Sophia Steibel

Professor Emerita, School of Divinity

Born in January 1955 to the Rev. David and Mrs. Haydee Suman Gomes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sophia Steibel was raised in the Baptist faith. When her first-grade teacher asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, the answer was a teacher and a missionary. She accomplished both of those goals by serving as a professor at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C.—a land that was foreign to her. 

Steibel retired in 2024, after serving the University for 30 years, and was named Professor Emerita in the M. Christopher White School of Divinity.

She was a teenager in 1972 when an event would pave the way for her to come to Gardner-Webb for the first time. A group of North Carolina Baptist Men came to Rio de Janeiro for a conference in July, which was winter there. They needed a tour guide, but all the missionaries were out of town attending an annual retreat. The Baptist Men asked her father to interpret for them and help them navigate the city.

They were impressed with Gomes and the spiritual maturity of his 17-year-old daughter. Before they left, they asked her parents if they could sponsor her to attend a Baptist college in America. Originally, she was supposed to go to a different school, but Gardner-Webb provided a better offer.

“I was a student from 1974-1977,” Steibel related. “I came back to teach in 1994—20 years later—never would I have thought that. I am very grateful for all that I received from Gardner-Webb as a student and as a professor.”

Her mentors included legendary Gardner-Webb professors, who have also been honored as Faculty Emeriti: Dr. Tony Eastman, Dr. Alice Cullinan, and the late Dr. Bob Lamb. When she earned her bachelor’s degree from Gardner-Webb, she was nominated by the faculty to receive the citizenship award as the female student of the year.

Steibel went on to earn her Master of Arts in religious education and her Ph.D. in education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. After receiving her master’s degree, she taught at the Baptist Religious Education Institute in Rio de Janeiro. Then, she taught at the South Brazil Baptist Theological Seminary in Rio de Janeiro. After earning her Ph.D., Steibel also served three years as president of Campinas Baptist Theological College in Sao Paulo, Brazil. During this time, her husband, Eduardo, pastored the Cambui Baptist Church in that city.

Through the years, Lamb and Cullinan had followed their former student. They lectured at the religious education school in Rio, Brazil, where Steibel was asked to assist faculty in syllabi construction, using the competence-based model. Steibel also taught classes on teaching and learning and curriculum design. Later, Lamb became the first dean of the Gardner-Webb School of Divinity and there was a vacancy to be filled in the Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy. “Dr. Lamb and Dr. Cullinan were influential in Gardner-Webb considering me to fill in the gap,” Steibel explained.

She and her husband enjoyed their life in Campinas and were content to stay there for the rest of their ministry. To help them determine God’s direction about a career at Gardner-Webb, they asked friends and family to pray. “Dr. Hobart Smith was a trustee at Gardner-Webb, and he said, ‘I’m not even going to pray about that,’” Steibel reflected. “We said, ‘Why not?’ and he said, ‘You come and if it doesn’t work, you can always go back, but if you don’t come, one day you’re going to regret it because you didn’t take a chance or a risk to know whether or not God wanted you to be (at Gardner-Webb).’”

His statement made an impact. Then, other trusted friends also advised Steibel to take the position. She accepted the job and came to Gardner-Webb in 1994 as associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy. Soon, she realized that she was exactly where God wanted her to be. “I don’t remember one single class where I didn’t find joy teaching it,” Steibel stated. “I loved what I did. I loved being with students, loved being in the classroom. I did seven years in the undergraduate.”

In her classroom, she followed the instruction of one of her seminary professors, Dr. LeRoy Ford. “He was transformational for me,” Steibel asserted. “He taught me that if students are not learning, one is not teaching. So, the whole focus of teaching is on learning. My role as a professor was to design instruction so that students would learn at a meaningful level, so that they would treat self and others with love and compassion. The classroom became a research platform, always adapting and innovating, because every class was different, every student was different. And so, that was my theme: to teach for learning.”

She concluded, “Ultimately, education that is Christian aims at learning more about who God is and who we are as persons created in his image. If we don’t learn this, we are bound to hurt self and others.”

A year after joining Gardner-Webb, the University presented her father with the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. He was also the commencement speaker, sharing advice with the graduates that included the first-ever class from the School of Divinity. An article in the 1995 Webb Magazine reported that Gomes was recognized for over five decades of Christian service in South America to preach, teach and spread the Gospel through conferences, revivals, special education opportunities, media involvement and social outreach.

In 2001, Steibel joined the School of Divinity faculty. She taught The Christian Journey, Designing Curriculum, Leadership with Volunteers in the Church, Mission and Ministry, and Administration and Leadership. Steibel coordinated the spiritual formation curriculum for the School of Divinity, and she led annual spirituality retreats for students. Christian education and spiritual formation continue to be Steibel’s primary areas of research interest.

Steibel was recognized in 2020 as the Bonnie Price Chair for Christian Formation and Leadership. Price was a long-time School of Divinity friend and supporter.

In drafting her proposal for allocation of the Price Endowment, Steibel researched various topics of interest. The one that resonated with her the most was “Spiritual Direction.” While the term may be new to some, Spiritual Direction as a broader concept has always existed. Her exposure has been to the model developed by St. Ignatius Loyola in the 16th century. Loyola founded the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits.

Steibel noted, “When God would fellowship with Adam and Eve in the garden, He was doing Spiritual Direction. He told them to care for the garden but not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden nor touch it. God did not force them not to eat. He respected their will. God guided them for their own good. The serpent on the other hand did exactly the opposite. The serpent offered a compelling argument that they could not resist.”

Steibel continued, “By design we find Spiritual Direction in scriptures all over. We all have God in us, and we need training to recognize this wonderful presence. Without God’s presence in us, we cannot know ourselves and be there for others.”

To explain what a Spiritual Direction session is like, Steibel described what it is not. “It’s not counseling or psychotherapy,” she began. “It’s not pastoral care, not a support group. What it is—it’s a conversation, a dialogue with someone who wants to become more aware of God’s activities in all of life—personally and collectively. So, when sitting in direction, we always light a lantern, because it’s a symbol of God’s presence. We say it’s a conversation of three.”

Steibel discovered there was a well-trained Spiritual Director, Dr. Alden Sproull, in Cleveland County, N.C. As she became more familiar with the teaching, Steibel felt it would be beneficial for divinity students to have access to Spiritual Direction sessions. She presented the proposal, and the School of Divinity faculty voted that Spiritual Direction should be a component of one of the formation classes, so that every student in the School of Divinity would be exposed to the tradition. After the first semester, Sproull polled the students about the effectiveness of the practice, and the responses were overwhelmingly positive.

Before her retirement, Steibel also felt called to begin the four-year intensive training to become a Spiritual Director. Classes are offered virtually and include a week of comprehensive instruction once a year. “I have Spiritual Direction myself, and I have holy listening groups that is part of the formation piece of the training,” she noted. “I have mentorship and then I have supervision. They want you to practice (with someone) after the first semester. I find myself very happy doing what I’m doing. It’s a blessing.”

At the beginning of each semester, she informs divinity students that she is available to meet with them. Those who are interested contact her to set up a time to meet for the confidential Spiritual Direction sessions. 

Besides her training and work in Spiritual Direction, Steibel also teaches Sunday School at First Baptist Church of Shelby, N.C., sings in the choir, and serves alongside others on Fridays feeding the hungry. 

An active member of Baptist Women in Ministry (BWIM), Steibel was honored to receive the BWIM Frankie Huff Granger Distinguished Mentor Award in 2022. The honor is presented each year to a mentor who has supported and empowered women called to ministry to use their gifts in service of the church. Established in 2013, the award is given in memory of Granger, who served at First Baptist Church, Berea, S.C. for over 20 years.

“Dr. Steibel has been an outstanding mentor for women (and men) during her years of service at the School of Divinity,” praised Dean and Professor of Christian Theology Robert W. Canoy. “This honor is one that she would never seek for herself, never preferring public recognition. She only wants God’s best for God’s people.”

Three of Steibel’s students, Kelly Settlemyre, Jennifer Jennings and Sarah Blosser Blackwell, nominated her for the award. “It was a life-giving surprise, especially to have been nominated by excellent former students,” Steibel affirmed. “To know that as women in the past formed me, and now I do those under my influence, illustrates how a God-given legacy passes on. I am very grateful for this honor to have come in this season of my life.”

Steibel is thankful for her years at Gardner-Webb. “As I said before, this is an institution that forms people to be contributors in society, honoring God and serving humanity,” she shared. “The interactions are meaningful, challenging at times, but they all contribute to the formation of a person wholistically. As a learner, I received individualized attention that helped me thrive. Professors like Dr. Bob Lamb, Dr. Tony Eastman and Dr. Alice Cullinan saw that I would be able to perform the learning task to the best of my ability. As a professor, I tried to follow their lead. Also, I was embraced by peers who valued my personhood and offered encouragement along the way.”

She concluded, “I feel privileged for having worked alongside professionals who live out their calling as teachers. Education at Gardner-Webb is a serious business that highlights growth and development in a context of Christian love.”

Sources: GWU Newscenter Archive and personal interviews by Jackie Bridges in 2024 and 2025