Jon Davis is a veteran youth worker with over 30 years of ministry experience. He has served as a youth pastor at Mount Paran Church of God in Atlanta, Georgia (a 10,000 member church) and at Saint Andrew’s by the Sea Episcopal Church in Destin, Florida. Jon is a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary holding a Master of Divinity degree. He earned a diploma in Anglican Studies from Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry and was ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church in the fall of 2001. In June of 2013 he successfully defended his doctoral dissertation and earned a PhD in Theology from Graduate Theological Foundation. He completed his doctoral residency and studies at the University of Oxford Summer Program in Theology. His doctoral dissertation is on A Theology of Image and the Impact on the Use of Technology and Media in Liturgical Christian Worship.
Jon is an accomplished musician, worship leader, and songwriter with a strong desire to lead people into the presence of God. In 1991 Jon produced the recording project Relentless & Tender Music, a praise and worship project, which has been well received nationwide. He is a published writer and is a regular contributor to “Acts 29” and “The Central Florida Episcopalian”. He has also been published in Youthworker Journal and The “Ideas” Book series. Jon is a founding member of Episcopal Renewal Ministries Youth Project and worked extensively in the Ridgecrest Conferences of 1993 – 2004. Jon is a former member of the board of directors of The Institute For Professional Youth Ministry. Jon Davis has been a keynote speaker and teacher at major conferences (National Happening, Youth With a Mission DTS, ERM”S National Youth Leadership Conference, Pews Action, Worship Break-Through, Youth Quake, Kingdom Mandate, Global Church Advancement Church Planting Boot-Camp) throughout the country. Jon teaches youth ministry, worship, evangelism and preaching courses as an guest professor for Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando. Jon was the co-coordinator for the Y2K4JC youth conference in the summer of 2000 in Boulder Colorado.
Jon is a youth ministry trainer, equipping people for the challenging work of youth ministry and serves as one of the founders on faculty of Youth Ministry Training School. In the Summer of 1994 he led a youth ministry school in Kiev, Ukraine training nearly 100 people in youth ministry. He has led training events in the Episcopal Dioceses of Colorado, Dallas, Virginia, Texas, West Texas, Fort Worth, Quincy, South Carolina, Milwaukee, Albany, Wyoming and Anglican churches in the Bahamas and in England. He is a much sought after youth ministry consultant for churches and dioceses. He has taught workshops at Youth Specialties National Youth Worker Conventions. In 2016 Jon led a team to The Diocese of the Arctic in the Northwest Territory training indigenous people in a comprehensive Youth Ministry School/
Jon served as Canon for Youth Ministry at the Diocese of Central Florida from 1991-2003. He then became the assistant rector at All Saints Church in Winter Park, Florida where he designed and lead evangelism efforts, worship and supervised youth ministry. In July of 2006 Jon became a church planter starting Church of the Incarnation in Oviedo, Florida. Jon and his wife Beth have a little farm in Oviedo where they tend the horses and watch the chickens peck the ground.
In 2009 Jon added to his ministry and duties the role of Executive Director of Canterbury Retreat and Conference Center. In February of 2014 Jon left Church of the Incarnation and entered a full-time role as the Executive Director of Canterbury. Canterbury is growing and its ministry is significant for the church as a sacred space where people come to know and grow in their relationship with Christ and are equipped and trained in ministry being deployed to advance the Kingdom of God in the world.
In 2018 Jon stepped out in faith and belief that God is on the move to do church differently. The Abbey Mission was started. The best is yet to come.