Whitworth Ministry Summit
Brenda Salter McNeil, D.Min.
Brenda is an associate professor of reconciliation studies in the School of Theology at Seattle Pacific University, where she also directs the Reconciliation Studies program. She also serves on the pastoral staff of Quest Church in Seattle, Wash. Brenda is recognized internationally as one of the foremost leaders of reconciliation and was featured as one of the 50 most influential women to watch by Christianity Today. She is the author of many books, including Becoming Brave: Finding the Courage to Pursue Racial Justice Now.
David Swanson, Ph.D.
David is the founding pastor of New Community Covenant Church and lives with his family on the South Side of Chicago. He is the founder and CEO of New Community Outreach, a nonprofit organization dedicated to healing community trauma through restorative practices. David is the author of Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity and Plundered: The Tangled Roots of Racial and Environmental Injustice. He is a former director of church planting for the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Jer Swigart, M.Div.
Jer is the co-founder of Global Immersion. In addition to his participation in local and national justice and reconciliation commissions, Jer is a North American contributing member of the Reconcilers Together Alliance, a Pepperdine Cross Sector Leadership Fellow and a Senior Fellow of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute. As the co-author of Mending the Divides: Creative Love in a Conflicted World, a speaker, facilitator and consultant, he often reflects on the intersection of faith, leadership and conflict transformation.
Featured Worship Leader
Taylor Leonhardt
Native Texan and new-ish Nashvillian, Taylor Leonhardt is first and foremost a craftsman. Whether she's penning tunes for her solo project or for her duo Mission House with Jess Ray, it's always about the song. The Gospel Coalition recently called Taylor "one of the most promising singer-songwriters in Nashville these days," naming her latest project Hold Still one of the best albums of 2021. In addition to touring and writing, she spends time across the U.S. leading music and conversations for spiritual retreats, creative workshops and faith communities.
Workshop Leaders
Benjamin Brody, DMA
Benjamin Brody serves as music department chair, professor of music and director of church music studies at Whitworth University. He teaches courses in church music and music appreciation and serves as director of campus worship. A life member of the Hymn Society in the U.S. and Canada, Ben served as president (2020-22) and convened the working group that produced Singing Welcome: Songs and Hymns for Refugees and Immigrants. Ben has also authored two collections of hymn tunes, Come, O Holy House, and Worship and At the Weaving of Creation. His hymn tunes have appeared in over a dozen hymnals and published hymn collections.
Mark Killian, Ph.D.
Mark Killian is a professor of sociology at Whitworth University, whose research focuses on religious vitality. His 2017 book, Religious Vitality in Christian Intentional Communities, provides a framework for congregational resilience. Before entering academia, Mark was a church planter in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Emily Kuenker, M.Div.
The Rev. Emily Kuenker is a pastor, preacher, writer, artisan bread baker and chai connoisseur. She holds a master's of divinity from Luther Seminary and was the recipient of the seminary's Graduate Preaching Fellowship. She has studied homiletics and peacemaking in Palestine, Northern Ireland, Colombia and the Southern United States. Emily currently serves as campus pastor & organizer for Greater Spokane Campus and Young Adult Ministry.