According to ¶4080 of the Free Methodist Book of Discipline, “A Study Commission on Doctrine shall serve the General Conference by studying theological and social issues facing the church, and make recommendations to the General Conference.” SCOD members for the 2011-2015 quadrennium are:
See resource papers created by SCOD in the 2007-2011 quadrennium.
See SCOD resources from prior to 2007.
Bishop David Kendall
An ordained elder in the Great Plains Conference, Kendall was elected to the office of bishop of the Free Methodist Church in May 2005. He was ordained as deacon in 1975 and elder in 1977. He served as superintendent of the Great Plains Conference from 1999-2005. Prior to 1999 he pastored churches in the Great Plains Conference and Southern Michigan Conference for sixteen years. In addition to serving as pastor to churches and other pastors, Bishop Kendall has been an adjunct faculty member of Central Christian College in McPherson, Kan. and Greenville College in Greenville, Ill.
Bishop David Roller
David T. Roller served for 17 years as a Free Methodist missionary in Mexico, then for 10 years as Latin America Area Director for Free Methodist World Missions. His experience in seeing the world through “missionary eyes” has convinced him that all Christians should adopt the posture and mind set of missionaries — understanding the culture where they minister, relinquishing their own preferences and privileges in their desire to see people’s key allegiance transferred from “whatever” to Jesus.
Bishop Matthew Thomas
Matthew A. Thomas has been an active part of the Free Methodist Church since 1979, serving in a variety of roles that include pastor, church planter, missionary and superintendent. He has served the Free Methodist Church mostly in the Western U.S. and the Philippines, and on many denominational boards, committees and task forces. A passionate commitment to evangelism, discipleship and leadership development has been foundational for Matt’s life in ministry. He has been actively engaged in sharing Christ with the unsaved, praying with them to receive salvation and helping them grow to maturity.
David Bauer
David Bauer is an ordained elder in the Ohio Conference and has served under pastoral appointment there, but most of his professional life has been invested in the academy. He has a B.A. from Spring Arbor College, an M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia and has done post-doctoral studies as a visiting scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary.
Since 1984, David has been a member of the faculty at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is presently the Ralph Waldo Beeson Professor of Inductive Biblical Studies and dean of the School of Biblical Interpretation at Asbury Seminary. He is active in the Wilmore (Ky.) Free Methodist Church, serving as team leader for ministry to seminarians. He also serves as the coordinator for the Free Methodist Fellowship at Asbury Theological Seminary.
In addition to the Study Commission on Doctrine, David serves on the board of The Word is Out Ministries. He has served on the executive committee of the Institute for Biblical Research, and has been co-chair of the Matthew Group and the Hebrews Consultation of the Society of Biblical Literature. His website on inductive study of the Bible is inductivebiblicalstudy.com.
Linda Adams
Linda Adams is the director of International Child Care Ministries (ICCM), the child sponsorship initiative of the Free Methodist Church serving over 21,000 children in 30 countries. She also serves on the operating committee of the Free Methodist World Ministries Center in Indianapolis, Ind.
Bruce N. G. Cromwell
Bruce Cromwell is an ordained elder in the East Michigan Conference, where he serves as a district leader. He is senior pastor of Central Free Methodist Church in Lansing, Mich.
In addition to SCOD, Bruce has also served on the denominational Committee for History & Archives.
At the conference level, he has served on the BOA, MEG board, youth committee and as the director of the East Michigan Training Institute.
Paul Livermore
Paul Livermore is an ordained elder in the Genesis Conference. He was first appointed to SCOD in 1979 and has been trained as both a pastor and a professional theologian. He spent his undergraduate years at Central Christian College of Kansas and Greenville College. He received an M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary and Th.M. and Ph.D. degrees at
Princeton Theological Seminary. He has pastored both FMC and UMC churches since 1964 as well as filling several roles as professor in the religion department at Roberts Wesleyan College. As a part of his assignments for SCOD, he has published The God of Our Salvation and Foundations of A Living Faith (Free Methodist Catechism).
Denny Wayman
Denny Wayman is an ordained elder in the Southern California Conference. He has served as senior pastor of The Free Methodist Church of Santa Barbara since 1976 and is a pastoral counselor. He has a B.A. in Psychology, an M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, and a D.Min. from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is an adjunct professor in Worship (LAMP) and Pastoral Counseling at Azusa Pacific University. He is a movie reviewer at Cinema In Focus and serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Light & Life Magazine, for which he authored a column for many years.
Denny has served on both the MEG and MAC boards of the Southern California Conference. He was an assistant superintendent for 22 years and has been lead superintendent for two years. He is the the chair of the denomination’s Social Action Council and has been part of the Study Commission on Doctrine for 18 years.