Director
The Rev. Cheryl V. Minor, Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for the Theology of Childhood. Dr. Minor has a degree in Music Education from Boston University, an MDiv from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a PhD in Psychology from Northcentral University in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her dissertation examined Godly Play’s impact on children’s spiritual well-being.
Dr. Minor was the Consulting Editor for Volumes 6, 7, and 8 of The Complete Guide to Godly Play, the newly revised edition of Teaching Godly Play. She was also the consulting editor on the revisions of The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volumes 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8. Dr. Minor published Godly Play in Late and Middle Childhood in 2022. Her most recent academic articles were published in Religious Education and the International Journal of Children’s Spirituality.
Dr. Minor is an Episcopal Priest in the Diocese of Massachusetts. She and her husband, Paul Minor, have been Co-Rectors of All Saints’ Church in Belmont for over twenty years. Before serving in Belmont, they served churches in Manhattan and Philadelphia. They have two grown children and two grandchildren.
In Philadelphia, Dr. Minor discovered Godly Play and, she says, “found her life’s work!” She became a Godly Play Trainer in July, 2000. One of the perks of being a Co-Rector is that at least twice a month (and often more) she gets to be on the floor telling Godly Play stories to the children at All Saints’ while her husband takes care of the adults. All Saints also hosts a Montessori School, which means children surround Cheryl daily. This time with the children inspires her and centers them in all that she does.
Contact Dr. Minor: cheryl.minor@godlyplayfoundation.org
Publications
Cheryl V. Minor & Hannah Sutton-Adams (2022), Does Godly Play “Work?”: A Qualitative Study Examining the Impact of Godly Play on the Spiritual Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults Who Participated in Godly Play in Early, Middle, and Late Childhood. Christian Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/07398913251358612
Jerome W. Berryman (2024). The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 8, Revised & Expanded. (Cheryl Minor & Rosemary Beales, Consulting Editor). New York, NY: Church Publishing, Inc.
Cheryl V. Minor, Hannah Sutton-Adams and Heather Ingersoll (2023). Crossed Wires: The Disconnect Between Christian Leaders’ Perceptions of Parents and the Lived Experiences of Contemporary Families. Religious Education, 118(5), 430–444. DOI: 10.1080/00344087.2023.2269342
Cheryl Minor (2022). Godly Play in Middle and Late Childhood. New York, NY: Church Publishing, Inc.
Cheryl V. Minor & Hannah Sutton-Adams (2022) Godly Play Went Home: An Exploratory Study of the Experience of Godly Play in Homes during the Covid-19 Pandemic through the Lens of Caregivers, Religious Education, 117:4, 313-323, DOI: 101080/00344087.2022.2101814
Jerome W. Berryman (2021). The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 6, Revised and Expanded. (Cheryl Minor & Rosemary Beales, Consulting Editors). New York, NY: Church Publishing, Inc.
Jerome W. Berryman (2018). The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 4, Revised and Expanded. (Cheryl Minor & Rosemary Beales, Consulting Editors). New York, NY: Church Publishing, Inc.
Jerome W. Berryman. (2017). The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 3, Revised and Expanded. (Cheryl Minor & Rosemary Beales, Consulting Editors). New York, NY: Church Publishing, Inc.
Jerome W. Berryman (2017). The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 2, Revised and Expanded. (Cheryl Minor & Rosemary Beales, Consulting Editors). New York, NY: Church Publishing, Inc.
Cheryl Minor & Ryan Campbell (2016). The Parable of the Sower: a case study examining the use of the Godly Play method as a spiritual intervention on a psychiatric unit of a major children’s hospital. The International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 21 (1)., DOI: 10.1080/1364436X.2016.1150813
Cheryl Minor & Barry Grant (2014). Promoting spiritual well-being: a quasi-experimental test of an element of Hay and Nye’s theory of children’s spirituality. The International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 10 (3-4). DOI: 10.1080/1364436X.2014.960916
Jerome W. Berryman (2012). The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 8. (Cheryl Minor, Consulting Editor). Denver, CO: Morehouse Education Resources, Inc.
Jerome W. Berryman. (2009). Teaching Godly Play: How to mentor the spiritual development of children (Cheryl Minor, Consulting Editor). Denver, CO: Morehouse Education Resources, Inc.
Jerome W. Berryman (2008). The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 7. (Cheryl Minor, Consulting Editor). Denver, CO: Morehouse Education Resources, Inc.
Jerome W. Berryman (2006). The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 6. (Cheryl Minor, Consulting Editor). Denver, CO: Living the Good News.
