The Siburt Institute and ACU's Graduate School of Theology are both deeply invested in equipping churches for both the next generation of ministry and also for today. We are excited to come to Abilene for this Bridge event. Our ACU faculty are dynamic speakers, committed to giving you high-level content in a relevant, relatable way. We are thankful for this opportunity to work with the people at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church to partner in bringing up and further equipping leaders in local congregations.

DR. MARK HAMILTON, Professor of Old Testament

After ministering several years in congregations in Connecticut and Massachusetts, Mark moved to Abilene Christian University in 2000. There he teaches courses in Biblical Hebrew and Old Testament. He has been a visiting professor at Pepperdine University, Lipscomb University, and universities in New Zealand, Ghana, Russia, Croatia, Israel, and South Korea. He has also lectured and preached in many parts of the United States, and several other countries. In addition to his work at Abilene Christian University, Mark served ten and a half years as an elder of the University Church of Christ in Abilene. He preaches and teaches in churches in many locales. Mark is the author of numerous publications and is currently working on several more, including commentaries on Genesis and 1-2 Samuel. Most importantly, he and his wife, Samjung, have two adult children they dearly love.

DR. TERA HARMON, Assistant Professor of Church History

Dr. Tera Harmon is an assistant professor in Abilene Christian University’s Graduate School of Theology. After receiving a BA in Biblical Text and an MDiv from ACU, she went to The Catholic University of America to study patristics, completing a Ph.D. in church history in 2016. Her major field of study is Greek patristics and she has done work on Gregory of Nyssa. She teaches courses on the history of Christianity, Christian spiritual formation, and historical theology.  She has lived in Washington D.C.; Charlotte, North Carolina; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and now lives in Abilene, Texas with her husband, David Todd Harmon, and their three children. 

DR. MASON LEE, Assistant Professor of Practical Theology

Mason is the Director of Contextual Education and Associate Dean within the Graduate School of Theology, where he has served since 2020. As part of his role, Mason serves on the Siburt Institute Looking Team and works with congregations in interim ministry capacities. Mason, who has a Ph.D. in practical theology/homiletics from Princeton Theological Seminary, is passionate about helping preachers and other ministers flourish. When he isn’t writing, teaching, or thinking about ministry, Mason enjoys spending time with his wife, Kelci, their daughters, Addison and Marah, and their two dogs.