Welcome to my website!
I'm glad that you stopped by! It's hard to communicate in a comprehensive way through facebook pages or through a short resume. My hope is that this website will give you a better understanding of my background and my approach to church leadership.
|
Education |
Experience |
I love scholarship. I love the smell of libraries and old books, and deep internet searches. This passion to know more pushed me to get a B.S. in English and B.S. in Psychology, a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology (Th.M.) in Church History. This training has prepared me well for ministry, as I will teach and preach materials that are researched and of scholarly rigor. They have also given me a large breadth of understanding across several disciplines, helping me to be a better counselor, leader, servant and shepherd.
Preaching and TeachingPreaching can educate, but it exists to persuade people toward obedience. Teaching can persuade, but it primarily fills the role of informing. Preaching goes after the heart, that is, the will. Teaching goes after the head, and seeks to create a truly Christian world view. I love BOTH of these two vital parts of ministry.
|
21 years of professional ministry has given me a solid idea of what works to build a church, and what does not. Every church I have been blessed to serve has grown in the time I was present. I like to say "We want to grow wide and deep." Wide is growth in numbers. Depth is growth in spiritual maturity. A check with my references will show you that both width and depth are a by-product of how God has used me elsewhere.
Community BuildingBecause I had a lonely life as a child and teen, I have a great passion for community building. Hence a great focus in my ministry will be on building "Attractional Community." That means a church where we rethink the place of the church in our lives. The church that "plays and prays together" stays together. In a world where isolation and loneliness are becoming problems of epidemic proportions, the church has an incredible opportunity to grow by building real community founded on Jesus Christ, and the reconciling power of the cross.
|
"Being a pastor is so much more than standing in front of a crowd and giving a speech. It’s also community building, making disciples, and rightly honoring the God who made us."