Develop a Discipleship System
Rev. Isaiah Jennifer Park Named Director of Church Planting Innovation and Diversity, Path 1 at Discipleship Ministries
NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 19, 2025 /Discipleship Ministries/ n- Discipleship Ministries is pleased to announce the appointment of Rev. Isaiah Jennifer Park as the new Director of Church Planting Innovation and Diversity for the World Service side of Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church. She will work with the Community Engagement and Church Planting/Path 1 Team, effective July 1, 2025.
In this strategic role, Rev. Park will lead efforts to advance inclusive, innovative models of church planting and congregational development across the denomination, helping to equip both new and existing churches to reach new, young, and diverse people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Rev. Park brings more than two decades of ministry experience to this position, which is marked by her visionary leadership in evangelism, discipleship, and new ministry development. Most recently, she served as Pastor of Evangelism and Missional Engagement at Restoration Church, a campus of Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon/Reston, Virginia. Under her leadership, Restoration Church grew from the brink of closure to a thriving, multiplying congregation through strategic initiatives including Fresh Expressions, young adult ministry, and community-based evangelism.
Rev. Park’s ministry journey includes co-planting Journey Community Church in the Chicago area, where she and her husband grew a young adult congregation from ten to more than one hundred in two years, eventually launching a second campus. Her innovative approach to outreach includes launching multiple Fresh Expressions, forming community partnerships, and equipping laity to lead and evangelize through storytelling and compassion-driven action.
Rev. Park holds a master of divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary (summa cum laude), a bachelor’s degree in intercultural studies from Biola University, and is currently pursuing a doctor of ministry degree in Fresh Expressions and the Future Church from United Theological Seminary.
She lives in Brambleton, Virginia, with her husband, Daniel, and their four children. She enjoys golf, hiking, cooking, reading, and spending time with family.
Reflecting on her new appointment, Rev. Park said:
“This opportunity resonates deeply with my calling—to dream alongside others, plant new expressions of church, and create space for diverse people to encounter Jesus in authentic and transformative ways. I believe the church must continually innovate—not for relevance, but for faithfulness to Jesus Christ, who still seeks the lost and the least in new neighborhoods, cultures, and generations.”
Discipleship Ministries celebrates the gifts Rev. Park brings to this vital leadership role and looks forward to the Spirit-led innovations that will flourish under her guidance.
The mission of Discipleship Ministries is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, Discipleship Ministries is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, visit www.UMCdiscipleship.org, the Press Center at www.UMCdiscipleship.org/about/press-center or call the Communications Office at (877) 899-2780, Ext. 1726.