Friends,
I am delighted to welcome Dr. Scott Kisker as Associate Provost, beginning September 1, 2025. Scott is married to Roberta, and they have five children. We are thrilled to welcome them to Asbury as well.
Scott brings significant experience in academic administration, serving most recently as Associate Dean at United Theological Seminary for 12 years. During his time at United, he developed the seminary’s house-of-study programs, the certificate programs for the Global Methodist Church’s alternative educational pathway (i.e., course of study) and a course-scheduling matrix that would maximize efficiency in faculty deployment. We are thrilled to have Scott use his gifts in some similar areas here at Asbury.
In addition to being a gifted administrator, Dr. Kisker brings expertise in church history, particularly the history and theology of Pietism, renewal movements, discipleship, and the Wesleyan/Methodist movement. His published monographs include The Band Meeting: Rediscovering Relational Discipleship in Transformational Community, co-authored with Kevin M. Watson (Nashville, TN: Seedbed, 2017); Longing for Spring: A New Vision for Wesleyan Community, co-authored with Elaine Heath (Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2010); Mainline or Methodist? Recovering Our Evangelistic Mission (Nashville, TN: Discipleship Resources, 2008); and Foundation for Revival: Anthony Horneck, the Religious Societies, and the Rise of an Anglican Pietism (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2007).
When Scott and I first chatted about joining our team, the first thing he said to me was that he thinks of himself first as a pastor. This resonated so deeply with me because Asbury is what it is because its people have maintained a vibrant commitment to the Lord Jesus and to His Church. Scott currently serves a small, rural congregation, McKendree Chapel Global Methodist Church, in Troy, Ohio.
Dr. Kisker will work in a hybrid modality for the first year, splitting time between Wilmore and Dayton, Ohio. He and his family plan to move to Wilmore for the 2026-27 academic year.
Dr. John Ragsdale
Provost and VP of Academic Affairs
