This was the idea behind this special online event. We had the opportunity to learn from four co-gendered ministry teams from a variety of different staffing models and ministry contexts. They walked us through their model for teaming, their shared history, their struggles, and their celebrations. If you find yourself eager to engage with both men and

women as we talk about sharing leadership, download this recent #ChurchTogether event.

Tara Beth Leach is the Senior Pastor at First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena in Southern California. She is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University (B.A. Youth Ministry) and Northern Theological Seminary (M.Div.). She is regular writer for Missio Alliance and has contributed to other publications such as Christianity Today, Christian Week, The Jesus Creed, The Table Magazine, Reflecting the Image Devotional, Renovating Holiness, and most recently a chapter in The Apostle Paul and the Christian Life: Ethical and Missional Implications of the New Perspective with other contributors including N.T. Wright, James D.G. Dunn, Scot McKnight, and Bruce Longenecker. Tara Beth is also the author of the forthcoming InterVarsity Press book, Emboldened: A Vision for Empowering Women in Ministry (2017) and a Beacon Hill Press book, Kingdom Culture (Spring, 2017). She is married to her husband Jeff and has two children.

Dave Myers is the Lead Pastor of Family Life at the First Church of the Nazarene in Pasadena, CA (PazNaz) and has over 15 years of pastoral ministry experience, primarily with teens and their families. Dave has been married to Julia for 10 years and they have three small, beloved humans who call them “dad” and “mom.” Together, Dave and Julia have a passion for foster care, and for intentional Christ-centered community with others.

Michelle Dodson is the Associate Pastor at New Community Church in Chicago’s Bronzeville community. In addition to preaching, discipleship, and leadership development, Michelle provides pastoral leadership for our multi-ethnic worship team. She and her husband Karlos are founding members of the church, are long-term members of the Bronzeville community, and they have two daughters, Haddasah and Prisca. Michelle is a sociology of religion Ph.D. student at Loyola University.

David Swanson is the Pastor of New Community Church in Chicago’s Bronzeville community. David is responsible for cultivating vision, equipping servant leaders, and leading community formation through preaching, leadership, and pastoral care. Pastor David has been married to Maggie for eighteen years and they have two sons, Eliot and Winston. Pastor David is Ordained to Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Ashlee Eiland is a leader, pastor, writer and Bible teacher who exists to join God in His redemptive work here on Earth. Her work has one purpose: to help humanity build bridges back to the Truth of who God is and between one other in redemptive, healing relationship. Her passion for Scripture, family, writing, elevating women in the Church, and the holy journey of adoption are core to who she is. Ashlee serves as Formation & Preaching Pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids. She and her husband, Delwin, have three kids, Brooklyn, Myles, and Journey.

AJ Sherrill, a gifted pastor, teacher, writer, and leader, has pastoral experience in diverse church settings across the nation. He is the author of Expansive: Stretching Beyond Superficial Christianity, Enneagram and the Way of Jesus, and Quiet: Hearing God Amidst the Noise. AJ holds two masters degrees in theology and a doctorate from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Juliet Liu is a co-pastor at Life on the Vine, a missional church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. She is married to Sheldon Waite and they have two children, Isaiah and Ezra. Juliet is a graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Prior to coming to Life on the Vine in 2010, she ministered in Asian-American local church settings and on diverse university campuses. Between her time pastoring disciples on mission, parenting two young boys, and adjunct teaching at Trinity International University, she enjoys having friends over to try her latest cooking experiments, including childhood favorite foods from her Vietnamese and Chinese upbringing.