Dr. Jones (BSc, MSc, Cairn University; DMin, Palmer Theological Seminary) serves as Senior Pastor of Bible Way Baptist Church in West Philadelphia and serves on the Board of Missio Seminary.

Dr. Jones received Christ as Savior and Lord at the young age of sixteen years old.  Being led by the Holy Spirit, he answered the call to the Gospel Ministry at eighteen years of age.  On November 5, 1986 Dr. Jones was licensed to the ministry by his beloved father in the ministry, the late Reverend Hiawatha Coleman, former Pastor of the Mount Zion Baptist Church in Philadelphia.

Having a tremendous burden for at-risk youth, Dr. Jones served at the Philadelphia Youth (Detention) Center as Coordinating Chaplain.  Dr. Jones also served as a panelist for the District Attorney’s Youth Aid Panel and as President of the Police Clergy Program in the 19th Police District.  Dr. Jones has also served his community as a member of the Board of Directors for the Carroll Park Community Council.  In 2001, Dr. Jones was appointed by Mayor John F. Street to the City of Philadelphia Board of Ethics and in 2006 appointed to a Blue Ribbon Commission on Children’s Behavioral Health in the City of Philadelphia.  In 2008, Dr. Jones was appointed by Mayor Michael Nutter to the Advisory Board of the Mayor’s Office of Community Services and appointed to the Philadelphia Board of Ethics in 2009.  In 2011, Mayor Michael Nutter appointed Dr. Jones to the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Prison System and in 2015 appointed him Chairman of the Board.  At the state level, Dr. Jones was appointed to serve on Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s transition team, co-chairing the Review Committee on the PA Department of Corrections. Governor Wolf then appointed Dr. Jones to the Governor’s Advisory Commission on African American Affairs for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Carolyn Custis James (B.A. Sociology, M.A. Biblical Studies) is an activist, blogger, and award-winning author. Her books include Finding God in the Margins, Malestrom, Half the Church, and The Gospel of Ruth. Her first book, When Life and Beliefs Collide, demonstrated the importance of theology for women and has been influential in encouraging women to pursue seminary education.

Carolyn blogs at www.carolyncustisjames.com and as a Leading Voice at Missio Alliance. She has also published articles for Huffington Post/Religion.

She was founder and president of the Synergy Women’s Network for women active in or preparing for ministry occupations. She is a consulting editor for Zondervan’s Exegetical Commentary Series on the New Testament. She speaks at church conferences, colleges, and for other Christian organizations both in the US and abroad and is a frequent guest lecturer at various theological seminaries.

Carolyn is a member of Evangelicals for Justice and serves on advisory boards for:

• Logia – an initiative of the LOGOS Institute at the University of St. Andrews, UK committed to seeing Christian female scholars become more visible and valued in the academy and the church.
• 4word Women – an international organization for Christian professional women in the workplace.
• Institute for Bible Reading – dedicated to facilitate and energize a twenty-first century Bible reading movement.
• Evangelicals 4 Justice – an eclectic network of evangelical thought leaders and activists dedicated to making broad cultural impact through prophetic witness to the whole church.

Her work focuses on the intersection between Christianity and twenty-first century cultural issues facing women and men globally and has earned her recognition by Christianity Today as one of “50 Evangelical Women to Watch.”

Dr. Coz Crosscombe is an Australian who seems to have gotten lost in Philadelphia for the past twenty or so years. He is the Director of Cairn University’s First Year Urban Ministry Program and teaches at Missio and The Center for Urban Theological Studies. In his spare time, he co-directs Common Grace, Inc., a ministry focused on developing strategic church partnerships that lead to lasting neighborhood transformation.

With a PhD in Religion from Emory University, Duane teaches several classes here at Missio. Also, he is the Co-Founder and Associate Director of Black Religious Scholars Group and serves governmental agencies in the Philadelphia area in community development projects.

Susan Baker has also taught at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, City Seminary of New York, the Center for Urban Studies, and Westminster Theological Seminary. In addition to teaching, Susan has over 50 years of inner city, cross-cultural ministry experience in Chicago and Philadelphia, and is the ministry coordinator of Spirit and Truth Fellowship church.

• Author – Understanding Mainland Puerto Rican Poverty
• Co-editor and Contributor – Globalization and Its Effects on Urban Ministry in the 21st Century
• Editor and Contributor – The Urban Face of Mission

Larry L. Anderson Jr. is a North Philadelphia native who now resides in Glenside, PA. The Lord has blessed him with a wonderful wife, Kim and three beautiful children, Marquis, Darius, and Gabrielle. Anderson graduated from Philadelphia Biblical University with a B.S. in Bible with an emphasis in Christian Leadership. He has received his Master of Divinity and his Doctorate in Ministry Degrees from Biblical Theological Seminary.

Dr. Anderson became the pastor of Great Commission Church in September 2004. In his time as pastor he has been blessed to see the congregation grow spiritually and numerically. One of his noted achievements to date has been his ability to follow the voice of God by leading GCC from the suburbs of Montgomery County into the city of Philadelphia to impact their new community with a holistic gospel. Another achievement of note is his co-authoring of the book entitled ‘Ask Me Why I’m Not In Church‘.

Dr. Anderson was the first African American Professor to serve on the faculty of Biblical Theological Seminary. He established the Urban M. Div program and also served as director of both the Doctoral and Urban Programs. Dr. Anderson resigned from the Biblical Seminary Faculty in July 2013, and he currently serves as an adjunct professor for the Practical Theology Department.

Dr. Anderson joined the Staff of the Baptist Resource Network in April 2013. He is the Director of Healthy Churches overseeing 350 churches throughout Pennsylvania and South Jersey. His primary role is to assess the overall health of a church and walk alongside them to fulfill their Calling in God’s Kingdom.

Dr. Anderson serves as the Board Chairman for Community Forgiveness and Restoration, an initiative designed to battle against Recidivism. Nationally he serves on the LifeWay Advisory Board, commissioned to resource churches with the curriculum and training needed for ministry in the 21st Century. He also serves on the Committee on Committees of the Southern Baptist Convention as a catalyst to nominate the future leaders and decision makers of the convention. He is also a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated.

Dr. Anderson has dedicated his life to becoming a workmen approved by God, who can correctly handle the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

Dr. Diane Langberg is the leading Christian psychologist with expertise in trauma recovery. Her teaching has taken her to South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Her books on sexual abuse remain popular with both clinicians and victims. She joined Missio Seminary as a Clinical Faculty member (Clinical Faculty members are practitioners who also lecture and train) and has a leadership role in the shaping and delivery of the Global Trauma Recovery Institute.

Dr. Langberg is Chair of the Executive Board of the American Association of Christian Counselors, serves on the board of GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in a Christian Environment), and is Co-Chair of the Trauma Advisory Council for the American Bible Society. She is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumna for Professional Achievement from Taylor University, the American Association of Christian Counselor’s Caregiver Award, and the Philadelphia Council of Clergy’s Christian Service Award.

Shannon serves with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the US and abroad, training staff and students to explore and live in radical faith in Jesus. She is passionate about honest engagement with and creative application of God’s word. At Missio, Shannon has taught Reading the OT Missionally, Counseling and the Biblical Text, Lifelong Leadership Development, and co-taught “How God Teaches” with her OT Professor husband Dave.

Dr. Sherry Kull holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership from Regent University and an MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. She formerly served full-time at Eastern University as Director of Faculty Development for Online Initiatives, where she taught courses in Bible and Leadership. She has been teaching Greek at Missio for more than twenty years and was one of the early promoters of online education at the seminary.

Mike teaches Reading the Old Testament missionally, and several book studies at Missio. Beyond his interests in biblical hermeneutics and the Old Testament prophetical books, he enjoys thinking about, and living out, the intersection of biblical theology and urban ministry.

• Justice and Shalom
• The Beginning of Justice
• The Story of Israel
• Jesus, Justice, and Restoration