About the Author

Family: Curtis R. Schofield has been married to Clara Slater Schofield since 1961. They have two children: Stephen is a pastor in the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church, and Philip is a civil engineer in Dalton, Georgia.

Education: Dr. Schofield is a graduate of Hiwassee College, Tennessee Wesleyan College, and Candler School of Theology, Emory University.

In addition to the Master of Divinity Degree, Dr. Schofield has earned from Emory University a terminal degree, The Doctorate in Sacred Theology with an emphasis on pastoral care.

Professional: Dr. Schofield has been a member of the clergy of Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church since 1961. For most of his ministry he served as pastor of churches in the Knoxville and the Chattanooga areas of East Tennessee and North Georgia.

Dr. Schofield served as the founding director of Contact of Chattanooga, a Christian telephone counseling ministry, and as

President of Hiwassee College(1984-1988) and as Vice President of the Foundation for Evangelism at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. From January 1994-June 1997 Dr. Schofield served as senior pastor of Hixson UMC, one of the largest churches in the Holston Conference. For the next four and one half years(January 1998-June 2002) Dr. Schofield served as the Vice President of Development for The Mission Society for United Methodists, with offices in Norcross, Georgia, sponsoring over 200 missionaries in over 30 countries.

Associations: Dr. Schofield is a general evangelist with the National Association of Evangelists of the United Methodist Church. He has been elected six times as a delegate from Holston Conference to the Jurisdictional Conference. He has served as the chair of the communication committee on the SEJ Council of Ministries, and has served as the chair of the volunteer in missions committee on the Holston Conference Council on Ministries.

Dr. Schofield has received professional training in development from the National Planned Giving Institute. The late Dr. Robert Sharpe was his primary instructor. While serving as a college president, and as Vice President of The Foundation for Evangelism, and as a Vice President of The Mission Society, Dr. Schofield has been active in the United Methodist professional development organizations for the general church and for the Southeastern Jurisdiction.

In 2002 Dr. Schofield, along with 23 pastors representing all jurisdictions of The United Methodist Church, became part of first class of The Intentional Growth Center at Lake Junaluska to be professionally trained as consultants and interim pastors. The purpose of the training was to provide leadership to help churches in transition. As a retired minister Dr. Schofield works with the district superintendent of the Chattanooga District as a consultant with selected churches. He is also working with the Foundation for Evangelism as a volunteer Regional Director. He is also a volunteer member of the advisory board of Agrimissions with The Mission Society.

Hobbies: Curtis and Clara live in Dogwood Hills Estates, Flat Rock, Alabama, where Curtis enjoys playing golf, the game he learned while he worked as a young caddie on LaFollette Golf Course in East Tennessee many years ago. He enjoys writing poetry. Recently he received the Editor's Choice Award and had one of his poems, "God Has Plans for You and Me," selected to be printed in Forever Spoken by The International Library of Poetry. He and Clara enjoy raising a small herd of cattle, and they it is a special enjoyment for them to study and visit historic places. They consider spending creative time with their five grandchildren a gift from God.