Short Biography
Theologian, pastor, spiritual guide, author, and recognized leader in lay and pastoral faith formation, Bruce Epperly served as Director of Continuing Education and Professor of Practical Theology at Lancaster Theological Seminary 2003-2010. Prior to coming to Lancaster Theological Seminary, Dr. Epperly served as Director of the Protestant Ministry and Adjunct Professor in Theology, Spirituality, and Medicine at Georgetown University and Medical School (1982-1999), and Acting Associate Dean, Assistant to the President for On-line Programs, and Adjunct Professor in Theology, Spirituality, and Pastoral Care at Wesley Theological Seminary (2000-2003). He has also served as an interim minister in Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ congregations as well as pastor of Disciples United Community Church (Disciples of Christ/United Church of Christ) from 2004-2010. At Lancaster Theological Seminary, he directed innovative programs in pastoral spirituality and excellence for every season of ministry; lay and clergy theological education; and congregational transformation, worship, and adult education.
An ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, Dr. Epperly has written twenty-one books in the areas of theology, spirituality, ministerial excellence and spiritual formation, and healing and wholeness, including Holy Adventure: Forty One Days of Audacious Living; God’s Touch: Faith, Wholeness and the Healing Miracles of Jesus; and Healing Worship: Purpose and Practice. Bruce and Kate Epperly’s trilogy on ministerial excellence and spirituality, includes Feed the Fire: Avoiding Clergy Burnout; Four Seasons of Ministry: Gathering a Harvest of Righteousness; and Tending to the Holy: The Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry, selected as 2009 Book of the Year by the Academy of Parish Clergy. His most recent books are Starting with Spirit: Nurturing Your Call to Pastoral Ministry, Philippians: An Interactive Adult Bible Study and Process Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed. He is currently working on texts related to grand-parenting, process spirituality, and emerging Christianity.
Dr. Epperly speaks regularly throughout North America on subjects such as: healing and wholeness, personal and congregational spiritual formation, process theology, ministerial spirituality and excellence, emerging Christianity, and contemporary movements in theology and spirituality. He has appeared on “Nightline,” “ABC World News Tonight,” and “PBS News Hour.”
