Leadership & Faculty

Paul K.-K. Cho is Professor of Hebrew Bible and the Director of the MTS program. He began teaching at Wesley Theological Seminary in 2013.

Cho teaches on a range of biblical books and topics and emphasizes the close reading of texts as well as the reading of texts in their historical and literary contexts.

Cho’s research interests center on the literary and theological interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. He has published books on Myth, History, and Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible (Cambridge University Press, 2019) and Willingness to Die and the Gift of Life: Suicide and Martyrdom in the Hebrew Bible (Eerdmans, 2022). His current research focuses on trauma and resilience, in particular as they relate to the book of Job read within the larger context of biblical and other ancient Near Eastern traditions. 

Cho is Presbyterian and served local congregations in New Haven and Toronto. He maintains an active agenda of service to the church as preacher, speaker, and commentator.

Director of the Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion & Instructor of Visual Liturgy

Instructor of Visual Liturgy at Wesley Theological Seminary

Ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament, Presbyterian Church (USA)
Rev. Timothy Chon brings over two decades of pastoral leadership shaped by a rich artistic vision and a deep theological foundation. He holds a Master of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary and a Master of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting from Pratt Institute, blending theology and the arts to create transformative worship experiences and foster community renewal.
A respected liturgical artist and an educator, Rev. Chon has served in teaching and residency roles at Wesley Theological Seminary and Princeton Theological Seminary. His work explores the intersections of art, spirituality, and justice, helping to shape dialogue and practice across ecumenical and interfaith communities.
Known for his visionary leadership in church renewal, social justice, and inclusive ministry, Rev. Chon continues to inspire through his art installations, worship design, and community engagement. His ministry embodies a commitment to sacred creativity, healing, and radical welcome.

Assistant Professor of Ethics and Public Theology

As Assistant Professor of Ethics and Public Theology, Professor Crena will be a central resource for Wesley Theological Seminary’s Center for Public Theology and Community Engagement Institute—in addition to teaching the National Capital Experience for Seminarians.

Professor Lucila Crena joins Wesley DC’s faculty from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where she was the Managing Director of the “Theological Education Between the Times” project and Instructor in Theology, Ethics, and Culture. Her commitment to innovation in theological education was honed as founding faculty for the new MA in Theology, Leadership, and Society program at Regent College (Vancouver, Canada) and at Comunidad de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios (CETI, in San José, Costa Rica), where she was faculty liaison during the course redesign of CETI’s MA program for its North American accreditation process.

Professor Crena’s areas of academic interest include ChristianTheology & Ethics; Moral, Social, and Political Thought; Latin American and Latinx Theologies/Ethics; Environmental Ethics; and Prophecy and Theopolitics.

Professor Creana holds a BA in Economics with highest honors from Emory University, a MTS from Regent College (Vancouver, Canada) and will defend her Ph.D. in Theology, Ethics, and Culture dissertation at the University of Virginia this Fall.

The Martha Ashby Carr Professor of Christian Ethics and Public Theology

Dr. Elgendy teaches public theology and ethics and administers Wesley’s academic programs in public theology. His research interests are animated by asking questions of subjectivity, spirituality, and politics at the intersection of political theology, systematic theology, and critical theory. He is the author of Life Among the Powers: A Political Spirituality of Resistance, co-editor and contributor to Renegotiating Power, Theology, and Politics, and is working on a book introducing public theology to those interested in Christian life and our various forms of belonging. In addition to WTS, he has taught at Lake Forest College and the University of Chicago.

Howard Chandler Robbins Professor of Pastoral Theology and Congregational Care and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

A native of California, Michael Koppel is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and has served as pastor, campus minister, hospital clinical care supervisor, hospice chaplain, and youth minister in California, Ohio, and New York. He teaches and researches in the field of pastoral theology and care ministries. Michael served a four-year term on the Society for Pastoral Theology Steering Committee (2011-2015) and a six-year term (with Denise Dombkowski Hopkins) as co-convener of SBL Section, The Bible and Practical Theology (2008-2014). He currently advises PCUSA students at Wesley. He has been awarded: a Pulpit and Pew Pastoral Leadership Dissertation Fellowship, Duke University (2001); a Wabash Center Faculty Fellowship (2005); and with Denise Dombkowski Hopkins: a Theological Education Renewal Award from the Yale Center for Faith and Culture (2006); the Association of Theological Schools Research Grant (2007); and a Wabash Center Project Grant, sponsored by the Lilly Endowment (2012). Michael enjoys swimming, bicycling, and hiking.

Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics

Kevin Lazarus will teach courses in systematic theology, Methodist studies, and disability theology and ministry. An ordained deacon in the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, Lazarus is completing his Ph.D. in Religion at Emory University, where his work focuses on theology, ethics, and disability studies. He brings significant teaching, research, and ministry experience, along with a strong record of engagement in both academic and ecclesial communities.

Professor Mary Elizabeth McGehee Joyce Professor of Preaching

Rev. Dr. Veronice Miles serves as the Mary Elizabeth McGehee Joyce Professor of Preaching at Wesley Theological Seminary. She holds a Ph.D. in Religious Education and Homiletics from Emory University’s Graduate Division of Religion and an M.Div. from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University with certificates in Religious Education and Black Church Studies. Prior degrees include the B.A., M.Ed., and Ed.S., all from the University of Florida. Her research explores the intersection of preaching and persistently threatening challenges that pervade U.S. culture, including racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, and materialistic consumerism. Preaching, she believes, neither ignores nor concedes defeat to the despairing realities of life. Rather, preaching emboldens individuals and communities of faith to live with Hope and respond in the affirmative to God’s “yes” for creation and for our lives. Her publication, Embodied Hope: A Homiletical Theology Reflection (CASCADE Books), explores the human capacity to live with Hope and the power and potential of preaching to amplify Hope’s resonance in our lives and embolden purposeful Hope-filled action. She is in the beginning stages of a second publication, Sisters Who Talk Back (working title), that amplifies Black women’s wisdom and the necessity of their voices for the Christian church and society at large. Veronice has been an ordained Baptist minister since 1999.

Assistant Professor of Worship, Media and Culture and Chapel Elder of Oxnam Chapel at Wesley Theological Seminary

Hyemin Na is Assistant Professor of Worship, Media and Culture and Chapel Elder of Oxnam Chapel at Wesley Theological Seminary. Professor Na takes decolonial approaches to the study of worship, with research interests in exploring how liturgical practices intersect with media cultures.Her scholarship has been supported by major grants and fellowships from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the Korea Foundation, the Louisville Institute, and Forum for Theological Exploration, among others. Before entering the academy, Professor Na served in various ministries as an ordained Elder in the Northern-Illinois Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Director, Lewis Center for Church Leadership

Rev. Dr. Jonathan Page.

Professor of Urban Ministries, Director of the Institute for Community Engagement and Co-Director of the Certificate in Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy

Lorena M. Parrish, Ph.D. was the Dirk Romeyn Professor of Metro-Urban Ministry at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, New Brunswick, New Jersey prior to joining Wesley. Dr. Parrish earned her Ph.D., M. Phil. and M.Div. at Union Theological Seminary in New York. She also holds a M.S.S.W. from the Columbia University School of Social Work. An ordained Baptist minister, Dr.Parrish’s academic specializations include Urban Ministry; Womanist Theology; Theology, Ethics and Popular Culture; Theology and the Black Church and Practical Theology. Her upcoming book is Forsaking the Lowly Jesus for Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, or How Shall We Be Saved?: A Theological Reflection on the Legacy of Christian Attitudes toward Wealth and Poverty and Its Impact upon the Black Church.

Visiting Professor of Christian Formation and Young Adult Ministry and Co-Director of the Certificate in Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy

Rev. Dr. Emily A. Peck teaches in the area Christian Formation and works as the theological educator for the Wesley Innovation Hub, part of a Lilly Endowment Initiative for young adult ministry. Peck is a United Methodist elder from the New York Annual Conference. Her ministry background is concentrated on ministry with young people and urban ministry. She is confident that the Holy Spirit works in and through communities to form and transform Christians for work in the world to help build the kin-dom of God. She is passionate about the church’s challenges and possibilities in this present age. Peck is the mother of three children.

Dr. Kyunglim Shin Lee serves as Vice President for International Relations at Wesley Theological Seminary. She teaches courses in the study of Spiritual Formation, Global Mission, and Korean Immigrant Church and Theology for both in the Master and Doctor of Ministry. She serves as the director of Global Track of DMIN programs. In her 30 years of service to Wesley, Dr. Shin Lee has traveled around the world to teach and to establish and support theological education and pastoral leadership development programs in partnership with local leaders and missionaries. A published author, Dr. Shin Lee recently released “Missionary Power, Urgent Inspection of Korean Missionary” (Seoul, Korea: Hongsungsa Press, 2017). She is also a noted lecturer on the topics of Leadership, Spiritual Formation and Global Mission.

Born in Korea, Dr. Shin Lee holds an undergraduate degree from Methodist Theological University (Seoul), a Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry at Wesley Theological Seminary.

신경림 박사는 웨슬리 신학대학원 부총장으로, 본교 석사과정 및 목회학 박사과정에서 세계 선교 및 영성 형성, 한인 이민교회 신학을 가르치고 있으며 현재 글로벌 DMIN 트랙의 디렉터로 섬기고 있습니다. 웨슬리에서 지난 30년 동안, 신경림 부총장은 전 세계 선교지를 다니며, 신학 강의는 물론 각국의 지도자들, 선교사들과 협력하여 현지 신학교 설립과 목회자 신학교육, 지도자 영성계발에 매진하고 있습니다. 신경림 부총장은 세계선교 및 영성형성, 리더십 분야에서 그 능력을 인정받는 교수이자 저자로, 최근 저서로는 <선교강국, 한국 선교 긴급 점검> (홍성사, 2017) 가 있습니다.

그녀는 한국에서 태어나 서울 감리교 신학대학교에서 수학하였으며, 미국 시카고 게렛 신학대학원 석사학위를, 웨슬리 신학대학원에서 박사학위를 받았습니다.

Office of International Relations »

Associate Dean for Community Life

The Rev. W. Antoni Sinkfield, Ph.D., serves as Associate Dean for Community Life at Wesley Theological Seminary. In this capacity, he is responsible for the programmatic, academic and spiritual life of seminary students. Dr. Sinkfield is an ordained Itinerate Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) and has served as Dean of Students for Allen University, a historically Black College (HBCU) in Columbia, SC.

He has completed post-graduate work at United Theological Seminary, Oral Roberts University, and Asbury Theological Seminary as a Beeson Pastor Scholar, where he engaged in intense immersion ministry experiences in Seoul, South Korea, Nairobi, Kenya, and the Masai Mara. Dr. Sinkfield has also ministered in Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique, and Zambia on the continent of Africa.

A recognized pastoral and community leader, he has served as Presiding Elder of the North Nashville District of the Tennessee Annual Conference of the AME Church, and is a founding member of Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH), a city-wide social action organization fighting for justice for the underserved.

Dr. Sinkfield is also husband to Kristy, and they are proud parents of Joshua (Michelle) DuBois, Anah, and Antoni, Jr.—and grandparents of August, Adelaide and Auden.

Professor of New Testament

Dr. Laura Holmes serves as Professor of New Testament at Wesley Theological Seminary. She holds a B.A. (Religious Studies and History) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.Div. and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. Her research interests include investigating how the New Testament Gospels talk about God and how their manner of speech might be instructive and challenging for theology and discipleship in the church today. Her first book, The Theological Role of Paradox in the Gospel of Mark (Bloomsbury, 2013), explored this idea. She has also completed a commentary on John 1-12 for the New Beacon Bible Commentary Series. A lifelong United Methodist, she is called to and fulfilled by teaching Scripture to and for the church.

Associate Professor of Church History, Mission, and Methodist Studies and Director of the Doctor of Ministry and Course of Study Programs

The Rev. Dr. Douglas D. Tzan is the Director of the Doctor of Ministry and Course of Study programs at Wesley. He is also an Assistant Professor of Church History, Mission, and Methodist Studies. An ordained elder in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference, he also serves as the senior pastor at the Sykesville Parish (St. Paul’s and Gaither United Methodist Churches) in Sykesville, Maryland. He is the Vice President of the United Methodist Historical Society, and his research interests include the history of Christian mission, Methodist history, and world Christianity.

Visiting Professor of Missiology, World Christianity and Methodist Studies

Philip Wingeier-Rayo, Ph.D., was appointed to the position of Dean on July 1, 2018. Dr. Wingeier-Rayo holds his doctorate in Theology, Ethics and Culture from Chicago Theological Seminary, a M.T.S. from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and a M.Th. from Seminario Evangélico de Teología in Matanzas, Cuba. He has previously taught at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, Pfeiffer University, and Seminario Baez Camargo in Mexico City. Dr. Wingeier-Rayo’s research interests are at the intersection of missiology and Methodist studies, in particular multicultural churches, Wesleyan mission theology, Latin American liberation theology and Pentecostalism. His academic work is informed by 15 years of missionary service where he served in Nicaragua, Cuba, Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley in S. Texas. Dr. Wingeier-Rayo is currently writing a book on a Wesleyan theology of mission and evangelism.

Dean and Woodrow and Mildred Miller Professor of Biblical Theology

Dr. Carla Works teaches New Testament studies. Her research interests include the Pauline epistles, the New Testament’s use of Israel’s scriptures, biblical ethics, and theological interpretation. She holds a Master’s degree from Yale Divinity School and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. Her publications include The Church in the Wilderness: Paul’s Use of Exodus Traditions in 1 Corinthians (Mohr Siebeck, 2014), The Least of These: Paul and the Marginalized (Eerdmans, 2020), and “Philippians” in The Women’s Bible Commentary (Westminster John Knox, 2012). She is passionate about teaching and learning for the service of the church.