Perkins appoints Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner as Susanna Wesley Centennial Chair of Practical Theology

DALLAS (SMU) – Upon the recommendation of Dean Bryan Stone, Provost Rachel Mersey of Southern Methodist University has appointed Dr. Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner as the Susanna Wesley Centennial Chair of Practical Theology, effective immediately. Stevenson-Moessner becomes the third scholar to hold the chair, following Dr. Evelyn Parker and Dr. Rebekah Miles.

“Practical theology is sometimes misunderstood as simply a collection of ministry courses within a seminary curriculum,” said Bryan P. Stone, Leighton K. Farrell Endowed Dean of Perkins School of Theology. “Jeanne has been one of the discipline’s trailblazers who for decades has contributed to the ongoing conversation on what makes practical theology a distinct and serious discipline of study. She has excelled especially in bringing perspectives related to race, gender, and embodied knowing to that conversation.”

A longtime member of the International Academy of Practical Theology, Stevenson-Moessner has published widely on practical theology in journals, book chapters and monographs. Her books include, among many others, A Prelude to Practical Theology and Overture to Practical Theology: The Music of Religious Inquiry. She has also delivered numerous scholarly lectures internationally, including a presentation in Oslo on Susanna Wesley as a partner in theological reflection on incarnational embodiment.

“I’m very honored to be associated with the name of Susanna Wesley,” she said. “As I have studied her, she was a remarkably strong woman.”

Wesley, the mother of Methodist founders John and Charles Wesley, raised and educated her children in the 18th century while hosting gatherings in her home that sometimes drew hundreds of neighbors for religious instruction. Stevenson-Moessner said Wesley’s life reflects both intellectual leadership and spiritual resilience during a time when women rarely held recognized authority in religious life.

At Perkins, Stevenson-Moessner has focused her teaching and research on pastoral care, practical theology and spiritual formation. She views practical theology as a discipline that integrates theology with lived experience and ministry practice.

Stevenson-Moessner plans to continue mentoring students and supporting the development of pastoral care initiatives at Perkins during the final years of her teaching career. She will retire in Spring 2028.

“With a position like this comes visibility and influence,” she said. “I hope to use that influence to empower students and help strengthen the field of practical theology for those who will come after me.”

This appointment coincides with Stevenson-Moessner receiving the 2026 Sandy Tinkham Outstanding Service Award at the SMU Women’s Symposium, recognizing her career devoted to mentoring women theologians.

Stevenson-Moessner’s installation service will be announced at a later date. 

Perkins School of Theology, founded in 1911, is one of five official University-related schools of theology of The United Methodist Church. Degree programs include the Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Music, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Pastoral Music as well as the Ph.D., in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.