Dr. Kris Tenny-Brittian

The Reverend Dr. J. Kristina Tenny-Brittian (please call her “Kris”) serves as the Northeast Area Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Mid-America. Prior to assuming her responsibilities as the NE Area Minister on January 1, 2007, she served as the Senior Consultant to The Mainline Evangelism Research Project, funded by the Lilly Endowment.

Kris began her work with churches in 1982 in Georgia: first as administrative assistant for a small inner-city church in Atlanta, Georgia; then as director of youth and children’s ministries for a large suburban church; and then as associate pastor for a mid-size congregation in a county seat town. From Georgia, she moved to Kansas where she served as solo pastor at a growing rural church. From Kansas, Kris went to the Seattle area to plant a church with her husband. While in Washington, she also served as senior pastor for a wealthy suburban congregation in transition and as Associate Regional Minister with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Northwest. Kris has worked as a consultant, coach, and seminar leader; has founded two community helping agencies; and has facilitated the start of a number of ministries and self-help groups.

One of her on-going passions is the Bethany Fellowships, a ministry of the Christian Church in which she is part of a leadership team that works with recently ordained Disciples ministers serving in congregational ministry. She understands her mission in life as that of equipping, empowering and encouraging pastors and churches.

Kris earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with high honors from Agnes Scott College (majors in Sociology and Ancient Greek); there she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board. She graduated magna cum laude with a Master of Divinity degree from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University (concentrations in congregational development and the Newer Testament). She received the Doctor of Ministry degree with distinction from Bakke Graduate University where she was a Bakke Scholar; there she focused her studies on church multiplication movements, congregational transformation and leadership development. Kris also has a certificate in Spiritual Companionship and has been recognized as a Competent Toastmaster by Toastmasters International.

Kris is married to the Rev. Dr. Bill Tenny-Brittian, with whom she has had the privilege of parenting five children, now all young adults: Britt, Shannon, Katrina, Becky, and Toni. Bill is an ordained Disciples minister who serves as Senior Editor of Net Results Magazine and as a Consultant-Partner with Easum, Bandy & Associates, a fullservice Christian consulting and coaching group dedicated to productive partnerships that positively transform individuals, churches and societies for abundant life.