Louise Stowe-Johns is an ordained elder (retired) in the United Methodist Church. She served congregations in Alabama from 1992-1998 and in New York from 2000-2015.
She was an adjunct instructor in the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Huntingdon College, Montgomery, Alabama from 1974‑1992. In addition to teaching courses in Christian Education and Bible she taught Criminology for several semesters. She was also an instructor in a course, “American Christianity,” for inmates through Central Alabama Community College.
She was chaplain in female and male prisons in Alabama, 1984-1990. After resigning from chaplaincy she became the spiritual counselor for Judy Neelley, a death row inmate at the women’s prison in Alabama. Through frequent contact, Judy began to trust Louise, which led to Judy’s sharing her story.
She created the first regional victim-offender reconciliation program in Alabama. She has mediated criminal cases from nonviolent to violent, done community mediation, and consulted on cases outside of Alabama. She also is the founder and was the Executive Director for “Epiphany,” a program for youth offenders, which is in eleven states.
She taught art and drama in North Carolina and English as a Second Language in Germany.
She completed her Doctor of Ministry program in restorative justice from Columbia Theological School, Decatur, Georgia in 2001.
In 2022 she was a TEDxWarrenton (Virginia) speaker. Crime, Punishment, and Redemption | Rev. Dr. Louise Stowe-Johns | TEDxWarrenton
She is also the author of Climbing Jacob’s Ladder: Twelve Steps in Your Spiritual Journey. She and her husband, the Rev. Dr. Roger Dick Johns, live in Virginia and have two children.
