Sacred Roots

About Us

Team

Select a team member to learn more!

Hank Voss

Executive Director

Hank Voss is Assistant Professor of Christian Ministries at Taylor University. He and his wife Johanna have four kids and live in Muncie, IN.

Don Davis

Publisher

Don Davis is the Founding Director of the Urban Ministry Institute, a church-based seminary program from World Impact. Don has authored many resources for bivocational pastors and developed TUMI's Capstone Curriculum.

Eric Himelick

Dean

Eric Himelick is the founding director of Victory Inner-city Ministries, and currently serves as the Director of Evangelistic Faith Mission's Urban Ministry Division. He is the author of the book "Living Redemptively". He is a father of six and currently lives with his family at Victory Acres Farm in Upland, IN.

Greg Peters

Senior Editor

Greg Peters is Associate Professor of Theology at the Torrey Honors College at Biola University. His expertise is in medieval and monastic spirituality

May Young

Senior Editor

May Young is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Taylor University. She is an expert on biblical lament and teaches Hebrew.

Uche Anizor

Senior Editor

Uche Anizor is Associate Professor of Theology at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.

Ryan Carter

Managing Editor

Ryan Carter is Resource Developer for the Urban Ministry Institute residing in Wichita, KS. He is also the Coordinator of Christ the Victor Leadership School, a TUMI satellite campus.

Jason Sexton

Lead Researcher

Jason Sexton is a Visiting Research Scholar at UCLA. He is writing a book that gives an interdisciplinary theological account of the incarcerated church.

Isaiah Swain

Project Manager

Isaiah Swain is a discipleship pastor at One Community Church in Monroe, OH.

Timeline

Funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Evangel Conference

Spiritual Life Center Conference

Urban Church Association Conference

The Urban Ministry Institute Conference

October 2018

May 13-15, 2021

March 29-31, 2022

2023

2024

Why

In North America, more than one-third of churches have bivocational pastors.

Bivocational pastors, in addition to responsibilities to the local church, must also maintain a full-time "secular" job to support themselves.

The ratio of bivocational pastors to full-time pastors only increases when we assume a global perspective.
Due to work, church, and personal obligations, it is extraordinarily difficult for a bivocational pastor to attend a traditional seminary.

The Sacred Roots Project provides resources for congregational leaders to learn alongside both living friends and "dead friends," whose wisdom we find in the Christian spiritual classics.

Partners

The Urban Ministry Institute is a church-based seminary program from World Impact. TUMI is a partner of the Sacred Roots Project and is a publisher of the Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics.

The Sacred Roots Project is based in Upland, Indiana at Taylor University. Taylor University is a Christian liberal arts university dedicated to developing servant leaders marked with a passion to minister Christ's redemptive love and truth to a world in need.

Beliefs

Calling of God

Centrality of the Church

God's Election of the Humble

Kingdom of God

Power Of Community

Standard of Excellence

Explosiveness of Multiplication