Scott J. Jones
Encyclopedia
Scott Jameson Jones is an American
Bishop
of the United Methodist Church
, elected in 2004. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee
and raised in Illinois
, Indiana
and Colorado
.
, and they were married 18 August 1979. She is the President of Reece Construction Company, with offices in Scandia, Kansas
, Salina, Kansas
, and Prosper, Texas
. The couple have three children: Jameson (a student at Stanford University
), Arthur and Marynell. All three are graduates of the University of Kansas
. Arthur is currently studying at Duke Divinity School
.
Bishop Jones' younger brother, L. Gregory Jones
, is a provost and vice-president at Duke University
.
degree in philosophy at the University of Kansas (1977 with highest honors). He is a member of Delta Lambda Phi
. He earned an M.Th. degree at Perkins School of Theology
, Southern Methodist University
(1981 with high honors). Jones's Ph.D.
is also from Southern Methodist University, which he earned in 1992 in Religious Studies
.
East Annual Conference
(1978), and an Elder in the North Texas Annual Conference
(1987). Rev. Jones was Pastor
of the First U.M.C. of Prosper, Texas
(1986–91), First U.M.C. of Howe, Texas
(1991–95) and First U.M.C. of Commerce, Texas
(1995–97). While a Pastor, Jones also served as adjunct faculty at Perkins School of Theology, teaching United Methodist history.
Dr. Jones returned to Perkins in 1997 as the McCreless Assistant/Associate Professor of Evangelism
and as the Director
of the Center for the Advanced Study and Practice of Evangelism, thereby pursuing his passion to help his denomination
focus on its mission. As an academic, Dr. Jones spent the next seven years preaching and teaching throughout the U.S., Europe
, Africa
and Asia
.
The Rev. Dr. Jones was a delegate to General and Jurisdictional Conferences (1996–2004). He also chaired the Equipping Disciples Team for the North Texas Conference. He has served as a Member of the Joint International Commission for Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church
and the World Methodist Council
(W.M.C.) from 1996 until 2004, also serving on the Executive Committee of the W.M.C. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Wesley Foundation
at S.M.U.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
, elected in 2004. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and raised in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
Family
He met his wife, Mary Lou Reece, while a student at the University of KansasUniversity of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
, and they were married 18 August 1979. She is the President of Reece Construction Company, with offices in Scandia, Kansas
Scandia, Kansas
Scandia is a city in Republic County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 372.-History:The first American flag to be flown in what is now Kansas was raised near Scandia in 1806. It wasn't settled until 1868 by Swedes fleeing a famine in their native country, and...
, Salina, Kansas
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
, and Prosper, Texas
Prosper, Texas
Prosper is a town in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 2,097 at the 2000 census.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,097 people, 678 households, and 589 families residing in the town. The latest 2009 census brought Prosper to a population of...
. The couple have three children: Jameson (a student at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
), Arthur and Marynell. All three are graduates of the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
. Arthur is currently studying at Duke Divinity School
Duke Divinity School
The Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina is one of thirteen seminaries founded and supported by the United Methodist Church. It has 39 full time and 18 part time faculty and over 500 full time students. The current dean of The Divinity School is Richard B. Hays, who replaced...
.
Bishop Jones' younger brother, L. Gregory Jones
L. Gregory Jones
L. Gregory Jones is vice president and vice provost for global strategy and programs at Duke University, where he is also professor of theology in the Divinity School. In addition, he serves as senior strategist for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. From 1997-2010 he was Dean of Duke Divinity...
, is a provost and vice-president at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.
Education
Jones earned a B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in philosophy at the University of Kansas (1977 with highest honors). He is a member of Delta Lambda Phi
Delta Lambda Phi
Delta Lambda Phi is a national social fraternity for gay, bisexual, and progressive men. It offers a social environment and structure similar to other Greek-model college fraternities. Delta Lambda Phi was founded on October 15, 1986 by Vernon L. Strickland III in Washington, D.C. and incorporated...
. He earned an M.Th. degree at Perkins School of Theology
Perkins School of Theology
Perkins School of Theology is one of Southern Methodist University's three original schools. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J...
, Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
(1981 with high honors). Jones's Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
is also from Southern Methodist University, which he earned in 1992 in Religious Studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
.
Ordained and academic ministry
Jones was a Deacon in the KansasKansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
East Annual Conference
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
(1978), and an Elder in the North Texas Annual Conference
North Texas Conference
The North Texas Conference is an Annual Conference . This conference encompasses a triangle-shaped northern portion of the state of Texas that spans from Dallas to Wichita Falls to Paris. The conference includes a small geographic area relative to most annual conferences...
(1987). Rev. Jones was Pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of the First U.M.C. of Prosper, Texas
Prosper, Texas
Prosper is a town in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 2,097 at the 2000 census.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,097 people, 678 households, and 589 families residing in the town. The latest 2009 census brought Prosper to a population of...
(1986–91), First U.M.C. of Howe, Texas
Howe, Texas
Howe is a town in Grayson County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,478 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Sherman–Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area-Geography:Howe is located at ....
(1991–95) and First U.M.C. of Commerce, Texas
Commerce, Texas
Commerce is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States, located in rural East Texas. The population was 7,669 at the 2000 census, however recent growth and its proximity to Interstate 30 and the eastern Metroplex has put the population around 9750...
(1995–97). While a Pastor, Jones also served as adjunct faculty at Perkins School of Theology, teaching United Methodist history.
Dr. Jones returned to Perkins in 1997 as the McCreless Assistant/Associate Professor of Evangelism
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
and as the Director
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
of the Center for the Advanced Study and Practice of Evangelism, thereby pursuing his passion to help his denomination
Religious denomination
A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity.The term describes various Christian denominations...
focus on its mission. As an academic, Dr. Jones spent the next seven years preaching and teaching throughout the U.S., Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
The Rev. Dr. Jones was a delegate to General and Jurisdictional Conferences (1996–2004). He also chaired the Equipping Disciples Team for the North Texas Conference. He has served as a Member of the Joint International Commission for Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and the World Methodist Council
World Methodist Council
The World Methodist Council, founded in 1881, is an association of churches in the Methodist tradition which comprises most of the world's Wesleyan denominations.- Extension and organization:...
(W.M.C.) from 1996 until 2004, also serving on the Executive Committee of the W.M.C. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Wesley Foundation
Wesley Foundation
A Wesley Foundation is a United Methodist campus ministry sponsored in full or in part by the United Methodist Church on a non-church owned and operated campus...
at S.M.U.
Episcopal ministry
Bishop Jones was elected by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference of the U.M.C. in July 2004. He was endorsed for election by the North Texas Conference Delegation to the South Central Jurisdictional Conference. He was assigned to the Kansas Episcopal Area, with offices in Wichita, KansasWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
.
Selected writings
- John Wesley's Conception and Use of Scripture, Nashville, Kingswood Books/Abingdon, 1995.
- Wesley and the Quadrilateral: Renewing the Conversation (with S. Gunter, T. Campbell, R. Miles and R. Maddox), Nashville, Abingdon, 1997.
- United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center, Nashville, Abingdon, 2002.
- The Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor: A Theology of Witness and Discipleship, Nashville, Abingdon, 2003. ISBN 0-687-04614-9