CONTACT US

325-674-3732
siburtinstitute@acu.edu

PHYSICAL ADDRESS

1850 Teague Blvd.
Abilene, Texas 79699

MAILING ADDRESS

ACU Box 29405
Abilene, Texas 79699

Cheryl Mann Bacon

CONSULTING PARTNER | baconc@acu.edu

After working in public relations and chairing ACU’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Cheryl is now a writer, editor, and consultant for churches and church-affiliated organizations. As one of our consulting partners, she conducts communication audits, guides churches through crisis management and media relations, and provides writing and editing services.

Ron Bruner

DISCERNMENT EDITOR | rkb01a@acu.edu

Since the journal’s inception in 2015, Ron has served as the editor of Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry. He formed and leads a diverse editorial board and has shaped Discernment into a digital, online, open-access journal reaching over 140 countries. Ron’s mission for Discernment is to present scholarship relevant to church life in a form that is accessible, understandable, and useful.

Ola Mae Bulkley

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT | 325-674-3732 | olamae.bulkley@acu.edu

Ola Mae handles numerous responsibilities associated with keeping our office running smoothly. She works closely with our budget and financial details, processes payments for consultants and event speakers, and manages Carson’s calendar, among many other matters. In addition to her work with the Siburt Institute, Ola Mae also supports the faculty of the Graduate School of Theology.

Shelby Coble

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE | src20c@acu.edu

Shelby Coble serves as the Research Associate for the Siburt Institute. Shelby served in ministry for six years at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, and she is now pursuing the M.Div. through ACU’s Graduate School of Theology. She partners with the Siburt Institute’s church consultants as the primary communication link in consultive relationships. Additionally, she conducts research and writing related to consultive needs.

Wes Crawford

CONSULTING PARTNER | twc99a@acu.edu

After spending two decades as a Preaching Minister in Churches of Christ, Wes joined the ACU faculty in 2019. He serves as the Associate Dean for the Graduate School of Theology, Associate Professor of Church History, and Director of the Center for Restoration Studies. Through the Siburt Institute, Wes offers the wisdom he has accumulated from many years of congregational leadership to congregations around the country. He leads Siburt's "Looking Team," which helps connect ministers and congregations during periods of transition, and he also provides consultation services to congregations.

Jackie Halstead

SELAH DIRECTOR | halsteadj@acu.edu

Jackie serves as director of the Selah Certificate of Spiritual Direction, a collaboration between the Siburt Institute and Selah Center for Spiritual Formation. She has twenty years of experience training spiritual directors and has served on the ACU faculty training Marriage and Family Therapists since 1998. As a therapist, she specializes in working with ministers/missionaries and their families. Jackie speaks and leads retreats for churches and non-profits at the national and international levels and is a regular presenter for Contemplative Ministers Initiative.

Randy Harris

SENIOR CONSULTANT AND UNIVERSITY FELLOW | harrisra@acu.edu

As a well-loved preacher and spiritual director, Randy Harris founded the Contemplative Ministers’ Initiative and the Looking Team and remains active in both areas even after retiring from teaching. He also co-hosts our Intersection webinar series and wrote the popular “Reading With Randy” series on Mosaic.

Houston Heflin

CMI DIRECTOR | 325-674-3714 | houston.heflin@acu.edu

Houston has been involved with Contemplative Ministers’ Initiative retreats through the years and began directing CMI in 2021. With a background in youth ministry and spiritual formation, he has also been a popular speaker at events such as Intersection and ElderLink.

Caroline Kennemer

ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR | 325-674-3783 | cxk20c@acu.edu

Caroline provides direct administrative support for David Kneip. She works with finances, logistics and travel arrangements for many events (including Summit), and more. Caroline collaborates with the rest of our operational team to help keep our office and our many services running smoothly.

David Kneip

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR | 325-674-3750 | david.kneip@acu.edu

David serves as “chief of staff,” working closely with our various staff and program directors. During his time with the Siburt Institute, he has relaunched ElderLink, hosted regional Equipping for Ministry gatherings, continued as a member of the Looking Team, and collaborated heavily with Summit and the Contemplative Ministers’ Initiative. David also serves alongside other Siburt personnel as an occasional fill-in preacher for area churches.

mason lee

CONSULTING PARTNER | mason.lee@acu.edu

Mason is the Director of Contextual Education within the Graduate School of Theology. He serves the Siburt Institute as a member of the Looking Team and interim ministry partner who works with congregations in seasons of transition. Mason enjoys consulting with churches and ministers. As a certified Emotional Intelligence coach, Mason partners with the Siburt Institute to offer Emotional Intelligence training and coaching to ministers, elder groups, and other church leaders.

Royce Money

FOUNDING DIRECTOR | 325-674-4974 | moneyr@acu.edu

Royce founded the Siburt Institute in 2012 and served as our first executive director before passing the mantle to Carson in 2014. In addition to laying the foundation for the institute, he launched our Summer Seminar (formerly Summer Weekend Intensive Bible Course) and led or co-led its first few offerings.

Robert Oglesby

MSN COORDINATOR | 325-674-3798 | oglesbyr@acu.edu

Robert coordinates the Ministers’ Support Network, drawing on his passion for minister care and his own longevity in congregational ministry. With a background in youth and family ministry, he plays a key role in the Looking Team and frequently consults with churches. ACU’s Center for Youth and Family Ministry also runs under Robert’s leadership, so if you have ever hired a youth intern through ACU, you have almost certainly worked with him!

Renee Paul

PROGRAM MANAGER | 325-674-3722 | renee.paul@acu.edu

Renee works closely with the majority of our events. For some of these (like ElderLink), she leads the countless logistics involved in hosting a Siburt Institute gathering. She also supports Summit and the Contemplative Ministers’ Initiative, in addition to coordinating the Looking Team and managing many of our ministry transition resources. Renee recently took on a greater role in developing and processing the Ministers’ Salary Survey.

Carson Reed

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 325-674-3732 | carson.reed@acu.edu

After spending 30 years in full-time congregational ministry, Carson brings vision, leadership, and direction to our team. With a passion for healthy churches and healthy leaders, he enjoys consulting with churches, mentoring and teaching ministers through ACU’s Graduate School of Theology, serving as interim preacher for churches in transition, and more. Carson also writes regularly for Mosaic and our e-newsletter, and he is actively involved with the Looking Team and many of our events. And as vice president for church relations, Carson is instrumental in fostering relationships between ACU and local congregations.

Chelsie Sargent

CONSULTING PARTNER | csargent@chelsiesargentcounseling.com

In addition to managing her private practice as a counselor (LPC-S), Chelsie consults with churches and speaks at conferences, congregations, and retreats. She uses her Enneagram training to blend this tool with the spiritual life, tailoring the material for large or small groups. Chelsie also leverages her counseling expertise to help leadership teams with self-care and to educate church leaders on mental health concerns and resources.

Jennifer Schroeder

SUMMIT DIRECTOR | 325-674-3754 | rjs17a@acu.edu

Jennifer serves as director of our Summit gatherings. Jennifer brings 17 years of church ministry experience to the Siburt Institute. Her primary areas of research center around the spiritual formation of children and the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in ministry. She is deeply invested in working with ministers and churches as they reimagine what ministry looks like. Jennifer frequently presents at conferences and to congregations, as well as serving on Siburt’s Looking Team and on our team of consultants.

Eddie Sharp

CONSULTING PARTNER | esharp51@gmail.com

Eddie spent over 47 years in congregational ministry, and his experience and training have prepared him to serve churches in a variety of ways. He now enjoys consulting with churches, specifically in the areas of leadership transitions, spiritual formation, spiritual discernment, and minister stress and burnout. Eddie also works with the Contemplative Ministers’ Initiative (CMI), particularly through his relationships with the elders of each CMI participant.

BARRY STEPHENS

CONSULTING PARTNER | bstephens@montereychurch.com

Barry's combination of academic training and ministry experience equip him well as one of our consulting partners. He recently retired after 40 years of ministry, serving for the past 23 as the Senior Minister with the Monterey church in Lubbock, Texas. With degrees from Harding (M.Div. and D.Min.) and a graduate certificate in Conflict Management from Lipscomb, he has taught church leadership and conflict management for the past two decades.

Judy Siburt

ADVISOR

As a partner and friend to the Siburt Institute, Judy has extensive experience with church leaders of all kinds – plus experience being a Siburt! She shares her own history, grounds us in our identity, and brings enthusiasm as we dream and plan for the future. Fun fact: Judy was also one of the original co-leaders of the Ministers’ Support Network.

David Wray

CONSULTING PARTNER | wrayd@acu.edu

With decades of experience as a minister, teacher and leader at ACU, and congregational elder, David now consults with churches in the areas of staff relationships, best practices for spiritual transformation, strategic planning for church mission and vision, and equipping church leaders in their pastoral role. You may recognize him as a former Summit director and as a past co-leader of the Ministers’ Support Network.

Emily Yerge

ONLINE CONTENT MANAGER | emily.yerge@acu.edu

Emily directs our online presence, including our primary Siburt website and our social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. She also collaborates with other Siburt staff to maintain other communication channels, including the Summit social media presence and our various email campaigns. Finally, she manages both our Live from the Siburt Institute podcast and our Mosaic blog, including maintaining the back-end technology.