Stephen L. Bennett

Steve was born in Red Bank, New Jersey in 1945, the second child in a family of five children. When he was ten Steve's family moved to Florida where he finished his public education graduating from Sarasota High School in 1963.     

Steve's heritage is rooted in the Dutch Reformed and Methodist traditions. As he neared the end of his high school years, Steve was confronted with the question of what he was going to do with Christ for the rest of his life. With the help of some good adult mentors and some great Christian friends in the youth group he committed his life to Christ on the Sunday following graduation from High School. It was a week afterward that he felt God's call to the ministry.     

Steve received his preparation for ministry at Asbury College (A.B., 1967) and Asbury Theological Seminary (M.Div, 1971) and later at Yale University (S.T.M., 1977). He also completed chaplain clinical residencies at Yale-New Haven Medical Center,  1976-77; and Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, 1984-1985.     

While still in seminary Steve was appointed to the Aberdeen-Ebenezer Charge in the Wilmington District where he served from 1968 to 1971. Upon graduation from seminary and ordination as an Elder in the West Ohio Annual Conference in 1971 he was appointed as associate pastor at Belmont United Methodist Church in the Dayton South District.     

Steve entered active duty as an Army Chaplain in 1973. He served with the 1st Basic Combat Training Brigade, Fort Polk, Louisiana, 1973-76; U.S. Army Hospital, Wuerzburg, Germany, 1977-80, First Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, 1981-84, U.S. Army Signal Center and School, Fort Gordon, Georgia, 1985-88, Frankfurt Military Community and Fifth Corps, Frankfurt, Germany, 1988-90, and the U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, 1990-93.     

Upon retiring from active military service in 1993 Steve was appointed as pastor of Aley United Methodist Church in the Dayton South District, then in 2001 to Westwood United Methodist Church in Cincinnati, and in 2008 he was appointed Superintendent of the Northwest Plains District. He retired from active ministry in 2014. In his free time Steve enjoys traveling, history and working on his family tree.     

Steve is married to the former Madora Nelson whom he met when they were still in college. Madora is a former schoolteacher, having taught first through third grades in public schools in Georgia, Germany, Texas and Ohio. They have two boys. Steve, Jr., an attorney in Texas, is married to Emiko, a High School teacher and they have two boys.  Michael, is a Colonel in the Air Force Reserve and Delta Airline pilot.  He is married to Anna and they have eight year old twins, a boy and a girl. They live in Ohio.