Gary Simmons, Th.D.

Rev. Dr. Gary Simmons is a renowned peacemaker and spiritual leader whose teachings and ground-breaking Integral Model of Ministry are transforming church organizations and helping leaders to more fully express their Divine calling, energize their spiritual communities and expand their capacity to carry out their mission with greater integrity and congruence.

As an ordained minister for 31 years, Dr. Simmons pioneered three Unity churches, served on the Board of Trustees of the Association of Unity Churches International, and was Director of Peacemaking Services and Assistant Vice President of Integral Operations. Dr. Simmons was instrumental in creating The Transformation Experience-a whole-system church growth and development approach based in part on his doctoral work, the Integral Model of Ministry. Dr. Simmons continues to support the growth of thriving ministries and enlightened leaders in both the Unity and Centers for Spiritual Living movements as a consultant.

Dr. Simmons is author of The I of the Storm: Embracing Conflict, Creating Peace, a Unity bestseller now in its sixteenth printing and co-author of The Art & Practice of Living with Nothing and No One Against You. His latest book is The Soul's Conspiracy: Master Conflict and Transform Your Life.

Having implemented peacemaking and transition consulting in more than 250 New Thought organizations, Dr. Simmons’ contributions have been recognized with multiple awards, including the “Expanding the Dream Award,” and, in 2004, the prestigious Myrtle Fillmore Award for embodying the heart of Unity in his ability to help heal divisions. In addition, his work to establish Unity’s first peacemaking program allowed the Association of Unity Churches International to apply for and receive, for seven years in a row, the Sir John Templeton Grant, “Expanding the Pathway to Peace through Conflict.”

Dr. Simmons’ doctoral thesis integrates quantum science and spiritual principles and applies Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory to church organizations, which Simmons said “behave as conscious entities.” Wilber enthusiastically praised Simmons’ Integral Model of Ministry, saying it is “very valuable information that ministries can adopt in order to increase their transformational capacities.”

Dr. Simmons received his doctor of theology degree from Holos University Graduate Seminary, where he is now Director of the Spiritual Direction Track and an associate professor who teaches his Integral Model of Ministry and peacemaking. He is an adjunct faculty member for Holmes and Unity Institutes, and a trainer and keynote speaker for Unity and Centers for Spiritual Living.

Dr. Simmons holds a fourth-degree black belt in the martial art of tae kwon-do and is an experimental aircraft pilot currently building his third airplane.  He lives with wife, the Rev. Dr. Jane Simmons, a Unity minister, in Lee's Summit, Mo.