I. Theological Perspectives.


Pastoral.

"The chief end of [human life] is to glorify God and to enjoy God forever." These words from the Westminster Shorter Catechism summarize my pastoral theology. My first and most basic task as a minister is caring for, building up, and guiding the body of Christ, which is the Church, so that God is glorified and enjoyed. At the same time, Christian faith also expresses and delivers us to "forever." The Church thus communicates, and connects us to, the ultimate truth of the universe: God's saving love for the world revealed in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. This mission and ministry of the Church is the only way to bring true health, purpose, wholeness, and liberation into the lives of individuals and communities. As a pastor, it is my calling to proclaim this truth and see it made real in the life of a living congregation.


Orthodox AND Reformed.

I uphold the orthodox faith as stated in the ancient creeds of the Church, and find it to be infinitely more liberating and revolutionary than anything people invent today.

The Reformation had to do with returning to the pure, simple, basic expressions of Christian faith we see in Scripture and the early Church. It remains our task to continue this movement in our own time, always affirming Jesus Christ at the center of Christian life.


Evangelical AND Inclusive.

In the New Testament we see a continual broadening of the church as it expanded outward. The church takes seriously Jesus' command to go into the whole world with the good news, meeting people where they are, developing new structures and approaches to reach out to new groups of people. The Church is faithful to the gospel when it expresses the demands of the gospel for a new way of life in the context of the cultural traditions of the local people.


Presbyterian.

While it is not perfect, the Presbyterian form of church government is among the most firmly grounded in the Bible. It also provides for a balance of interests in the church, recognizing the role of the Holy Spirit. My ecclesiology is very "high," which means I believe the church to be Christ's Body on the Earth and a true outpost of the Kingdom of God. Presbyterian ministers are shepherds, teachers, leaders of worship, and spiritual guides. Presbyterian elders are chosen by God and ordained to do the will of God prayerfully, knowledgeably, and confessionally as they lead a local church.


Ecological.

In the Bible, human sin has ecological consequences, and God's blessing is often expressed in ecological terms. In our time, as humanity faces many ecological crises, the Church needs to recover the importance of creation in its theology and life, and so become a leader in drawing humanity away from the precipice towards which our sin is pulling us.


Summary: Integral Christianity.

My theology is not limited to one part of me; rather it integrates all the dimensions and aspects of my life.

The Trinitarian God calls upon us to be responsible for each other in communion with God, creation, and each other. God's people are called to witness against evil and proclaim God's reconciliation in Christ.

Jesus calls us to participate in communion by obeying his commandments, following his example, and showing his love. These are the ways given to us by God in the Scriptures to see, grow into, and live, the new life in Christ. The primary place in which this happens is the local congregation.

The goal and purpose of creation, life, and humanity is union with and in God. That is our destiny and mission. This happens fully after death to those who trust in God. It may also begin at least to be anticipated in this mortal existence in the Church by the power of the Spirit. Everything we do needs to serve this end: that people, beginning with ourselves, glorify and enjoy God in this life, and enter God's glory in the next.


II. Approaches to Ministry.


Ministers are the contemporary manifestation of a profession that stretches back to the dawn of human history. God calls us to be the ones in the Christian community who lead the people in interpreting God's saving Presence in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.

We do this by teaching and preaching the Word, celebrating the Sacraments and other rites, praying with and for the people, and leading them in the way of life in Jesus Christ by both example and exhortation. I try to see that everything I do, in public and in private, is an aspect of this basic vocation.

Here are some summaries of how I see this taking place according to common ministry categories.

Under each category below I have included three sections, outlining:
a) My basic outlook;
b) My actual accomplishments;
c) My vision and goals for the future.


Worship.

a) The worship of God is the central activity of the Church. Christian worship, especially in the Reformed tradition, is God-centered; it must always exhibit continuity with Scripture and the tradition of the Church. At the same time, worship must also speak to the contemporary world and use the idioms and media of the people.

b) Worship development has been an essential element of my work in all churches in which I have served. I see worship as a gathering of God's extended family: an intergenerational blend of formal and informal; worship is both solemn and joyful, both rooted in memory and driven by hope. I rely on traditional forms and prayers, for when we use these words we literally pray with our ancestors in the faith. At the same time spontaneity and informality are also an aspect of my style of leading worship. Worshipers should feel as if they are at home in God's house.

c) My agenda for the future is to see the scope of worship broadened to draw from a wider variety of sources and using more of the various talents in a congregation, while at the same time strengthening our connectedness to the deeper Christian tradition. I wish to see worship build on the understanding that all of life is sacred and worthy of blessing.


Preaching.

a) Preaching is the centerpiece of Presbyterian worship. It is the final and most immediate expression of the Word, Jesus Christ, to whom Holy Scripture testifies.

b) My practice is to ground sermons securely in Scripture. My sermons are theological and literate, as well as relevant to contemporary life and issues. I use lots of illustrations from contemporary culture. The universal response from people in every church where I have served is that preaching is the best thing I do. (One of my sermons was even published in the Best Sermons series of books published by Harper-Collins.)

c) My preaching is the strongest single piece of my ministry. I seek an attentive congregation where I can continue to develop as a preacher.


Spirituality.

a) The goal of human life is, in the words of the Shorter Catechism, "to glorify God and enjoy God forever." Spirituality has to do with the practices, beliefs, lifestyles, and habits that make it more likely that we will come closer to the Kingdom of God in our own lives.

b) My own spiritual quest has led me to explore many different modes of spirituality. I have studied and rediscovered the spirituality of our own Reformed tradition as well as other parts of Christianity. In my ministry I incorporate what I am learning into what I teach about prayer and life in Christ.

c) My intention is to continue exploring the importance of developing and maintaining spiritual disciplines, and share this with a congregation.


Pastoral Care.

c) Jesus Christ conclusively defeats death and overcomes our sin on the cross, offering us freedom from sin's consequences. The Christian life is turning away from our sinful condition and towards the new life of redemption and forgiveness offered to us in Christ. Pastoral care is the way we assist and guide people in this way of repentance and transformation, healing and liberation.

d) I have always been a good listener and empathizer; in my twenty-two years in the ministry my strength has been in my ability to bring the good news into situations of crisis and tragedy. My task has been to be a blessing, and to bring God's blessing, into places where death and fear seem insurmountable. Obviously, people in the hospital or undergoing particular crises have priority. My goal is always to visit the whole membership annually.

e) My future ministry will be centered on healing and blessing, as we articulate and learn to see the living presence of God in our lives. I would like to make services for healing and wholeness a more regular and central part of my ministry. I intend to extend my pastoral care ministry beyond dealing with crises and towards celebrating the joys and challenges of life's transitions. I believe my ministry is one of training members of the church to exercise spiritual care for each other.


Education.

a) Christian education is about equipping and training the saints to see and spread the good news of the Kingdom of God. It is rooted in Bible stories, and bears fruit when Christians come to truly trust in God, and when they realize their potential as evangelists, which simply means tellers of good news.

b) Wherever I have served, I have encouraged standards and goals for Christian Education. One of the basic requirements for an effective educational ministry is the formation of good relationships and a strong sense of inclusion of children in the larger church community. I favor developing intergenerational activities, and finding ways for children to participate fully in the life of the congregation. It is important that the Christian education program be well-integrated into the life of the church.

c) I find it essential that all Christians, beginning in childhood, have a basic knowledge of the Bible. At the same time, education must continue even beyond Confirmation into training for a deeper spiritual life and spreading it through our lifestyle. The challenge here is to make education less a matter of knowing information and more a matter of learning how to live together in communion with the Lord. Adult education is an important aspect of this.


Evangelism.

a) If any life form lives only for itself, it dies a failure. In the Christian life we are to live for others by spreading abroad the good news of God's love for the world revealed in Jesus Christ. A church that is not growing is functionally dead. Effective evangelism is incarnational: that means it is accomplished by living with, identifying with, sacrificing for, and blessing people the way Jesus did.

b) I have studied church growth and served on (and chaired) presbytery committees in which church development and re-development is the primary topic. In my churches we have implemented the basic steps for attracting and retaining visitors. For the last 15 years of my ministry, I have served churches showing a net increase in membership.

c) I am looking for a position where I can implement more advanced and intensive strategies for spreading the good news and inviting neighbors to trust in the God of love we know in Christ.


Service.

d) Jesus' mission, "to announce good news to the poor, to proclaim release for prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind; to let the broken victims go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor," remains our mission as his body.

e) I have worked to expand the mission efforts of churches beyond merely giving money to include more hands-on and direct experiences: mission trips, homeless ministries, staffing food pantries, etc.

f) I would like to see a reunion in our practice between evangelism and service to others. Evangelism is service to others; service to others is evangelism.


Property.

a) "The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." Everything ultimately belongs to God. It is the witness of the church to make this truth apparent in the way it manages the resources placed in its care.

b) Buildings should be an arm of the church's mission. I have encouraged churches in which I have served to see their buildings used as much as possible by many helpful groups in the community.

c) Church facilities should be a holy center for the entire neighborhood. I want 5-year-olds from the neighborhood to pass the church and say "That's my church."


Management & Administration.

a) The Church reflects in advance the Kingdom of God. Therefore, Christ's values ought to prevail there. This means righteousness, justice, peace, love, equality, and forgiveness become our guiding principles. The church is responsible first and foremost to obey and imitate its Lord, Jesus Christ, in all things, especially the way it conducts its own affairs.

b) I have moved churches to see that gatherings of session and committees are essentially spiritual in nature. They are opportunities for prayer, fellowship, and study, as well as whatever their particular agenda might be. The minister is always a shepherd, model, coach, parent, and servant-leader. I have managed staffs in both the church and small business. I also come out of a long experience in smaller churches. This means, basically, that I have learned to be good (or at least competent) at every aspect of ministry.

c) I am open to a position involving staff leadership. I follow a collegial model that encourages staff members to cultivate their particular strengths while relating to all areas of ministry.


Stewardship.

a) We are called to be trustees and caretakers of God's creation. The question in what we call stewardship is not "How much of my money am I going to give to God?" but "How much of God's resources can I justify keeping for myself?" This area of the Church's life is also about more than money: it also has to do with time, talents, and other resources, all of which we receive in trust from God.

b) In most of my ministry I have been able to see my congregation increase its level of giving, as well as its level of participation.

c) Giving to the church is less about what the church needs to do the mission it has planned for itself, and more about what individuals and families need to give away for the sake of their own spiritual health. Giving, losing, renouncing, and sacrificing are theological and spiritual terms Jesus uses repeatedly. It is this side I would like to explore with a congregation.

Influences & Favorites