconciliation, justice and the full inclusion of women in pastoral leadership. Inés has also written as a Latina for SheLoves Magazine, dozens of devotionals, and as a contributing writer for The Good and Beautiful Bible Study and the She Is: Biblical Reflections on Vocation workbook.
Shane Claiborne
Shane Claiborne is a prominent speaker, activist and best-selling author. Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living "as if Jesus meant the things he said." Shane is a champion for grace, which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. Now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty and help stop gun violence.
Shane’s books include Jesus for President, Red Letter Revolution, Common Prayer, Follow Me to Freedom, Jesus, Bombs and Ice Cream, Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers, Executing Grace, his classic The Irresistible Revolution, Beating Guns, and his newest book, Rethinking Life.
Reggie Williams
Reggie Williams is an associate professor of black theology at St. Louis University in St. Louis, Mo. He is the author of Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance, which was selected as a Choice Outstanding Title in theology in 2014 (revised edition, 2021). The book examines the impact of exposure to Black Church in the midst of the Harlem Renaissance on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed by the Nazis in 1945 for his resistance. Williams’ research interests are Black arts, Black studies, Black theology, Black Church studies and Christian ethics. He is a board member of the English language section of the International Dietrich Bonhoeffer Society, former board member of the Society for the Study of Black Religion and the Society for Christian Ethics. Williams and his wife, Stacy, are the parents of Darion and Simone.
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.
Rev. Mary Hulst, Ph.D.
Mary currently serves as University Pastor at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she has been since 2009. Prior to her current post, she spent eight years serving as the senior pastor at Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, before leaving to pursue a PhD in communication ethics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her bachelor’s degree is in classical studies from Calvin (then College), and her Master of Divinity was granted by Calvin Theological Seminary. Mary taught for one year in the Communications Arts and Sciences Department at Calvin University and then for two years at Calvin Theological Seminary, as Assistant Professor of Preaching, where she still teaches on occasion.
Featured Worship Leader
Taylor Leonhardt
Native Texan and new-ish Nashvillian, Taylor Leonhardt is first and foremost a craftsman. Whether she's penning tunes for her solo project or for her duo Mission House with Jess Ray, it's always about the song. The Gospel Coalition recently called Taylor "one of the most promising singer-songwriters in Nashville these days," naming her latest project Hold Still one of the best albums of 2021. In addition to touring and writing, she spends time across the U.S. leading music and conversations for spiritual retreats, creative workshops and faith communities.
Workshop Leaders
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.