Editor's note: For more from this interview, please see Divinity magazine.
The economic crisis of the past year has challenged Christian leaders, but it also has been “a kind of gift” because it is pushing them to make changes necessary for the future of the academy and the church, L. Gregory Jones said in a conversation with interviewer David Crabtree.
Jones, who has served since 1997 as the dean of Duke Divinity School, is a professor of theology who is recognized as a scholar and church leader on such issues as forgiveness and reconciliation, Christian leadership, Christian vocation, and strengthening the church and its ministry.
Major initiatives during his tenure as dean include the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life, the Duke Youth Academy for Christian Formation, the Clergy Health Initiative and a partnership with the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. He is the author or editor of 13 books, including the co-authored “Resurrecting Excellence: Shaping Faithful Christian Ministry.” Jones, an ordained United Methodist pastor, has published more than 100 articles in a variety of publications.
