06/16/2015
Trevecca’s Millard Reed School of Theology & Christian Ministry is very pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Timothy Gaines to the faculty position in Theology. Dr. Gaines and his wife, Shawna Songer Gaines, have been serving as co-lead pastors of the Bakersfield, California, First Church of the Nazarene for over the past three years. As lead pastors of the Bakersfield congregation, they have selflessly served their people, their neighborhood, and the church at large with great distinction. They are both ordained elders in the Church of the Nazarene.
Dr. Gaines received his B.A. in Philosophy and Theology and his M. A. in Theology from Point Loma Nazarene University, his M. Div. from Nazarene Theological Seminary, and his Ph.D. in Theology, History and Ethics from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. While at both Point Loma Nazarene University and Nazarene Theological Seminary, he served for a total of six years in the Office of Admissions. While at Garrett, he served as Research Fellow in the Stead Center for Ethics and Values where he conducted research related to energy, ethics, and bioethics. He is author of over a dozen books and articles. He also serves as Affiliate Professor at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2012, the Gaines co-authored the book "A Seat at the Table: A Generation Re-Imagining its Place in the Church," a text in which they explore the significant role of the millennial generation in the life of the church. They have also co-authored the forthcoming "Kings and Kingdoms: Political Imagination and the Kingdom of God," in which they explore the relationship between political realities and the people of God through the narratives of Elisha. Dr. Gaines has delivered numerous academic presentations at the annual meetings of the Wesleyan Theological Society and the Wesleyan Philosophical Society. He has also presented at the Society for the Study of Christian Ethics at the University of Edinburgh and served as plenary session speaker at the 2015 Wheaton College Theology Conference. He is a frequent speaker at various denominational, university, district, and local church events. Both he and Shawna are highly engaged at every level of the church, local, district, regional, and general. They are active participants in the annual Clergy Preparation Consultation in Estes Park, Colorado. Beyond Shawna’s exemplary ministry as co-lead pastor in the local church, she is a highly respected and gifted preacher and writer. Tim and Shawna have two children, Callen (3) and Evalynne (2).
In the announcement of the appointment of Dr. Gaines to the faculty position in Theology, Dr. Tim Green, Dean of the Millard Reed School of Theology and Christian Ministry, said, “Throughout its history, Trevecca has been a community deeply committed to and grounded in the Wesleyan theological heritage as it prepares both clergy and laity to serve the world through the church of Jesus Christ. The University has been blessed with a long, memorable line of gifted women and men who have filled the position of professor of Theology at Trevecca. The University envisions these persons not only as servant-leaders for our students but as gifts to the church, voices who speak theological identity and practice into the life of the church. Dr. Tim Gaines undoubtedly continues this line of Trevecca’s theological heritage of the past and theological voice into the future. We greatly anticipate his and Shawna’s ministry within the Trevecca community and throughout the church at large. We joyfully welcome the Gaines family into the Trevecca family and into the School of Theology and Christian Ministry.”
