Christian Hoeckley brings to Ministry Incubators 25 years of asking, “What’s next?” He’s led all phases of development for over a dozen programs, discovering the many hurdles that come with new ventures, but also the joy of collaborating with awesome people to bring something beautiful into the world.

Alongside his work as a serial program launcher, Chris taught philosophy for many years at a small Christian college. Not all the academic work was theoretical. With his wife, Cheri, Chris led a dozen semesters abroad focusing on the roles Christian communities have played in conflict and peacemaking.

These days, in addition to his work with Ministry Incubators, Chris leads the fundraising for PathLight, a Christian NGO supporting quality education for low-income children in Belize. Chris and Cheri make their home in Santa Barbara, close to one of their grown children, who’s right in town, but too far from the other two up in the Pacific Northwest.

Alice Fleming Townley enjoys connecting with people, listening for energy, and nurturing movements. She has pastored in rural communities, small towns, and university-related congregations. Growing up in a church culture that valued the voices of young people, she began facilitating United Methodist district and conference leadership events as a teen. While serving churches, Alice has been part of the Michigan Conference faculty and staff, serving as Mission and Justice Coordinator and facilitating church leadership workshops, clergy peer groups, and intercultural development inventories. She has coached leaders in transition and served as a church resiliency catalyst for navigating conflict.

In each of her ministry settings, she has integrated contemplative practices, compassion, and community engagement. She co-founded the All Faith Alliance for Refugees (AFAR), heads the Fleming Townley Collaborative, LLC, and organized the first annual Advocacy Day for the Michigan Conference, involving over 350 United Methodists from across the state and impacting legislation on gun safety.

Alice graduated in social relations from James Madison College, a residential political science program within Michigan State University. She holds a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School with a concentration in Christian education. An ordained United Methodist elder, she leans into ecumenical and interfaith cooperation, having served a Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation for 11 years. She is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) coach and has received training through the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center and Healthy Congregations.

Alice enjoys walking outside, reading poetry by her fireplace, and sharing stories around the dining room table. She and her husband Michael live in East Lansing, Michigan, and enjoy spending time with their young-adult kids, Jonathan and Grace, on the family blueberry farm and along the shore of Lake Michigan.

Rev. Kathleen McShane is Director of Leadership Ministry for the Texas Methodist Foundation. Kathi retired in 2022 from active ministry as an ordained Elder in the California-Nevada Conference of The United Methodist Church, where she led four congregations and served for eight years as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Pacific School of Religion. Before attending seminary and beginning her life in ministry, she was a civil litigator, practicing law in the San Francisco Bay Area.

As she led a large church in Los Altos (Silicon Valley), California, Kathi co-founded the Changemaker Initiative, which is now a small national movement of churches committed to empowering laypeople to become compassion-driven changemakers like Jesus. That work has led her toward multiple projects that are reimagining leadership for the church of the future. She is the coauthor, with Rabbi Elan Babchuck, of Picking Up the Pieces: Leadership after Empire (Fortress Press, January 2024).

Kathi lives on a vineyard on the Central Coast of California.

Sarah Linder is a project manager for Ministry Incubators, and a lay minister at her local church (College Wesleyan Church—Marion, IN).

She engages in spiritual direction and leads prayer retreats. On her off hours, she spends time with her high-energy boys and her husband, Ethan. You can catch Sarah drinking lots of coffee, hosting people, and thinking of creative ways to rearrange her furniture. She has a heart for people and enjoys listening and sharing space.

Andrew is a God-fearing man who loves his family and friends. He is a small business owner and an ex-college athlete. He loves Jeeps and trucks and off-roading. In his free time he loves to play pickup basketball and eat at Chipotle!

Originally from France, Anto has lived and studied in seven countries across the globe. He recently moved from Hong Kong to England where he lives with his wife and son.

Anto is YPulse’s Editorial Director of Western Europe – a company specialized in youth intelligence. He analyzes, and tells the story behind hundreds of data points about youth culture. A few years ago, Anto embarked into a Ph.D. adventure at the University of Birmingham, in the field of digital technology and theology. He hopes to finish his degree (one day!).

Anto holds a BA in Economics from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, an MA in International Business from ESCE in Paris, a BA (Hons) in Theology from the Institut Protestant de Théologie in Paris/University of Strasbourg (dual degree) and an MA in Education from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Kat Bair is a coach with Ministry Incubators and our newsletter editor as well as a full-time youth pastor. She is a graduate of Austin Seminary through the Center for Youth Ministry Training and began her innovation work as a Lead Innovator and researcher with CYMT’s Innovation Lab. She is also a writer and contributor for Youth Specialties, Youth Ministry Institute, Women in Youth Ministry, the Institute for Collective Trauma and Growth and more. She is a Nashville native who lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with her husband Andrew, who is a video game developer and considered by teenagers the much cooler of the two.

Carmelle Beaugelin is a visual artist and a “holy cheerleader” of ministry practitioners. Carmelle began to discern her call to ministry as a pre-teen at her mother’s small, but mighty, Pentecostal church in Miami where a strong belief in the “priesthood of all believers” allowed youth agency to flourish.

Carmelle received her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. In 2018, she joined the staff of the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Seminary and serves as the Program Coordinator for the Log College Project, a youth ministry and innovation research grant project funded by the Lilly Endowment, which journeys alongside congregations as they design, test, and implement new forms of intergenerational youth ministry in their context. Some of her work has included serving as a ministry co-conspirator and board member for The Feed Truck Ministries Inc., as an Expert Innovator for The Center For Youth Ministry Training, and as the Artist-in-Residence at the 2018 Princeton Forum on Youth Ministry.

When she’s not conspiring with teenagers as to how to discreetly break into seminary chapels to hold impromptu worship services, she enjoys acrylic painting, Haitian cooking, and black Cuban coffee.

Margaret Burnett is a pastor and resilience coach with a passion for working with creative leaders thinking way outside the box, courageous leaders willing to take leaps of faith, and prayerful leaders discerning God’s call.

Margaret is an ordained PCUSA pastor who has served as an Associate Pastor for Children and Family Ministries in a suburban church and as an Associate Pastor for Outreach in an inner city church. Seeing the needs of children and families in the inner city, she worked within the church to form a 501(c)3 non-profit to provide free parent counseling and a preschool focused on identifying and mitigating adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

Margaret lives in Memphis, TN with her husband, Jason, their daughter, Kate, and two wild and crazy dogs. They have two grown children who live in Chattanooga and New Orleans.

Teddy is native to Nashville, TN where after graduating from The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, he returned and cut his teeth in youth ministry and music ministry before stepping into the world of small business. As an owner of a boutique property management company, Teddy has implemented and refined lessons he gleaned in his years in ministry: the importance of sustainable and common sense infrastructure; partnering with volunteer board members, and the professional herding of cats amidst chaos. For the last 8 years, Teddy has coached numerous churches through the whirlwind of the expectations for excellence and finds few endeavors as enjoyable as uniting business praxis with Kingdom enterprise. During his younger years, Teddy dabbled in the music industry where he managed artists, toured as a mediocre bassist, and solidified his theory that all industries are saturated with individuals who are making it up as we go. Teddy and his wife reside in Nashville, TN.

Kenda Creasy Dean comes to Ministry Incubators after 30 years of doing ministry that wasn’t in a job description. An ordained United Methodist minister, she teaches practical theology, youth ministry, education and formation, and social innovation at Princeton Theological Seminary, where she works closely with PTS’s Institute for Youth Ministry and the Farminary and directs the Ministry Collaboratory, a Lilly Endowment initiative at Princeton on congregational innovation with young adults. She has extensive experience in new ministry development, grant writing, and nonprofit ministry, especially with young people.

Kenda is the author of a dozen books including Innovating for Love: Joining God’s Expedition through Christian Social Innovation; Delighted: What Teenagers are Teaching the Church About Joy (with Wes Ellis, Abigail Rusert, and Justin Forbes); Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church; and The Godbearing Life (with Ron Foster). She is a frequent speaker and consultant on young people and church innovation and has worked with dozens of seminaries, judicatories, congregations, and other faith-based entities. A graduate of Miami University (Ohio), Wesley Theological Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary, Kenda served as a pastor in suburban Washington, DC, and as a campus minister at the University of Maryland before coming to Princeton. She and her husband Kevin live on campus and love hanging out at the beach with their grown children. Contact Kenda here.

Ministry Incubators co-founder Mark DeVries is a serial ministry innovator, having founded numerous sustainable ministry enterprises, most notably Ministry Architects, whose team of over consultants has worked with over 1,000 ministries around the country.

Mark is also co-founder of the Center for Youth Ministry Training and the founder of Justice Industries. He served as the Associate Pastor for Youth and Their Families at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville for 28 years. Mark is the author of a dozen books, including Sustainable Youth Ministry and Family-Based Youth Ministry, and the co-author of Sustainable Children’s Ministry and Sustainable Young Adult Ministry. Mark has offered ministry training and consulting across the United States and in more than a dozen countries, working with a wide variety of denominations and nondenominational churches and organizations. He has taught courses or been a guest lecturer at more than 20 colleges and seminaries including Duke Divinity School (Durham, NC), Princeton Theological Seminary (Princeton, NJ), and Vanderbilt Divinity School (Nashville).

Mark graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, with a B.A. in English and Greek in 1980, and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1986 with a senior concentration in youth evangelism.

Mark and Susan have been married since 1979 and make their home in Nashville. They have three grown children, Adam, Debbie, and Leigh, and four grandchildren, Parish, Nealy, Liam, and Jack.

Contact Mark here.

Amanda is a church planter, spiritual pioneer, and relentless dreamer. She is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church and serves as the Chief Instigator and Founding Pastor of RISE, a quirky young faith community in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Throughout the last two decades, Amanda has led in a variety of church cultures and contexts. Urban and rural, large and small, traditional and nontraditional—these settings have enabled her to discern and cultivate the God-given hope and possibility within a variety of people and places.

A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Amanda is a graduate of the University of Virginia. She received a graduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology from James Madison University and received her Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School. As a coach and consultant, she is regularly inspired by fellow innovators and edge walkers.

Amanda lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband, two teenagers, and a dog that closely resembles a Muppet. She enjoys running long distances, planting an absurd amount of perennials, and exploring the world and its inhabitants, one cup of coffee at a time.

Mallory grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, spending all of her college summers working for a local youth ministry. After graduating from Auburn University with a degree in musical theatre, Mal worked as a professional actor on various tours around the country before settling in New York City to do equally wonderful and low-budget Shakespeare workshops for high school students. While in NYC, Mal landed a day job at Redeemer Presbyterian Church working with community groups and the kids’ ministry. Since moving to Nashville in 2014, Mallory has led and coached large kids’-ministry teams. Mal dreams of seeing kiddos come to know that they are truly needed and that they deeply belong in the local church and in God’s kingdom. She enjoys new hobbies, cheering on the Auburn Tigers, cooking/eating brunch, and spending quality time with friends and family while attempting to finish a master of arts in ministry from Western Theological Seminary. Mallory lives in Nashville with her dog, Rosie.

John Harrell is a task-oriented nerd with a heart for building sustainable systems that serve the Reign of God. His work for Ministry Incubators includes helping to keep the team and our clients resourced for developing sustainable structures, helping the folks we serve to follow through on timelines for growth and organizational health. He also does voices, cracks jokes, and loves camping, travel, and deep-dish pizza. He’s been known to read airline schedules and memorize subway maps for fun.

John and his wife Ana, co-pastors of a congregation in the Midwestern heartland, have roots all over—in Seattle, Kentucky, California, North Carolina, and Maryland. John’s other work includes editing books and manuscripts for publication. His written work has appeared at USAToday.com and BusinessInsider.com, and his editing clients have brought their work to print through InterVarsity Press, Routledge, Wipf & Stock, and Light + Life.

He is ordained in the Free Methodist Church – USA and is an experienced youth and young adult pastor and ministry developer. John and Ana live in southern Illinois.

Ashley Higgins is a Project Manager at Ministry Incubators whose portfolio has included directing Ministry Incubators’ first-ever nationwide conference in Seattle in 2019 and developing ministries in the Mountain West region of the United States. A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary where she earned a Master of Divinity and a Master of the Arts in Youth Culture, she moved to Nashville in 2014 to work in full-time ministry and is pursuing ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA). That, working with MINC, and raising her three- and five-year-old girls with Jake keep her busy these days. If she weren’t pursuing ordination, she would be behind a coffee counter, watching too much of the Food Network, or growing the garden of her dreams!

Rev. Dr. Delesslyn Audra Kennebrew, J.D., M.Div., is a Visionary Strategist, Faithful Innovator, Inspirational Essayist, and Imaginative Preacher. For 15 years, she has worked to give life to the vision and mission of local churches. Dr. Kennebrew has a passion for helping churches to discern, discover, and develop what’s next. She currently serves as the Regional Minister for Ministry Innovation in the Greater Kansas City Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Her Ministry Motto is Colossians 3:17 – And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

James Lee is passionate about cultivating the divine spark in people through creative worship, Christ-centered discipleship, and visual storytelling. He is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, currently serving as the lead pastor of Wesley Church in South Plainfield, NJ. James is also an active freelance video producer and media production consultant. He received his M.Div. from Drew Theological School and his B.A. from Rutgers University.

Aqueelah Ligonde is an enthusiastic speaker and leader with a passion for today’s generation of youth and women. Aqueelah holds a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry and a Certificate in Black Church Studies from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. In 2011, she was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and became a member of the Presbytery of New York City. Aqueelah has worked with various organizations, institutions, and programs such as the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, Fuller Youth Institute, Urban Youth Workers Institute, Youth Specialties, Holmes Presbyterian Camp, PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer Program, and GenOn/Logos Ministries, plus others. For over a decade, Aqueelah served as Associate Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens, NY. Aqueelah is an International Coaching Federation (ICF)-trained coach through the Coach Approach Skills Training program. She is a Consultant with Ministry Architects and the Vice President for Coaching and Training for Ministry Incubators, organizations that are designed to champion congregations and leaders to help them live into their full ministry potential.

Janna Louie is an American Baptist minister currently serving graduate students and faculty in Southern California. As an ordained clergy, she is committed to working alongside community organizers in efforts that move our society towards racial and economic justice. She was born and raised in Chicago and is a daughter of immigrants from Hong Kong. After completing her M.Div. at Fuller Theological Seminary, she received the Parish Pulpit Fellowship and studied sociopolitical engagement through preaching in Southeast Asia. She was also awarded the David Allan Hubbard Award and continues to create integrated spaces for current seminarians by serving as a group facilitator and teaching assistant. She was an expositor at IFES 2019 World Assembly in South Africa. She directed various preaching courses and has preaching experience throughout the United States, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Viet Nam, and Thailand. She currently lives in Los Angeles. In her spare time, she enjoys running, cooking, and learning to grow her own vegetables.

Colyer began working in youth ministry in 1990 as an intern at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN. After graduating from Vanderbilt University, she resumed her focus on youth ministry and served as the logistics director of Family-Based Youth Ministry. Since 2003, she has served as the VP of Operations for Ministry Architects. Colyer lives outside New Orleans, Louisiana with her husband and three children. A family of sports enthusiasts, the Robisons can often be found on the nearest field, court, or stadium.

Over the last ten years, Amelia Thompson has provided grant writing, fundraising, strategic planning, program design, and performance management support to a range of causes and nonprofits. She completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science at Vassar College and graduate studies in education at St. John’s University. She serves as a youth minister at her local congregation, Christian Cultural Center.

Minister Kerwin Webb is a native of Birmingham, Alabama, and earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Alabama State University. Minister Webb is a 2019 graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, where he earned his Master of Divinity degree, a Certificate in Black Church Studies, and an International Certificate in Youth, Theology, and Innovation from the Institute for Youth Ministry (IYM).

In 2012, Kerwin founded the RMW Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on child development, youth outreach, and adult empowerment, in 2013. Minister Webb currently serves as the Associate Pastor of Youth and Young Adults at Second Baptist Church of Asbury Park, the President of the Greater Red Bank branch of the NAACP, coalition liaison for the New Jersey Social Justice Remembrance Coalition, and Board Chair of the T. Thomas Fortune Foundation.

Gabby works at the intersection of faith, culture, leadership, and strategy. She travels the country as a public speaker and strategist, working with individuals and institutions to dream strategically about the impact they wish to leave on the world. Her work centers around storytelling, prophetic imagination, and design thinking as key tools for maximum impact. Gabby is the co-founding, co-lead pastor of The Double Love Experience Church in Brooklyn, New York. Before launching her church, she served for five years on the pastoral staff of a Queens church as a young adult pastor.

Gabby is a proud graduate of Hampton University, New York University, and Yale University Divinity School where she serves on the alumni board. She is currently in the writing phase of her doctorate at Duke Divinity School where she is writing on strategy and innovation within the black church. She has been featured in Forbes and Essence.

Trey never met a project he didn’t try to scale. His first job was a window washing enterprise that he started just so he could have his own business cards and pizza money. He has launched and led faith communities in Oklahoma, Tennessee, and New Jersey, and somewhere along the way he decided that pastors tend to be better at ministry when they aren’t busy struggling to pay the electric bill.

Trey has a passion for helping high-impact churches and ministry leaders tap into their creative side. During his years of church leading, planting, consulting, coaching, and pastoring, Trey has remained convinced that fostering a culture of innovation is more about rhythms and practice than happenstance. He has served as pastor of Princeton and Kingston United Methodist Churches in New Jersey, as a college ministry director to students at Vanderbilt, Belmont, and Lipscomb Universities, director of young adult ministries at First Presbyterian Church of Nashville, and international missions coordinator with Joshua Expeditions. Before coming to Ministry Incubators, he supported and resourced over 500 churches as director of new disciples for the Greater New Jersey Conference of The United Methodist Church. Trey is an International Coaching Federation (ICF)-trained coach through the Coach Approach Skills Training program.

He and his wife Debbie live in Oklahoma City as the delighted parents of Liam and Jack.