History of Center

The Center was established in 1992 by Drs. William J. Abraham and Scott Jones. It was their vision to develop an organization dealing with evangelism that had academic standing as an official body of Southern Methodist University. From this vantage point, they hoped to promote future scholarship in the nascent field of Evangelism and to connect that scholarship with the practical needs of local churches.

Dr. Jones became the Director of the Center and oversaw its early progress. In the academic realm the ability for scholars to engage in graduate level work in the Field of Evangelism was realized as the Center aided Perkins School of Theology in offering a Doctor of Ministry or a Ph. D. with a concentration in Evangelism. To aid local congregations, the Center made contact with the South Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church to provide a newsletter that included evangelistic resources. This website was also set up as a means of furthering communication between the Center and those it hoped to support.

In 2005, after the election of Dr. Jones to the position of Bishop in The United Methodist Church, the Center came under the direction of Dr. Elaine A. Heath, the McCreless Assistant Professor of Evangelism at Perkins School of Theology. Dr. Heath has continued the Center’s work. Her future goals for the growth of the Center include research in the areas of the emerging church, evangelism in Latino/Latina contexts, and evangelism in the African American church.