Mentoring Program

Connecting new ministers with a seasoned Baptist woman in ministry for mentorship!

Baptist Women in Ministry’s Mentoring Program offers new ministers in a new ministry context an opportunity to participate in 18 months of intentional mentoring with a seasoned Baptist minister and a group of peers.

These mentoring groups serve as communities of support, encouragement, and guidance. The BWIM Mentoring program is open to Baptist women who have served in their current area of ministry for less than three years and are ministering in churches, chaplaincy, non-profit work, and other “outside-the-box” ministry settings.

Meet the 2026-2027 Cohort:

 

From left to right: Adrienne Aiken Morgan, Minister of Congregational Care at Baptist Grove Church, Andrea Corso Johnson, University Chaplain at Brenau University, Camille Loomis Rehnborg, Minister of Spiritual Formation and Outreach at First Baptist Church of Greenville, Carrie DeAngelo, Chaplain-Bereavement Specialist at Inman Baptist Church, Carrie Veal, Pastor at Second Baptist Church, Clairon McCray, Associate Pastor at Riverside Church at Park and King

From left to right: Kristin McAtee, First Baptist Church of Columbia, Nora Crouch, Chaplain, Hannah Brown, The United Church of Moscow, Paula Womack, Associate Pastor at Umstead Park United Church of Christ, Yana Cruz-Pagan, Pastor at The Cornerstone Baptist Church

Meet Our Mentors

Rev. Dr. Amy Mears, PhD

Associate Director/Director of Development, Ring Lake Ranch

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Amy Mears was educated at Furman University, ordained among the Baptists of South Carolina, and completed her MDiv and PhD in Louisville, KY. After a 10-year stint as a hospital chaplain in Georgia, she was a pastor for Glendale Baptist Church in Nashville for 20 years. She is completing her career as one of the directors of Ring Lake Ranch, an ecumenical retreat center in Dubois, Wyoming; during the off-season, she lives in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Amy hikes and rides and fly-fishes, knits and weaves and spins yarn, cooks and walks on beaches and laughs an awful lot. Her four kids would be insulted if she didn’t tell you how spectacular they are.

Rev. Mignon Jones-Spann

Minister of Adults, Discipleship, and Evangelism and Staff Supervisor
Antioch Missionary Baptist Church

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Born in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised in Washington, D.C., Rev. Mignon Jones-Spann is the proud daughter of Joyce M. Robinson and the late Ronald E. Jones. She graduated with honors from the University of the District of Columbia with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education, earned a Master’s in Adult and Continuing Education from Kansas State University, and went on to complete her Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary. She holds the historic honor of being the first woman ordained by the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas under the leadership of Rev. Kenneth R. Kemp, MD. Her clergy experience includes both congregational ministry and hospital chaplaincy. An advocate for reducing the stigma of mental illness, particularly, in the African-american community, Rev. Mignon speaks openly and boldly,often  reminding others, “You can have Jesus and a therapist—one does not cancel out the other.”

Rev. Mignon shares life and ministry with her husband, Reverend Willie and is the bonus mom of one son and “Mimi” to two beautiful grandchildren. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Whether in the pulpit, at the bedside, in the classroom, or in the community, Rev. Mignon leads with love and compassion, striving always to walk by faith and serve with purpose.

Rev. Pam Foster

Retired Chaplain

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Pam Foster, DMin, enjoys retirement with her husband, Glen, and their standard poodle, Jack.  She is learning to quilt and loves spending time in her garden.  With Glen and Jack, she enjoys traveling with their camper trailer to state and national parks. During her chaplain career, Pam served adult and pediatric patients in healthcare and hospice.  She was involved in nurturing the spiritual well-being of patients and their families during times of crisis and joy.  Pam found that during these times conversations about God’s presence were open and welcomed. Pam received her undergraduate degree at Texas Wesleyan, her master’s at Southwestern Seminary and her doctoral degree at Logsdon Seminary at Hardin Simmons University.

Meet the 2025-2026 Cohort:

These participants represent 5 ministry contexts including chaplaincy, congregational ministry, missionary, higher education, and nonprofits. This cohort’s participants are part of 8 different Baptist denominations, and represent 12 states.

The 2025-2026 cohort has four mentoring groups.

The four groups include one for pastors, one for associate pastors, one for chaplains (or non-congregational ministers), and one group for women of color. Each group includes one mentor and four participants.

A mentee in the pastor’s group wrote this, “This cohort has helped me think through hard decisions, transitions, and the workings of daily ministry life. There is a uniqueness to being a female minister that few can understand. The fact that we got to walk through these difficult days together- by way of wisdom sharing, dreaming, or even venting when necessary- I feel like a strong pastor because of these women.”

From left to right: Kamilah Jones, Chaplain Intern at WellStar Healthcare System; Madison McClendon, Assistant Director of Development at University of Chicago Divinity School; Caroline Moore, Interim Youth Minister at Central Baptist Church, Newnan, GA; Karen Hardaway, Pastoral Assistant at Trinity Baptist Church; Maggie Andrews, Coordinator for Seminary Relations at Columbia Theological School; Jill Knight, Minister of Music at Ridge Road Baptist Church, Malika Rahman, Associate Pastor of Family at St. Paul Chapel Baptist Church; Caroline Taminger, Associate Pastor for Families at FBC Martinsville and Chatham Heights Baptist Church; Kristina LaGuardia, Minister of Children, Youth, and Families at FBC Vero Beach; Beth Bailey, Minister with Youth and Young Adults at Fredericksburg Baptist Church.

From left to right: Rochelle DuPlain, Chaplain at Self Regional Healthcare; Dana Ijames, Assistant Pastor at St. James Missionary Baptist Church; Meagan Holleman, Chaplain for Students and Multifaith Coordinator at Guilford College; Brittany Ramirez, Global Migration Partner-Field Personnel, CBF/Philippines Baptist Theological Seminary; Christina Jones, Chaplain at UNC REX Hospital; Amber Kearney, Pastor for Justice and Outreach at Riverside Church at Park and King; Morgan Fritz, PRN Chaplain at Salina Regional Hospital; Sara Robb-Scott, Director of Spiritual Care at Eaton Senior Communities and Pastor at West Alameda Community Baptist Church; Shunjie Durham, Chaplain Resident at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Read more about the experiences of the previous participants:

Learn More About the Program

To learn more about the program, the expectations, and the benefits, read the Mentoring Program Cohort Covenant