Kilpatrick Called to Serve as Disciples Care Exchange & Affinity Group Director
Disciples Home Missions (DHM) and the National Benevolent Association (NBA), both General Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), calls Rev. Monica Wedlock Kilpatrick to serve as the Disciples Care Exchange & Affinity Group Director beginning January 1, 2015.
The Disciples Care Exchange is a ministry initiative being jointly coordinated by the NBA and DHM, whose purpose is to network and empower Disciples health and social service ministries, non-profits, and emerging projects.
As Director of the Disciples Care Exchange, Kilpatrick will organize and resource the Advisory Team of Disciples Care Exchange, support leaders and partners within the Exchange, actively engage new partners, and facilitate gatherings, learning opportunities, peer groups and other resourcing as needed. Additionally, Kilpatrick will direct the NBA Affinity Group ministries, which are collaborative communities of Disciples working together on particular health and social service justice issues. Some examples of these collaborative communities include the advocacy efforts around prison and jail ministries, supporting groups working on issues of hunger and food security, and other focus areas responsive to the needs of the church.
Kilpatrick reflects, “From starting a community initiative to feed the homeless as a young adult, to my current work in strategically planning and managing the admissions and recruitment process for five seminary degree programs, I am committed to developing programs that launch persons into new life paths. My call and my passion are to serve “the least of these” and as the Director of Disciples Care Exchange and Affinity Group I will have the opportunities to fulfill that call alongside others who will challenge me and help me grow.”
Rev. Kilpatrick’s professional skills and experiences extend across theological education, congregational and regional ministry leadership, and researching trends in global marketing. For over seven years, she has directed the recruitment and admissions processes for multiple academic programs at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. In this role, she helped increase the racial, ethnic and ecumenical diversity of the student body enrollment and engagement exponentially from 10% to over 60% respectively. She has served as a pastoral team leader with Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, and provided board leadership with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Georgia’s regional board and commission on ministry. Her commitments to cross-cultural and interfaith experiences include delegations with Global Ministries, Borderlinks, and World Pilgrims. Kilpatrick was also a Black Women in Ministerial Leadership Fellow with the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta.
Sheila Spencer, DHM’s Director of Faith Formation and Christian Education as well as Assistant to the President, conveys “We are grateful for the unique gifts and talents that Monica will bring to this collaborative calling. It is clear that the experiences on her life journey have prepared her to be called to this position, for such a time as this. She is truly a gift to our Church.”
Rev. Rebecca Hale, NBA Vice President for Mission and Ministry, states “one of the most important roles Monica will play is to serve as a catalyst for communication and collaboration between DHM and NBA and to resource our growing working relationships. Monica’s background makes her very well suited for this important work.”
Kilpatrick will serve as the Disciples Care Exchange & Affinity Group Director for three years with the opportunity of extension of the term. The skills and leadership provided by Kilpatrick will truly enhance a clear vision and way forward for these ministries projects and initiatives supporting Disciples health and social service ministries.
About Disciples Home Missions
Disciples Home Missions is committed to equipping disciples for Christ and connecting people to the life changing love of God. Disciples Home Missions is the enabling and coordinating division of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of the U.S. and Canada in the area of congregational program and mission in North America. To learn more, visit www.discipleshomemissions.org.
About the National Benevolent Association
The National Benevolent Association (NBA) serves as the health and social service general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The NBA partners with local congregations, regional and general ministries, and a variety of Disciples-related health and social service providers. The NBA initiates, incubates, and connects partner ministries and organizations that provide direct care to those in need.
