2021-2022 Adjunct Faculty (Ministry Specialists)
Dr. John O. Baker III
Ed.D. in Leadership, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2020; M.Div., New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1998; B.S. in Systems Engineering, US Naval Academy, 1986. His doctoral dissertation thesis investigated church revitalization efforts with a focus on the impact of American individualism on revitalization through discipleship. Dr. Baker currently serves as a chaplain resident at the University of Rochester Medical Center and is developing a specialty in Palliative-Hospice Oncological Chaplaincy. He is particularly passionate about working with patients to understand their illness and to build a narrative with his patients and families as they face the outcomes of their illness.
Rev. Derrill A. Blue
D.Min. in Transformational Leadership, Boston University; M.Div., Saint Paul School of Theology; B.S. in Business Management, North Carolina A&T State University. Rev. Blue is Senior Pastor of Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Rochester, NY, and was appointed Presiding Elder of the Rochester-Syracuse District of the A.M.E. Zion Church in 2018. Rev. Blue holds almost 20-years of pastoral ministry experience on top of his professional resume in the baking industry, university assessment, and accreditation.
Rev. Dr. Aaron M. Bouwens
D.Min., Drew University, 2013; M.Div., Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, 2003; B.S. Houghton College, 1997. 2009 Lewis Leadership Fellow with the Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Seminary. Credentialed executive and leadership coach with the International Coaching Federation. Dr. Bouwens currently serves as the director of vital congregations for the Upper New York Conference of The United Methodist Church. In this role, Dr. Bouwens comes alongside congregations and leaders to increase the vitality of the congregation. Previously he has served as lead pastor in Wolcott, NY and Cortland, NY, and as co-pastor in Liverpool, NY.
Mr. Charles H. Canon III
M.L.S., SUNY Geneseo, 1994; B.S., Roberts Wesleyan College, 1970. Mr. Canon is a member of the Committee on History and Archives of the Free Methodist Church, USA. He has been a member of the Board of Administration at the local, conference, and denominational level within the Free Methodist Church. He has also been a delegate to each Free Methodist General Conference since 1985. He is currently a member of the Ministerial Education and Guidance Board and the Ministerial Appointments Committee of the Genesis Conference of the Free Methodist Church and the Board of Administration of the Northgate/Batavia (NY) Free Methodist Church.
Rev. Matthew Davis
M.S., Information and Library Science, SUNY at Buffalo, 2019; M.A., Theological Studies, Northeastern Seminary, 2016. Matthew serves as the Systems and Data Librarian at Davidson College. His research interests are theological librarianship, practical theology, missiology and the missio Dei, and scholarly communication.
Dr. Julie Durbin
Ph.D. Biola University (Intercultural Studies), 2016; M.A. Duquesne University (Rhetoric/Communication), 2000; B.A. Roberts Wesleyan College, (Communication), 1998. Dr. Durbin teaches humanities and English at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA, and the Community College of Beaver County in Monaca, PA. She serves as worship leader at the New Brighton Free Methodist Church in New Brighton, PA, and on a provisional directing board for the newly-formed Free Methodist Liturgical Network. From 2000-2010, she lived in Ukraine and worked with a FMWM church planting team.
Rev. Dr. Benjamin D. Espinoza
Ph.D. in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education, Michigan State University, 2020; M.A. Christian Education, Asbury Theological Seminary, 2012; B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies, Cedarville University, 2009. Dr. Espinoza currently serves as Associate VP of Online Education at Roberts Wesleyan College and as Executive Director of Seminary Administration at Northeastern Seminary. He serves as Associate Director of Curriculum Planning for The Wesleyan Church where he is an ordained minister in Penn York District. Dr. Expinoza’s areas of academic specialization include Christian formation and discipleship, race, diversity, and social justice, Latinx studies, ministry with children and youth, qualitative research methods, and theological and higher education.
Rev. Dr. Walter S. Fleming
D.Min., Northeastern Seminary, 2018; M.Div., Asbury Theological Seminary, 1980; B.A., Houghton College, 1976. Pastor Wally, as he is known around campus, served as the lead pastor at Pearce Memorial Church for 10 years, a congregation adjacent to the Northeastern Seminary campus. Pearce was Pastor Wally’s fourth appointment, having served three other congregations since he began full-time pastoral ministry in the summer of 1980. He currently serves as the director of chapel and adjunct faculty at Roberts Wesleyan College, teaching in the area of leadership.
Rev. Dr. Dana L. Goodnough
D.Min., Ministry Leadership, Dallas Theological Seminary, 2002; M.A., Counseling, Liberty University, 1992; Th.M., Bible Exposition, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985; B.A., Pastoral Studies and Biblical Languages, Calvary Bible College, 1981; Diploma, Pastoral Studies, Moody Bible Institute, 1980. Dr. Goodnough is the pastor at Pittsford Community Church where he has served since 1985. He serves on the board of the Rochester Institute of Christian Education and has served as a visiting instructor at the Baptist Theological Seminary of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Dr. Goodnough is the author of Three-Minute Theology: 66 Simple Lessons on Basic Bible Doctrines (Westbow Press).
Dr. Harry J. Heintz
D. Min., Fuller Seminary, 1996; M. Div., Gordon-Conwell Seminary, 1974; B. A. Southern California College, 1968. Dr. Heintz served as lead pastor/head of staff at Brunswick Presbyterian Church, Troy, N.Y., from 1974-2012, and was board member of Presbyterians for Renewal, 2002-2008. Dr. Heintz is active in supply preaching in the greater Rochester area, to which he moved in October 2013.
Ms. Cristina Kerekes
M.Div., Northeastern Seminary; M.S. Science Education, Purdue University; Certificate in Spiritual Direction, Upper NY Conference, United Methodist Church; Certificate in Advanced Missional Spiritual Direction, New England Conference, United Methodist Church. Ms. Kerekes is a chaplain intern at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, and a small group supervisor for a two-year spiritual direction training program with the UNY United Methodist Church.
Dr. Brittany Kim
Ph.D., Biblical Theology—Old Testament, Wheaton College, 2014; M.A., Biblical Exegesis, Wheaton College, 2008; B.A., Religious Studies and Philosophy, Westmont College, 2003. Dr. Kim has taught classes in biblical studies at Roberts Wesleyan College and online through Bethel Seminary and Ecclesia College. Her research interests include prophetic literature, biblical metaphor, rhetorical and literary methods, and biblical theology.
Dr. Mike Lastoria
Ed.D. Loyola University of Chicago in Counseling Education, School Counseling and Guidance. Dr. Lastoria served as associate professor of family studies at Houghton College, Faculty/Director of Counseling at Houghton College, and Interim Associate Professor of Psychology at Roberts Wesleyan College.
Mr. Bryan McMullen
Mr. McMullen earned an M.A. in Religion from Westminster Theological Seminary, and is both a board-certified chaplain, and an associate certified educator by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education. He is a staff chaplain at Rochester General Hospital.
Dr. Charles Meeks
Ph.D., Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, 2019; M.A., Asbury Theological Seminary, 2009; B.A. Houghton College, 2005. Dr. Meeks recently completed his Ph.D. dissertation at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, and was supervised by Drs. Ephraim Radner and Joseph Mangina. His research is in the areas of patristic theology, sacramental theology, and systematic theology. His dissertation will be published by Fortress Press in 2020. His work at Asbury Theological Seminary focused primarily on New Testament and Biblical Archaeology. He is an active member of the North American Patristics Society, has published in the area of patristic exegesis, and has contributed extensively to the Lexham Bible Dictionary. Dr. Meeks has also pastored in Melbourne, Sydney, and Coffs Harbour, Australia.
Dr. Torrence E. Sparkman
Ph.D. in Human Resources Education, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012; M.Div. in Urban Ministry, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2002; B.S. in Management, the University of Illinois at Chicago, 1993. Dr. Sparkman is an associate professor in the Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology. Dr. Sparkman has authored numerous scholarly articles in the subject areas of management, business, and human resource development. He most recently served as contributing author of “Strategies for Attracting, Maintaining, and Balancing a Mature Workforce” (IGI Global, 2019).
Dr. Carrie Starr
D.Min. in Leadership, Scripture and Spirituality, Northeastern Seminary, 2021; M.A. in Theological Studies, Northeastern Seminary, 2004; B.S. in Elementary and Early Childhood Education, SUNY Oneonta. Dr. Starr has a rich career in ministry, business, and higher education that covers a wide range of professional experiences. She has held such leadership positions as a regional leader for Campus Ambassadors, a nationally recognized leader with Enactus USA, an educational leader at Roberts Wesleyan College, a named Advancement professional with Northeastern Seminary and Roberts Wesleyan College, a published author, and a successful entrepreneur. Her strong faith in Christ built on a solid theological foundation, combined with her passionate energy and outstanding relationship-building skills make her a compelling ministry leader and educator in an uncertain world.
Dr. Gregory VanDussen
D.Min., Church History, Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School, 1986; M.A., American History, SUNY College at Brockport, 1983; M.Div., Church History, Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School, 1972; B.A., Philosophy, SUNY College at Brockport, 1969. Dr. VanDussen retired in 2011 after 39 years of full-time ministry in the United Methodist Church. He pastored several churches in Western New York, and for six years served as Batavia district superintendent.
Dr. Norman Wettereau
M.D., Duke University Medical School, 1967; B.S., Wheaton College, 1963. Dr. Wetterau is a physician at Tricounty Family Medicine in Dansville, NY, and clinical assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. One area of his many professional interests includes applying the theology of social justice to real-life community issues.
Dr. Damian Zynda
ThD in Systematic Theology and Christian Spirituality, University of St. Michael’s College, 2004; M.P.S., Loyola University of Chicago, 1993; B.A., Canisius College, 1987. Dr. Zynda holds multiple certifications in spiritual direction and specializes in the theology of conversation, theology and practice of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, spiritual direction, and Ignatian discernment. She has taught at numerous academic institutions including St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, Creighton University, and St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry. Dr. Zynda is a sought-after teacher, spiritual director, speaker, and retreat facilitator.