Schoem

Jerry A. Pattengale (born 1958) is a faculty member and administrator at Indiana Wesleyan University. He coined and founded the approach of “purpose-guided education” in 1997 while leading the implementation of student success programs at Indiana Wesleyan University. His approach includes calling for a humanities approach to student success, and the need for faculty involvement in the development of strategies. In 2007 and 2008, he participated in Roundtable meetings at the White House on compassion efforts through OFBCI. In 2020, he spoke at the United Nations (NYC) as part of the UN's Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites. From 2010 to 2014, he served as the founding Executive Director of the Green Scholars Initiative while researching historic items in the Green Collection. In 2026 it transitioned to “Logos” under Inspire, a foundation complementing Museum of the Bible. Pattengale was one of the two founding scholars and leaders (2010) of the Museum of the Bible, which opened in Washington, D.C., in November 2017, and served as the museum's Executive Director of Education until retiring in 2018. In the spring of 2020 he returned as Senior Advisor to the President. In 2019-2020 he served as the interim president and CEO for Religion News Service and the Religion News Foundation. He co-authored the six-episode TV docuseries (and book), Inexplicable: How Christianity Spread to the Ends of the Earth (TBN, 2020, hosted by Dennis Haysbert). He founded the youth program, J.C. Body Shop, in 1981 - now enjoying an expansive state-of-the art facility on the edge of the Indiana Wesleyan University campus.