Dr. Woods is currently serving as General Secretary for American Baptist Churches USA. Previous roles include serving as Interim General Secretary, as Associate General Secretary for Regional Ministries and serving as the Executive Minister for ABC of Ohio. He also served four pastorates within the ABC Region of Indiana-Kentucky including nine years as Senior Pastor of the FBC of Rushville.

Dr. Woods earned his Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1987 majoring in both higher education administration and educational inquiry methodology.  He also holds a M.Div. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a B.S. from Purdue University in Management and Statistics.  Scholarships and fellowships allowed his entire education to be tuition free.  His leadership development includes training from the Heifitz group, the Center for Creative Leadership, and the Tavistock Institute in Leicester, UK. He is trained as a Master Facilitator and holds several certifications in individual and group assessments.

Also an author, his formal publications include seven books and over thirty articles in various religious, academic, and business journals.  Some of his books include, Designing Religious Studies, published in 2015 by Wipf and Stock, On the Move, published by Chalice Press in 2009, Better Than Success, Eight Principles of Faithful Leadership, published by Judson Press, and three additional books by the Alban Institute.

As a speaker, consultant, and resource person to congregations, regions, judicatories, and nonprofits, he has worked with groups in nearly every state and province in North America as well as internationally.  He has received numerous research and application grants and worked on a variety of study groups and think tanks, including his recent service on the Pulpit and Pew Project, a Lilly Foundation sponsored research project, exploring the status of clergy in North America.

He and his wife, Kandy, have been married for 39 years and reside in Newark, Ohio.  They have two children, Brandon and Kelsey, and three grandchildren.