Program for the Future Church Team

Dr. Dustin Davis Benac joined Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary in fall 2020. As the co-founding director for the Program for the Future Church, Dr. Benac works at the intersection of practical theology and organizational theory to understand and explore the organizational ecology that supports communities of faith during times of transition and uncertainty.

Dr. Benac is passionate about coming alongside leaders and communities of faith as they discern their next step in ministry and witness. He regularly works with student and faith leaders to release new imagination about how they resource, organize, and sustain their vision for ministry and community.

A regular writer, speaker, and lecturer at congregations, conferences, and events, Dustin is the author of Adaptive Church: Collaboration and Community in a Changing World, co-editor of Crisis and Care: Meditations on Faith and Philanthropy, and the Associate Editor for Practical Theology.

If you would like Dr. Benac to speak at your church or event, please contact our team at pffc@baylor.edu.

Juli Kalbaugh serves as the Project Manager for the Program for the Future Church. Her primary role is managing the day-to-day operations and finances of the PFFC. Her unique combination of interests and experience help expand our capacity to convene pastors, scholars, and practitioners, and pilot innovative projects and resources.

Prior to coming to Baylor, Juli was a Project Manager for an NIH (R01) grant at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With a Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School, she brings a wide skill set to the PFFC, including experience in grant management, business administration, qualitative research, entrepreneurship, as well as pastoral care and church leadership. Juli is excited about working to facilitate imaginative and practical resources that address on-the-ground congregational and educational needs that love the Church well and help the Church to love well.