BIO

Rev. Dr. Linda Barnett began her Christian Education and Formation ministry journey at 17, serving as the children’s ministry director at Stewart Chapel CME, Fort Worth, Texas. She answered her call to ministry in 1998 and received her ordination in 2002. Her service within the CME church spans many areas, including pastoral ministry in three congregations: Mount Pisgah CME, Jacksboro, Hughes Chapel CME, Mineral Wells, and Benson Chapel CME, Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Barnett’s leadership advancement within the Christian Education and Formation community has allowed her to gain the essential qualities required to execute the responsibilities as an Episcopal District Director. Her leadership and pastoral skills have permitted her to serve as the Presiding Elder over the Northwest District and Dallas-Fort Worth/Northwest Texas Region of the Eighth Episcopal District since 2019. 

In 2010, Dr. Barnett graduated from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University. She received a Master of Arts in Christian Service with a concentration in Black Church Studies and Religious Education. She received her Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree from Texas Woman’s University in 2018. She is pursuing a second doctoral degree, a Doctor of Ministry, concentrating on spirituality, justice, and leadership from Brite Divinity School. 

Dr. Barnett graduated from Texas Woman’s University (TWU) in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy.  Her extensive career as a Registered Occupational Therapist with a Pediatric Specialization in Early Intervention has fueled her passion for serving humankind. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Occupational Therapy at TWU’s Institute of Health Sciences in Dallas, Texas. She currently serves as a state officer and national committee member of both the Texas and American Occupational Therapy Associations and as a member of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. 

In addition to her ministerial commitments, Dr. Barnett has maintained her dedication to the North Texas community. Since 2023, she has been an active advisory board member of the Ryan Family YMCA. She is a member of the NAACP, maintains her membership of the Beta Mu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, where she serves on the chapter’s spiritual team, and is a dedicated sponsor of the Fly Girlz Academy, Inc. located in Ft. Worth, TX. She is a published author of A COVID-19 Memoir: Using the Co-Occupation of Crafting and Spirituality to Promote Health and Wellness in the United States, in the Journal of Religion and Health. Her devotional “Renewed Strength for Your Journey: Walking in God’s Promises” will be available in Spring 2025. One of her scriptures of encouragement is, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31, KJV