L. Gregory Jones has served since 1997 as the 11th dean of Duke Divinity School. Dean Jones is widely recognized as a scholar and church leader on such issues as forgiveness and reconciliation, Christian vocation, and strengthening the church and its ministry. He is known for teaching that fosters students’ imaginations in connecting Christian faith to everyday life, for research that promotes interdisciplinary conversation, and for a commitment to ecumenical and interfaith dialogue.
His leadership as dean has been marked by significant growth in the Divinity School. Major initiatives during his tenure include the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life, a project on Caring Communities, the Reynolds Program in Church Leadership, the Learned Clergy Initiative, the Duke Youth Academy for Christian Formation, the Walltown Neighborhood Partnership, and partnership(s) with the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, Uganda, Brazil, Peru, and Germany.
He is the author or editor of 13 books, including the acclaimed “Embodying Forgiveness,” and, most recently, “Everyday Matters: Intersections of Life and Faith” and the co-authored “Resurrecting Excellence: Shaping Faithful Christian Ministry.” He writes a regular column, “Faith Matters,” for The Christian Century magazine, for which he is also an editor-at-large. Dean Jones also has published more than 100 articles in a variety of publications. For 10 years he was co-editor of Modern Theology, a scholarly journal published by Blackwells in Oxford, England, and he currently serves as an associate editor for the journal.
Dean Jones has traveled extensively around the world, especially addressing issues of forgiveness and reconciliation in lectures and sermons. In recent years he has been in South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Northern Ireland, Israel/Palestine, and in China and South Korea.
Dean Jones has preached and lectured in major pulpits and at annual conferences across the United States. He also has delivered numerous distinguished lectureships at colleges and universities. In addition, he has provided significant leadership for many pastors’ schools and other continuing education events for laity and clergy. Dean Jones and his wife, the Rev. Susan Pendleton Jones, have written several units (and the accompanying videos) for The United Methodist Publishing House’s new “Living the Good Life Together” series.
Dean Jones serves on the Board of Trustees of the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, N.J. He is also a member of the University Senate of the United Methodist Church. He is the project director for major programs aimed at sustaining and advancing pastoral excellence.
Dean Jones is an ordained United Methodist pastor and a member of theWestern North Carolina Conference. He and his wife have three children: Nathan, Ben and Sarah.