The Reverend Douglas Ruffle, Ph.D., has served churches in the United States (Greater New Jersey Annual Conference) and in Argentina, where he served as a missionary from 1978-1987. Born in New York, Doug grew up in New Jersey where he graduated from Drew University (B.A., 1973; M.Phil., 1993; Ph.D., 1996). Doug also received degrees from Harvard University (M.Div., 1976) and Princeton Theological Seminary (Th.M., 1987).
Doug served as an Area Secretary for southern cone countries of South America for the General Board of Global Ministries (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Bolivia). He also served as Executive Secretary for Evangelization and Church Growth at Global Ministries working with emerging Methodist Churches in South and Central America (Venezuela, Colombia, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras) as well as with the Methodist churches of Peru and Ecuador and the United States. He was the executive in charge of the United Methodist Mission Initiative in Honduras from 1999-2003, which became the United Methodists Mission in Honduras in 2003, under episcopal leadership of Bishop Elías Galván and currently, Bishop Michael McKee. While at Global Ministries, Doug wrote the book, Discovery Church Journey.
Dr. Ruffle served as the Coordinator of Congregational Development (new church starts and congregational revitalization) for the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference from 2003-2013, during which time he wrote the books, Roadmap to Renewal, which was translated into Spanish as Hoja de Ruta. Doug also co-edited, In The Precious Name: A Celebratory Writing in Honor of Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, published in 2011. In 2013 Doug moved to Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Tammie, to join the staff of Discipleship Ministries in the New Church Starts unit (Path1). During his time in Nashville, Doug served as General Editor of Path 1’s Wesleyan Church Planting Resources and served as Associate Executive Director of Path1. In 2016, Discipleship Resources published his book, A Missionary Mindset, drawing upon the principles of evangelization used by missionary E. Stanley Jones. A Missionary Mindset was translated into Spanish in 2018, Hacia Una Mentalidad Misionera.
Doug wrote the Foreword to a revised edition of E. Stanley Jones’ Christ of the American Road, published in 2020.
Doug joined the Advisory Board for Encounter with Christ in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2018 and was asked to serve as Mission Interpreter in 2021. He retired from Discipleship Ministries in 2021.
Encounter with Christ in Latin America and the Caribbean 