Reynolds turned to Drew when seeking community change
February 2024 – Devon Reynolds T’26 is the Pastor Head of Staff at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lawton/Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
After a lengthy search for a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program that focused on real community change, she discovered Drew Theological School’s DMin program and Social Impact cohort.
Read on to discover how Reynolds’ journey at Drew will benefit her community.
Why Drew’s DMin Social Impact cohort?
In June of 2023 I was honored to attend the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival Congress in Washington DC. I was asked to speak along with other clergy on the steps of the Supreme Court. During this process, I met Drew alum the Rev. Dr. Hanna Broome T’23. She had just finished her DMin at Drew. I was curious especially since her work is so impactful. She told me about Drew and the amazing new program the Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams, Affiliate Faculty in Faith and Finance, was starting to focus on social impact. I did my research and started classes in the fall of 2023.
How will Drew’s DMin program help you meet your vocational goals?
I specialize in small churches and how to creatively use our spaces to serve our communities. My current role as Head of Staff allows me to interact with over 300 non church members each week through free services that we fund as our church mission. This DMin program will help us to better serve our community by moving from traditional models of funding to more private/public partnerships.
Tell us about your DMin project
My DMin project will focus on taking that internal mission of Westminster Presbyterian and moving it further into the community. With a focus on community health and partnering with community health workers to close the health/medical gaps we are experiencing in rural Oklahoma. This work will require new ways of thinking around public private funding for community work housed in a religious setting. All while working to resolve the systemic issues that are plaguing states like Oklahoma from the ground up. With only six months into the cohort, my project is still in the fleshing out phase. As time passes and research compounds, the project will organically change. Deciding exactly what the final project will look like is still work in progress. With God’s help, strong partnerships, and community support we will seek to serve our entire community one person at a time.
