Before coming to Ashland Theological Seminary, she taught Theology and Religious Studies at LaSalle University and at several small Catholic colleges in the Philadelphia area. Jayne completed a Th.D. degree in Ecclesiology at LaSalle University. She is smitten with the local church where small acts of love and generosity make the Kingdom of God visible in the neighborhood and also with the global Church marked by a rich diversity of peoples, structures, rituals, and practices.
Jayne is involved in denominational leadership roles both regionally and nationally, including church planting and revitalization teams, and she serves as national Moderator of the Executive Board of The Brethren Church. For three decades she has served in various ministry roles including worship director, lead pastor, and resident pastor-theologian in an incarnational, team-led faith community in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Dr. Wilcox welcomes opportunities to facilitate a lively discussion with a group of Jesus followers. Her most recent collaborative project is hosting “SHEcclesiology–Girls Talking Church,” an all-female podcast show that provokes weighty and nuanced conversation around pivotal issues facing the church and society today. The podcast was a recipient of the 2023 Luce-AAR Grant for Advancing Public Theology.
Jayne and her husband, Keith, live in Loudonville, OH with their two miniature schnauzers, Rose and Lilibet. They have two adult sons and a daughter-in-love. Jayne enjoys quiet walks in the woods, competing in canine Barn Hunt events, and capturing beautiful moments with photography.
Presentations and Papers
“The Calling Pathway.” Brethren Academy Speaker, 2023.
“SHEcclesiology—Girls Talking Church,” A Podcast Initiative in Advocating for Women as Public Theologians, launched 2022. Recipient of the 2023 Henry Luce Foundation-American Academy of Religion Grant for Advancing Public Scholarship.
The Liminal Church: Ecclesial Practices for the Post-Institutional Era (current book project).
“Ignatian Contemplative Prayer Practices.” Prayer Seminar, Levittown Christian Church, 2018.
“Ecclesial Spirituality in the Church of the Twenty-first Century.” Lecture Series in the M.A. Theology & Ministry Program, La Salle University, 2017.
“A Millennial’s Option in the Post-Institutional Church.” Guest Lecturer, Belief in a Culture of Choice, La Salle University, 2016.
“Postmodern Structures for the American Catholic Church,” Annual Ecclesiological Investigations Network International Conference, Georgetown University, 2015.
“The Anabaptist Way: Extending the Hand of Friendship,” Ecumenical Dialogue Graduate Seminar: Catholic, Lutheran and Anabaptist Perspectives of the Other, La Salle University, 2013.
“The Practice of Orthodoxy: Contemporary Issues in Theology & Ministry.” Panelist, Biblical Theological Seminary, 2010.
“Women & Ministry.” Panelist, Calvary Church, Souderton, PA, 2005.
Book Reviews
Lalsangkima Pachua, World Christianity: A Historical and Theological Introduction, Abingdon Press, 2018. https://readingreligion.org/books/world-christianity-0
Jack Jezreel, A New Way to Be Church: Parish Renewal from the Outside In, Orbis Books, 2018. https://catholicbooksreview.org/2019/jezreel.html
Anthony J. Gittins, Courage and Conviction: Unpretentious Christianity, Liturgical Press, 2018. http://www.catholicbooksreview.org/2018/gittins.html
Morning Homilies of Pope Francis: In the Chapel of St. Martha’s Guest House, Orbis Books, 2015. http://www.catholicbooksreview.org/2016/kasper.html
Cardinal Walter Kasper, Pope Francis’ Revolution of Tenderness and Love, Paulist Press, 2014. http://www.catholicbooksreview.org/2016/kasper.html
Jonathan Tan, Christian Mission Among the Peoples of Asia, Orbis Books, 2014. http://www.catholicbooksreview.org/2015/tan.html
