Juan Carlos Huertas is the Minister of Proclamation & Practice of Justice at First-Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, NE, and a graduate of Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Before his position at First-Plymouth, Juan Carlos served congregations throughout the state of Louisiana for sixteen years. A native of Puerto Rico, he is passionate about helping congregations get reconnected to their neighborhoods, about a decolonized church, and about worship that expresses the human need for ritual and spiritual community in the messiness of life. Juan Carlos loves writing and speaking about discipleship as empowerment to transform our neighborhoods, cities, and world. He is married to Shannon Huertas, a psychotherapist, and they have three adolescent children. In his spare time, Juan Carlos enjoys cooking, listening to salsa music, and reading a good book.

The Rev. P. Kimberleigh Jordan, PhD, bridges the sacred and the artistic, transforming how communities experience spirituality through creative expression. A scholar-practitioner who moves fluidly between academy and sanctuary, Kimberleigh most recently served as Minister of Formation, Community Ministries, and Creative Arts at St. Luke's Episcopal Church. Prior to that, she was a Lecturer in Religion and African Diaspora Studies at Spelman College. Her scholarship and ministry explore how embodied practices shape spiritual meaning-making.

Jordan’s journey from professional dancer to ordained clergywoman reflects her commitment to holistic integration over compartmentalization. A former dancer, she brings the discipline and artistry of professional dance to ministry. Her Ph.D. in Performance Studies from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, combined with theological training from Union Theological Seminary and undergraduate work at UNC-Chapel Hill, positions her to address 21st-century spiritual needs and concerns.

Rev. Olivia Lane is Senior Minister and Head of Staff at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Tulsa’s historic Brookside neighborhood. She leads Southminster in cultivating a model of ministry that unites spiritual formation with sustainable business practices and strategic property stewardship, positioning the church as a faithful, resilient witness in a changing religious landscape.

Rev. Lane brings more than a decade of pastoral and chaplaincy experience, including in neurosciences and psychiatric hospital chaplaincy and as Chaplain for Spiritual Formation at Georgetown University, where she also co-pastored the Protestant Church. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance with honors from The University of Tulsa, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and is a trained Ignatian Spiritual Director.

An ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the PCUSA, Rev. Lane is active in ecumenical and interfaith networks. Her current work explores liturgy, justice, spiritual formation, and public theology, advancing the pastoral vocation as practical wisdom.

Rev. Susannah Davis grew up in Warrenton, Georgia, nurtured by a deep love for church, family, and community. She attended Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia, and then moved to Atlanta to attend Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Following her graduation from Candler, she was ordained in the United Methodist Church and served churches and agencies in the North Georgia Conference for 11 years before receiving a call to help start a new church with the United Church of Christ in 2006.

In 2007, Susannah received privilege of call in the UCC and began gathering people in Kirkwood and neighboring communities at Gathering Grounds Coffee Shop. From those intentional times of Bible study, service, community-building, worship, and lots of coffee, Kirkwood United Church of Christ was born. Susannah led this community of faith for 18 years, leaving a legacy of love, justice, and deep relational ministry that continues to shape KUCC’s vibrant witness in the neighborhood and beyond.

In 2026, Susannah and her partner, Susan, along with their dog, St. Clare, moved to Clayton, Georgia, with the hope of planting a wildly welcoming faith community in Northeast Georgia—one where everyone, everyone, everyone is welcome.

In addition to her congregational ministry, Susannah serves as a contextual education instructor at Candler School of Theology, a leader within the Southeast Conference Church Team, and on several other boards and committees.

Emily McGinley serves as the Senior Pastor of City Church San Francisco, before which she was the founding pastor of Urban Village Church (Hyde Park-Woodlawn) in Chicago. Having become a Christian in the non-denominational evangelical tradition before pursuing ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Rev. Emily is committed to building gospel-shaped inclusive spaces that nurture, challenge, and practice hospitality wherever she serves. She has preached and presented nationally on a variety of topics and has been exploring the role of design thinking in ministry. She is a contributing writer to the books Inter-Cultural Ministry: Hope for a Changing World and Finding Peace in an Anxious World.

Rev. Dr. John H. Vaughn serves as the Executive Pastor. He works closely with the Church’s Senior Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, in managing the overall operations of this international congregation. Rev. Vaughn served for ten years as the Executive Vice President at Auburn Theological Seminary. Before joining the staff of Auburn Seminary, Rev. Dr. Vaughn served as the Program Director for the Twenty-First Century Foundation, a national foundation that advanced strategic giving for Black community change, as well as Executive Director of the Peace Development Fund. Previously, he served as the Minister for Education and Social Justice at the Riverside Church in New York City. Rev. Dr. Vaughn, an ordained minister in the American Baptist Churches, received his undergraduate degree from Holy Cross College, his Master of Divinity from the Pacific School of Religion, and a Doctor of Ministry from Drew Theological School.

Shively T. J. Smith is Associate Professor of New Testament at Boston University School of Theology, Director of the PhD Program, and Faculty Fellow for the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground at Boston University. Her scholarship focuses on biblical studies and biblical languages, Howard Thurman studies, nineteenth-century African American women’s literature, and Africana and womanist hermeneutics. Her scholarship explores the influence of biblical interpretation in public life, especially around race, memory, spirituality, and justice.

A summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Fisk University, Smith earned master’s degrees from Candler School of Theology at Emory University and Columbia Theological Seminary, and received her PhD in New Testament studies from Emory University. She has also studied abroad as an English-Speaking Union Fellow at Oxford University.

Smith is the author of numerous essays and books, including her newest work, Reading Howard Thurman: His Practices of Interpretation through Womanist Eyes. She contributes to documentary and public humanities projects on Jesus, the Bible, race, and religion for national and international audiences, including projects featured on the History Channel, Angel Studios, A&E Biography, and C-SPAN. She has lectured internationally, including at Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat, India, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Her scholarship has been supported by fellowships and grants from organizations including the Ford Foundation, Forum for Theological Exploration, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, The HistoryMakers, the Mellon Foundation, and the English-Speaking Union. She serves as Associate Editor for the New Testament for The SBL Study Bible, is a member of the editorial board for the Semeia Studies monograph series, and serves on the National Council of Churches Translation and Utilization Board of Friendship Press, which oversees the publication and utilization of Bible translations including the NRSVue, NRSV, and RSV. Across her scholarship and public work, Smith is especially interested in how interpretation shapes the moral and spiritual imagination of communities. More of her public scholarship and writing can be found at readinghowadthurman.substack.com and www.shivelysmith.com.

William H. Lamar IV has served since 2014 as pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, extending its historic witness through worship, liberation, service, and civic engagement. A Macon, Georgia, native, he earned degrees from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Duke University and is a PhD candidate in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary. Lamar chairs the Just Power Alliance and the Washington Interfaith Network strategy team and serves on the Texas Methodist Foundation board. His leadership has expanded Metropolitan’s congregation, philanthropic partnerships, climate-justice work, and grantmaking to churches and community organizations nationwide. A widely published writer, preacher, lecturer, and media commentator, he authored Ancestors: The Names That Bless Us, Curse Us, and Hold Us. He has received justice and spiritual leadership honors from Georgetown and Howard Universities. Lamar is married to Dr. Dana A. Williams, Dean of Howard University’s Graduate School.