Jean DeVoll-Donaldson
Assistant to the Bishop
Educational Background: B.S., Psychology, minor: biology,1987; Licensure—secondary education, biology, 1987; M.S.Ed., Biology, 1993;: post graduate certification for licensure in School Administration, 1998;: M.Div. at the Lutheran School of Theology (LSTC), 2002.
Employment prior to ordination: retail, 1976, 1977-1978, 1998; cannery, 1987; special education elementary classroom assistant and specially authorized summer school teacher; high school tutor, 1987-1989; founded and served as program director and lead teacher of a multi-faceted alternative school program for teen parents, 1989-1998. Her first sense of call to ordained ministry occurred 18 years before she fully entered into its process, with much “life-shaping” occurring over that time, including active lay ministry involvement.
At LSTC, urban ministry in multicultural contexts, mission leadership, congregationally-based community organizing, and ministry in support of justice and mercy with those society prefers to marginalize all stirred her passions and led to an internship in downtown Canton, Ohio at Trinity Lutheran Church—a ministry site of rich contrast and diversity, including high church worship as well as energetic worship fitting the immediate community as well as many opportunities for hands-on ministry among people for whom the Lutheran traditions were foreign.
Called into the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod in 2002 to serve at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Bentonville, Jean became better acquainted with others across the synod through the Via de Cristo ministry community and participation in various synod sponsored events, including a multi-congregation Mid-size Congregation Transformation process. Through work on various task forces and service on the Candidacy Committee, Jean has developed a stronger awareness of the synod at large. Her continuing education has included continued work with Family Systems through a variety of venues and training with Lombard Mennonite Peace Institute in conflict transformation in congregation/mediation training, which has helped her participate in several related synod/congregation support activities. While building capacity in times of transition and trial are important to her, Jean is even more a strong proponent of focusing on assets and empowering effective faith leaders through proactively providing skill-building opportunities. And don’t get her started on being missional church!
As Assistant to the Bishop, Jean also serves as “shared staff” with the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Ministries (EOCM) Unit of the ELCA. Her responsibilities with regard to EOCM include Mission Director and Stewardship Specialist. She is available to A-OK synod congregations for consultation and support in these areas. Among a wide range of other responsibilities, Jean is exploring leadership education for lay and rostered leaders as well as developing a strategy to support an environment of ELCA ministry which is increasingly culturally proficient and active in its antiracism efforts.