Dr. J. Benjiman Wiles

Ordained Bishop, Church of God, 2000 - Present
BS, Arkansas Tech University, 1994
MDiv, Regent University, 2009
PhD, Bangor University, 2021

Dr. Wiles, known as “Ben” by his friends and family, grew up in Mena, Arkansas with his parents who were active Sunday School teachers and leaders in the Mena Church of God. In 1994, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with Arkansas Teacher Certification, subsequently spending a few short years as a junior high and high school math teacher in addition to a brief stint as a software engineer. 

Ben received his call to the ministry shortly after he experienced Spirit Baptism with the initial evidence of tongues in 1991. Upon completing the Ministerial Internship Program, he began serving in various capacities in the Church of God around Central Arkansas including youth minister, music minister, assistant pastor, and interim pastor. In 2000, he was appointed as pastor of River of Life Church of God in Hot Springs, Arkansas (now known as City Life Church) where he served for over 16 years. In addition, during his years in local church ministry, he served the Arkansas Church of God as a member of the Ministerial Development Board, the State Youth Board, and the State Council. After leaving the pastorate in 2017, Ben worked as Executive Director of a residential drug and alcohol treatment program before joining the Pentecostal Theological Seminary staff.

Ben’s vocational journey into the field of theological education began during his ministry years in Hot Springs. Upon completing the Master of Divinity degree at Regent University, he was invited to join the faculty of Lee University Online where he designed courses and taught for over a decade. In 2013, Ben began his PhD studies under the supervision of Dr. John Christopher Thomas, ultimately completing his program in early 2021. His thesis, Becoming Like Jesus: Toward a Pentecostal Theology of Sanctification, was published by CPT Press and received the Award of Excellence from the Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship. Ben came to PTS in 2019 as the Director of Instructional Design. Since then, in addition to his teaching responsibilities, Ben has served PTS as Assistant Dean, Media Coordinator, and in his current role of Special Assistant to the President. In addition to this administrative post, Ben serves with the PTS faculty as Assistant Professor of Spirituality and Formation.

Publications
Ben has authored many articles for the Church of God Evangel and written several lesson series for the Evangelical Sunday School Commentary produced by Church of God Publications. In addition to his published PhD thesis, Ben is the author of several book-length studies for Church of God Adult Discipleship including People of the Spirit: The Story of God and His People; 2 volumes in the “Living What We Believe” series: A Believing People and A Sanctified People; and A Shepherded People: A Pentecostal Study of Living the Shepherded Life in Christ.

Most important to Ben, in addition to his deep commitment to faith in Jesus Christ, is his family. He and his wife Pam have been married since they graduated high school in 1990, and together they have two sons – Marcus, who is married to Anna, and Jonathan. Ben and Pam reside in Cleveland, TN.