MEMPHIS — The JourneyWise Team announced on Monday (June 26, 2023) that the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Davis is joining as Executive Vice President/Director of The Moore-West Center for Applied Theology.
Davis brings more than three decades of experience and leadership to the team, according to the McClure Muntsinger Public Relations firm.
Founded in 2020, the Center for Applied Theology promotes the goals of learning, caring, and connecting to all those who choose to walk with Christ.
In the Center for Applied Theology, Davis will oversee the existing relationships with its partners including United Theological Seminary, Asbury Seminary, and World Methodist Evangelism. She also will be responsible for overseeing all future partners for the Center.
Davis has spent her entire career helping others, first in nursing, then in higher education, and eventually serving as an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, officials said.
In her role as an Executive Vice President, Davis will:
- Employ her years of ministry experience to guide the culture and vision of the JourneyWise team.
- Work closely with Dr. Shane Stanford, President/CEO for the vision and development of our virtual community.
- Oversee the Center for Applied Theology, providing space and opportunity for practical application of theological truths.
One of the unique aspects of her job will be overseeing the weekly virtual gathering to facilitate the practical application of theological truths, officials said. This weekly virtual meeting is rooted in John Wesley’s original concept called “class meetings.”
Starting in 1742, John Wesley gathered a small group of seven to 12 Christians to gather and to ask questions of accountability and intimacy not possible in the larger group worship. The Center for Applied Theology wants to take this model virtually to host weekly gatherings featuring world-class Bible teachers and include a time of fellowship with communion.
“With society’s great need for community, the class meeting model will provide a unique space for encouragement and accountability among believers,” Davis says. “We believe that this meeting will serve as the ‘front door’ to the JourneyWise ministry. We hope this weekly virtual gathering will share our mission of loving Jesus and loving like Jesus to the world.”
“Cynthia brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team. She has spent her entire life serving others, first for the first two decades as a nurse and medical professional, then in high ed, and most recently as an ordained minister in the Methodist church. In addition to being one of the most joyful people I know, she is always the sharpest mind in any room.”
— Dr. Shane Stanford, President/CEO, JourneyWise
For 24 years, Davis served as a nurse, nurse manager, and nurse educator in trauma and surgical units, cardiovascular intensive care units, and recovery rooms. At the Baptist College of Health & Sciences in Memphis, Davis served students as a college counselor, freshmen experience faculty and test-taking specialist. Later she guided applicants and students as the Manager of Admissions and Retention.
After hearing the call of God to serve in a different capacity, Davis pastored Friendship United Methodist Church in Millington, Tennessee, and served in several regional positions in the UMC. After five years, she became the Senior Associate Pastor and Executive Director of Congregational Care at Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis. Davis most recently held the position of Cabinet Member for the Mississippi River District Superintendent.
Davis earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Mississippi in Jackson, a Master of Science in Counseling from the University of Memphis, and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. Davis and her husband, Dr. Elvernice “Sonny” Davis have four children and two grandsons, Jalen and Blake.
Launched in 2023, JourneyWise was founded to create multimedia discipleship resources across numerous platforms, from podcasts and teaching videos to trade books and daily devotionals. The ministry’s first books are JourneyWise: Redeeming the Broken & Winding Roads We Travel (September 2023, Whitaker House) and Life Along the Way (Vol.1, October 2023, Whitaker House).
JourneyWise is headed by bestselling author and pastor Dr. Shane Stanford who serves as the President/CEO. JourneyWise has its mission to “love Jesus and love others like Jesus.” https://journeywise.network
