Sonja
I first felt a calling to ministry when I was 17 years old and a senior in high school. I didn’t know what to do with this, so I went about my life with an on-again, off-again relationship with the church. This winding road eventually led me to the United Methodist Church, where I met my husband, and was once again able to hear God’s calling and follow a call to ordained ministry.
Prior to entering ministry, I worked in Oklahoma City as a legal assistant and then as a paralegal. My degree in Organizational Leadership (Business), is from Southern Nazarene University, Bethany, OK. Over the past two decades of ministry, I have honed my understanding of my calling to be “to make disciples.” Belief is only the begining of our faith journey. Following the example of Jesus is the majority of our lives. Learning to follow is much more difficult than a statement of belief. Discipleship is a focus of my ministry, particularly through preaching and teaching.
I received a Master of Divinity degree in 2006, and Doctor of Ministry degree in 2015, both from Phillips Seminary in Tulsa, OK. I was ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church in 2009, and have been under appointment in the Oklahoma Conference since 2000.
I am married to Mike, and he truly is my partner in ministry, but he is most comfortable in the background. We have three grown children: and two parsonage pups, Berkley and Misty.
