Each faculty member exhibits the highest level of scholarship and has years of proven ministry experience.
Appointed Faculty
| Name | Title | Years with HOTFCOM |
| Travis Cardwell, M.Div. | Assistant Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies | 2021 – Present |
| Andy Davis, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Theology and Applied Ministry | 2023 – Present |
| Chris Holmes, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Humanities and Applied Ministry | 2025 – Present |
| Lorie Keene, Th.M., M.Div. | Assistant Professor of Theology | 2021 – Present |
| Stephen Keene, D.Min., M.Div. | Assistant Professor of Christian Education and Applied Ministry | 2021 – Present |
| Ryan Lintelman, Ph.D., D.Min. | Associate Professor of Theology | 2021 – Present |
| Brenna Norwood, Ph.D. | Professor of Christian Education and Applied Ministry | 2021 – Present |
| Grove Norwood, M.Ed. | Professor of Social Science and Applied Ministry | 2021 – Present |
| Matthew Spandler-Davison, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Applied Ministry | 2023 – Present |
Adjunct Professors
| Name | Courses | Years with HOTFCOM |
| Mark Blanford, M.Div., Ph.D. | Courses: Natural Science; Biblical Marriage, Family and Singleness; Crisis, Suffering, and Trauma | 2021 – Present |
| Daniel Davis, M.Div. | Courses: English 1, English 2, New Testament | 2026 – Present |
| Daniel Dewitt, Ph.D. | Courses: Introduction to Philosophy; Great Books | 2024 – Present |
| Joe Everett, M.Div. | Course: The Gospel | 2025 – Present |
| Michael Garrett, M.Div. | Course: Reading for Comprehension and Critical Thinking | 2025 – Present |
| Dee Grimes, Ph.D. | Courses: Personal Spiritual Disciplines | 2021 – Present |
| Laura Hui, M.Div. | Courses: Greek, History of the Bible | 2021 – Present |
| Keith Idol, Ph.D. | Courses: Greek, Hebrew, Logic | 2022 – Present |
| Kenny Johnson, M.Div. | Courses: Historical Christianity 2; Introduction to Apologetics and Worldview Analysis | 2023 – Present |
| Ty Korsmo, M.A. | Courses: English, Great Books | 2021 – Present |
| Stephen Laufer, Ph.D. | Courses: Old Testament, New Testament | 2022 – Present |
| Lee Peoples, D.Min. | Courses: Introduction to Christianity and College Life; Introduction to Christian Ministry | 2023 – Present |
Visiting Professors
| Name | Title, Institution | Number of Courses taught with HOTFCOM 2021 – Present |
| Gregg Allison, Ph.D. | Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary | 1 |
| Peter Gentry, Ph.D. | Senior Research Fellow at the Text and Canon Institute, Phoenix Seminary | 4 |
| Lainey Greer, Ph.D. | Teaching Fellow, BibleMesh Institute | 5 (Hobby) |
| Randy Hatchett, Ph.D. | Professor of Theology, Houston Christian University | 2 |
| Timothy Jones, Ph.D. | Professor of Christian Family Ministry, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary | 5 |
| Oren Martin, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary | 1 |
| Mez McConnell, M.S. | Director, Ragged School of Theology | 6 |
| John Wilsey, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Church History and Philosophy, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary | 1 |
Administration
| Name | Title | Years with HOTFCOM |
| Grove Norwood, M.Ed. | Chief Executive Officer | 2009 (Founder) |
| Brenna Norwood, Ph.D. | Provost | 2021 – Present |
| Elaine Black, B.B.A. | Chief Financial Officer | 2024 – Present |
| Chris Holmes, Ph.D. | Director for Institutional Effectiveness | 2025 – Present |
| Kevin McGonagill, B.S. | Librarian and Director of Institutional Administration | 2026 – Present |
Faculty and Administration of
Heart of Texas Foundation College of Ministry
Appointed Faculty
Travis Cardwell, M.Div.
Assistant Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies
Lead Pastor, University Park Baptist Church, Houston, Texas (Sermons)
Andy Davis, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Theology and Applied Ministry
Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Durham, North Carolina (Sermons)
Matthew Spandler-Davison, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Applied Ministry
Preaching Elder, Redeemer Fellowship Church, Bardstown, Kentucky (Introduction)
Chris Holmes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Humanities and Applied Ministry, Director for Institutional Effectiveness
Owensboro, Kentucky
Chris Holmes, Ph.D.
Director for Institutional Effectiveness, Heart of Texas Foundation College of Ministry
Assistant Professor of Humanities and Applied Ministry
Owensboro, Kentucky
Lorie Keene, Th.M., M.Div.
Assistant Professor of Theology
Lorie, is a Registered Nurse and homeschools their two children. She a contributing writer for many LifeWay publications, as well as the author of Pull Up a Chair: You, Me and the Gospel of John (NewHope). She holds degrees from Auburn University (BSN) and from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div., Th.M).
Lorie is married to Stephen, and they have two children, Elijah and Emma.
Stephen Keene, D.Min.
Assistant Professor of
Christian Education and Applied Ministry
Stephen Keene is the pastor of Gravelly Baptist Church in Kingsport, Tennessee. (Sermons)
Stephen holds degrees from Mid-Continent University (BS, Theological Studies), The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.A.C.E, D.Ed.Min.), and fully affirms and holds to the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message of The Southern Baptist Convention.
Ryan Lintelman, Ph.D., D.Min., M.Div.
Associate Professor of Theology
Ryan Lintelman (standing center) is the pastor of First Baptist Church of West Columbia, Texas. (Sermons)
Dr. Lintelman received the Ph.D. in Preaching from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Doctor of Ministry in Missions from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Lintelman is beloved by our students.
Brenna Norwood, Ph.D.
Provost, Heart of Texas Foundation College of Ministry
Associate Professor of
Christian Education and Applied Ministry
Brenna is a native Texan, grew up in East Bernard, and earned the Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Master of Science in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University in 1998 and 1999 respectively. She taught in the public school system for six years and became the Department Head for Special Education at Taylor High School in Katy, Texas. During that time, the Lord called her to go to seminary. She applied to The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) and moved to Louisville, Kentucky in August 2005. She completed courses for the Doctor of Philosophy degree while working full time as Executive Assistant to the Provost and Dean of the School of Theology. In December 2009, she earned the Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership from SBTS. Brenna is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society. Her emphasis on the unity of the Bible found in the person and work of Jesus Christ centers all aspects of her life, calling, and daily work as a wife, scholar, teacher, leader, and administrator. She and Grove were Christian friends years before they married in 2012. They enjoy a life of loving and serving the Lord side-by-side with one heart in the same direction. She and Grove live on their Songbird Farm in Bellville.
Grove Norwood, M.S. Ed.
CEO, Heart of Texas Foundation College of Ministry
Professor of Social Science and Applied Ministry
Grove was born in Jacksonville, Texas. He graduated from Black Mountain High School in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Black Mountain’s nearby Montreat was home to many Christian missionaries who returned from the foreign mission field including his maternal grandparents who raised his mother on the mission field in Africa has Presbyterian Missionaries. Grove graduated from East Carolina State University with the Bachelor Arts in English and a distinguished leader in the ROTC program there. From college, he joined the United States Air Force as a Second Lieutenant. He served in the United States Air Force for seven years where he flew the jet fighter, the F-102, in Germany as an interceptor pilot over the Iron Curtain. He then flew many combat missions in Vietnam as a Forward Air Controller. From his service in Vietnam, Grove received the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal and the Silver Star for Valor. After leaving the Air Force, he earned his Master of Science Degree in Education at the University of Southern California. He was a principal for a school for children with disabilities in North Carolina before entering the business world. While in business, Grove moved to Texas where he eventually established the nonprofit, the Heart of Texas Foundation to serve the rural poor. The work of the Heart of Texas Foundation exposed Grove to men and women incarcerated in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In 2010, Grove began to work full time in the work as a catalyst and visionary for the development, funding, education, and deployment of Field Ministers in Texas. Under his leadership as CEO, the Heart of Texas Foundation became the Heart of Texas Foundation College of Ministry in 2021. The college equips men and women with extremely long prison sentences with the gospel through the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Ministry. Grove’s heart is for every man and woman who become our students to become Field Ministers who know their Creator through the Lord Jesus Christ so that they can live a blessed and faithful life of service to others. He and Brenna married in 2012 and live on their Songbird Farm in Bellville. They are blessed to serve and worship the Lord as active members of Mill Creek Church in Bellville.
Administration
Elaine Black,
Chief Financial Officer
Elaine Black joined our team in 2024. She has decades of experience in accounting, taxes, budgeting, and financial processes and procedures in the corporate and nonprofit sector. Elaine strengthens our team through her careful attention to detail in service toward our mission. Elaine and her husband raised their now grown chidren in Bellville. She is a native to Oklahoma.
Kevin McGonagill, B.S.
Librarian and Director of Institutional Administration
Kevin joined the Heart of Texas Foundation College of Ministry team in January of 2026. He is pursuing the Master of Library Science from Sam Houston State University. Kevin retired with the United States Air Force as a Master Sergeant. Most recently, he served as an educator at a local private Christian, K-12 school for 14 years as the High School Bible Teacher and Assistant Dean of Students. Kevin and Becky live in Bellville, Texas.