Faculty & Staff

M.Phil. and Ph.D., Drew University (Biblical Studies: Old Testament)

After serving in full-time pastoral ministry (Indiana, New Jersey), Dr. Cuffey came to Champaign-Urbana in 1994 at the founding of the Christian Studies Center, the predecessor to Urbana Theological Seminary. He taught courses in Biblical Studies and Practical Ministry for the Center from 1994 until 2003. At the inauguration of Urbana Theological Seminary, he was named President of the Seminary and Professor of Biblical Studies. He teaches courses in Old and New Testament as well as Hebrew and Greek language and Exegesis. Special research and publication interests include the literary coherence of Old Testament prophetic and wisdom books and the value of context in understanding Biblical books. As President of the Seminary he provides leadership for the school, overseeing its people and programs, and the fulfillment of its mission. Dr. Cuffey’s book The Literary Coherence of the Book of Micah was published by Bloomsbury Press in 2015.

D.I.S, Biola University

Dr. Alexander has been a missionary with OMF for the last 40 years serving in Taiwan. She now recruits and mentors individuals interested in serving God cross-culturally. She received a Doctor of Intercultural Studies from Biola with a focus on Bible storytelling and currently volunteers with BibleTelling in Bloomington, IL. Her courses feature ways that each follower of Christ can effectively communicate friendship and the gospel across cultures. 

Ph.D., University of Edinburgh (Systematic Theology)

Todd’s experience as an engineer for Motorola Corporation and his academic pursuits of theology bring a broad background and unique perspective to the Seminary. His involvement with churches has provided him with a breadth of understanding of different styles, ministries, and denominations. Dr. Daly’s research has focused within the field of Systematic Theology on concerns of Bioethics. He served as a fellow at the Paul Ramsey Institute of the Center for Bioethics and Culture from 2013-2015 and has been an associate fellow at the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity since 2014. He regularly participates in the Ethics Committee at Carle Foundation Hospital. Dr. Daly has published several book chapters and articles on human enhancement from a theological perspective. This includes chapters in the following books: Religion and Human Enhancement: Death, Values, and Morality (Palgrave-MacMillian, 2017), Religion and Transhumanism: The Unknown Future of Human Enhancement (Palgrave, 2014), Transhumanism and Transcendence (Georgetown University Press, 2011). Other work on Gender Dysphoria and the concept of human dignity has appeared in the journal Ethics & Medicine. Dr. Daly’s book on slowing aging from a theological perspective, Chasing Methuselah, was published by Cascade Books in 2021.

Ph.D., Illinois State University, English Studies with a Specialization in Literature for Children 

Dr. Green joined Urbana Seminary as Dean after a few years of teaching courses here. She has a wide variety of experience teaching at multiple institutions of higher education. Melody’s research and teaching interests include the intersection of faith and literature, especially focusing on the authors J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, George MacDonald, and the Inklings. She has spoken at a wide variety of conferences and published numerous articles and book chapters on these and related topics. Among Dr. Green’s recent publications are “Story: The Doctor’s Daughter” in the book Bigger on the Inside: Christianity and Doctor Who , published in 2015, and “George MacDonald and Celtic Christianity” in the 2015 issue of the refereed journal North Wind: A Journal of George MacDonald Studies.

D.Min., Reformed Theological Seminary and Highland Theological College (Missions)

Mike McQueen joined the Seminary’s core faculty as Assistant Professor, though he has a long history with the Seminary as both a Lecturer and in administrative roles. His research interests reflect his years of ministry experience working in cross-cultural settings, particularly with Chinese students and other internationals on the campus of the University of Illinois since 1987. His research for his doctorate focused especially on leadership development in the Chinese Christian community. He has also served in pastoral ministries in Colorado, California, and New York, as well as in a missionary capacity in England. He has done advanced study in Religion and in Chinese language at Jewish Theological Seminary (New York), UCLA, and the University of Illinois.

Ph.D., Wheaton College Graduate School (Biblical Theology: New Testament) D.Min., Lincoln Christian Seminary (Spiritual Formation)

Dr. Spychalla has taught courses in Greek and New Testament at the Seminary since 2004. His doctoral dissertation focused on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Additional research interests include Exegetical Methodology, the General Epistles, and Spiritual Formation. Peter has served in local church ministry roles of instructor, retreat leader, lay pastor, deacon, elder, and Pastor of Spiritual Development. He has been an information technology professional in the business marketplace for the past twenty years.

Ph.D., Trinity International University (Christian History and Historical Theology)

Dr. Joe Thomas is Assistant Professor of History of Christianity at Urbana Theological Seminary. Dr. Thomas has extensive teaching experience in the field of history and religion. His scholarly interest is in the role of reconciliation and peace in the history of the church. Dr. Thomas’ book Perfect Harmony: Interracial Churches in Early Holiness-Pentacostalism, 1880-1909 was published in 2014. He also co-wrote two plays, “Friends Indeed: The Improbable Friendship between Ben Franklin and George Whitefield” and “Come Before Winter: Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the Wilderness” which premiered in 2022.” He is currently working on the book Peace Dividend which explores the outburst of reconciliation movements during the 1990s. Joe is founder and President of Life Together House which creates intersections between the Gospel and a World Wide-Awake. Joe previously worked on the Torchlighters animated series as an historian in residence for the Christian History Institute.

Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (Educational Policy, Organization, and Leadership)

After receiving her doctorate from the University of Illinois, Dr. Wenneborg joined Urbana Theological Seminary as Director of Pascal Study Center and Assistant Professor of Philosophy of Education and Religious Studies. Dr. Wenneborg’s research focuses on the  challenges and possibilities of Christian formation in the midst of deep pluralism. In addition to a number of academic articles, Dr. Wenneborg’s writing has been published at the Hedgehog Review, Christ and Pop Culture, Mere Orthodoxy, Ad Fontes, Front Porch Republic, the Emerging Scholars Network blog, and the Heterodox Academy blog. 

Ph.D., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (New Testament)

Chi-ying taught the Beginning Greek sequence at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) from 2008 to 2018. Bringing to the table her expertise as a former software engineer, she participated in the design and implementation of the online Beginning Greek courses for TEDSchool. She coauthors Introduction to Biblical Greek Syntax and Linguistics Workbook, which is the companion of a textbook for first-year Greek grammar. She is writing a first-year Greek grammar, which introduces Koine Greek in Chinese. Born and raised in Taiwan, she also preached and taught extensively in Mandarin. For years she regularly preached at churches in Illinois, and she taught intensive courses in Mandarin for various seminaries in the US, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. She is currently serving as the minister of the Almond Branch Fellowship.

Ph.D., Washington State University, M.A.R., Urbana Theological Seminary

Dr. Durst serves as the Administrative Dean and an Associate Professor of Theology and Culture. He obtained his Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition from Washington State University in 2012 and has since taught courses on film, literature, rhetoric, and writing. His research and publications primarily focus on cultural texts, especially films. Dr. Durst is also a graduate of Urbana Seminary.

M.A.R., Urbana Theological Seminary, MBA, Western Michigan University.

Tom worked in vocational ministry as a Campus Pastor in Michigan and an Executive Pastor in Indiana before returning to Urbana Seminary as our Director of Engagement. He focuses on fundraising, alumni relations, student recruitment, and community engagement 

BFA, University of Illinios

Elaine has been involved with Urbana Seminary on a number of different levels: as a volunteer, an auditor, and a former board member. Elaine also brings experience from working in Publications at Parkland Community College and as a church secretary at Stratford Park Bible Chapel. She enjoys building relationships with staff, students and potential students and being a support for such an amazing institution.

MDiv., Regent College. 

Seth is the Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Fellowship in Urbana, Illinois. While ministry is his primary calling, he has always had a foot in the library world, beginning with helping out the school librarian in high school. Seth worked for the Urbana Free Library for 17 years, as an information and circulation clerk. He also worked for the Classics Library at the University of Illinois when he was working towards his bachelors in Religious Studies.  

B.S. and M.A. – Eastern New Mexico University

“Math is fun!” That is what I tell my students at Community College, but I don’t often convince them it can be true for them. It’s incredibly satisfying to have one student say at the end of a semester something like “Math isn’t so bad if you understand it!” As you can probably guess from this introduction, Marji likes working with numbers, which is why she’s happy to be a parttime bookkeeper at UTS. When she has spare time, she also enjoys gardening, crafts, and reading mysteries.