Master of Divinity Faculty/Staff Directory

• DMin, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
• MDiv, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
• AB, Hope College

• PhD, Boston University School of Theology
• MDiv, Fuller Theological Seminary
• BA, Wheaton College

A practical theologian, missiologist and pastor, Dr. James brings deep insight into the life of the church in today's rapidly changing cultural landscape. Rev. Dr. James is the author of Church Planting in Post-Christian Soil: Theology and Practice (Oxford University Press, 2017), an award-winning exploration of emerging forms of Christian community in North America. He is currently writing Reseeding Church, a call for the church in the West to abandon false hopes rooted in human ingenuity and instead cooperate with the God who is already seeding a new future for the church in the West. Rev. Dr. James leads Missio Cohorts and UDTS's Madison Learning Community, two grant-funded initiatives through which he cultivates diverse communities of missional leaders as they develop local, ecumenical kinship, discernment and collaboration. Through his teaching, writing, and project leadership, Dr. James seeks to equip God's people in the West to faithfully follow the Spirit's lead through our ongoing change of epoch.

Dr. James is husband to Lindsay, dad to two kids, and human to a miniature Bernedoodle named Theophilus Monk.

• PhD, Duke University
• MDiv, Duke University
• BA, Asbury College

• MDiv, University of Dubuque Theological Seminary
• BA, Utah State University

Rev. Emily Taylor Blue is an ordained minister, educator, and passionate advocate for faith formation, community building, and inclusive leadership. She currently serves as Pastor to Students at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, where she also teaches in both the seminary and undergraduate programs. In this role, she supports students spiritually, academically, and pastorally, while helping equip leaders for service in the wider church. In addition to her academic work, Emily has served in parish ministry for over 17 years, currently leading Sherrill United Church of Christ and ten years at the former Sherrill United Methodist Church. Rev. Blue is certified in Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) training, personal empowerment, and Ally training, and she brings these tools into her ministry and teaching to cultivate belonging, resilience, and justice-oriented leadership. She is deeply committed to spiritual formation, restorative justice, and helping people of all ages discover their God-given gifts and purpose. Whether in the pulpit, the classroom, or the theater, her ministry is rooted in compassion, creativity, and a belief that God's love meets us exactly where we are.