Bishop Scott J. Jones Joins Truett Seminary’s Wesley House of Studies
WACO, Texas (February 17, 2023) - Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary announced today that Bishop Scott J. Jones, PhD, has joined Truett Seminary’s Wesley House of Studies as an Affiliate Professor and Pastor-Theologian in Residence. As a life-long Methodist who has served with distinction as a pastor, professor, and denominational leader, Jones is well-suited to instruct, serve, and support students within the Wesley House as it prepares people for gospel ministry within Wesleyan tradition.
“We are grateful that the Lord has brought to Truett’s Wesley House of Studies a leader with Bishop Jones’s experience and expertise,” said Rusty Freeman, DMin, program director of the Wesley House of Studies. “He has been a gift to the Methodist Church for years and will be a blessing to the students at Truett. Not only will he provide solid theological teaching in the historical Wesleyan tradition but will also offer godly counsel to students and staff alike.”
Begun only in the summer of 2020, there are currently 53 Truett students affiliated with the Wesley House of Studies. Jones will add much needed staff support to this nascent, yet rapidly expanding program, which also recently announced the appointment of Jason Vickers, PhD, as the inaugural holder of the William J. Abraham Chair of Wesleyan Studies. Jones will regularly teach a course on Wesleyan history and polity and will hold regular office hours at Truett’s flagship campus in Waco in order to provide pastoral and vocational counsel to Wesleyan students enrolled at Truett.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled with the appointment of Bishop Scott Jones to serve in the Wesley House of Studies at Truett Seminary,” said Leah Hidde-Gregory, president pro-tempore of the Mid-Texas Conference of the Global Methodist Church. “He will not only provide our students with excellent academic instruction but he will also offer practical, pastoral counsel to help guide their journey in ministry. The addition of Bishop Jones is an extraordinary addition to all that God is doing through the Wesley House of Studies at Truett Seminary.”
An ordained elder, published author, sought-after preacher, and recognized leader, Jones holds a BA in philosophy from the University of Kansas, a MTh from Perkins School of Theology, and a PhD in Religious Studies from Southern Methodist University, where his doctoral dissertation research focused on the history of biblical interpretation within the Wesleyan movement. Jones, who recently joined the Global Methodist Church and was appointed as a bishop within the denomination, previously served as a bishop for over 18 years within the United Methodist Church. He has also served as a pastor to Methodist churches in the North Texas Annual Conference and as a faculty member at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology.
In response to this announcement, Jones stated, “My spiritual gift is teaching, and I am grateful that Truett Seminary has provided me an opportunity to use that gift for the Wesleyan movement. Raising up a new generation of Christian leaders is important work, and I am honored to play a role in the Wesley House of Studies.”
Regarding the addition of Jones to the staff of Truett’s Wesley House, Dean Todd D. Still, PhD, remarked, “For nearly a decade, Scott Jones has been a friend both to me and to our school. It is nothing less than a grace that a person of his capacity and care, skill and stature, commitments and character would be willing and able ‘to come over to Macedonia and help us’ as we build our Wesley House of Studies, wherein we seek to equip God-called Wesleyan students for gospel work and witness in and alongside Christ’s Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. I am truly grateful and am most hopeful that this significant development will strengthen further this fledgling, yet flourishing, work in our midst.”
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.
ABOUT GEORGE W. TRUETT THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary is an orthodox, evangelical, multi-denominational school in the historic Baptist tradition that equips God-called people for gospel ministry in and alongside Christ’s Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, Truett Seminary provides theological education leading to the Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Master of Arts in Contextual Witness and Innovation, Master of Arts in Theology, Ecology and Food Justice, Master of Arts in Theology and Sports Studies (online), Master of Theological Studies, Doctor of Ministry, and Ph.D. in Preaching. Truett Seminary also offers joint degrees through Baylor University school/college partnerships in social work, business, law, music, and education. In addition to the flagship Baugh-Reynolds Campus in Waco, the Seminary also has additional instructional sites in Houston and San Antonio. To learn more, visit baylor.edu/truett.